26 July, 2016, Tuesday

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PAGE 5

Vol. II

Issue 38

Dibrugarh, Tuesday, July 26, 2016

THE FUTURE OF INDIA'S DEFENSE EXPORTS PART I

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INDIA VS WEST INDIES, 1ST TEST: INDIA RECORD BIGGEST TEST WIN OUTSIDE ASIA

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CM Khandu asks immediate assistant for flood situation from Union Ministry Nikh Kamin takes ET Bureau New Delhi, July 25

Deeply concerned over trails of devastation caused by the incessant rain triggered flood in Arunachal Pradesh, state chief minister Pema Khandu has been constantly seeking the union government’s support in overcoming the situation. In his meeting with the Prime Minister on Sunday, Pema had apprised him about the grim flood situation of the state.

As a follow up action, Khandu met Union Minister of Home affairs Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju today and sought their immediate attention and assistance in sending a central team to assess the flood situation and the consequent damages caused to property so that relief and rehabilitation process could be put into action at the earliest.

Pema apprised that the state is currently reeling under a

ET CAPSULES NSUI alleges to be defamed, gives two days time to apologies

situation of severe flood due to the monsoon rains. The eastern districts of Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Namsai and Changlang were worst effected and more than 26 villages are in critical condition with damages of crop and property.

“The NDRF and District Administration have already swung into action in these districts with the aim to mitigate and ensure there is no loss of human lives and further loss of property.

Deputy Chief Minister has already rushed back from Delhi to the flood zone and is monitoring the situation on the ground”, he added further while enclosing the preliminary damage reports of the concern Deputy Commissioners.

Union Minister for Home Affairs and MOS Home assured all possible assistance to the state at the earliest.

CM was accompanied by Chief Secretary Smt. Shakuntala Gamlin during the two different meetings.

around DCM and Zingnu to Upper Course of Noa-Dihing

Woman looted by miscreants in railway station Golaghat, July 25: A woman named Anjali Binnani, wife of noted businessman RM Binnani of Golaghat was looted at Furkating Railway Junction in Golaghat today.

According to the report, Anjali Binnani was at the junction to travel to Guwahati in the Intercity Express when some unknown persons spread some itching powder on her and looted her mobile phone and other valuable things.

Later RM Binnani lodged an FIR in Golaghat PS in this regard. (Correspondent)

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ET Bureau Namsai, July 25

Flood situation in Namsai District worsened as new villages are under the gulp of Noa-Dihing, Tengapani and Jengthu River. All are flowing around the danger level.

Nikh Kamin during visit to Dumpani A Staff Reporter Diyun, 25 July The deputy CM, Chowna Mein visited Moitreepur village and the flood relief camp in Dumpani today along with the local legislator Nikh Kamin and MLA Zingnu Namchoom. Chowna Mein while speaking with the people of Diyun informed that the

Government previously have asked fund from the Asian Development Bank for building embankments across all the villages but China has blocked their proposal claiming Arunachal Pradesh to be its part. He said now the Govt will request Oil India Limited who is running its operation in Manabhum, Contd. on Page 3

Chief Minister Pema Khandu calls on AICC President Sonia Gandhi

Kanubari, 25 July: Members of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) State UnitArunachal Pradesh gave a two days ultimatum to one Wangnyem Wangsu , an Assistant Teacher in Government Higher Secondary School, Kanubari in Longding district for allegedly defaming the members of students Union in Whatsapp.

Members of NSUI stated in an official press release that Wangnyem have defamed the members of the Union by publishing false and baseless statement in whatsapp, a messaging social medium. “ We intimidate Sri Wangnyem Wangsu (AT) to apologise in written form to the office of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), State Unit- Arunachal Pradesh within 2 (two) days or to face consequences as per the court of cyber law on defamation case under Information Technology Act- 2000 under section 66A,” stated NSUI. (Staff Reporter)

Flood situation deteriorates in Namsai

In last 3 days Chowna Mein, Deputy Chief Minister, Chau Zingnu Namchoom, MLANamsai have visited all the flood affected areas of the district and took stock of the flood situation and appreciated the efforts of District Administration for proper coordination and prompt action taken so far to save the life and property of the people.

