24th dec by THE EASTERN TODAY

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ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. 1

Issue 199

Smart Cities can get Smarter in 2016 Page 8

Dibrugarh, Thursday, December 24, 2015

JOBS

ET CAPSULES Unidentified body recovered Tinsukia, Dec 23. An unidentified dead body was recovered near 2nd Assam police battalion at Tingrai Bongali village under Makum police station today morning. Talking to this correspondent, the Officer-in-charge of Makum police station, Bhaskar Saikia said that after preliminary inquiry it seems to be a murder case as there were stabbing marks found on the body. “We have taken a suo-moto case and registered it under section 402 of Indian penal code,” he informed. The officer said that they were working on the case and would soon solve the case. (Correspondent)

Funds released by Assam CM Guwahati, Dec 23: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi approved two hundred ninety two crore forty lakh rupees for payment to Rural Local Bodies to enable them to work more efficiently for the development of local areas. It may be mentioned that the fund has been given to the local bodies to expedite the implementation of various schemes to bolster rural development. Moreover, an amount of thirteen crore forty two lakh ninety two thousand has also been released to Guwahati Development Department for payment to Guwahati Municipal Corporation. The fund released will be used exclusively for the development various civic aspects of Guwahati. (Staff Reporter)

X-Mas wishes by Assam CM Guwahati, Dec 23: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi extended Christmas greetings to the people belonging to Christianity and all the people of the state in general. In a message on Wednesday, Gogoi said that the merriment associated with the Christmas will enable the people to emulate the compassion, love, peace and brotherhood of Jesus and will usher in the spirit of peace, harmony and brotherhood in society. (Staff Reporter)

Veteran artist to be awarded

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Golaghat, Dec 22: Montu Karmakar, veteran lyricist and musician of Golaghat will be awarded with the Shilpipran Makhan Prasad Dowerah and Renu Dowerah award this year. Golaghat Sakha Sahitya Sabha is going to organise the award ceremony on December 30 at the Amateur theatre auditorium in Golaghat. In the award ceremony renowned lyricist, cultural organiser and former All India Radio official Kirtikamal Bhuyan will be present as the distinguished guest. (Correspondent)

File picture of Anup Chetia in Guwahati High Court. he is all in favour of having peace talks with the Indian Government. The ULFA general secretary was earlier sent to five days custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Earlier, on November

17,Chetia was brought to Guwahati by the CBI on a transit remand and produced before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate amid tight security. Chetia was charged with illegally entering Bangladesh using a forged passport, possession of illegal foreign currency from 16 different countries and illegal possession of arms. He was also wanted by the Assam Police for various cases, including killing, kidnapping and extortion. Chetia, who has been in Bangladesh since his arrest by the country's police in 1997, was handed over to India on November 11 following which he was arrested by the CBI in Delhi.

PM Modi leaves for Russia to attend 16th Annual Summit

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Assam CM urges Tata Chairman to explore potential areas of investment in Assam A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Dec 23

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today urged Tata group chairman Cyrus Mistry to explore potential areas of investment in Assam. Gogoi held a meeting with Mistry after the inauguration of a Taj group hotel here and termed it as a "welcome step". "The Tatas have opened their hotel here. They are recruiting people. We have discussed various issues regarding investments. I explained to him the potential areas in the state. I knew Ratan Tata. He (Mistry) is new. We can make a new beginning," he said. The Assam chief minister said that the Taj has its own brand name and worldwide reputation. "The opening of the new hotel would contribute to the economic development." Contd. on Page 4

Galo Students’ Union submits memorandum to DC ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 23

Further, the floor of the auditorium has also worn out. There has also been serious attempt to mop up the faulty construction. The organization felt that there should not be any compromise with regards to assets which are created for educational institutions and asked the DC to take strong action against the contractor concerned. They also urged the DC to direct the authorities and the contractor concerned to immediately carry out necessary renovation works at the earliest failing which the union shall be compelled to resort to democratic agitation. The DC assured the organization saying that he would look into the matter at the earliest. The said auditorium at the college was one of the long felt demands of the Galo Students’ Union and the college fraternity.

A team of Galo Students' Union (GSU) led by its spokesperson cum secretary of Border affairs, AAPSU Marli kamki and advisor Bito Gara today called on the Deputy Commissioner, West Siang District and submitted a complaint against Sub-standard construction of college auditorium at DPGC, Kamki, West Siang which was executed under WRD department. The said auditorium building was inaugurated with much fanfare by Nyamar Karbak, MLA of 27thLiromoba Assembly Constituency cum Chairman, APB&CWWB on 16th August 2015. But within few months of the inauguration, cracks have developed in different parts of the said auditorium.

Galo students’ Union Constable killed, one injured in firing in court room calls on DC, West Siang Meena, posted at Delhi Police's ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 23

The Galo students' Union led by its General secretary Kenge Lomi today called on the Deputy Commissioner, West Siang District at his official chamber. The organization submitted the DC a five-point memorandum. The points highlighted in the memorandum were as follows: Immediate action against the office of Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE), Depositing of funds meant for civil

works under SSA in the joint account of the teacher incharge and SMC, Immediate expedition of Trans-Arunachal Highway works i.e from Tai to Gabu stream, Strong action and immediate eviction of Land encroachers in West Siang district particularly in Aalo township and publication of white paper on land encroachers in Aalo, Immediate expedition of Construction/improvement/widening of road Akajan-LikabaliBame from 97kms to 103.174 kms.

Be dedicated and efficient in your field, Natung tells trainees Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 23

In its endeavour to create employable skills amongst the unemployed youth particularly belonging to economical weaker section of the society, the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh has successfully completed its 4th batch of skill development training under Hunar Se Rojgar Tak (HSRT) a scheme

under Ministry of Tourism Government of India. The training was on Hospitality, Food production, Food & Beverages Service, Housekeeping, Bakery and Passeteries. It also gives emphasis on technical and behavioural skills to enhance the performance standard to require level. Contd. on Page 3

Agencies New Delhi, Dec 23

A Delhi Police constable was killed and an undertrial critically injured when a group of "contract killers", all suspected to be minors, opened fire inside a court room here today, following which four persons, including a juvenile apprehended for a murder case last year, were detained. The deceased identified as Head Constable Ram Kanwar

One injured in road mishap

third battalion, was escorting an undertrial, Irfan alias Chaini Pehlwan, at court number 73 in east Delhi's Karkardooma court when the incident took place around 11 AM, said a police official. "While Meena was hit by four bullets, Irfan sustained two. They were both rushed to Hedgewar Hospital, where the former was declared brought dead, Contd. on Page 3

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi inaugurates new hotel VIVANTA by TAJ in Guwahati. Pic - UB

PM Modi receives guard of honour in Moscow ANI Moscow, Dec. 23

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in the Russian capital for the Sixteenth Annual Summit on Wednesday. The Prime Minister was welcomed with the national anthem and was accorded with the guard of honour after he landed in Moscow. The Prime Minister would shortly attend a private dinner hosted by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Summit is scheduled to begin tomorrow with the Prime Minister interacting

A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Dec 23

One, Tumpa Taizung aged 26, a resident of Miao in Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh was critically injured after he met with a road accident on NH 38 near DPS Hostel at Golai under Digboi Police Station here this morning. According to eye witnesses,

State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Assam for implementation of CMP (Cash Management Product) - an online treasury payment solution for the State Government. Under this payment mode, Government drawing and disbursing officers will digitally upload a bill for payment to the

ANI New Delhi, Dec 23

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday suspended MP Kirti Azad, who was in the line of fire for his tirade against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the alleged scams in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). The BJP had earlier said that action would be taken against Azad for embarrassing the party in connection with the alleged corruption prevailing

Happiness of the general public of Hajo under Kamrup district knew no bound when Gauhati High Court passed an order in favour of centuries old traditional 'Bulbuli fight'. The Gauhati High Court has ruled that the famous 'Bulbuli fight' of Magh Bihu will continue like before. It may be

mentioned that following the instruction of the district Administration, the traditional Bulbuli fight' was not hosted at the Haygrib Madhab temple premises of Hajo this year. However, Shiv Prasad Sarmah Doloi and members of the temple management committee approached the Supreme Court who advised them to move the Gauhati High Court in this regard. Fol-

Bulbuli fight at Hajo.

in DDCA. "Party democracy doesn't give you the right to slander and then get prodded by the opposition in Parliament. And then, you embarrass the government in Parliament. Through tweets, you provoke the leader and this entire episode amounts to gross indiscipline," BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh said. "It's time for action. It is my feeling, because it's not giving a good name to the party. Because, this indiscipline is not giving a good signal to the party cadre," he added.

have shared a privileged relation from time immemorial. During the previous Summit, the leaders of the two nations discussed largely about expansion of economic ties. It would yet again hold a special position in the sixteenth Summit. The two nations also share close nuclear ties with Russia already constructing 12 Nuclear plants in the country. Further discussion is also expected in this regard. The Prime Minister is also expected to visit Kabul on his way back. But the reports have not yet been confirmed.

Google tests a new method to log in accounts without password ANI Amsterdam, Dec 23

Google has announced that it is testing a new way to allow the users to sign into their Google accounts without password. According to The Next Web, the new method will allow the users to use a mobile to log in into their Google account on the desktop. Google confirmed the move saying that they have invited a small group of users to help test a new way to sign-in to their Google accounts, no password required. Contd. on Page 4

Foundation stone of Additional Judicial Court building and Bar Library laid

treasury office concerned. The treasury officer will digitally authorize the bill and thereafter it will reveal online with the SBI CMP operation department located in Hyderabad. From here they will process the bills and within a few minutes, all accounts relating to salary or vendor payments will be credited to respective payees’ accounts of all banks wherever they are maintaining the accounts, Contd. on Page 3

Guahati HC rules in favour of traditional Bulbuli fight at Hajo Tapas Samaddar Rangia Dec 23

with Russian and Indian CEOs. Before the interaction, the Prime Minister would also lay wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit the Russian Emercon, which is an emergency disaster facility. He will be shown how the country handles civil disasters through this. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also meet the Friends of India at the Moscow Expo-Centre. He is then scheduled to address the Indian community, after which he would depart to return to India. India and Russia

BJP suspends MP Kirti Azad

Assam Govt. signs MoU with SBI for implementation of CMP

ET Correspondent Digboi, Dec 23

Contd. on Page 4

Pages- 12

Current account gap widens in Q2 Page 9

ANI Guwahati, Dec 23

diction of the Special Judicial Magistrate without prior permission," the senior advocate said. Chetia had reportedly sought forgiveness for the past mistakes of the Assam-based militant outfit, and added that

5.00

CAREER

Session court grants bail to Anup Chetia United Liberation Front for Asom (ULFA) leader Anup Chetia, who was recently repatriated from Bangladesh on the basis of a bilateral extradition arrangement, was today granted bail in the last of the four cases registered against him. Guwahati Sessions court granted bail to Chetia, who is lodged in the Guwahati Central Jail. "The court, however, granted the bail with conditions that Chetia cannot hamper the process of investigation and he cannot leave the juris-

Price -

lowing this Doloi filed a writ petition No. WPT 5228/15 at Gauhati High court and hearing his petition, the court of Justice Hrikesh Roy passed the verdict as to continue the traditional Bulbuli fight. All the common people and the pilgrimages welcomed the verdict. They will organize a program on Dec 27 welcoming the verdict informed Doloi.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Judge Supreme court of India in the presence of T. Vaiphei, Chief Justice (Acting) inaugurates the foundation stone of Additional Judicial Court building& Bar library at Dibrugarh. Pic - UB Photos A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Dec 23

The foundation stone of Additional Judicial Court building and Bar Library in Dibrugarh was laid by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Judge, Supreme Court of India. Justice Ranjan Gogoi was the guest of honor at the programme. Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, District and

Session Judge, Dibrugarh in his welcome speech recalled the days in the year 1936 when the bar had 40 members. He added now the Dibrugarh Bar has 72 members and many aspirants’ lawyers had submitted their application for the membership of Dibrugarh bar. Contd. on Page 4

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Dalam Studio Near parking stand Khonsa

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

Hope brings sorrow to a Panchayat worker ET Correspondent December, Dec 23: Pathetic nonfiction has been investigated by our Doomdooma correspondent where a Panchayat Worker is standing at the cusp of life spending 35 years of his precious life but his salary is like getting a drop in the ocean. This is the tragic story of Balin Moran who has been serving as a fourth grade staff in the office of Rangajan Gaon Panchayat (GP ) which

is located in north-west corner of Doomdooma at the distance of 5 km along with NH 52 . The Panchayat falls under Kakopathar Development block in Tinsukia district. He is an inhabitant of Rangajan village near to the panchayat office and has been serving as a peon for the last 35 years on temporary basis. In the hope to get permanent appointment but the hope brought disap-

Kerala Governor to file complaint against Air India for 'insulting': P. Sathasivam New Delhi, Dec. 23: Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam will file a complaint against Air India for allegedly 'insulting' him and not allowing him to board the flight on Tuesday. According to sources, the Kerala Governor was asked to reach the airport at 11.40 p.m, he reached at 11.28 p.m. But

he was not allowed to board saying that he was late. Sathasivam was the chief justice of India for a year till April 2014. Four months later, he became the Governor of Kerala. Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said he will inquire about the matter. (ANI)

'Bure Din' instead of 'Achhe Din': Rahul Gandhi Fursatganj, Dec. 23: Taking a verbal swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Achhe Din' slogan, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he (Modi) had promised of good days during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign but bad days have come instead. "Where are Modi ji's 'acche din'? He had promised 'achhe din' (good days) but 'bure din' (bad days) have come instead, Rahul

Gandhi told while interacting with the locals. "Congress is fighting and will continue to fight against the Narendra Modi government," he added. Rahul Gandhi will on Wednesday begin his two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency, Amethi. This will be his first visit to his constituency after he secured bail in the National Herald case. (ANI)

pointment for him and his kins but the state government jests at scars who never felt a wound. Running the livelihood is a hard nut to crack for him as he receives a very small amount of money from the GP still thinking quit not certainty for hope , serving sincerely in the hope that cattle will die from crow's cursing . It is noteworthy that since the inception of

Rangajan GP in 1991-92 , he has been serving in the office and trying his best to get his post regularized .He did the marathon of meeting Panchayat and Rural Development Minister of the State also but out of the frying pan into the fire . It is said that fortune favors the brave so he again applied through proper channel , i.e Tinsukia Zila Parishad as advised by the com-

petent authority but all in vain . This is merely an example , there are hundred Balins across the state , in place of making castles in the air the Assam Government should awake from Kumbhkarn's sleep and provide them help otherwise these people would be whistling maid and crowing hen are neither fit for Gods nor men .

NGO organizes ‘BetiZindabad’ programme Shambhu Boro, Tezpur, Dec 22: In a bid to create opinion to stop violence against women besides taking forward the idea of raising a girl child equally, a frontline NGO named ‘The East’ in collaboration with the District Women Cell organized a consultancy programme with the slogan “Beti Zindabad” at Asomiya Club. It is to be stated that the NGO has been working in the field of the welfare of the girl child and against the alleged discrimination against the girl child for the last few years based on the national campaign launched by Action Aid Association in 2012 after the depressing statics reflected in post 2011 census called “Adverse Sex Ratio” . Attending the occasion as chief

guest SP Sonitpur, Sanjukta Parashar, shared her experience in this regard. She said that violence against women is a serious concern for the society. “In my family, I never faced such situation and used to mingle with boys and girls alike. However, the unwanted discrimination that exists in our society pains me a lot, being a police officer, I have come witnessed many such incidents.” She urged the participants to focus on girl child education and economic independence of the women folk to ensure a life with dignity. Chandra Prabha Saikia Award winner Meenakshi Bhuyan, president of Tezpur District Mahila Samitee (TDMS) was felicitated by the NGO for dedicated work in the field of women’s

right. She shared that gender was not an issue in their time and they were accustomed with it but now it has become a serious issue. “There was not much gender discrimination due to prevalent of tribal culture in Assam at their time but the modern world has changed the mindset of the people.” She lamented adding there is an urgent need for the woman folk to unite and raise voice against such issues. Member Secretary of District Women Cell, Ms Liza Talukdar, spoke on the role of District women cell and consented to extend a helping hand from the cell if required. Officials from the department of child protection and social welfare Department were also present in the programme to express their views on the issue.

Capt. Anoop Sharma appointed Essar Shipping Ltd Managing Director Delhi HC refuses to stop AAP Govt's Odd-Even formula

New Delhi, Dec.23: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to put stay on Delhi Government's 'Odd-Even formula' for cars which will be effective from January 1. The court has also asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led-Delhi Government to take into consideration the issues raised in

the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking exemption for disabled people. The PIL had demanded exemption for disabled people as their vehicles are specially designed and they can't follow the 'Odd-Even formula'. The next hearing will take place on January 6. (ANI)

Google is reportedly creating a new intelligent messaging app ANI Amsterdam, Dec. 23: Google has reportedly been building a new messaging app that will allow the users to chat with their friends or message an intelligent Google bot for answers to their questions. According to reports, the company has been working on this new service for at least a year, though it is not known when it might

launch. The details are still light on this. It is also reported that Google will likely allow other developers to build chat bots that run on the service, so the users could receive an answer from an app that has the information they are looking for. The service looks like it's meant to directly compete with Facebook M, a bot that Facebook is testing inside of Messenger.

ANI Mumbai, Dec 23: The Board of Directors of Essar Shipping Ltd. has appointed Capt. Anoop Sharma as the Managing Director of the company, effective November 1, 2015. Capt. Sharma joined Essar in 2008 and until recently, served as CEO and Wholetime Director of Essar Shipping Limited. He is a Master (FG) with a Diploma in Marketing Management from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. Capt Sharma will be responsible for managing and growing

the shipping business Commenting on his appointment, Capt. Sharma said " I would like to thank the Board for reposing their confidence and entrusting me the responsibility to further spearhead the shipping business of the company. I look forward in working with a holistic approach for the business to sail through these challenging times in the maritime industry." As Managing Director, Capt. Sharma will report to the Board of Essar Shipping Ltd. Essar Shipping Limited operates a diversified fleet

of 26 vessels, including VLCCs, Capesize, Minicapesize, Supramaxes, mini-bulk carriers and tugs. A sizeable part of the capacity is deployed using an optimal mix of spot markets, long-term contracts and COAs, maximising profit and insulating the company from the volatility. The oilfields services business provides contract drilling services to oil and gas companies across the globe. This business owns one semi-submersible rig and 14 land rigs. The company has two new jack-up rigs on order.