Deputy Chief Minister also appealed to the people to be united on these days of crisis and to overcome the natural disaster.

Contd. on Page 3

ET Bureau New Delhi, July 25

Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu along with former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Padi Richo called on AICC President Sonia Gandhi and AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday.

The Arunachal delegation

was accompanied by AICC General Secretary CP Joshi and his colleagues Mukul Wasnik (General Secretary) and Dr Jaykumar (Secretary).

also advised the Chief Minister and his team to adopt “inclusive development” and accord paramount importance to it.

In the brief meeting, the AICC chief Ms Gandhi congratulated the newly elected Chief Minister and advised Mr Khandu to govern the state on the principles of equality, secularism and justice.

The senior congress leaders

CM Khandu expressed his gratitude to the party high command for their support to his government and hoped for its continued support for effective implementation of all government policies and programmes to benefit the masses.

Dibrugarh University urges govt to introduce physical education A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, July 25

The Dibrugarh University sports Board requested the state government to introduce the physical Education as the academic subject in the schools and colleges. “Recently in a meeting we have urged the BJP ruled government in Assam to introduce physical education as the academic subjects in schools and colleges at the earliest for the better future of the students of Assam,’’ said Dr Mantu Baro, Director of Sports, Dibrugarh University.

“The board also requested

to the Assam Government to prepare a mechanism to create the good link and understanding between the Ministry(Dept) of sports and Youth welfare and Ministry(Dept) of Education so that students could pursue the games and sports and other extracurricular activities along with the academics,’’ a press release stated.

Baro informed that the board also planned to oragnise seminars/ workshop for the promotion of sports and culture. The target group of the seminar/ workshop would be the institution,

sports association, physical education professionals, sports coaches, sports organizers and outstanding sports person of the state.

“We also agree to organise the summer and winter sports coaching programme for children in selected sports regularly from session 201617,’’ Baro said.

Dibrugarh University will participate in various inter university tournament organised by the Association of the Indian Universities.

University will also send teams to participate in such sports on which the Dibrugarh university does not organise the inter college event

Bishnu Rana Tezu, July 25

Weeklong of rains has left a trail of devastation in Lohit district, though the river has started receding after improved in weather condition on or after today’s noon, the fury has jolted the district. However, Changliang village situated at 7 Km distance from the township was the most sufferer.

As the Dhura river has played spoilsports and caused damages to road and entered part of Changliang village forcing few families to shift safer locations/relief camps.

The village is still cut off in terms of surface communication where huge debris of mud carried by the river restricted the movement of villagers.

Contd. on Page 3

Jiko Linggi Roing, July 25

Incessant rain has disrupted road connectivity in many parts of Lower Dibang Valley district as flood creates havoc turning life topsy-turvy.

Multiple land slips have blocked Roing-Anini route, numerous culverts have been washed away. Eze or Deopani river flowing next to township too is rumbling as muddy and ferocious current is seen in the river, making the bridge to Roing-Anini road over the it inaccessible.However, a dilapidated hanging bridge over the river is keeping alive the life line open.

Hanging bridge damaged at Miao Indrajit Tingwa Miao, July 25

The three decades old hanging bridge over Namphuk river at Ningrang village under Miao Sub-Division was damaged yesterday due to the heavy rains and ensuing floods. The bridge is the only means of crossing the Namphuk river for the villagers of Ningrang and Nayang villages to reach their rice fields. All the rice fields of Ningrang village is located across the river.

Dambuk remains cut off as Dibang river flows above danger level. Brahamputra River too is over flowing.

A villager from Ningrang says that now being the peak wet rice cultivation season the damage of the bridge which is the only means of crossing the Namphuk river is very unfortunate. The villagers are hoping that the concerned authorities will immediately repair the bridge so that the agricultural activities is not hampered.