Black box of crashed BSF plane recovered ANI New Delhi, Dec. 23: Black box of the Border Security Force (BSF) plane (B 200 Super King) which crashed through the boundary wall of the Delhi airport, was recovered today. According to reports, the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorders in the black boxes are being studied to know what transpired inside the cockpit and the passenger area before it crashed. All the ten passen-

gers onboard were killed after a Ranchi-bound BSF Superking aircraft crashed at Bagdola village in Sector 8, Dwarka on Tuesday morning. Home Minister Rajnath Singh today paid tribute to BSF plane crash victims at the Safdarjung Airport. Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung also paid tribute to the victims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had yesterday ex-

pressed grief and distress at the loss of lives in the plane crash in the national capital. Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had also condoled the loss of lives. The BSF had yesterday announced Rs. 20 lakhs to the BSF family members from BSF's internal insurance fund in addition to what the government will announce.

CSE welcomes union govt.’s step to tighten pollution norms for coal based power projects ET Correspondent Guwahati, Dec 23: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has welcomed the steps taken by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to tighten the pollution norms for coalbased power sector, which is one of the most polluting sectors of the Indian industry in India. On Tuesday, the MoEF&CC announced it had published the notification in the Government of India gazette to tighten norms for emissions of particulate matter (PM), SO2, NOx and mercury and cut water use by coal-based thermal power plants. India currently has no standards for SO2, NOx and mercury emissions from this sector. The only standards that exist are for PM, which are quite lax compared with the global norms. “The new regulations are a positive first step. However, strengthening our regulatory systems is critical to

ensuring that these standards are strictly enforced. Effective implementation of advanced pollution monitoring technologies such as Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) and online reporting is vital,” said Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General, CSE. He added what is urgently needed is additional compliance staff and skill-building in pollution control boards. “Compliance and enforcement can be made more effective by using new market-based tools such as incentives to cut pollution, emissions trading and steeper financial penalties for violations,” said Priyavrat Bhati, Director, Sustainable Industrialization. Earlier this year, CSE had released its environmental rating of the coalbased thermal power sector under its Green Rating Project. Forty seven plants – totaling more than half of the nation’s capacity – were rated. The findings showed

that the sector ranked poorly on all the parameters. The CSE rating report titled ‘Heat on Power’ had recommended tightening of pollution standards and water use. Of the total pollution from the industrial sector, coal-based power industry accounts for approximately 60 per cent of particulate emissions, 45-50 per cent of SO2 emissions, 30 per cent of NOx emissions and more than 80 per cent of mercury emissions. A reduction of these emissions from coal-based power plants will therefore go a long way in alleviating the health impacts of industrial air pollution, says a CSE analysis. What are the new standards? The power plants that are commissioned after January, 2016 will have to conform to a norm of 30 milligram per normal cubic metre (mg/ Nm3) for PM and 100 mg/ Nm3 for both SO2 and NOx; mercury norms have been set at 0.03 mg/

Nm3.The new standards are expected to cut particulate emissions from plants commissioned after 2017 by 25 per cent; SO2 emissions by 90 per cent; NOx emissions by 70 per cent and mercury emissions by 75 per cent compared with existing state-of-the-art plants. For an existing industry-average plant, the emissions cut will also be significant. For instance, the PM norm for an average Indian power plant is 150 mg/Nm3. Under the new standards, existing plants will need to meet PM standards between 50-100 mg/Nm3. The impact will be even more pronounced for SO2, NOx and mercury emissions since these did not have norms. The notification requires that plants that are established between 2003 and 2016, subsequent to the liberalization of the power sector, will need to meet slightly looser standards. Plants older than 2003

will need to meet relatively relaxed norms. “We believe lower standards for old units are acceptable given both technical hurdles and economic costs of installing pollution control equipment at these units,” said Bhati. CSE analysis says the new norms will require all existing cooling tower-based plants to restrict water consumption to 3.5 cubic metre per watt hour (m3/MWh). Plants which will be set up after January 2017 have to achieve 2.5 m3/MWh. Also, all existing water-guzzling once-through-cooling (OTC) system plants will need to be replaced with cooling tower-based systems. This can have a remarkable reduction in freshwater withdrawal by thermal power plants – cumulatively, freshwater withdrawal could decrease from around 22 billion cubic metre in 2012 to around 4.5 billion cubic metre in 2017, an 80 per cent dip.

Artists perform during the ongoing 14th Assam Mahotsav in Jorhat. Pic - Samir Roy

ASTRO FOR YOU You will desire absolute freedom in whatever you do today. A lot of entertainment is on the cards for teenagers, like window shopping or going for a movie. Kids may demand a treat from you. Generally, family affairs dominate today. You are likely to turn excessively self centred today. This could cause you to be very insecure. You will have a tendency to control and dominate others. There is a likelihood that you may, thereby, jeopardize important relationships. You are advised to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of all those you come across. Do not allow your selfishness to get the better of you, leading you to alienate those who matter. You will feel blue and out of sorts today. You will feel that you are all alone in the world, emotionally. Your repressed desires and your philosophical streak will come to the fore today and will influence your dark mood. You are most likely to appear edgy and hypercritical to others. Remain your typical poised self. Try not to be harsh to others, if you wish to save your relationships and sustain a reputable image. Avoid clashes with your superiors and colleagues. Take a deep breath the moment you feel you are losing the grip on your emotions, and then this too shall pass! Most of your time will be spent at the work place. You will excel in all your tasks today. Professional relationships will be marked by co-operation. You will have cordial relations with your colleagues. It is an auspicious and progressive day for business. Avoid all kinds of prejudice and do not allow intolerance to enter your mind today. In all likelihood, you will look around yourself in search of love and affection. You will do well to keep negativity at bay as otherwise it may cow you down. You must marshal all your courage to live as per your convictions. Those of you who are married or in love will experience a good time today. As you spend more time with your life partner by going out for a drive or for dinner, you will come closer to them. Today is a day full of joy, vigor and happiness for you. Today promises to be an exceptional day for those involved in business. With sheer brilliance, you will steer deals right to your door step, and will display great finesse in negotiations and bartering. Bring out the leader in you and take charge when you introduce new products or market them in business. You will be religiously inclined today. Listening to soft, instrumental music will soothe your nerves. You also feel like going back to school days and dig into detective and suspense stories of Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys. Though less, you will get money from your investments and other resources. Don’t ignore pending projects; complete them at the earliest so that you will have clear picture about your requirements and responsibilities. Once you are done with them, you will enjoy happy times with your friends and family in the evening. Bursting with new ideas, you want to make the world a better place! You will give your best in a team and will come up with great schemes and solutions. At gatherings and social do, you will remain your charming self, impressing people with an amazing social grace. You are going to be very emotional today. You will be able to express your love to your wife or other loved ones in a very unique and dramatic way. It is not a good day for putting forth marriage or love proposals, and if you do it could be disappointing. Professionally you will be very successful in all tasks.

PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz) Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights

24-12-15 (THURSDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti(Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-15 A.M-Classical Music 6-50 A.M-Dihanaam 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali(Assamese Modern Song) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi(Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Radio Report on Dibrugarh Book Fair 12-30 P.M-Ghar Jeuti (Women's Programme) 3-30 P.M-Mishing Geet 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 7-15 P.M-Yuvavani 8-00 P.M-Gyanmalini (Sponsored Programme of Directorate of Distance Education, D.U) 8-30 P.M-Aapuni Sajag Ne? 10-00 P.M-Classical Music Sd-/H.O.P

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

A Rejoinder Responding to a complaint of alleged misconduct against two students of Rangfrah College, Changlang, 14 Assam Rifles today clarified that no officer named Captain B.K.Singh exists on their strength. The Assam Rifles has been instrumental in tampering insurgency in the state and clarified that many miscreants impersonate security forces and could indulge in such nefarious activities for small monetary gains and tarnishing image of the forces. Meanwhile, the All Changlang District Students Union (ACDSU) which had leveled the charges based upon which the report was filed had apologized before the 14 Assam Rifles for the mistaken identity and had praised the 14 AR for its good public relation in its area of operation. The ACDSU has now decided to approach the civil as well as police authorities in Margherita to find the guilty and punish them accordingly.

Three districts from Arunachal to be awarded ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 23: The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Communication and IT, Govt. of India has selected three districts from the state to receive an award as one of the best performers during the Digital India Week celebration held across country from July 1 to July 7, 2015. The best three districts from the state has been chosen by a selection committee at DeitY. The best performing districts to receive the award are Namsai, ranked

first followed by Kurung Kumey and East Siang in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. The award will be presented to this best performing districts during the upcoming 'Good Governance Day' scheduled to be held on December 28 in New Delhi. The award will be presented by Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Honorable minister of Communication and IT. The districts were chosen based on the event related data provided by the state to the Ministry of Communication and IT.

Governor mourns the tragic demise of BSF personnel ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 23: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh JP Rajkhowa has deeply mourned the loss of lives of the Border Security Force (BSF) in the plane crash at South West Delhi yesterday. Condoling the tragic incident, the Governor said that he is deeply pained by the loss of ten precious lives of BSF personnel, who were responsible for safety and security of the Nation – both in the areas of internal as well as external security. The nation has lost the valiant personnel in the service of their motherland. While expressing heartfelt condolence and sympathy on behalf of people of the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh and his own behalf, the Governor prayed to the Almighty to give the bereaved families the much needed strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. The Governor further prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls.

2nd round utos review committee meeting held Khonsa, Dec 23: The 2nd round Under Trial Prisoners Review committee meeting of Tirap district was held at Sub Jail Khonsa on 18th December, 2015. The Tirap DC Ravi Jha and SP Jasmeet Singh, the Ex-Officio Jail Superintendent and JMFC Khonsa attended the meeting. The members

reviewed the status of the case progress Vis-a-vis detention of the UTPs. The following were the outcome of the 2nd UTRC meeting of Tirap held on 18/ 12/2015. 1. Total No. of UTPs - 52 Nos. 2. Total no cases of Prisoners who are unable to fur-

nish bail (due to poverty)Nil 3. Total no of UTPs who are entitled to the benefit U/s 436A of CrPC. 4. Numbers of UTPs who have already been granted bail but no released - 1 No. 5. Numbers of UTPs for the offences which are compoundable - 1 No.

PPA delegation calls on the Governor

ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 23: A ninemember delegation of the People Party of Arunachal (PPA), led by its Chairman Shri Kamen Ringu and comprising President Shri Kahfa Bengia, Secretary Generals, Shri Kaling Jerang, Shri Tarang Tajo and Shri Tame Papuk, Secretary, (Tirap, Changlang and Londing District) Shri Nyasam Jongsam, Youth President Shri Gautam Ringu and Vice President Shri Komkar Riba, called on the Governor Shri JP Rajkhowa at Raj Bhavan, Itanagar on 23rdDecember 2015. The members apprised the Governor of their concern on the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. They also ex-

pressed their unhappiness on the incidents on 16th and 17th December in the State Capital, including the failure to maintain Law and Order at the Assembly premise, where the gates were not opened for the MLAs, inspite of written order of the Chief Secretary. The delegation expressed concern over the blockage of roads that even ambulance was not allowed to pass through, with the Police not taking any action to clear the roads. They also expressed unhappiness over the role of the Home Minister of the State and also condemned the happening at Raj Bhavan on 15th December, when some Ministers showed unruly conduct by dishonouring the Head

of the State, in the presence of the Chief Minister. While appreciating their concern as members of a regional Political Party, the Governor advised them to guide the younger generation towards communal harmony and all round development in the State. He expressed happiness that the PPA leaders and cadres have risen above the petty politics and working for overall welfare of the people of all tribes of the strategic and frontier State of Arunachal Pradesh. He requested them to guide the youth in the right direction to pursue their education seriously, not to waste time influenced by vested politicians and serve the society in constructive ways.

Governor conveys Christmas greetings ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 23: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh JP Rajkhowa has conveyed his warm greetings to the people of the state in general and the Christian brethren in particular, on the auspicious and holy occasion of Christmas, which is celebrated all over the World with the joyful Santa Claus carrying across the happy news of the birth of Jesus and presenting gifts to the children.

He expressed hope and prayed that the festive occasion would usher-in peace, fellow feeling, love and tranquillity throughout the State, Nation and the World. In his message, the Governor said that Christmas heralds the birth of Jesus Christ, who symbolises love, peace, non-violence and brotherly and sisterly feelings, in Bethlehem, remains a powerful symbol of hope for a better future. At the same

time, it marks a moment to pause, to reflect and believe in the possibilities of new beginning and rejuvenation. As we come together amongst family and friends to celebrate this special occasion and look forward to the coming New Year, I hope that in the months to come, we shall be able to find ways and means to strengthen our bond of togetherness among communities for a better and brighter future for all, and

day. Earlier on October18, one day multi specialty free medical assessment camp was conducted in the Pasighat general hospital AudioVisual Hall to extend free medical assistance cum assessment of the CWSN in continuation of administration's endeavor to bring other essential services to them for which they are neither able to afford nor have any basic knowledge. Witnessing the drawing competition, solo song

and dance competitions participated by CWSN on the occasion, overwhelmed DPD khosla appreciated all for their unparallel and extraordinary quality. Saying "Every single child is gifted and talented in a particular field" she said with external help and guidance of parents and teachers CWSN can excel in various fields adding that many have already been established good positions in the nation. Many have even

for the New Year 2016, and may God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit bless you. Let us also inculcate His advice – ‘Love thy neighbour, I love thee’. The proverb goes – ‘When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.’ On this sacred occasion, once again, I wish every one of you a very happy Christmas,” the Governor wished.

Tirap to achieve 100% insurance coverage for its MTS, alcs under PMJJBY Khonsa Dec 23: Tirap district administration has shown the way in extending the benefits of PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna to its employee. All the Group-D staff and ALCs of the DC establishment have been covered under the PMJJBY. The formal launching program was held at SBI Khonsa today. Launching the initiative DC Ravi Jha said that Group-D & ALCs constitute the most vulnerable section of the government employees. The section is particularly prone to liquor, opium and other addictions and often the most neglected. It is therefore of paramount importance to bring them under the loop of insurance. As an incentive to the staff the first year's premium for

the entire Gr. D & ALC staff of the DC establishment has been paid from the salary of

DC Ravi Jha. He urged upon the HODs to emulate the same initiative in their

respective department so as to achieve a 100% insured staff for entire Tirap district.

This will also boost up the financial inclusion of the left out people. DC extended his thanks to Chief Manager SBI Khonsa for his support in processing the form and implementing the initiative. A sum of more than Rs. 26,000/- was donated in form of Cheque by the DC towards payment of first year premium for 82 employees. PMJJBY provided for life insurance of Rs. 2 Lakhs for deaths (irrespective of cause of death) at a premium of Rs. 330/- per annum which amounts to around Re. 1/ day. Earlier, in his welcome address CBM Subash Dhar appreciated the Deputy Commissioner for his generosity and kind initiative for his staff.

Locals of Kanubari Be dedicated and efficient in your field, Natung tells trainees Sub-Division ask DC to stay ADC transfer Contd. from Page 1

The content of course has been designed by national council of Hotel Management & Catering Technology and was conducted by clustering five best hotels in the state capital Itanagar. The trainers were the faculties’ of Tourism & Hotel management. Giving away the certificates to the pass out trainees in a small ceremony held at conference Hall of Directorate of Tourism today, Parliamentary Secretary Mama Natung, called upon the trainees to apply their skills what they have learnt from the two months training to make themselves self-reliant. Parliamentary Secretary also

apprised the trainees to be dedicated and efficient in their particular field. Highlighting, various skill development programes initiated by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, Natung informed the trainees that many youths from state have already employed in various cities across India who were trained under state government initiation. He further assured that privilege will be given to trained and skilful youths in any government programme and schemes while adding that Chief Minister Nabam Tuki the government is putting all effort to make the youth skilful so that they can sustain their livelihood. Meanwhile, Natung along with Director Tourism Karma

Lekhi and Executive Engineer Tourism T.Ligu inspected the ongoing Tourist Resort building near Sidharta Vihar Gompa, Itanagar to assess the physical progress report of the project. The project is being taken up under ItanagarSagalee and Seppa Tourist Circuit. He expressed satisfaction over the physical progress of the said building however, urged the contractor to complete the project within time frame while esnuring quality works. He also assured all possible help to speed up the project at government level. EE Tourism T. Ligu informed that 70 percent physical work has so far completed despite least release of fund.

Constable killed, one injured in firing in court room Contd. from Page 1

following which the police registered a case of murder and attempt to murder," said DCP (East) B S Gurjar. The accused fired at least eight rounds, of which one of the bullets scraped past the chair of Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Gupta and the shards of the pallet of another injured the naib court (a constable rank official attached with the court room). The assailants tried to escape but the lawyers in the court, along with security personnel, held them and handed them over to the police team which rushed to

the spot after the incident, said a police official. "The detained persons have so far claimed to be minors and they were contract killers hired by one Naseer, who heads a gang in the Trans-Yamuna region and is presently lodged in jail in connection with a murder case," said a police official privy to the investigation. Naseer, instead of instructing any of his own gang members to go for the kill, allegedly hired the teenage assailants, who are from southeast Delhi's Dakshinpuri and Madangir areas, and asked them to eliminate his rival Irfan, who was to come to Karkardooma court for a

hearing today, said the official. "A police team is presently checking records to ascertain the actual age of the accused persons. One of them has turned out to be a 17 year and nine month old boy who was one of the five juveniles apprehended for the stabbing to death a youth at southeast Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar area in broad daylight in August 2014," the official said. It is suspected that the accused, presently detained at the police chowki inside the court premises, were hired because of their age, keeping in mind the legal provisions which go with that, the official added.

East Siang SSA distributes assistive devices among CWSN Pasighat, Dec 23: With an objective to connect children with special needs (CWSN) with the main education system, East Siang Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) under the supervision of DC cum DPD Isha Khosla in presence of DDSE cum DPO Obuk Panor, IE Coordinator SC Sharma and officials of SSA District Mission distributed assistive devices among CWSN in a function held at the Bharat Scouts and Guide Hall, Pasighat to-

for more vibrant, prosperous and progressive Arunachal Pradesh. The Governor appealed to the people to join hands together and provide support and comfort to one and all, more particularly to the marginalized people and face whatever may lie ahead with hopes, optimism and faith in the Almighty. “May the Lord grant you all a blessed Merry Christmas and fulfil your hopes and wishes

cracked UPSC and inducted to IAS so far, further added Khosla. While sharing the aim of the project, the DC informed that SSA ensures that every child with special needs, irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability, is provided meaningful and quality education. Thus, SSA has adopted a zero rejection policy. This means that no child having special needs should be deprived of the right to education and taught

in an environment, which is best suited to a child's learning needs. She gave away assistive devices like wheelchair, crutches, hearing aids etc and prizes and certificates to the achievers at the end. DDSE Obuk Panor opined that parents should observe hidden talents of their children and accordingly guide them with fullest strength. They should encourage their children to attend schools regularly and to take part in

co-curricular activities according to their choice and ability. The devices were given with an aim to bring CWSN to the school, educate them and connect them with normal children, Panor added. IE Coordinator SC Sharma also highlighted various development achieved so far and demonstrated the assistive devices to the users. Among others, DTO (S&G) T Padung and AK Sinha, teacher also spoke on the occasion.

ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 23: The Chiefs, GBs and associations from Kanubari Sub-Division of Longding district today submitted a letter to the Chief Secretary and Secretary (Personnel) Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh for annulment of transfer and posting of S.S. Chaudhary, Addl. Deputy Commissioner, Kanubari. The Associations also discussed the matter with the Deputy Commis-

sioner, Longding and requested to stay his transfer for the interest of common people. Its learnt that the transfer of ADC, Kanubari is based on the reason best known to a few grassroot level political leaders. The aforementioned administrator has improved each and every system in the offices under his administrative level but his strict and disciplined approach has troubled some self motive individuals.

Assam Govt. signs MoU with SBI for implementation of CMP Contd. from Page 1

i.e. SBI accounts and all other bank accounts will be credited instantly. Forty treasuries out of 60 treasuries of the Assam Government have since implemented this online solution. The bank reported 25.11% rise in its net profit at Rs 3879.07 crore for the

quarter ended September 30, 2015 as compared to Rs 3100.41 crore for the same quarter in the previous year. The bank’s total income increased by 12% to Rs 46854.81 crore for the quarter under review from Rs 41833.36 crore for the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

Spot Enquiry conducted by PAC officials Dalim Phukan, Morigaon, Dec 23: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Assam Legislative Assembly paid a visit to Morigaon district today and conducted a spot enquiry about the irregularities in implementation of several governmental schemes in rural areas. The committee headed by Keshab Mahanta, Chairman of PAC and other six MLAs visited the rural de-

velopment schemes at Barunguri, Bhurbandha, and areas of Kopili development block. The Committee conducted a study on irregularities of different developmental schemes. Later, the committee met the HODs of DRDA, Irrigation, PWD, PHE, Zila Parishad etc. and took part in deliberation about the implementation of the several schemes in the district.

Distribution of the free text books to all LP and UP schools held

Awareness programme on balance diet held Shambhu Boro Tezpur, Dec 23: An awareness programme about balance diet and usefulness of green vegetables was held at Buroi Tea Estate under McLeod Russell India Ltd. with the initiative of Dr Utpal Pegu in association with the NHM Sonitpur District. several vegetables like cabbage, brinjal, tomato, cauliflower, capsicum were distributed among 150 families of the garden. Along with the programme

an awareness meeting was also held wherein all executives of Buroi Tea Estate were present along with Dr. BD Deuri Bharali, Ex- SDMO Gohpur, DFPC Pulakesh Bora of NHM Sonitpur, DDM of NHM, Gohpur and ABPM of Kauripathar NPHC. Benefits of vegetables and necessity of balance diet were explained to the tea garden workers present in the programme.

Ceremonially distribution of the free text books to all lower primary and upper primary schools under East Jorhat Educational Block. Pic - Nirmalendu Pathok ET Correspondent Teok, Dec 23: The free text books supplied by Assam government to all lower primary and upper primary schools under East Jorhat Educational

Block were distributed from today. In this connection, an inaugural function was held at the conference hall of the East Jorhat Block where Rupjyoti Kurmi, MLA and parlia-

Annual Day celebration of Tezpur Gurukul school held Shambhu Boro Tezpur, Dec 23: The HoD of Chandraprabha Saikiani chair, Tezpur University Madhurima Goswami addressing the annual day celebration of the Tezpur Gurukul School at Chotai Chapori has stated that besides teachers, parents too have a major role in shaping a student’s morality and a disciplined life. Stressing on quality education for allround development of the society, the noted academician stated that good schooling is essential for every individual and society. “We have various qualities.

School life is but a preparation to face the challenges that the bigger school called ‘world’ will offer us when we set foot on the road of life. For many of us, the days spent in schools are the happiest and the best days of our life. The very memory of school days fills our minds with longing memories of happy days of yesteryears.” She added that school is the right place for the fulfillment of the youthful desires as students take part in games and sports, drama, essay competition, song and debate competitions etc. which also acts as the foundation for bud-

ding poets, scientists, writers, doctors, engineers, painters and musicians. It is in school that the students enjoy the affection of their teachers. Earlier highlighting the achievement of the school till date, Trishna Medhi said that the school has carved a niche for itself by producing excellent result in the class 10 and 12 board examination conducted by CBSE. “In academic session 2014-15, out of 88, 9 students succeeded in securing 10 CGPA in AISSE wherein out of 25 students in class 12 board examination namely Archita Goswami and

Assam CM urges Tata Chairman to explore potential areas of investment in Assam Contd. from Page 1

"It is a very good investment and you will realise it after five years," Gogoi said. Earlier speaking on the occasion of the 150bed 'Vivanta by Taj' hotel inauguration, Gogoi said that his government wanted to make the state a hub of Southeast Asian countries. "We want to expose our culture to the whole world," he said. Mistry said that several Tata companies have established their bases in the

north-east and "we are delighted to share the proud history of this region". "It is a natural gateway for us and other Indian companies to access the market in countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China," he said. The design style of the hotel is inspired by the 'Rang Ghar', the amphitheatre of the Ahom dynasty. The main pavillion building of the property is inspired by Kamakshya temple while the motifs used for the

main hotel building are a modern expression of Assam's strong tradition of woven crafts. 'The Vivanta by Taj', he said, would promote tourism in the region. "The captivating natural beauty of the region would attract both Indian as well as foreign tourists", he said. Rakesh Sarna, managing director and CEO of Taj hotels resorts and palaces, said that the group remained committed to hotel industry in Assam and the northeastern region.

Google tests a new method to log in accounts without password Contd. from Page 1

The test was first reported by a Reddit user, rp1226, who tells that the users first have to authorize their phone for use as an authentication device. After entering their email in the Google account log-in field, a pop-up message on their phone asks them to authenticate the session. When they acknowledge the pop-up, the desktop page forwards as if they have entered the correct password manually. This test is reportedly for both iOS and Android. (ANI)

is as follows; Best Drama: Sonali Sutar Jori, Jyoti Shilpa Natya Gosthi, Nagaon; 2nd Best Drama: Raja Rani Ahiche, Along Dalang Kheliche, Colladge Natya Gosthi, Jamugurihat; 3rd Best Drama: Saru Chor Bor Chor, Jhumuthi Natya Gosthi, Beltala. On the

Lakhimpur women missing ET Correspondent Lakhimpur; Dec 23: Deepali Duarah, wife of Uttam Duarah, a permanent inhabitant of the village Raiya Bakal under Panigaon Police Station in Lakhimpur District has been missing since December 12 while she was coming home by Night Service bus from her daughter and son-in-low's house located at Bhitarual Gaon of Shivsagar District. A case was filed in Panigaon PS regarding her missing incident. Anyone can contact on Mobile No 7399660572

Chit fund scam: CBI searches 18 places in West Bengal Kolkata, Dec. 23 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday carried out searches across 18 places in West Bengal at the official premises of Ramel Group in connection with an alleged chit fund scam. The searches were conducted in residential premises of Managing Directors and Directors of the company in an investigation of a case.

One injured in road mishap Contd. from Page 1

Taizung was heading back home when his Blue coloured Pulser bike (AR09A-8522) collided with a dumper bearing registration number AS-09C- 5416 coming from the opposite direction resulting in multiple injury including severe right leg wounds. Following first aid at Digboi CHC with the help of Digboi Police, the victim was forwarded to Dibrugarh AMCH for better and effective treatment.

On the occasion of closing function of Charikoriya Mahotsav artists being felicitated in Dhakuakhana. Pic - UB Photos ET Correspondent LAkhimpur; Dec 23: "Charikariya Mahotsav2015", organised by the people of Dhakuakhona and Dhakuakhona Natya Samaj in Dhakuakhona with a four day long program from December 19 concluded yesterday with a grand success. As per the agenda of the concluding day, the Open Session commenced from the mid-day under the chairmanship of Sewak Chandra Chutia, the Acting President of the Organising Committee. Before the commencement of the meeting a host of eminent personalities of the Sub-Division who have contributed much to the social, cultural arena of the Sub-Division. Participating in the program journalist cum dramatist Hillol Kumar Pathak was highly over-

Foundation stone of Additional Judicial Court building and Bar Library laid Contd. from Page 1

T. Vapihei, Chief Judge (Acting) Guwahati High Court, Hrishikesh Roy, Justice, Guwahati High Court, B.K Sharma, Justice, Guwahati High Court and Ajit Borgohain, President of Dibrugarh Bar association shared the dais with Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Speaking in the occasion, Justice Ranjan Gogoi recalled the early days of the Dibrugarh Court building which was build in the pre British era. He said he have travelled all over in India but never seen such a

beautiful architectural building. Taking a que from the history, he said in 1872 Babu Harish Chandra Bakshi arrived in Dibrugarh by streamer. He was interested to be an English teacher but the then British authorities requested him to work as an advocate. As there was no sufficient place to established a Bar Library, the old bungalow of the then Deputy Commissioner Mac Williams used to continue the practice of legal profession. He added the lawyers and the senior advocate to play vital role for the conservation of nature.

whelmed and he expressed his satisfaction on the highlight of the cultural heritage of the place. Kiran Kumar Gogoi, the executive editor of a daily news paper termed the festival as an example of tolerance at a time when intolerance issue has haunt the society. Leaders of AJYCP like Ranapratap Baruah, Ratul Buraghoain, Chief Organising Secretary of ASSU Krishna Das also took part in the meeting. On the other hand MLA of Dhakuakhona expressed his grievance as the Union and the State Govts have paid no attention to resolve the problems of the constituency. He slammed Bharat Narah, Rani Narah regarding the issue. On the third day one of the notable program was an effective symposium on "Past, Present

and Future of Dhakuakhona". People from different profession, age, caste and creed took part in the symposium. Dr Akhil Ranjan Dutta, Sewak Chandra Chutia, youth activist Jiten Baruah, poet Kabyasree Gogoi from neogeneration, octagenerian Rajani Borgohain, intellect Jitram Kalita, Purnananda Gogoi took part in the symposium. On the second day competition on cultural heritage, rituals, dances etc. was held as part of the program. it is note worthy that attempt on the conservation of the historical monuments, cultural heritage was taken through the festival. Colorful cultural nights were also organised in the program which highlighted the enriched ethnic culture of the Assamese.

Memorial unveiled Shambhu Boro, Tezpur, Dec 23: A memorial erected in Phulbari area in Tinisuti along the AssamArunachal border under Biswanath Chariali police station in Biswanath SubDivision in Sonitpur was unveiled today. The memorial was constructed to commemorate the lives of 30 persons who embraced untimely and pathetic death in the gruesome killing of NDFB(S) militants on December 23 last year. Though the government agencies have done nothing in this regard till date, the local people and family members have erected the memorial in the area to keep alive

their memories. The memorial was formally unveiled by the Superintendent of Police, Manabendra Dev Ray. Meanwhile, the locals of the remote area who are still haunted by the incident alleged that the greater area is still to witness development of road connectivity. “Potable water, electrification, health and hygiene, security etc. are still a far cry here in our area as the government representatives have failed to address those grievances,” said a local resident. The family members of the victims also alleged that they have not got any compensation from the government till date.

Yeoman service by Divine Renewal Retreat Centre Margherita

ET Correspondent Margherita, Dec 23 : Father Bobby Director of Divine Renewal Retreat Centre situated at New Colony Margherita other hand, Nava Borah of is the Largest Second Centre at Nagaon was Judged as the Prayer after Best Director while Margherita Hemanta Bor Patragohain G u w a h a t i , of Dhemaji was entitled as Assam.Father Bobby is the Best Dramatist in the the Founder of Divine Competition as per the in- Renewal Retreat Centre formation byNitul Barman, who have established in one of the members of the the year 2009. Father Bobby said to this CorOrganising Committee. respondent that at Divine Renewal Retreat Centre different kind of Prayers were held such as Satsang Prayer means Preaching the word of God, Madhyastha Prayer means Intercession 24 Hours prayer, Healing Prayer,Jagaran Prayer last Day of the month Prayer where above 4000 People gathered in this prayer,Special Children Prayer where five Days children have to live for this prayer and many other prayers were held at Divine Renewal Retreat Centre.Many people or nearest Police Station who are suffering from about her information. D r u g s

Chandradhar Chamua-Sondhar Khanikar Memo. Drama Competition: Best Drama: Sonali Sutar Jori of Nagaon ET Correspondent Lakhimpur; Dec 23: The result of the Dr Chandradhar ChamuaSondhar Khanikar Memorial All Assam One Act Drama Competition organised by Dhakuakhona Natya Samaj in the venue of Charikaria Mahotsav-2015

Neelabhjyoti Saharia secured 90 and above percentage while 23 students scored 60 and above.” She also added that the school has received a letter of appreciation from the ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India for its performance. In the programme, three students namely Syamoli Pradip Dutta, Sarthak Kr. Baruah and Pakhi Priyam were awarded with Madhab Chandra Bora memorial award and Suryadeva award while Jagriti Sivam was awarded with best student award 2015-16.

mentary sectary of Assam Govt was available as a special guest. The Honorable MLA opened the distribution of free text books to school heads. The welcome address of the function was deliberated by Utpal Kumer Baruah, BEEO and BMC of the East Jorhat Block and the function was anchored by Abani Gogoi, SI of the block. The Chairman of the Free Text book monitoring committee and also the Circle officer of the Teok revenue circle Pranabjit Kakoti , PRI representative Pramud Bora and Rupali Gogoi , district officials Joba Rani Bora were also available at the function. All block officials as well as heads of different schools were present at the function.

Charikariya Mahotsav-2015 concludes with grand success

Addiction,Alcoholic,Long term Disease Problem,Childless Couple and other Various Problems who are Suffering comes here to get Heal and many Childless couples gave birth to children also after doing prayer here said Father Bobby. Everyday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Satsang Prayer were held at Chapel and many people irrespective of Caste, Creed, Language,Race and Language come here to do Prayers regularly said Father Bobby. There are total 200 Volunteers who Day and Night serve the Divine Renewal Retreat Centre with Whole Heartedly Dedication said Father Bobby.The Head office of Divine Renewal Retreat Centre is at Rewa,Madhya Pradesh.Father Bobby Director of Divine Renewal Retrear Centre have greeted Merry Christmas to all the People of Assam and have prayed to God that all might live with Love,Peace and Harnony.