Contd. on Page 3

Contd. on Page 3

96,000 people affected by flood in Dibrugarh &Tinsukia districts A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, July 25

Chief Minister Pema Khandu along with former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Padi Richo called on AICC President Sonia Gandhi and AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday

Road Rivers in Tezu left trail of connectivity disrupted destruction in Roing

The flood situation continued to remain grim in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia district. In Dibrugarh district, 74,286 people have been affected by the flood so far.

Talking to The Eastern Today, Assam State Disaster Management Authority Project officer Dipjyoti Hatikakoty said that 140 villages in the district have come under the grip of flood. Among them the west revenue circle was mostly affected in the fury of flood.

Altogether, 9139.29 hectares of cropland has submerged in flood water. So far 51 relief camps have been open in different areas of the district where 4604 people have been taken shelter. Five wards under Dibrugarh Municipality Board (DMB) have affected in the flood.

Due to incessant rain for the last 24-hours artificial flood

affected normal life in Dibrugarh.

Road communication in many areas was disrupted. Dibrugarh district administration has installed four pumps in various places of the district.

A ferry service from Bogibeel to Karengbali was suspended for the last three days due to the rising water level of Brahmaputra.

the meeting.

Deputy Commissioner urged all the heads of the departments to offer immediate relief and rescue measures to tackle the situation.

The Brahmaputra continuous to flow above the danger level in Dibrugarh. The river was flowing at 106.08 meter at 4pm against the red mark of 105.70 meter.

Manivannan directed IWT department to stop Ferry Services in the wake of water reaching danger mark. He directed the Civil Defence and SDRF to keep volunteers and boats ready for relief and rescue operation. The Army and Airforce have also been requested to provide necessary relief and rescue.

An emergency DDMA meeting to review the flood situation in Dibrugarh District was convened today at the Deputy Commissioners conference hall chaired by M.S. Manivannan, DC, Dibrugarh. All the heads of the departments and officials associated with Disaster Management were present in

In Tinsukia district, 22,252 people have been affected by the flood with 71 villages coming under its grip. The Margherita revenue circle was the worst affected with 14,802 people in 29 villages affected by the flood. As many as 4,440 people in 11 villages in Tinsukia revenue circle and 3,010 people in 23 villages in

Samsung to build ‘Samsung Digital Healthcare Centres’ in Arunachal ET Bureau New Delhi, July 25

Pema Khandu and newly appointed Secretary to Chief Minister Sonam Chombay, had a meeting with representatives of Samsung Electronics Deepak Bharadwaj, Vice President (Public Affairs) and Vikram Sridharan, Lead Govt Vertical. The meeting has gatecrashed a wide open space for the leading electronic giant to partner with the state government in welfare activities under the company’s CSR initiatives as the company have agreed for a ‘Samsung Digital Healthcare Centers’ in the state. Under this initiative, the state government will identify three tentative hospitals in the state for setting

up of high end X Ray and Ultrasound digital machines (approx cost: Rs 2.50 Crores).

These machines would be provided by Samsung Electronics under CSR.

Master Trainers in the state free of cost. In this regard, it was resolved that ‘Tie ups’ with Ministry of MSME and Skill Development would be explored.

“We shall be providing you the same within this week to enable recue by your team to finalise the site for installation of the same,” the Chief Minister assured the company representatives.

Khandu’s pursuance for skill development and employment generation further resulted in Samsung’s acceptance to extend its ‘Samsung Apprentice Program’ in Arunachal Pradesh.

Under this programme, the Chief Minister was informed, Samsung would enroll students of ITIs and Polytechnics and offer ‘On the Job training’ (OJT) in its Noida Plant that will subsequently guarantee placement opportunities.

In another initiative – Samsung Digital Program Samsung intends to leverage students of NIT, NERIST and Polytechnics and also unemployed computer engineers and encourage them to develop mobile applications using the Tizen OS. For this Samsung has offered to train

Contd. on Page 3

Doomdooma revenue circle have been affected by the recent wave of flood. Eight villages in Sadiya sub-division were also inundated by flood water. 28,553.89 hectares of land including 1498.32 hectares cropland were submerged by flood waters.