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

Historic Bandel Church gets a facelift this Christmas Kolkata, Dec 23: A visual treat awaits visitors to the famous Bandel Church, founded in 1599 on the banks of the Hooghly River in West Bengal, this Christmas.The church, the oldest in eastern India, is getting ready for the biggest Christmas celebration in 20 years with the setting up of 'The Stations of The Cross' that will depict Christ's crucifixion.Also on display will be the historic 'Mast' from which the Church and the town gets their names and a newly-renovated grand 'doorway' that leads to the Church's hallowed precincts where millions from India and abroad come to pray each year. Over one lakh visitors of all religious beliefs are expected to visit the church on Christmas Day and as many on New Year's day, the church authorities said.Visitors are thronging the church just to have a glimpse of the baby Jesus kept in the creatively made crib set which would be on display, Prior of the Bandel Church Fr TL Francis said. The much-

Historic Bandel Church awaited facelift of Bandel Church, originally planned to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the church in 1999, had to be stalled due to litigation over church ownership. The church, declared a mini Basilica by Pope John Paul II, is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosario - Our

Lady of the Rosary.Archbishop Thomas D'Souza of Calcutta recently assigned Bandel Basilica Church as one of the designated churches to obtain blessings and graces connected with the Year of Mercy as declared by Pope Francis when he symbolically opened the "Holy

Door" of StPeter's Basilica in Rome to the pilgrims on December 8, 2015. Fr Francis expressed satisfation at the completion of the facelift at the end the dispute.He said that three major renovations have been implemented this year. First, the restoration and display of the historical

'Mast' which had fallen down in a Norwester in 2010.The Portuguese ship's mast was a votive offering to the church from the captain of the ship that was miraculously saved in a tempest in the Bay of Bengal.The Mast will once again be on display in a glass case surrounded by the Station of Cross, Fr Francis said adding the name Bandel comes from the Portuguese word Bandel which means mast.The installation of 14 Stations of the Cross in the field in front of the shrine with 54 lifesize statues depicting scenes of Jesus carrying his cross to Calvary to be crucified is bound to evoke piety and prayer among the visitors, he said."In addition, the main door at the riverside entrance of the basilica has been embellished with relief motives depicting religious themes. Plans for landscaping the church field to create an atmosphere of prayer and devotion will soon be implemented," Fr Francis said.A newly-erected grand door

with religious motifs would be another attraction. The symbolism of opening the Holy Door is linked to the words of Jesus "I am the door" (John10:7), and bringing to fruition the words of the Psalmist, who said, "This is the door of the Lord where the just may enter (Psalm 118:20)," says Subrata Ganguly of 'Church Art' - a company specialising in designing art work for churches. An Archaeological Survey Team had visited and declared the Mast a heritage item and directed the PWD department to re-erect it at the spot where it stood. After a gap of almost four years, the Mast will once again be displayed in a glass case surrounded by the Station of Cross. All these years the Church had received many inquiries about The Mast.Bandel Church is not only a pilgrim and tourist destination, but also a power house of intercessory prayers for various needs of people who come to seek Mother Mary's blessings. (Agencies)

Cops beat up youths in city; many injured

Designated camp, next destination of UALA militants

Shillong, Dec 23: A group of youths were beaten up allegedly by SOT personnel at Keating road on Tuesday night. According to an eye witness, five police personnel came to Keating road at around 8. 30 pm and started abusing and beating the youths.A critically injured youth was also taken to Civil Hospital. The youths alleged that without any provocation, the SOT personnel, who came in Gyspy started beating up the youths. According to one of the youths, he came to know that one of the SOT men was the gunman of a senior police personnel. "We don't know the motive of the SOT personnel and some of the ar-

Shillong, Dec 23: The UALA cadres, who have joined the peace process, will be deemed to be surrendered cadres to facilitate the extension of appropriate rehabilitation package after the disbanding of the outfit, as per the Agreed Text of Settlement signed between the state government and UALA on December 18. As per the agreement, the cadres will stay in the transit rehabilitation camp designated by the state government. Once they stay, they will abide by the ground rules framed for the conduct in such camps. While the routine administration of camps will be in the hands of state government, the nominated security forces will regulate the movement of cadres at the camps, according to the agreement. The agreement said that on an agreed date, UALA will bring genuine cadres of the

rested youths were taken to Sadar police station," he said.When asked whether the incident was the fall out of any raid against sale of illicit liquor, one of the youths denied this and asked," If that is the case, why are they not catching those who sell liquor". When contacted, the East Khasi Hills district police chief M Kharkrang said that inquiry was on.However, as per information from Sadar police station, some boys were beaten up by others and they were picked up by police and sent for medical examination.When asked about the role of SOT or police personnel in the incident, a police offer said, " We need to ascertain it". (Agencies)

Designated camp, next destination of UALA militants.

outfit at the designated camps along with weapons in their possessions and disband the organization. "UALA should declare the cadre strength with actual names, aliases, ranks in the organizations, year of recruitment and complete address", the agreement said. Moreover, the verification

Bandh costs Rs 36 crore, blockade Rs 3.09 crore per day

trucks stranded during a blockade and (R) Serto making a point

Imphal,Dec 23: The State has been losing Rs 36 crore per day every time when there is a bandh or general strike and Rs 3.09 crore per day when there is economic blockade, according to a survey report.The report was compiled by social worker Serto Tondana Kom after conducting a survey for 45 days on the economic losses caused by bandhs and blockades.Serto Tondana Kom had already published another survey report which said that the people of Manipur lost Rs 35 crore on account of

taking other routes when the new Sanjenthong bridge was under construction.Notably, Chief Minister I Ibobi stated that the State Government would appreciate very much if some organisations/individuals make a comprehensive evaluation of the economic losses caused by bandhs and blockades. The Chief Minister said this in reference to the survey worked out to find the losses incurred when people had to take alternative routes when the construction of the new Sanjenthong was

underway.According to the Census reports of 1991, 2001 and 2011, the total population of Manipur was 18 lakhs, 22 lakhs and 28 lakhs respectively.The decadal population growth rate varies from 4.56 lakh to 5.61 lakh and the average annual growth rate is 52,000.Calculated at this rate, the total population of Manipur is expected to reach around 30 lakh by 2015. Out of them, 14,47,862 constitute the working population. Quoting the All Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers

Union general secretary M Anil Meitei, Serto said that around 360 trucks have been shipping in goods to the State.Assuming that the State's per capita income is Rs 44,471 in 2014-15, it was found that the State lost Rs 3.09 crore every day on account of e c o n o m i c blockade.Although the negative impacts of bandhs and blockades on the economy of Manipur are understood by most people, many organisations and individuals have been using bandhs and blockades as effective tools for exerting pressure on the Government.Blockade, by its very nature, is a highly offensive politicomilitary strategy and the Japanese troops imposed blockade in Manipur in 1943 during the Second World War.What is more disturbing is the State's failure to respond immediately when some organisations call bandh or blockade. As such, bandhs and blockades have become a chronic issue in the State. (Agencies)

of all such cadres and leaders will be done by the state authorities after disbanding. UALA should declare its weapons, ammunition, explosives, combat stores and hand over them to the state government before disbanding. The agreement stipulates that the cadres will be provided with various sorts

of counseling in the camps to be followed by suitable rehabilitation package in terms of capacity building and sustainable livelihood programmes. Another clause in the agreement is that UALA will be dealt with the provisions of existing schemes for surrender-cumrehabilitation package in the Northeastern states as notified by political department on July 2, 2009.The agreement also made it clear that the security forces will not launch operations against UALA if they abide by the agreement. Moreover, the government will examine the status of all the criminal cases involving leaders and cadres. "Such persons will be subjected to due process of law with regard to FIRs filed against them. However, non- heinous cases may be withdrawn with the approval of the competent courts", the agreement said. (Agencies)

Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM to desert NDA in Bihar

After its humiliating defeat in the Bihar assembly polls, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is likely to desert the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance

Patna, Dec 23: After its humiliating defeat in the Bihar assembly polls, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is likely to desert the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). HAM state president Brishen Patel on Wednesday told the media here that the HAM was holding discussions within over the issue. "It is not viable and feasible for HAM to be part of the NDA because our party failed to get the support of Muslims in the assembly polls," he said. Patel said Muslims were not with the NDA and will

never support it. "We strongly feel that support of the Muslims matters in elections." There was no comment on Patel's remarks from HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi, a former chief minister. The Bharatiya Janata Party has three allies in Bihar HAM, the Lok Janshakti Party of union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and the RLSP of union minister Upender Kushwaha. In last month's assembly election, the BJP won 53 of the 243 assembly seats, the LJP and RLSP got two seats each and the HAM won only one seat. (Agencies)

My govt commited for transparent governance: Raghubar Das Ranchi, Dec 23: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today reiterated that his government was committed to give a transparent governance. Speaking on the concluding day of Winter Session, Das said for him power meant service to the people and the opposition's protests should also be oriented to-

wards suggestions. It is the same principle for both the Centre and Jharkhand governments-"sabka saath, sabka vikas (collectively with all, development for all)", he said.Stating that the government is committed in its responsibility to the people, Das said corruption would not be tolerated. (Agencies)

Three Kuki militants arrested in Manipur Imphal, Dec 23: A combined team of Senapati district police and 35 Assam Rifles arrested three cadre of outlawed militnat outfit Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) while conducting search operation at Kuki Taphou village of Manipur's Senapati district.The three KRA militants arrested on December 18 by the security

forces have been identified as Gouginthang Vaiphei (@$), Thanghlaldin Vaiphei alias Shaolin (18) and Satneo Singson (@!) of Tolen village, all from Churachandpur district , a press release issued by Manipur Police said.A case has been registered at Senapati police station for further investigation the release added. (Agencies)

Uddhav Thackeray Extends Shiva Sena Support to ?Gorkhaland? Demand Darjeeling, Dec 23: Chand Roka and Shri Diwakar Gurung met Shri Uddhav Thackrey, President Shiv Sena at the histroric mayor's bungalow in Mumbai. The GJM delegation briefed Shri Uddhav Thackrey about the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.The delegation told him that historically Darjeeling has never been a

part of Bengal. It is different from Bengal in terms of culture, language and even geography. Ethnologically, Gorkhas do not have anything common with the people of Bengal. Gorkhas have shed their blood for the freedom of the country and hope that they will be given due justice through creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland. Shri

Uddhav Thackrey said that he supports the long pending demand of the Gorkhas of Gorkhaland as the Gorkhas have contributed immensely to the nation and that's why the demand of Gorkhaland is a just and fair demand. He said his party and his MPs are with the Gorkhas and the demand of Gorkhaland.Bimal Gurung has invited Shri Uddhav

Thackrey and his MPs to Darjeeling and he has agreed to come in the near future. He also said that he would send his MPs for rallies and dharnas for Gorkhaland in Delhi in the future.Shri Uddhav Thackrey has assured to help and provide assistance with regard to floriculture and film industry in GTA Area. (Agencies)

CPI(M) party workers during a victory rally for the civic polls in Agartala. Pic - ub photos

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

PAGE 6

PM Modi leaves for Russia to attend 16th Annual Summit New Delhi, Dec. 23: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Wednesday left for a two-day visit to Russia to attend the 16th Annual Summit there. The Summit would commence with a private dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Summit would begin on the second day with the Prime Minister interacting with Russian and Indian CEOs. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had

expressed hope that the visit would deepen bilateral ties between the two nations. "Today I will commence my visit to Russia, my first bilateral visit after we formed the Government. I am very optimistic about the outcome of this visit. History is witness to the close ties India and Russia have had over the decades. Russia remains one of India's most valued friends in the world," he said in his

Indo-Pak friendship can improve situation in J&amp;K: Mufti

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

Srinagar, Dec. 23: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Wednesday asserted that friendship between India and Pakistan can improve the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. "If this enmity turns into friendship, then the atmosphere of the whole subcontinent will get better. The only strategic step that can improve situation in Jammu and Kashmir is friendship between India and Pakistan. I want to take

Jammu and Kashmir out of the miseries it is going through...for this I need your support," Mufti said while addressing a rally here. He appreciated the steps taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards improving relations with Pakistan. "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also said no negative statements should be made against India, it is an important step. The Government of India has extended the hand of friendship, it takes time to minimise trust deficit," he added. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan and attended the 'Heart of Asia' conference where she held bilateral talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his adviser Sartaj Aziz. (ANI)

Deultarapatana grief-stricken over death of BSF personnel Kendrapara, 23 Dec: The sleepy Deultarapatana village in Rajkanika block of Odisha's Kendrapara district here slipped into mourning as death of BSF personnel Kishore Rout following an air crash in Delhi spread like wildfire. Kishore (36) was the only son of his parents. His father Balakrushna Rout also served under BSF as caretaker of a guesthouse. A pall of gloom descended over the village with local residents conversing at deceased's house to expressed solidarity with the bereaved family at the distressing hours. "Villagers are left shocked after hearing the sad news. Everyone was deeply upset. Kishore was loved be everybody here because of his ami-

able character. Whenever he was taking break from job, he made it a point to visit Deultara and mingle with the residents," said Manoj Barik, Sarpanch Deultara Gram Panchayat. "We feel as if someone from our own family has died. It will take us some time to recover from the shock," said Sukant Dash, another resident. "My son is dead. No father would want to see his son dying such horrifying death," bemoaned Balakrushna. Kishore is also survived by widow Pragati (31) and two sons aged 10 and 2. His body would be brought to his ancestral village tomorrow. It will be consigned to flames with guard of honours, sai d Kendrapara Collector Debraj Senapati.(Agencies)

Prime MinisterNarendra Modi

Facebook post. Briefing media in New Delhi on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar told reporters that Prime Minister's visit to Russia is aimed at expanding the special and privileged strategic ties with a particular focus on nuclear energy, hydrocarbons, defence and trade. India and Russia are likely to ink a number of pacts in a range of sectors including nuclear energy and de-

fence. The two time-tested partners will focus on expanding economic ties. The two countries are aiming at enhancing annual bilateral trade to 30 billion dollars over the next ten years from current ten billion dollars. Besides bilateral issues, the two Prime Ministers are likely to deliberate on a number of global issues having political dimensions including the situation in Syria and ways to tackle terrorism. (ANI)

Families of BSF men in Dwarka crash demand replacement of outdated planes, seat reservation New Delhi, Dec. 23: Grieving family members of the ten personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) who lost their lives in a plane crash in Outer Delhi's Dwarka area on Tuesday, demanded that all outdated planes of the paramilitary force be replaced immediately. "He (victim) used to tell my sister (his wife) about problems of related

to maintenance of equipment and that the government wasn't buying new planes for them. We demand that outdated planes be replaced. We do not want this tragedy to happen to someone else," said a relative of a Dwarka plane crash victim. "We demand seat reservation for paramilitary personnel so that our children get benefits.

When it comes to welfare, the paramilitaries are sidelined," said another relative. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday paid tribute to Border Security Force (BSF) plane crash victims at Safdarjung Airport. Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung also paid their tributes to the victims. All

ten passengers onboard were killed after the Ranchi-bound BSF Superking aircraft crashed at Bagdola village in Sector 8 of Dwarka here on Tuesday morning. The BSF had yesterday announced Rs. 20 lakhs to the BSF family members from BSF's internal insurance fund in addition to what the government will announce. (ANI)

Bishop Cotton boys' school should aspire to be one of top three schools in the world: President New Delhi, Dec. 23: President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that Bishop Cotton Boys' school should aspire to be one of top three schools in the world while attending the 150th Anniversary of the School at Bengaluru. Speaking on the occasion, President Mukherjee complimented the founders and management of the Bishop Cotton Boys' School for its having successfully completed 150 years of service to the cause of education as well as to the Lord. He said the School has carved out a niche for itself through its empha-

sis on quality. "The aim of all education should be building of character and not merely injecting of information. Schools should instill in their students commitment to our core civilizational values such as love for motherland, belief in peaceful co-existence and acceptance of diversity. It should encourage rational thinking and inculcate a scientific temper," said President Mukherjee. The President pointed out that the alumni of the school have distinguished themselves in various fields and include eminent personalities such as General Thimayya and Dr

region. The killing of Laxmananda Saraswati was one of the reasons and perhaps the immediate provocation for the 2008 riots, but riots had occurred even in the preceding year 2007. "We have submitted the report in two volumes containing over 1020 pages. The Commission had received 825 affidavits and several people had deposed. As many as 78 government and 222 private witnesses deposed ," the Secretary of the Commission of Inquiry Arun Patnaik said. It may be recalled that the state government had instituted a Commission of Inquiry in September 2008 to probe the killing of Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his associates at Chakapada Ashram on 23 August 2008 and the communal riots that fol-

President Pranab Mukherjee Raja Ramanna. Congratulating the school for being ranked amongst the three best schools in the country, he called upon school authorities, faculty, students and all other stakeholders to aspire to

become one of the top three schools in the world. The President expressed confidence that the school would continue to produce first rate citizens for the country. (ANI)

lowed. The government appointed Justice Sarat Chandra Mohapatra. Justice AS Naidu was appointed to head the oneman probe panel in 2012 after the demise of Justice Mohapatra. The 2008 communal riots of Kandhamal was one of the worst ever in the state as it continued several days evoking national and international outrage. Places of worship were torched and the alleged case of a nun being gang r aped had shocked the nation. The Maoist angle to the assassination of Laxmananda Saraswati was also suspected as the weapons used to gun him and his four associates down pointed towards such elements. A few LWE leaders had also hinted at their involvement. The BJP which was part of the government in coalition

with the BJD at that point in time had however suspected a larger conspiracy and demanded that those who had operated behind the scene be exposed and brought to book. In their reaction to the submission of the Commission report on Tuesday, the BJP circles here said they do not expect much from the report as far as the 'conspiracy' angle is concerned. The report should be made public at the earliest, said the BJP. The state Congress was skeptical saying the report will be buried for several months and by the time it sees the light of the day people would have forgotten about it. Everybody knows the track record of the BJ D government as far as instituting Commissions and sleeping over it for years together, charged the Congress.(Agencies)

Rajnath to pay homage to BSF plane crash MEA issues advisory for students travelling to US victims today New Delhi, Dec. 23: United States." All InNew Delhi, Dec.23: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will on Wednesday pay homage to the Border Security Force (BSF) plane crash victims who died on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday expressed grief and distress at the loss of lives in the plane crash in the national capital. "Pained by the loss of lives in the BSF plane crash in Delhi. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. All the ten passengers

onboard were killed after a Ranchi-bound BSF Superking aircraft crashed at Bagdola village in Sector 8, Dwarka here on Tuesday morning. BSF Director General Devendra Kumar Pathak had also said ministry of civil aviation and the BSF are conducting enquiries to know the reason of the plane crash in the national capital adding that the BSF family members will get Rs 20 lakhs from BSF's internal insurance fund in addition to what the government announces. (ANI)

The Ministry of External Affair (MEA) on Wednesday issued an advisory for students travelling to the United States of America, as there have been several instances of denial of entry by the US Immigration authorities to Indian students having valid student visas to pursue studies in two educational institutions, namely, the Silicon Valley University at San Jose and the Northwestern Polytechnic University, Freemont, California. The Government of India has taken up this matter with the US Gov-

The Ministry of External Affair (MEA) on Wednesday issued an advisory for students

ernment. "We have asked the US authorities to explain the reasons for denial of entry on a large scale to Indian students holding valid visas. The response of the US Government is awaited,"

The Maharashtra Government has decided to file appeal in the Supreme Court challenging Bollywood actor

Mumbai, Dec.23: The Maharashtra Government has decided to file appeal in the Supreme Court challenging Bollywood actor Salman Khan's acquittal in the 2002 hit and run case. The Devendra Fadnavis led-Government will be filing the appeal in the first week of January. Salman was earlier sentenced by Sessions court to five years in jail in May. Earlier, Salman Khan was on December 10 given a clean chit in the case with the Bombay High Court observing that the main

witness was 'wholly unreliable' and that there were discrepancies in the case. The Bombay high court, however, said that the Bollywood actor cannot be convicted in the case, as the prosecution has not proven the charges against the actor. Justice A.R. Joshi pointed out that Salman can't be convicted because of "various shortcomings in investigations and prosecution's evidence. Salman had appealed to the high court to overturn a sessions court judgment. (ANI)

SP should not allow any wrong activity in Ayodhya: BSP

Kandhamal riots report submitted Bhubaneswar, 23 Dec: The Justice AS Naidu Commission of Inquiry, instituted to probe the 2008 Kandhamal riots submitted its report in two volumes of over 1000 pages to home secretary Asit Tripathy on Tuesday. It is understood to have mentioned about role of Left Wing Extremists in the assassination of VHP leader Laxmananda Saraswati that had triggered the riots. There was no official word on the content, findings or recommendations of the Commission. Though the report is in sealed covers and nobody was willing to talk about the findings or recommendations, reliable sources said the Commission had dealt with multiple reasons for the riots in Kandhamal district and the history of riots in the

Maharashtra Govt. to move SC challenging Salman Khan's acquittal

Ministry of External Affair "Till such time the matter is satisfactorily resolved, the students seeking admission in aforementioned two institutions are advised to defer their travel to the

dian students seeking admission in US educational institutions are advised to do due diligence to ensure that the institutions to which they are seekin g a d mi s s i o n have proper authorization and capacities. Apart from travel documents, the students should also carry all required documentation regarding their study plans, housing, financial support, healthcare arrangements etc. and be prepared for admission (entry to the US) interviews with U.S. immigration officials. (ANI)

New Delhi, Dec. 23: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday said that the ruling Samajwadi Party Government in Uttar Pradesh must not allow any wrong activity in the temple city of Ayodhya. "It becomes the responsibility of the Samajwadi Party not to allow any wrong activity there. If any wrong activity goes on there, then I believe the Samajwadi Party Government is responsible for that. They must vigil so that the order of the Supreme Court is not violated," Mayawati told the media here. "The BJP or the RSS have always been in support of carrying out

wrong deeds and not obliging by the order of the Supreme Court. The Centre should also impose certain restrictions. When the BSP Government was there, I never allowed any such activity," she added. Almost six months after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad ( VHP) announced its nationwide drive to collect stones for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, two trucks of stones arrived in the temple city on Sunday. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat had earlier in Kolkata expressed hope that a Ram temple would be constructed in his lifetime. (ANI)

BSP supremo Mayawati

Shotgun calls Kirti Azad 'hero', says Jaitley should follow Advani's example New Delhi, Dec.23: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha on Wednesday heaped praise on party MP Kirti Azad for raising fight against corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), adding that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should follow veteran leader L.K. Advani's example. Sinha tweeted, "Kirti Azad-hero of the day. Humble appeal to friends. Avoid knee jerk reaction/coercive action against friend who's fighting against corruption." In a series of tweets he said, "Have often quoted Newton's 3rd Law. Feel that untimely action could boomerang. Sadly Party with a Difference has become Party with Differences." He fur-

ther added, "As for FM, issue should be fought politically not legally. As advised by our dashing dynamic PM, our FM could follow Advaniji's eg & come clean." Earlier, Jaitley had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Arvind Kejriwal and five other leaders of AAP for allegedly defaming him in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) controversy before a Delhi court, which took cognizance on his plea. Jaitley's action comes in the backdrop of attacks on him by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders over alleged irregularities and financial bunglings in Delhi's cricket body, DDCA, of which he was the president for about 13 years till 2013. (ANI)

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

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NEIGHBOURS

Tsai believes Beijing will respect will of Taiwan's public Musharraf claims of Taipei, Dec. 23: Tsai Ingwen, chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party and its presidential candidate, said today that if elected, she will aim for sincere communications with China, seeking common ground and putting aside differences.Tsai, who is generally considered a shoo-in for the Jan, 16 presidential election, also said mutual understanding is important and that she "believes Beijing will respect the will of the Taiwanese people."She added

that "the will of Taiwan's people will play an important role in dealing with cross-Taiwan Strait relations." The remarks came one day after she said during a meeting with business leaders in an economic forum that Taiwan needs stable cross-strait relations and that her cross-strait policy will be "communication, no provocation, no surprises, as well as continued safeguarding of cross-strait stability."On criticism that she is employing no more that wishful thinking

Kamal: Madrasa students not involved with IS, JMB Dhaka ,Dec 23:Assertions of Madrasa students' involvemment in recent foreigner killings and attacks on the Christians is wrong, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said.He said Jamaat-Shibir men are behind the incidents and they are blaming that Madrasa students are getting involve with IS and JMB and doing the killings. Kamal said, the killings and attacks have been funded by some foreign vested quarters. "All of those are contractual killings aiming to destroy the peace and development of Bangladesh."JamaatShibir men are also misleading the students of private universities to get involve with IS and JMB and using them in killings, the home minister said.On

September 28, Italian citizen Cesare Tavella was murdered in the capital's Gulshan diplomatic zone. Later police arrested MA Matin, brother of BNP leader MA Quayum, in connection with the murder.The minister said IS's claim on Site Intelligence website about their involvement in killing Italian citizen is false.He added: "If IS was behind why they killed the Japanese citizen who had been turned into a Muslim."The home minister came up with the remarks while addressing a view exchange meeting in Krishikbid Institute in the capital on Wednesday afternoon.On October 3, Japanese national Kunio Hoshi was shot dead by masked assailants in Kownia in Rangpur district. (Agencies)

Refugees in Tamil Nadu keen to return to Sri Lanka Colombo, Dec 23:Sri Lankan Tamil refugees camped in various places in the Tamil Nadu State in India are keen on returning home and resettling.Of late, Sri Lanka has been offering many employment opportunities in provinces where Tamils live. The Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena had announced at a Christmas address in Jaffna on Sunday that special Presidential Task Force would resettle Tamil people to their original places within six months and assured to bring military, police and state agencies together to achieve this aim.This has stirred the Sri Lankan Tamil youth who pursue their graduate degrees across Tamil Nadu and they are planning to return

for employment. Many also plan to take up their higher studies in European countries like the UK and Germany."On an average, three to four graduates return to Sri Lanka and register with the government's employment exchange. They are employed by the government within two or three years after registration and this instills hope among the youth", said R Pathmanathan, Education Programme Coordinator of OfERR (Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation).The graduates from India are not only employed in the education department, but also in administration and electricity departments, Pathmanathan added. (Agencies)

Young refugees in Tamil Nadu keen on trying luck in Sri Lanka

71 missing three days after boat sinks in Indonesia Jakarta, Dec 23 : A total of 71 people were still missing three days after a boat carrying 118 people capsized in Indonesia, the rescue office said today. As many as 47 people have been discovered by rescuers, Xinhua quoted Roki Asikin, chief of search and rescue office of South Sulawesi province, as

saying.A total of seven people have been confirmed dead in Saturday's boat tragedy, he said.The search and rescue operation for the missing people was still going on, Roki said.KM Marina Baru 02B boat was en route from Kolaka of Southeast Sulawesi to Siwa seaport of South Sulawesi. (Agencies)

when talking about Taiwan without mentioning China, she said that Taiwanese people of course are concerned about whether cross-strait relations are peaceful and stable, but they are "equally concerned about, or even more concerned about, Taiwan's democracy."Asked about criticism from some business leaders that her views on cross-strait issues are too vague, especially with regard to the "1992 Consensus," Tsai said that "our cross-strait

Tsai Ing-wen

policy is clear."She explained that it is "to maintain the status quo," meaning to push for cross-strait relations under the Republic of China's constitutional system.The "1992 Consensus," as perceived by President Ma Ying-jeou's administration, refers to a tacit agreement between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait on one China, with each side free to interpret its meaning.Tsai's independence-leaning DPP has never recognized the existence of any such consensus. (Agencies)

Pakistan police hunting for 20 bored, rich and dangerous wives of Karachi Karachi, Dec.23: Police in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi have reportedly launched a hunt for at least 20 rich and bored wives accused of funding the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacks and arranging wives for its followers. A report appearing in Al Jazeera quoted security officials, as saying that the search was launched after police arrested one suspect who they believed had financed a gun attack on a bus carrying Pakistani Shias that killed 44 people in May.It was the first attack claimed by ISIL inside Pakistan. Al Jazeera quoted Raja Umar Khattab, the chief of the

counter-terrorism unit in Pakistan's Sindh Province, as saying that the suspect had confessed that his wife had established a religious organisation called Al Zikra Academy in Karachi to fund ISIL activities. Khattab further revealed that this dangerous group of 20 women from well-off families had also been distributing USBs containing ISIL videos, and also soliciting support for terror organizations. The women include the wife and mother-in-law of Saad Aziz, the main suspect in the May killings, and a graduate of one of Pakistan's top business schools, who is cur-

rently in detention.Pakistan has been waging a war against several Taliban factions in its Northern Territories for more than a decade, but the attack claimed by ISIL supporters is a recent phenomenon. The ISIL's main areas of operation are in Syria and Iraq, where it controls large

portions of both countries, and in Libya where its fighters have established a foothold in the city of Sirte. The group is also active in Yemen. The Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria has also pledged its allegiance to ISIL's selfproclaimed "Caliph" Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (Agencies)

A report appearing in Al Jazeera quoted security officials, as saying that the search was launched after police arrested one suspect who they believed had financed a gun attack on a bus carrying Pakistani Shias that killed 44 people in May

Indonesia hunts militant leaders after foot soldiers arrested Jakarta, Dec 23: Counter-terrorism forces are searching for the leaders of an estimated 1,000 Islamic State sympathizers across Indonesia after a string of raids that led to the arrest of several men suspected of planning bomb attacks, police said on Tuesday.Nine people were arrested and bombmaking equipment was seized from towns across the island of Java over the weekend, heightening fears of militant attacks by radicalized Indonesians returning from fighting with Islamic State in Syria.National Police spokesman Anton Charliyan said authorities were aware of plans to attack officials - including President Joko Widodo -

India, Pakistan interested in improving bilateral ties: US Karachi, Dec.23 : The United States' Department of State believes that India and Pakistan now seem interested in promoting greater understanding between the two nations.State Department spokesperson, John Kirby that the United States continue to welcome the efforts by India and Pakistan to work bilaterally to solve the very difficult and complicated issues like terrorism, the Dawn reported.At a news briefing, Kirby said that both India and Pakistan have started to work on improving bilateral relations and they now appear to be genuinely interested in fostering greater understanding between the two countries.However, Kirby also emphasised the need for all South Asian nations to work together to defeat terrorist and terrorism. (ANI)

government offices and public landmarks.The weekend sweep, which was reportedly prompted by intelligence shared by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Australian Federal Police, had captured "only subordinates" from a network of Islamic State supporters."We are searching for the leaders of this group," he said, adding that the group was based in Solo, a Central Java city."This group has a leadership that is regarded as a representative of ISIS in Indonesia," he said, using a common acronym for Islamic State.He said officials believe there are over 1,000 supporters of Islamic State in Indonesia, a nation of more than 250 mil-

Indonesia Hunts Militant Leaders After Foot Soldiers Arrested lion. The country is home to the world's largest Muslim population, the vast majority of whom practice a moderate form of Islam.Indonesia saw a spate of attacks in the 2000s, the deadliest of which was a nightclub bombing on the holiday island of Bali that killed

202 people, most of them tourists.Police have been largely successful in destroying domestic militant cells since then, but they now worry that the influence of Islamic State could pitch the country back into violence. (Agencies)

imposing emergency after consulting Gen. Kayani

Musharraf Karachi, Dec.23 : Former Pakistan President General (retired)Pervez Musharraf has claimed that he had invoked emergency on November 3, 2007 after holding consultations with former chief of army staff General (retired) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the senior civilian and military hierarchy.According to a news briefing, in a statement recorder before the joint investigation team (JIT) of the Federal Investigation Agency, Musharraf termed Kayani as the 'principal offender' in the case.He

said that Kayani, who became the chief of the army staff on November 27, 2007, did not revoke the emergency and thus, was also a 'principal offender.'He insisted that in addition to Kayani, he had consulted the senior military and civilian leadership, including the then prime minister Shaukat Aziz, before imposing the emergency.During the emergency, which was imposed from November 3, 2007 to December 15, 2007, the constitution of Pakistan was suspended. (ANI)

Refugees from Myanmar arrive in S. Korea for resettlement Seol, Dec. 23 : A total of 22 refugees from Myanmar arrived in South Korea, officials said Wednesday, becoming the first beneficiaries of Seoul's new resettlement program for refugees.The refugees, four different families, had been staying at refugee camps in Thailand to avoid suppression in Myanmar before being allowed to fly to South Korea.The refugees will be provided with F-2 residency visas, Justice Ministry officials said.South Korea introduced the refugee program earlier this year to accept up to 30 refugees from Myanmar every year until 2017 on a trial basis. It plans to decide whether to

formally keep the refugee program after closely monitoring the situation.The move came five months after South Korea signed a deal with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the resettlement of refugees staying at foreign refugee camps who are willing to transfer to another country.Currently, South Korea begins screening refugees only after the application is filed in South Korea.South Korea has so far granted refugee status to 522 people out of more than 12,200 asylum seekers since 1994 when South Korea began to accept applications from asylum seekers. (Agencies)

FNCCI asks govt to waive visa fees to boost arrivals Kathmandu, Dec 23:The private sector has asked the government to waive visa fees temporarily to keep Nepal's tourism industry alive as it is close to collapsing after being hit by a series of bad luck this year."A visa fee exemption for at least six months would be an important move to boost tourist arrivals at a time when tourism, one of the major contributors to the economy, has been on a downhill course," said Bhawani Rana, senior vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), speaking Tuesday at an interaction entitled Tourism in the Present Context.The FNCCI has also recommended making Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) cost-effective or a free port to encourage international airlines to pass through here."TIA is known as one of the world's most expensive airports, and the government needs to consider this issue seri-

ously," said Rana. Besides, the government should think of bringing in the private sector to manage the country's sole international airport amid worldwide criticism over its poor services.The FNCCI has also asked the government to introduce separate incentive packages for tourism entrepreneurs and schemes to attract domestic and foreign investment during this time of crisis. Binayak Shah, general secretary of Hotel Association Nepal, said that Nepal's tourism industry was facing its most critical phase in almost a decade. From big hotels to small lodges, from international airlines to domestic carriers and from trekking agencies to handicraft shops, all businesses are bearing the brunt of the April 25 earthquake and the subsequent trade embargo by India. "The last time the industry had suffered such big shock was in 2002-03 when the Maoist insurgency was at its height. The conflict

had forced nearly a dozen hotels to close down," he said, adding that the current situation was even worse. The average occupancy of hotels has nosedived to 20 percent. "Hotels in Kathmandu are suffering losses to the tune of Rs100 to Rs120 million daily due to low occupancy and high operating costs."The ongoing fuel crisis and extended loadshedding hours have increased the operating costs for hotels by 40 percent. Many hotels and restaurants have laid off staff."Investments totalling more than Rs500 billion that have been poured into the hotels will be at risk if immediate bail-out packages are not introduced by the government," Shah said. He suggested that the government should create a relief fund and provide loans at subsidized interest for at least a year .Advance bookings for the first quarter of 2016 are also disappointing. However, on the bright side, Shah said that the industry could recover

The private sector has asked the government to waive visa fees temporarily to keep Nepal's tourism industry alive

quickly if Nepal launched aggressive marketing campaigns in China and India. Two deadly accidents in a row on Everest in 2014 and 2015, and the 2014 Annapurna avalanche, which killed many foreigners and Nepalis, have dealt a serious blow to the country's adventure travel sector, said Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, senior vicepresident of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal. "The repercussions of these disasters could be bad for the industry next year too if an immediate action plan is not launched to assure the safety of ad-

venture travellers," he said. "If this issue is not addressed, more than 1.1 million workers engaged in mountaineering and trekking may be out of work."Sherpa said that the government should extend by two years the Everest climbing permits of the expeditions which were forced to abandon their spring 2015 bids due to earthquake-triggered avalanches.""Each foreigner spends $40,000 to $50,000 to climb Everest, and the government should again welcome those who were forced to quit," Sherpa said. (Agencies)

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

Smart Cities can get Smarter in 2016 The Juvenile Justice Bill 16-year-olds can now be tried as adults for rape and murder Parliament passed the juvenile justice bill, a day after members cutting across party lines agreed that the important legislation should be taken up immediately. However, members of Left parties walked out of the Rajya Sabha before the bill was passed, demanding that it should be sent to a select committee of the house. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015 that will replace the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 states that any person aged between 16 and 18 years and accused of a heinous offence - defined as a crime for which there is a sentence of seven years or more under the Indian Penal Code - may be tried under the IPC and not the JJ Act if, after a preliminary inquiry, the Juvenile Justice Board feels that the crime was committed with full knowledge and understanding of the consequences. The Bill also lays down adoption norms. And giving out the bill's details, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said borstals - a custodial institution for young offenders - would be set up under the proposed law to house juveniles accused of heinous crimes. Maneka Gandhi said juvenile crime was being encouraged by the existing law. Whereas leaders of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said juvenile convicts should not be kept in jail with hardened criminals and there should be a separate place for them. Jyoti's parents have spearheaded the demand for a change in the law. While Jyoti's other attackers have been sentenced to death, the youngest was released on Sunday after three years in a remand home. Now 20, he was not tried in court for the brutal rape and murder as he was a few months short of 18 at the time of the attack. The amendment will not affect the juvenile offender. But there have been massive protests over his release and public sentiment brought pressure on political parties as they debated the change in law. The Congress though crucial to any vote in the Rajya Sabha because of its superior numbers, supported the bill, though many of its leaders had said they favoured sending it to a parliamentary panel called a select committee. Whereas in England and Wales, for several offences, children above the age of 10 are held to be criminally liable. In Australia, the prescribed age is 14-18 years for children to be responsible for their actions under criminal law. In the United States, many states have the age of 12 years for holding children responsible for criminal acts. In New York and Texas, the age is 17 years. In Bangladesh, it is 16 years and in Denmark, it is 15 years. And psychologists now feel that the children are grown-ups by the age of 14, responsible for their

Road safety A Lot Needs To Be Done India has the second largest road network in the world with over 3 million km of roads of which 60% are paved. These roads make a vital contribution to the India's economy. On the whole, the facilities for the road users are not up to the mark, leading to a high toll of the death victims. Recently, there is a growing concern over the road crash problem. With the advancement of technology, the most developed projects undertaken along with the real estate are the massive road building projects. But while new roads are being built, faster and faster automobiles are being invented in high numbers making road safety a crucial question. Road safety is emerging as a major social concern in the country. The statistics are mind boggling with an average mortality rate of 100,000 persons dying in road accidents. According to a survey from WHO, each year road traffic injuries take away lives of 1.2 million men, women, and children around the globe and injure many more. The death toll is on the higher side for the countries where pedestrians, motorcyclists and passengers are vulnerable and vehicles lack the safety norms, like India. In Indian perspective safety norms have lagged behind the international standards. Moreover, the international companies launch their vehicles on Indian Roads but somehow forget to implant safety measures that are mandatory abroad. To name a few these include: air bags and censors and many more. The figures are high despite many such accidents not been documented. What is more worrying is the sharp rise in road fatalities over the past decade. Many fatalities and serious injuries on Indian roads could have been saved if recommended road safety actions had been implemented, It is really unfaithful that the authorities who have been assigned the duty to look after safety norms on Indian roads have not performed up to their marks. But, enhancing road safety is such a complex task that we all should shoulder the responsibility to achieve success in this area. As many as 1.5 lakh people in India die in road accidents annually while another 3 lakh are crippled for life. India accounts for about 5 lakh road accidents per annum. United Nations has set a global 'Decade of Action' plan for Road Safety which aims to reduce road fatalities by 50 per cent till 2020. Experts said India has signed many pacts on traffic and road safety issues but lacks implementation of proposed actions.