Tinsukia district public relation officer Hem Chandra Pathak said that 19 relief camps have been set up in the district. In all, 5,140 people have taken shelter in the camps. On Monday, a flood review meeting was called by Tinsukia DC Puru Gupta which was attended by various departmental heads.

The DC directed officials to intensify flood relief measures across the district. The district administration has formed eight medical teams for the aid of the affected people. Dibru Saikhowa National park was affected in the flood very badly, the animals of the park are taken shelter in the other places.

Tinsukia scribe threatened for filing news report, FIR registered Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, July 24 The increasing crime and threats against the fourth pillar of democracy was once again witnessed here in Tinsukia on Monday after a scribe associated with a local Assamese daily, Dainik Janambhumi, was allegedly threatened of dire consequences for reporting on a matter connected to the Sarba Shiksha Abhijan.

“One Utpal Baruah, called this morning at around 10.26 and abused me and threatened to cut me into pieces,” the scribe, Pranab Phukan said and added that he has registered a FIR in this connection.

He said, the matter related to a news report published by him in connection with Sarba Shiksha Abhijan where he had exposed an order directing all government schools running mid - day meal to procure gas connection with immediate effect and only from a Panitola based gas agency.

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Khandu met Union Minister of Home affairs Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in Delhi

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

PAGE 2

ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You will be indecisive today, which is not usually the case with you. This could lead you to indulge in speculation, which is not so bad unless you risk all your money in it. Besides, when it comes to matters of the heart, you must exercise a great deal of caution.

DC Varnali Deka reviews Mobile theatres urged flood situation of the district to avoid pornography ET Correspondent Nalbari, July 25: The Nalbari Chahar committee of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishd (AJYCP) organised a citizen’s meet at MNC Balika Mahavidyalaya on July 24 in protest against the pornography in mobile theaters in the state.

Taurus Impulsive action kicks in as you work and interact today. Do not let the pressure and strain cloud your thoughts, and instead focus on acting on the things at hand. If you find things spiralling out of control, take a break and listen to some music that soothes your heart.

Gemini Today, you will decide to become a bit more conscious about your health. You may or may not join a gym or measure your calories, but you will definitely sit up and take notice of your lifestyle and unhealthy food habits. A new job is also likely, which will open a completely new chapter in your life.

Cancer Today, you will put your heart and soul into whatever task you take up. And, that's a great thing to do. Don't lose heart though, if despite the best efforts, the results of your efforts are not too forthcoming. Feeling dejected is only going to hamper your progress. Remember that you'll receive your due sooner or later. Spend some time with your loved ones to revive yourself. Alternatively, a quiet evening tucked in the bed with a nice book is also a great idea.

Leo If one were to put an earnest spirit and a frank attitude together, the result would be a Leo; it's like your hallmark. And with qualities like these in your kitty, don't be surprised if you happen to reach a milestone or two today. Will it be marital bliss or career success? No matter what the area is, be assured that your societal standing shall get a heady boost today.

Just don't let the success go to your head.

Virgo The booster rockets of your ambitions and spirit to work will kick in at the maximum today. Seek recreation after a hard day's work and look to relax at private parties, socialdos and even weddings.

Libra "Every man has specific natural abilities", said Aristotle. This seems to be true for you today. Your natural talents will be acknowledged and documented at work. This might prompt your equals to hold you up above the rest, and for your seniors to positively encourage you to scale greater heights. But as always, be careful to make sure that success does not make you heady with arrogance. Keep yourself firmly grounded, and remember that, 'pride cometh before the fall'.

Scorpio You will find yourself thinking with your heart rather than your head today. You may not be able to repress your feelings, and you should not even try. But you should be careful about how you express them, particularly in public as people may judge you wrongly on the basis of it.

Sagittarius Today, your superiors at work are going to trust you with many complicated assignments.

But, after exerting yourself, you are sure to come out with flying colors and have your work appreciated. Do not be surprised if cash incentives come your way. Such may indeed be your fortune.