@-Pranjal Kumar Phukan The concept of smart city as a means to enhance the life quality of citizens has been increasingly recognized by government leaders and policy makers in the last one year. Many of them have begun to focus on cutting edge technologies and standards to make cities smarter and more efficient. 2016 promises to be a year in which many more cities will see the delivery of these new technologies and the foundation of the next generation of services. Research firm IDC predicts that by 2017, at least 20 of the world's largest countries will create national smart city policies to prioritize funding and document technical and business guidelines. Let us look at some of the mega trends and drivers that can make smart cities smarter. Big data analytics - an enabler Experts believe platforms such as big data, analytics and mobility are expected to become the pillars of smart building evolution in terms of technology, business value and customer satisfaction. An analysis from Frost & Sullivan shows that the ongoing convergence of operating technology and IT indicates that key technology advancements will gather pace in the fields of data analytics, cloud services and IoT. Environmental Research A n a l y s t AnirudhBhaskaran notes, "Big data, especially, will emerge as a more valuable delivery model owing to affordable upfront costs and lower resource usage. In addition, big data provides an open platform that enables the integration of data from different systems." Local government focus on technology, policy, economy and infrastructure will lend further momentum, leading to their evolution into

smart cities in the coming years, he says. Ravinder Pal Singh, APJC Head, Software Enabled Services, Cisco Systems gives an example where use data and information can make traffic management much smoother, easier and safer. "Connecting traffic management systems with a GIS enabled digital road map of any city and using the power of analytics can help to implement a hiccup-free traffic management. Using real time analysis of data from these sources and linking the analytics to available live feeds, it is possible to manage traffic flow in a much simpler manner," he says. IoT to drive smart cities The accelerated penetration of smart city technologies will drive up demand for Internet of Things (IoT) devices to 1.6 billion units next year, up 39 percent from this year, according to research firm Gartner, which predicts that smart homes as a part of smart city projects will take 21 percent of total demand for IoT devices in 2016 and will record rapid growth in the next five years. The use of Satellite sensors, such as image cameras, for granular management activities at the City level has increased this year and looks to grow, especially in the remote area management. According to Gartner Research Vice President Bettina Tratz-Ryan, commercial and industrial buildings will heavily benefit from the introduction of IoT technologies as they provide an integrated management based on big data collected from sensors in the facilities. "Especially in large sites, such as industrial zones, office parks, shopping malls, airports or seaports, IoT can help reduce the cost of energy, spatial man-

agement and building maintenance by up to 30 percent," she says. Smart home and connected car Gartner that also expects that smart homes will exceed smart commercial buildings in terms of IoT device demand by 2018. "Smart commercial buildings will be the highest user of (IoT) until 2017, after which smart homes will take the lead with just over 1 billion connected things in 2018," says Tratz-Ryan, who sees that despite such efforts, most of these projects are still pilots. "There is a lack of citywide strategy at the level of guidelines for implementations," she says. As such, we predict that in 2016, 90 percent of cities worldwide will lack a comprehensive set of policies on the public and private use of drones, sensors and devices. This will result in increased privacy and security risks. Similarly, we see a more acute and faster adoption of public safety and transportation IoT investment, often without a strategic framework, which IDC believes will lead to more project risk and wasted spending, such as spending on duplicative systems or devices. "The growing maturity of smart home platforms through an ecosystem of home appliances, infotainment and home sensors will mean that smart home investments overtake those of commercial buildings in 2018," Tratz-Ryan said. Open Source and Crowd sourcing The growing importance of open source technologies has come to the Smart City this year and looks to expand in the next. Cities looking to leverage local skills or develop local tech hubs to provide services, while reducing costs, are looking to Open Source enablers to jump start many areas of technology. From IOT management to data repositories to analytics software and open data portals, cities now have Open Source options. As cities can invest in local businesses to leverage Open Source technology. Rakesh Kaul, Partner-

Government and Public services, PwC, India said, "Smart Cities concept is built on 4 pillars that includes Physical (Infrastructure), Social (Health, Education, and Entertainment), Institutional (Municipalities & City Managers), Economic (Ease of doing business in India). The initiatives should be commercially viable, socially inclusive and maintain ecological balance. RoI on smart cities Dr. Prashant Pradhan, Director, Smarter Planet Business, IBM India and South Asia explains that smart cities projects in India are not generic IT projects. With time it will be important to measure the RoI in smart city investment. Where are start cities heading? Is it going to solve the challenges that can inhibit business growth, such as unsafe neighborhoods, traffic congestion and a lack of workers with certain skill sets? Will the city continue to invest in areas of success like cultural events, car or bike sharing initiatives, clean parks, and resiliency plans for severe weather events? These questions first need to be addressed. The first step is to take a deeper look at the specific smart city initiatives, and connecting these initiatives with specific measures and outcomes. For example, cybercrime is on the increase and has become a central topic for the resilience of any organization, as evidenced by many recent high profile events. As cities bring

new services online which feature multiple systems they are setting up larger and larger targets for the criminal online element and the cyber crusader. Cities will have to increase their investment in ensuring the digital safety of their cities and data of their citizens. More jobs creation Initiatives like 'Make in India' can entail significant job creation in the manufacturing, automation sectors in the coming year. The plan to create 100 smart cities is expected to fuel the job growth further, believe experts. "Year 2016 will bring large number of jobs in Tier II cities with Digital India and Smart city initiatives and industries like manufacturing which has been struggling and competing with import pricing competitiveness will now have major boost and will be the largest job creator in India," states GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel. He sees sectors like IT, ITeS, e-commerce, BFSI, logistics and transport will become support system for the manufacturing sector and will create more jobs avenues. There will be greater opportunities for solution providers, open source community and self-help associations to recruit more qualified staff to provide smart services. " The success of smart cities purely depend upon four essential Cs co-operations, convergence, capabilities and convenience." Accord-

ing to him smart cities require co-operation between various city departments to create common infrastructure so as to catapult from basic facilities to adoption of new technology, enabling the citizens to participate in the growth story," says Sumit D. Chowdhury, Founder & CEO, Gaia Smart Cities. Experts believe that emerging technologies are already transforming the citizen experience and government services, but this is just the beginning. While smart city technologies have always been tied to goals of increased economic development and sustainability, the discussion is being framed more around future investments, and not just related to technology, but also around physical infrastructure, the livability of a city and urban planning, such as traffic challenges, network availability, cost of office space and availability of talent. Cities must balance moving forward while managing risk with keeping pace with their residents and local businesses. These predictions, and what we can learn from them in aggregate, are a starting point for 2016.

(Author is recipient of prestigious Peter F Drucker award for his outstanding contributions to management from University of Swahili- A fully chartered Government University. He can be contacted at pranjal_xlri@yahoo.com)

Dry - Day And The New - Year - Revellers rapidly. We have now 'Dry-day'. Wine is universally accepted barring the teetotalers. Wine's business is one, so prolific, so successful that it does not require any advertisement as it sells like hot-cakes. Nitish Kumar, the Chief-minister of Bihar, declared before the assembly election that if voted to power his party (alliance) would stop the sale of liquor. After Sri Kumar became the Chief-minister, he proposed to stop the sale from 1st of April 2016 knowing it fully that it would deprive the state government of revenue worth Rs. 4,000 crore per year. Now, what the Bihar Chief-minister does is to stop the sale of liquor by degrees, as once stopped it would result into throwing out of many employees engaged in the business. So, the Bihar ministry finds out an innovative idea to arrange for selling milk-products by the side of the liquor-bottle for which loan would be available from banks on easy terms. In Assam, no such ban is proposed excepting declaring 'Dry-day' on certain specific dates. But unlike previous years, the district authority of Kamrup (Metro) decides to propose to the Government of Assam, not to declare 'Dry-day' on Sir, Wine, as everybody knows, has been dominating 31st December and 1st of January. the societies from time immemorial. In the Vedas, But keeping the gusto of revelling public to celebrate too, we find mention of 'Xura' (wine). Time changes the New-year in view, we believe that declaration of

'Dry-day' would simply be a futile exercise. Even if the government declares 'Dry-day' on these two days, the boozers and those addicted to liquor would have the wine by this means or that. No power on earth can prevent them from reveling, drinking wine. After all, without wine can one welcome the 'Newyear' in a more befitting manner? 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

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

Various Jobs in NEIAH, Shillong [112 posts] North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH), Shillong. Last Date: 04/01/2016. North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH), Shillong, Meghalaya, an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India invites applications from Indian Citizen for the following posts to be filledup by Direct Recruitment / Deputation / Short Term Contract basis: 1. Deputy Director Administration : 01 post 2. Finance Manager : 01 post 3. Accounts Officer : 02 posts 4. Assistant Administrative Officer : 01 post 5. Junior Engineer (Civil) : 01 post 6. Junior Engineer (Electrical) : 01 post 7. Accountant : 01 post 8. Junior Accountant : 01 post 9. Cashier : 01 post 10. Private Secretary : 01 post 11. Upper Division Clerk : 03 posts 12. Principal Ayurveda college : 01 post 13. Professor (Ayurveda) : 10 posts 14. Associate professor (Ayurveda) : 10 posts 15. Lecturer (Ayurveda) : 10 posts

JOBS &

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CAREER

Manager, Engineer, Officer Jobs in BCPL, Dibrugarh [PWD Only] Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL). Last Date: 26/12/2015. Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) is looking for experienced professionals for the following posts in special recruitment drive for PWD candidates : 1. Senior Manager (HR) : 01 post 2. Manager (Chemical) : 02 posts 3. Manager (Electrical) : 01 post 4. Manager (Finance & Accounts) : 01 post 5. Manager (Mechanical) : 01 post 6. Deputy Manager (Chemical) : 02 posts 7. Deputy Manager (HR) : 01 post 8. Senior Engineer (Chemical) : 02 posts 9. Senior Engineer (Mechanical) : 01 post 10. Senior Officer (Finance & Accounts) : 01 post How to Apply : Apply Online at BCPL website from 01/12/2015 to 26/12/2015 only.

Faculty Jobs in NIT Meghalaya National Institute of Technology (NIT) Meghalaya.

Applications are invited for the posts of Asstt. Professor at Darrang College, Tezpur (Assam) Applications are invited from Indian citizen for filling up following Sanctioned vacant posts ofAssistant Professor in the revised pay band + AGP Rs. 15,600 - 39,100 + AGP 6000 with other allowances as per rule as admissible time to time. Eligibility: Candidates must have UGC norms with NET / SLET / SET Degree as mandatory required qualification. Candidates who obtained M.Phil degree on or before 10-7-2009 may also apply for the post excluding the candidates obtained M.Phil / Ph.D. Degree from off campus centre. However, the candidates who are or have been awarded a Ph.D. Degree in accordance with the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Ph.D. degree) regulatory 2009, shall be exempted from the requirement of the minimum eligibility conditions of NET / SLET/ SET for requirement and appointment of Assistant Professor. The Candidates must have a Permanent Residential Certificate (PRC) and must know local language. Applications failing to fulfill the requirements will be rejected. The age of the candidate should not be more than 38 years as on 01-01-2015 and relaxable up to 5 years for SC / ST candidates. Candidates who are in service must apply through proper channel. Applications with full bio- data (P.C. of marks, postal address, telephone no. etc) and attested copies of relevant testimonials along with the PRC and a non refundable Bank draft of Rs. 1000/- (Rs. 500/- for SC / ST candidates) drawn in favour of Principal, Darrang College, payable at SBI, Tezpur should reach the undersigned within 13 days from the date of publication of this advertisement. No TA / DA is admissible.

Sd/- Principal, Darrang College, Tezpur Ph. No.:- 03712-220014.

Last Date: 31/12/2015.

National Institute of Technology (NIT) Meghalaya invites applications in Prescribed Format from Indian Nationals for appointment on permanent/ contract / deputation basis, possessing consistently good academic record and requisite qualifications and experience, with commitment to work, passion for teaching & research and an inclination towards institutional development, for positions of Assistant Professors and Associate Professor in various disciplines. Name of post: Assistant Professor / Associate Professor No of posts: 10 posts (UR3, OBC3, SC3, PWD1) on regular/ contract basis in various disciplines Essential Qualification: Ph. D. with 1st Class at UG & PG levels with consistently good academic record Pay Scale : for Assistant Professor Rs. 1560039100 AGP Rs. 6000 / 7000 / 8000 and Rs. 3740067000 AGP Rs. 9500 for Associate Professor posts How to Apply : Apply Online at NIT Meghalaya website on or before 24/12/ 2015 only and hard copy of the system generated application should reach to the Registrar, NIT Meghalaya, Bijni Complex, Laitumkhrah, Shillong793003 on or before 31/12/2015.

Indian Army SSC Officer (Technical Entry) Recruitment Indian Army Last Date: 08/01/2016. Applications are invited from married/ unmarried male and unmarried female Engineering Graduates and also from Widows of Defence Personnel for grant of Short Service Commission in the Indian Army in all Arms/ Services. Course commencing in October 2016 at Officers Training Academy (OTA),Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Category of posts: 47th SSC (Technical) for Men : 100 posts in various Engineering streams, Age : 2027 years 18th SSC (Technical) Women : 10 posts in various Engineering streams, Age : 2027 years Widows of Defence Personnel : 01 post, Age : 19-29/20-31 years Remuneration: Pay Scale : PB3 Rs.1560039100 Grade Pay Rs.5400 and MPS Rs.6000/ How to Apply: Apply Online at Army recruitment website http://joinindianarmy.nic.in from 09/12/2015 to 08/01/2016 only.

Librarian post vacant at Pragjyotish College, Santipur, Guwahati - 9 (Assam) Applications are invited for the post of a Librarian from eligible candidates having UGC norms with NET/SET degree as mandatory required qualification in the revised Pay Band+AGP Rs. 15600-39100 + AGP 6000 with other allowances as per rule as admissible time to time. Candidates who have obtained M.Phil degree on or before 10.07.2009 may also apply for the post excluding the candidate obtained M.Phil/Ph.D degree off campus centre. However, candidates who are or have been awarded a Ph.D degree in accordance with the University Grants Commission (minimum standards and procedure for award of Ph.D degree) Regulation, 2009 shall be exempted from the requirement of NET/SLET/SET. Applications are to be accompanied by attested copies of all relevant testimonials from HSLC Examination onwards inclusive of all documentary evidences relating to ones proficiency in ICT bases Library Management System, working experiences and training etc. The age of a candidate should not be more than 38 years as on 01.01.2015 and relax able upto 5 years for SC/ST candidates. The candidates must have a Permanent Residential Certificate (PRC) and must know local languages. Application must be accompanied by Demand Draft of Rs. 1000/- (nonrefundable) in favour of the Principal, Pragjyotish College, Guwahati payable at SBI, West Guwahati Branch and should reach the college within 13 days from the date of publication of this advertisement. No TA/DA will be admissible to the candidates. 1. Librarian 1 (one) post : Unreserved. Sd/- Principal i/c (Mrs. Pallabi Sarmah) Pragjyotish College Santipur, Guwahati - 9

The Eastern Today has taken an initiative to present Questions & Answers to help the aspirants in their competitive exams (SSC, Banks, Insurance, etc.). 1).Name the Indian American Professor who has been awarded with the 2015 MacArthur Fellow "Genius Grant"? a) Sanjay Sivasamy b) Jayachandran Subbaraj c) Karthik Chandran d) Ramesh Ramasamy Answer: c 2).Which city will host South Asian Games in January 2016? a) Bhopal and Jaipur b) Mumbai and Kolkata c) New Delhi and Pune d) Guwahati and Shillong Answer: d 3).Which of the following has agreed to provide $120 million loan to upgrade the IndiaBangladesh electricity network? a) BRIC Bank b) AIIB c) ADB d) World Bank Answer: c 4).Name the person who has been recently honored by the UK City of Conventry? a) Narendra Modi b) Ratan Tata c) Adithya Birla d) Mukesh Ambhani Answer: b 5).In which year India will hold the G20 Chair _______. a) 2018 b) 2016 c) 2019 d) 2017 Answer: a 6).World Vegetarian Day is observed on _________. a) 2nd October b) 3rd October c) 30th September d) 1st October Answer: d 7).Which of the following country is hosting the Sea Power Conference 2015?

a) Australia b) US c) Russia d) Japan Answer: a 8).MPID Act is related to which State? a) Meghalaya b) Maharashtra c) Madhya Pradesh d) Manipur Answer: b 9).Name the Indian Pistol Shooter who won the Gold Medal in Woman's 10m air Pistol event which was held at New Delhi? a) Priyanka Yadav b) Heena Sindhu c) Abhinav Bindra d) Apurvi Chandela Answer: b 10).What is the name of the analysis used to detect Ebola? a) Hexagenomic b) Octogenomic c) Pentagenomic d) Metagenomic Answer: d 11).Which of the following state government has planned to implement National Food Security Act, 2013? a) Gujarat b) Uttar Pradesh c) Maharashtra d) Madhya Pradesh Answer: b 12).Which country has proposed the new four point "Peace Initiative" at UN? a) China b) India c) Pakistan d) Sri Lanka Answer: c 13).What is the India's Rank in Global Competitiveness Report 2015-16 which was released by World Economic Forum? a) 65th b) 50th c) 60th

d) 55th Answer: d 14).Which is the first bank to launch m-Visa a Card-less and Device-less solution to make payments? a) ICICI Bank b) Axis Bank c) SBI d) HDFC Answer: a 15).Which country is placed first position in the Global Competitiveness Report 2015-16? a) China b) Switzerland c) Norway d) Sweden Answer: b 16).Who has been appointed as the CMD of SAIL? a) Pahlaj Nihalani b) Y Venugopal Reddy c) Dr. Anup K Pujari d) Ratan Kumar Sinha Answer: c 17).Who among the following has been conferred with the Merlin Award by the International Magicians Association? a) Zenia Bhumgara b) Bina Judai c) Kamnath Sinha d) Zeenat Mahal Answer: a 18).Who is the winner of Wuhan Open Title? a) Garbine Muguruza b) Roberta Vinci c) Serena Williams d) Venus Williams Answer: d 19).Who flag has been raised for the first time at United Nations Headquarters in New York? a) Kazakhstan b) Palestinian c) Afghanistan d) Turkmenistan Answer: b 20).How May People has been Selected for Shanti

Swarup Bhatnagar Award? a) 11 b) 13 c) 7 d) 9 Answer: a 21).Who is the winner of the Right Livelihood Award 2015? a) Sheila Watt Cloutier b) John Mathews c) Elizabeth Hurley d) Jessica Bartich Answer: a 22).Name the state which has signed a deal with International Rice Research Institute to promote Climate resilient paddy? a) Uttar Pradesh b) Bihar c) Odisha d) Madhya Pradesh Answer: c 23).Who is the winner of the Wuhan Open Women's Double Title? a) Maria SharapovaSerena Williams b) Ana Ivanovic and Martina Navratilova c) Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis d) Caroline Wozniaci and Ana Ivanovic Answer: c 24).Who is the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the year in the Forbes India Leadership Awards 2015? a) Siddhartha Lal b) R C Bhargava c) Uday Shankar d) C P Gurnani Answer: b 25).Who has been appointed as the CMD of Neyveli Lignite? a) Sarat Kumar Acharya b) Premkumar Rajagopal c) Venugopal Reddy d) V K Swaminathan Answer: a 26).PM Narendra Modi

has inaugurated the India's first solar powered district court in __________. a) Sikkim b) Madhya Pradesh c) Kerala d) Jharkhand Answer: d 27).International NonViolence Day was observed on _______. a) 5th October b) 4th October c) 2nd October d) 3rd October Answer: c 28).Which country has become the world's largest cotton producer? a) India b) China c) Poland d) Germany Answer: a 29).Who has been named as the PGA Tour's Player of 2015? a) Jordan Spieth b) Josh Scobee c) Tiger Woods d) Ian Poulter Answer: a 30).Which of the following state has launched the E-FIR System? a) Gujarat b) Odisha c) Himachal Pradesh d) Bihar Answer: b 31). Recently Gujarat Government has launched Special "Khadi Utsav" at ________. a) Gandhi Nagar b) Ahmadabad c) Rajkot d) Porbandar Answer: b 32). Adani port and L&T has signed a MoU to supervise which of the following port operations? a) Katupalli shipyard b) Ennore Port c) Colachel seaport d) Nagapatnam port

Answer: a 33). What is EBITDA? a) Earnings before income , total, depreciation and Amortization b) Extended before Interest, taxes, Depreciation, and annually c) Earned before interest, taxes, Depreciation, and annually d) Earnings before interest, taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization Answer: a 34). Germany's national day observed on _______ a) 3rd Oct 1980 b) 3rd Oct 1990 c) 3rd Oct 1999 d) 3rd Oct 1995 Answer: b 35). What is the name of the Google's new parent company? a) Zagat b) Alphabet c) Google grants d) AdMob Answer: b 36). Which of the following state government has launched its citizen portal for the submission of complaints through online? a) Odisha b) Maharashtra c) Gujarat d) TamilNadu Answer: a 37). Project Loon is related to ________. a) Google b) Microsoft c) Apple d) Yahoo Answer: a 38). As per the report released by union agriculture ministry, at what percentage of pesticides are found in food items a) 12.5 % b) 22.5 % c) 11.5 % d) 10.5 % Answer: a

39). As Per latest ICC Cricket Ranking which is the No.1 Women's Cricket Team? a) India b) England c) Australia d) West Indies Answer: c 40). Who is the winner of the UK Crime Writer's Association Gold Dagger Award 2015? a) Hercules Carben b) Michael Robotham c) Robert Crew d) John Droppler Answer: b 41). Who has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Flipkart for its commerce platform? a) Pramod Jain b) Sriram Venkatraman c) Aakash Moondhra d) Rajesh Subramaniam Answer: b 42). Name the patrol vessel which has been participated in 26th edition of CORPAT? a) INS car Nicobar b) INS Sukanya c) INS Saryu d) INS Bangaram Answer: c 43). Who has the won 11th edition of 2015

MTB Himalayan title Men's solo? a) Luis Leoa Pinto of Portuguese b) Andi Seewald of Germany c) Pau Zamora of Spain d) Ajay Pal Chhetri Answer: a 44). Who has been appointed as the President of BCCI by Special General Meeting? a) Srinivasan b) Jagmohan Dalmia c) Shashank Manohar d) Sunil Gavaskar Answer: c 45). Which of the following city is hosting IndoGerman Summit Digitising? a) Kolkata b) Mumbai c) Delhi d) Bangalore Answer: d 46). Ashish Bahuguna, the Chariman of the FSSAI, has been given an additional charge as CEO, after shifting _________ to the NITI Aayog. a) Yudhvir Singh Malik b) L.Sharma c) Utpal Kumar Singh d) Asit Tripathy Answer: a

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

BUSINESS

Current account gap widens in Q2 New Delhi, Dec 23: The country's current account deficit (CAD) widened to 1.6 per cent of the GDP during the July-September quarter from 1.2 per cent recorded in the previous quarter, mainly due to sharp contraction in exports. The deficit, which was at $8.2 billion in Q2, however, was narrower than the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, when it was $10.9 billion, translating to 2.2 per cent of the GDP. Balance of payments fell during the JulySeptember quarter, which was $0.9 billion, as compared to a surplus of $11.4 billion in the previous quarter, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). RBI said the contraction (year-

on-year) in CAD was primarily on account of lower trade deficit ($37.4 billion) as compared with $39.7 billion in Q2 of last year though it was higher than the level in the preceding quarter. "Although net services receipts moderated marginally on a yo-y basis largely due to fall in export receipts in transport, insurance and pension services, there has been some improvement over the preceding quarter," RBI said. Private transfer receipts, mainly representing remittances by Indians employed overseas, amounted to $16.5 billion, a marginal decline from their level in the preceding as well as the corresponding quarter. Data shows, net foreign direct investment moderated in

Prices of tea should be raise: Bhanu Kolkata, Dec 23: M. G. V. K. Bhanu, former Tea Board Chairman, said the prices of the commodity should be increased to pay higher wages for workers. "Unless we get higher prices for the products, it is difficult for tea to survive. Workers will demand moreâ&#x20AC;Śyou have to retain them and keep them happy, if you want quality," Bhanu said during the annual general meeting of the Indian Tea Association (ITA), the apex association of large teagrowers. Mr. Bhanu is presently Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Assam. He felt that ITA needs to play a more proactive role in all these matters. Although the meeting was taking place in the backdrop of the deaths of workers in sick and abandoned tea gardens, there was not

much mention of this phenomenon during the discussions. These gardens do not belong to ITA members. ITA Chairman A. K. Bhargava said that further cost pressures on the industry or unsustainable wage increase would threaten the industry's long-term viability. "Higher cost of production without optimum price-realisation will thwart sustainability," he said. Estimating the 2015 crop at about 1,190 million kgs against 1,207 million kgs in 2014, Mr. Bhargava said that a government-backed comprehensive strategy to deal with climate-change is an immediate necessity. On the issue of regulating the use of chemicals in tea-cultivation, he said that the list of chemicals permitted to be used needs to be expanded. (Agencies)

Q2 of 2015-16, after a sharp pick up in Q1. "There has been net outflow of portfolio investment to the tune of $6.5 billion as against net inflow of $9.8 billion in Q2 of last year; outflow was more evident in the equity segment," RBI said. Non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits, increased by 4 per cent, year-on-year, in Q2 of 2015-16. "CAD has slightly worsened sequentially in Q2 over Q1 on account of a more pronounced contraction in exports and some uptick in gold imports perhaps linked to a festive demand," said Rupa Rege Nitsure, Group Chief Economist, L&T Finance Holdings. "The FII/ FDI inflows too weakened for us as was the case with other emerging markets post the Chinese

WIDENING GAP The country's current account deficit (CAD) widened to 1.6 per cent of the GDP during the July-September quarter from 1.2 per cent recorded in the previous quarter, mainly due to sharp contraction in exports. The deficit, which was at $8.2 billion in Q2, however, was narrower than the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, when it was $10.9 billion, translating to 2.2 per cent of the GDP. currency's devaluation. Yet, it does not present a worrisome picture and thanks to

NRI deposits, increased by 4 per cent, year-on-year, in Q2 of 2015-16.

RBI said the contraction (year-on-year) in CAD was primarily on account of lower trade deficit ($37.4 billion) as compared with $39.7 billion in Q2 of last year though it was higher than the level in the preceding quarter. There has been net outflow of portfolio investment to the tune of $6.5 billion as against net inflow of $9.8 billion in Q2 of last year; outflow was more evident in the equity segment.

a significant moderation in global commodity prices, our CAD for FY16 as per

cent of GDP will be close to 1 per cent," Ms. Nitsure added. (Agencies)

Balance of payments fell during the July-September quarter, which was $0.9 billion, as compared to a surplus of $11.4 billion in the previous quarter, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Data shows, net foreign direct investment moderated in Q2 of 2015-16, after a sharp pick up in Q1.

$100 mn committed by Kohli Ventures for Zynergy Solar Bengaluru, Dec 23: Zynergy Solar Projects & Services, promoted by first generation serial entrepreneur, Rohit Rabindernath, has secured an investment commitment of $100 million from UK-based Kohli Ventures over the next three years to support its expansion plans that include setting up of new Rs.400 crore solar manufacturing plant. Zynergy, a Chennai-headquartered company which is now focused on ruralcentric off-grid solar products, has so far received close to $10 million from global VC firm Kohli Ventures, which has now more than 26 per cent stake in the company. Zynery is set to expand its product range from solar inverters to solar pumps and other related products in the immediate term. Also, the company is preparing to expand beyond off-grid segment to transform into a solar product and application specialist. "Despite challenging market conditions, we have

Image for representational purpose only. achieved exponential growth in the past four years," Mr.Rabindernath, Group MD & CEO, said here. "Our total revenues have grown to about Rs.100 crore from about Rs.4 crore. To enter the next growth trajectory, we are setting up a new manufacturing unit, working on backward integration for critical components and investing in R & D." The company's new manufacturing unit, which will produce solar modules, cells and inverters, is coming

up at the Nanguneri SEZ in southern Tamil Nadu at an investment of about Rs.400 crore. Construction work has begun and the first phase of the factory will be up and running over the next 14-16 months. The factory is being set up through a technical collaboration with Germany-based Singulus, a global solar module maker. "This is our first venture in India and Zynergy will be the first company to use our latest 'Perc' technology,

which will promise a module efficiency exceeding 18 per cent," said Dr.Stefan Rinck, President & CEO, Singulus. Tej Kohli, Chairman, Kohli Ventures said the company would bringing in the additional $100 million by way of debt and equity to support Zynergy, which is awaiting patent for some disruptive technology in the solar product space. "This will have a major impact in the solar space. We hope to announce it in the next few months," he said adding, "Zynergy has capabilities to design, develop and deliver a wide range of products for the international market too." With funds support from its investors and manufacturing-cumproduct expansion, Zynergy aims to become a $500 million company in the next five years. "Combination of rural market and overseas business will help us to grow to this level," said Mr. Rabindernath. (Agencies)

Aquaculture sector in 2015-16 to be hit hard by flood, disease

M. G. V. K. Bhanu, former Tea Board Chairman of India.Source: files.prokerala.com

3rd quarter growth of US estimate cut to 2%

Image for representational purpose only. New York, Dec 23: The US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.0 percent in the third quarter, according to Commerce Department data Tuesday, slightly below a previous estimate of 2.1 percent. The July to September growth of gross domestic product -- the broad measure of the economy`s output of goods and services -- was in line with analyst estimates and marked a slowdown from the 3.9 percent growth in the second quarter. Personal consumption expenditure, which drives about two-thirds of the activity in the US economy, rose by an estimated 3.0 percent, as previously estimated. The data show the strong dollar continues to be a drag on US trade. Exports grew by just 0.7 percent, down from a previous estimate of 0.9 per-

cent, while imports rose 2.3 percent. Analysts at Barclays rated the 3.0 percent rise in consumption spending as "solid" and said the report overall "does little to change the picture of solid domestic activity offset by weakness abroad." "Soft global growth and the lagged effects of lower energy prices and a stronger dollar continue to weigh on trade and manufacturing, the latter of which we see as reflected in the slower pace of inventory accumulation as production is adjusted to meet the slower pace of sales," Barclays said. Tuesday`s data came on the heels of the Federal Reserve`s decision last week to lift US interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade, amid growing confidence in the US economic recovery. However, Fed policy makers emphasized that the US economy still needs the support of loose monetary policy and signalled they would take a gradual approach to further interest rates increases. A key factor in the slightly lower growth compared with the prior estimate was a downward revision to inventory investment. (Agencies)

Hyderabad, Dec 23: The recent floods in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and an outbreak of a fungal disease on shrimps may hit revenue of aquaculture companies and exports for the next fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, officials say. Enterocytozoon Hepatopenaei (EHP), a microsporidia disease in India may have impact on the shrimp production and performance of aquaculture companies including Chennai headquartered Waterbase Ltd. Promoted by the Karam Chand Thapar Group, Waterbase is a leading manufacturer of high quality shrimp feed. Talking to reporters, Waterbase CEO Ramakant V. Akula said: "We had a good run for four to five years. But due to the recent outbreak of EHP

fungi and floods, Indian shrimp exports will also be adversely impacted. Currently, we are having discussions with international experts and domestic research institutes on how to control EHP fungi in India." Till recently, the Indian aquaculture firms were discussing only about Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) disease. Now, they have turned their focus on tackling EHP. For the last three years, both these diseases have been affecting shrimp production of Thailand, Vietnam, Mexico and China. Regarding the recent floods, he said that they had to close down shrimp feed mill and processing unit at Nellore. "Due to incessant rains and flooding in most of parts of Andhra Pradesh, shrimp farming have been

adversely impacted. This will have an impact on shrimp feed sales as well," he said. Waterbase has drawn up expansion plans that include setting up a hatchery in Nellore next year, widening the dealer network and geographical expansion. "By 2020, we would to increase our revenue aggressively. Over the next few years, we are

planning to set up several hatcheries in shrimp farming areas to support farmers. We already have a feed mill and are also processing shrimps," he said. To increase production scale, Waterbase has initiated steps to merge itself with another group firm, Pinnae Feeds Ltd. and the process is expected to be completed soon. (Agencies)

Image for representational purpose only. New Delhi, Dec 23: Matrimony.com, which operates under BharatMatrimony brand and Quick Heal Technologies have received markets regulator Sebi's approval to launch their Initial Public Offers and may raise around Rs

Industry goes online to press for GST Bill

Image for representational purpose only. Mumbai, Dec 23: India's industry lobbies have started an online campaign to petition political parties and parliamentarians to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill for the Goods and Services Tax with more than 40,000 people having signed a petition initiated by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on change.org. "At this point of time it is imperative to move forward with GST. It is the need of the hour to pass the Bill and implement GST without any

further delay," according to a CII statement. All trade bodies had jointly resolved to pursue the passage of the GST bill with political parties last week. The new indirect tax system would help improving governance and facilitate India becoming a single integrated market, according to the CII. During the monsoon session, industry captains had initiated a similar petition against constant disruptions in Parliament that made it difficult to pursue reforms. (Agencies)

Payment system can be joined by SFBs: RBI

RBI Governor, Raghuram Rajan. Source: static.dnaindia.com New Delhi, Dec 23: Entities that received inprinciple approval for setting up payments banks and small finance banks can join any payment system only after getting the final licence, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Tuesday. "... entities that have been granted inprinciple approval by it for setting up payments banks and SFBs can apply to the RBI for membership of any centralised/ decentralised payment systems, including Bharat Bill Payment System, after receiving the licence for commencement of business under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949," according to a statement from the central bank. RBI had been receiving queries from such entities regarding the approval process for joining any centralised/ decentralised payment systems, it said. The cen-

tral bank, in August and September, announced the names of 21 entities that were granted in-principle approval for setting up payments banks and SFBs. The 'in-principle' approval is valid for 18 months during which time the applicants have to comply with all requirements stipulated by the RBI before grant of final licence for commencement of banking business. In a separate statement, RBI said to encourage innovators in the area of Payment and Settlement System, the central bank has announced 'Payment System Innovation Awards' Broad areas of innovation which could be considered for the awards are payment security including fraud prevention, customer convenience and cost reduction and use of emerging technologies for payments, it said. (Agencies)

World's first augmented reality vacuum cleaner to be launched by LG Image for representational purpose only.

Matrimony.com, Quick Heal gets green signal for IPOs 1,000 crore. Matrimony.com had filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with Sebi in August, while Quick Heal had submitted its draft documents in September. The Securities and Exchange Board of India cleared the proposed initial share sales and gave final observations on the IPOs on December 18. As per the draft paper, Matrimony.com's IPO comprises fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 350 crore and an offer for sale of up to 16.60 lakh scrips by existing shareholders. The existing in-

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vestors include Bessemer India Capital Holdings, Draper Investment Company LLC, Hartenbaum Revocable Trust and Indrani Janakiraman. According to sources, the company is expected to garner Rs 600-700 crore through the public offer. This would be the second major IPO by an Internet company after Just Dial. The local search engine firm had raked in Rs 950 crore through its public offer in 2013. The funds would be used for business promotion, purchase and development of office premises in Chennai, repayment of

overdraft facilities and procurement of hardware and software requirements for a centrally controlled contact centre and general corporate purposes. Matrimony competes with Shaadi.com, Times Group's SimplyMarry.com and Info Edge-owned Jeevansaathi.com. Quick Heal's IPO comprises of a fresh issue of shares worth up to Rs 250 crore. Besides, an offer for sale of more than 68.14 lakh shares would be made by Kailash Sahebrao Katkar, Sanjay Sahebrao Katkar and Sequoia Capital. (Agencies)

Las Vegas, Dec 23: LG's latest smart vacuum cleaner uses three camera sensors so that it can track the world around it, including the ceiling, to understand exactly where it is, where it has been and where it needs to go. It can send a live feed of its progress to the owner's smartphone and when it's not on cleaning duty can be deployed as guard dog. It can scan the room for movements and if anything or anyone appears out of the ordinary, raise the alarm

and send photographic evidence. As for 'Home Joy', that's the name LG has given to the cleaner's user interface. Pull up the live feed image of the room that needs cleaning, and tap on the areas that need to be vacuumed and the HOMBOT Turbo+ will do the rest. The HOM-BOT Turbo+ will make its debut, alongside a host of other LG vacuum cleaners, at the 2016 International CES, which opens its doors to the press on January 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Agencies)

Image for representational purpose only.

Djokovic, Serena crowned 2015 ITF World Champions

Serena Williams of the United States and Novak Djokovic of Serbia were named as 2015 ITF world champions ANI London: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have been named as the 2015 ITF World Champions to cap off a spectacular season, which saw them lift three Grand Slam titles this year. Djokovic extended his Grand Slam tally to 11 titles after winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015 . The Serbian described the season as the best of his career. Meanwhile, Williams claimed the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon before failing

to complete a calendar Grand Slam in the US Open. She produced an imperious form to end the season with a 53-3 win-loss record. Martina Hingis of Switzerland, and India's Sania Mirza were named women's doubles world champions with Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands, and Romania's Horia Tecau taking the men's award. Hingis thus became an ITF world champion again 15 years after being crowned singles champion. Dalma Galfi of Hungary and USA's Taylor Fritz were named ITF junior champions.

Schumi's manager rubbishes `irresponsible` claims about F1 legend's recovery ANI Zurich: Michael Schumacher's long-term manager has slammed claims about the F1 legend's recovery, describing the reports as 'irresponsible' for providing 'false hope'. Earlier in the week, a German magazine had claimed the seven-time world champion was walking again with the help of his therapist. However, Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm said that the assertion that Michael

could move again was not true, adding that such speculation was irresponsible given the seriousness of his injuries. Kehm added that such reports give false hopes to many involved people. Schumacher, who has a record 91-race wins, has been going through his painfully slow recovery at his Swiss lakeside home after being injured while skiing during a French Alps vacation.

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

PAGE 11

Australia's Steve Smith bags ICC Cricketer of the Year award ANI Dubai: Australia captain Steve Smith has become the fourth player from his nation and 11th player overall to win the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after being named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2015. Smith follows in the footsteps of Ponting (2006 and 2007), Mitchell Johnson (2009 and 2014) and Michael Clarke (2013) to lift the coveted trophy since the inception of the awards in 2004. Other recipients of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy include Rahul Dravid (2004), Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis (joint-winners in 2005), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Jonathan Trott (2011) and Kumar Sangakkara (2012). The

Australian captain Steve Smith top-order batsman was also adjudged the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year, which has made him only the seventh cricketer after Dravid

(2004), Kallis (2005), Ponting (2006), Sangakkara (2012), Clarke (2013) and Johnson (2014) to bag the two coveted prizes in the

Mangaldoi, Anchal Saikia bagged four wickets giving away 85 runs while Ranjan Ramsing claimed three wickets. Bongaigoan took a lead of 86 runs. In their second essay, Mangaldoi were 110/ 6 in 32 overs when stumps were drawn. Anjal Seal scored 47 off 73 balls, hitting three boundaries while Ambar Chakraborty contributed 23 off 44 balls with the help of four boundaries. Sunil Ranjan Gogoi took three wickets for B o n g a i g o a n . Bongaigoan earned three points while Mangaldoi bagged one from the match.

same year. During the voting period, which ran from 18 September 2014 to 13 September 2015, the 26year-old from New South Wales finished as the leading run-scorer in Tests with 1,734 runs in 25 innings of 13 matches at an average of 82.57. This included seven centuries and six half-centuries. In 26 One-Day Internationals, Smith scored 1,249 runs at an average of just under 60 with four centuries and eight half-centuries. He was a member of the Australia side which won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. Earlier this month, Smith was also named in the ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year, which were picked by the ICC selection panel

Simmons urges shoddy Windies to improve body language ANI Melbourne: West Indies coach Phil Simmons has admitted that his side have been hurt by the criticism of their body language, and called on his wounded team to show more intensity on the field. Earlier, Australian spin great Shane Warne had called on the Caribbean side to lift the tone of the game and try to come on the field with much more intent. Simmons admitted that the criticism of their fielding was fair, adding that the bowling coach Curtly Ambrose had been urging his players to raise the intensity of

WI coach Phil Simmons along with bowling coach Curtly Ambrose

the game. Coach Simmons also expressed his frustration at the unavailability of his star players in the ongoing Test series against Australia and called on the country's administrators to find a way to

keep the region's best players. Star players like Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell continue to light up the Twenty20 Big Bash League while their na-

Match drawn, Bongaigaon 'Dhoni still has cricket left in him to represent India for some more years' earn three points Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Dec 23: The match between Mangaldoi and Bongaigaon ended in a draw today. The two-day match of the Nuruddin Ahmed senior district cricket tournament was played at the DDSA stadium. Bongaigoan declared their first innings at 252/8 in 91.5 overs after Mangaldoi were bundled out for 166 in 58.5 overs. For Bongaigaon, Parthajit Baishya slammed 106 off 230 balls, with the help of ten boundaries while Pranjit Sarkar contributed 47 off 78 balls hitting four boundaries. For

cmyk

"I will look back on 2015 with mixed feelings. Winning the ICC Cricket World Cup at home was a career highlight, and being appointed captain is a great honour, but the disappointment of losing the Ashes remains." Aussie skipper Steven Smith

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni Agencies Jamshedpur: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has praised the India's limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, stating that he still has a lot of cricket left in him. "Dhoni is a great cricketer and set standards at international arena. He still

has cricket left in him to represent India for some more years," Ganguly, who was in Jamshedpur, to take part in a function of a leading jewellery brand said. Asked who will be the captain of ODI in the next World Cup, Ganguly said:"We have still time to decide the ODI cap-

tain, which is to be held in 2019. One will have to work hard and perform to reach the level of Dhoni, who has set standard in the cricket arena in the world," the former southpaw said. To a query as to who possessed the same aggression on the field in Indian team like him, Ganguly said Virat Kohli has it in him to lead the country for a long time. "He has been performing well and is efficient enough to lead the country forward," he said. The CAB president also hailed inclusion of Yuvraj Singh in the Indian Team for Twenty20 matches against upcoming Australia tour. "I am confident that he will perform and prove his mettle," he said when asked whether he would be able live up to the expectation.

tional side struggles to be competitive against the mighty Australians. Simmons said that it was frustrating to see star players not playing in a Test series, adding that the deadlock has been going on for a while. He also called on the West Indies Cricket Board to find out the best way so that they can get back their top players on the pitch. West Indies suffered a humiliating innings and 212-run defeat in Hobart, which triggered widespread criticism from former greats on the current plight of the islanders' stand in the international cricket.

that was headed by former India captain and Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee Anil Kumble. A delighted Smith said, "I will look back on 2015 with mixed feelings. Winning the ICC Cricket World Cup at home was a career highlight, and being appointed captain is a great honour, but the disappointment of losing the Ashes remains. To be the best team that we can be, we have to become better at winning away from home, and that remains our motivation heading into 2016." South Africa's ODI captain AB de Villiers has been named as the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for the second successive year, while his teammate and T20 captain Faf du Plessis has won the ICC T20I Perfor-

mance of the Year award for his 56-ball 119 against the West Indies in the second T20I in Johannesburg on 11 January 2015. Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has won the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award. Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for inspiring his side to play the game in its true spirit. This was clearly evident throughout the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and in particular in the semi-final where McCullum showed humility and exemplary sportsmanship by inviting de Villiers and his side to the New Zealand's dressing room after a closely-fought match.

Anderson doubtful for Boxing Day Test

England's James Anderson during a practice session. ANI Johannesburg: England pace spearhead James Anderson, who underwent a scan on his tight right calf muscle, is in doubt to be fully fit for the first Test of the four-match series against South Africa in Durban, starting on Boxing Day. The 33-year-

old bowled only for five overs before being rested during his side's first warm-up match, which England won by an innings and 91 runs against South Africa A. England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker currently owns 426 scalps in 110 matches.

Kaliabor claim title

Kaliabor team with the winning trophy. ET Photo

Sports Reporter Dibruagrh, Dec 23: Kaliabor defeated Guwahati 4-0 in the final of the 6th All Assam Junior Men’s Hockey Championship 2015 organised by Assam Hockey in association with

Somonnai Sangha, Tinsukia under the guidance of Tinsukia District Sports Association at TDSA Play ground today. For Kaliabor, Santosh Gour scored 2 goals in the 7th and 59th minute. Arjun Bhagat and Dibyajyoti

Biswas scored a goal each in the 38th minute and 45th minute respectively. Dibyajyoti Biswas of Kaliabor was adjudged best player of the championship while Arjun Bhagat was awarded with the highest scorer award.

Skating Prodigy from Manipur creates a world record City police in last four from ground level against the required 35 cm and the gap between the bars was kept to 1.0 meter. He covered 144.7 meters without cones and bars in 56.01 seconds in a single run only. Tiluck Keisam said that he feels very good for breaking the Guinness World Records. “This is my dream and it has come true so I feel very happy,” he said. A Class two student of Bluebells School International in Delhi, Tiluck has been skating since 2013. He has participated in various competitions and so far won a total of 42 medals

and many certificates. Tiluck has already etched his name in the Limca Book of Records on 25th May this year by performing a 50-metre limbo skate under a horizontal bar set at the height of 7.5 to 9 inches from ground level. Under the guidance of Coach Rohtash Dinodia, Tiluck was adjudged as the overall best Limbo skater for the year 2014-15. Recently, Tiluck also appeared on the Reality show “I can do that” where he performed skating with a Bollywood celebrity. His coach Rohtash Dinodia said, “We have already organized such event before

i.e Limca Book of World Records on 25th May. And today, we organized for Guinness Book of World Records.On 20th Sunday at around 3:30 pm he (Tiluck) attempted for Guinness records and this is his best performance.” VO 3: A senior official of the stadium said the association planned to send the video of his performance to the authorities of the Guinness Book of World Records. At such a tender age, Tiluck Keisam has not only made India proud, but his success story is truly an inspiration for others. (ANI)

The 7-year-old prodigy Tiluck Keisam

Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Dec 23: City Police, Guwahati trashed Barekuri Regional Sports Centre 4-1 in today’s match of the fourth Swargadeo Sarbananda Singh Invitational Prizemoney Football Championship organised by AllAssam Muttock Yuba Chatra Sanmilan Central Committee at Janamukh Rajiv Gandhi Sports Stadium in Tinsukia district. Sanam Boro of City Police drew first blood in the 28th minute. Though there were no other goals in the first half, City Police didn’t

give any opportunity to the opponents to get a hold of the match. Dounaloo Basumatary scored the second goal for his team in the 61stminute. Ranjit Rabha made it 3-0 in the 64th minute. In the 75th minute, Dounaloo scored his second and the teams’ fourth to seal their place in the semis. Barekuri Regional Sports Centre got one back courtesy Lohit Chutiya in the 80th minute. Tomorrow, Oil India FC and Kacchin Popular Sports Club, Manipur will lock horns in the first semifinal.

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Themthingchon Yr New Delhi, Dec 23 : Meet the 7-year-old Tiluck Keisam, son of Keisam Ricky and Pravabati Takhellambam from Manipur, who has got an amazing talent in Limbo skating or roller limbo. On December 20, Tiluck made India proud when he bettered a world record in the Farthest Distance Limbo Skating under Bars at Siri Fort Stadium in New Delhi. He covered 116 meters as against the previous record of 50 metres in 31.87 seconds with cones and bars under the bars which were set at the height of 28 cm

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

Page 12

FASCINATING FACTS * Santa Claus is also known as St. Nickolas, Father Christmas, Grandfather Frost and Kris Kringle. *Santa Claus was born in 270 AD. That means he is over 1,000 years old. It's the magic of Christmas that keeps him alive and well.

The Little Christmas Tree This is the story of a little fir tree who dreamt of growing up so that he could go and be a Christmas Tree amongst the Humans. The other, older trees, knew more about life, and they told him that being a tree with the Humans wasn't as good as all that. But the little fir tree didn't want to believe the older trees - and he didn't have long to wait. He was so pleased when one day some children came with their parents to choose a fir tree to decorate their living room. The children adored him at first sight. So he was dug up, then brought into the living room, where he was hung with decorations. After they had finished decorating him, the little fir tree shone with a thousand lights. Christmas was getting closer and everyone ad-

mired the little Christmas Tree. The young fir tree thought: "All the bigger fir trees were wrong" and he lifted his branches even higher so people could admire him better. Up till January, he was the prince of the living room; but then he started to lose his needles. Now nobody looked at him, touched him, or even bothered to gather up the tiny needles that fell. Then, the whole family decided to put him down into the cellar. The fir tree started to feel very sad that he had even been chosen by the family. After several days' wait - it seemed never-ending to him -, the little fir tree was replanted. He was so happy to be back in this good old earth that he'd missed so much during those endless days when he was shut up in the cellar!! Suddenly he understood that the family had

ABRA CA DABRA

Levitating Butter Knife What You Need: o Wristwatch o Butter knife (this has a rounded blade with no sharp edges) Instructions: 1. Tell your friends that you can make a butter knife float above a table using your incredible mental powers. Here's how to do it: 2. Put your hand palm-side down over the butter knife. 3. Say a magic word and wiggle your fingers. While your wiggling your fingers, push the butter knife's blade under the strap of your wristwatch. 4. Raise your hand a few inches off the table, and the knife will raise too!

Readers can send articles, poems, sketches, stories, travel experiences, achievements etc to editor.easterntoday@gmail.com or can post to The Eastern Today. T.C Borah Building, First Floor, Near to Sankardeva Hospital, Mancotta Road, Chowkidingee. Dibrugarh, 786001 Assam.

*Santa has a white beard, a red suit with white cuffs, a white collar and a black belt. He also wears a red hat with white trim and wears black boots. *According to legend Santa Claus lives at the north pole with Mrs. Claus and his elves. *It is believed that Santa's elves work all year long in Santa's workshop making toys for children all over

the world. *Santa Claus is believed to bring gifts to all the good boys and girls while they are sleeping on Christmas Eve (December 24th). *Throughout the year Santa Claus keeps 2 lists of girls and boys, a good list and a naughty list. *Children on the naughty list are believed to receive coal for Christmas. * Santa has 8 reindeer Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Click here for more facts about Reindeer. * Many children leave out milk and cookies or other treats for Santa on Christmas Eve because he gets hungry on his long journey of delivering presents.

CRAFTY CRAFTS Darling Deer You will need: *Cardboard tube *Paper *Googly eyes *Pom pom nose *Straws *Pipe cleaners left him in the cold of the cellar to keep him healthy. Each year, the family dug him up again to put him back into the living room. He was very

happy with his new family. And yes, in the end the bigger trees were wrong about something - some humans are good after all...

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Instructions: 1. Cover a cardboard tube with patterned paper. 2. Cut a triangle head and two large and two small oval ears out of paper. 3. Glue the smaller ears inside the larger ones and fold in half. Glue to top of triangle. 4. Cut felt circles for eyes. Glue googly eyes to felt. Add pom-pom nose. 5. Glue the triangle to the top center of the tube. 6. Use straws and pipe cleaners to make antlers.

Teacher: Class, we will have only half days school this morning. Class: Hooray Teacher: We will have the other half this afternoon

RIDDLES Q. What is a snowman's favorite lunch? A. An Iceberger! Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast? A: Snowflakes. Q: What do you call a Santa who stops moving? A: Santa Pause! Q: Where does a snowman keep his money? A: In a snow bank. Q: What do elves learn in school? A: The elf-abet.

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