Capricorn You will be a live wire, today. With amazing exuberance you have completed mammoth tasks and have spread the energy around. It will give you tremendous job-satisfaction.

Everything seems well and good the personal front, too. Spending some quality time your spouse will relax your mind and keep you in an upbeat mood.

Aquarius For a moment, it seems that you're swamped with problems. But you are brave enough to deal with any ugly issue that crops up suddenly. A romantic evening, which may just be time together in a jacuzzi, or simply preparing a meal together. Pure ecstasy!

Pisces You are fond of traveling and are always looking for an excuse to set off. Hence it comes as no surprise if you pack your bags and decide to embark upon a journey on a whim today.

It is a much needed break too, from the daily stresses of earning a livelihood. While you are seeking solitude, you will take your friends and relatives along with you on the trip.

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

ET Correspondent Golaghat, July 25: Yesterday a press meet was called at 7.45 pm at D.C conference hall where Golaghat DC Varnali Deka presented an update on the flood situation of the district and measures taken by the Golaghat district administration to tackle the flood situation.

Deka said that in Bokakhat 29, Khumtai 30, Golaghat 24 , Morangi 4 and Dergaon 40 number of villages are affected by flood. Affected crop area in Khumtai , Bokakhat ,Morangi , Golaghat and Dergaon tolled to 11738.8311 Hectare .

Flood has affected 110853

26-7-16 (TUESDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-30 A.M-Bidyarthir Anusthan 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali (Assamese Modern Songs) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 2-00 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Jaagaa Grahak Jaagaa" 2-30 P.M-Western Music 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anushthan 7-15 P.M-Yuvavani 7-45 P.M-Aadhunik Geet 8-00 P.M-Drama-Khirikiyedi,Written by Ali Haidar 8-30 P.M-Talk -"Bharotiyo Arthanitit Pratyaksha Boideshik Biniyog"

by Dr Debo Kr. Chakravarty 10-00 P.M-Question Hour in Parliament Sd-/H.O.P

The DC further added that the administration is trying its level best to provide helping hand to the affected people . So far 2655 quintals of rice 484 quintals of dal 167 quintals of salt and 610 litres of mustard oil approximately have been distributed to the people .

She told that the rise in water level of Brahmputra and other small rivers have led to the situation .

However she has asked everyone to cooperate with the administration in

combating the flood situation.

However 14 relief camps have been opened of which 4 is in Golaghat, 8 in Khumtai & 2 is in Dergaon. Along with it 79 numbers distribution centres have also been opened in this regard. Presently 1390 inmates are there in the relief camps.

In this regard SDO Bokakhat Nawab Azhar Ali , Circle officer of Khumtai , Dergaon , Morangi gave their reports .

Nur Hussain ADC, Roni Rajkumar Dist Project Officer Disaster management were too present in the meeting .

Kamrup DC inaugurates ‘Amar Dukan’ ET Correspondent Rangia, July 25: Kamrup DC, Vinod Seshan has inaugurated 3 nos. of ‘Amar Dukan’ at North Guwahati on July 25. These 3 ‘Amar Dukan’ are located at Rangmahal, Bor Rangmahal and Abhaypur of North Guwahati under Kamrup District.

Speaking on the occasion, DC Seshan appealed the people to take the advantage of ‘Amar

Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights

number of people . On the other hand 22519 big and 6136 small animals are too affected by flood .

Dukan’ which will provide 23 numbers of essential items at a rate below the MRP. “Government has taken this step to facilitate all section of people and to control the price rise of essential items. He further asked the officials of Food & Civil Supplies Department to regularly monitor the price of items of ‘Amar Dukan’ and to arrange a meeting with the wholesalers and owners of ‘Amar Dukan’ to find out a mechanism

so that the people can get items at a lower price than the market”, said DC. The programme was also addressed by the Deputy Director of Food & Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Deba Prasad Goswami.

Officials of Food & Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, representatives of Panghayati Raj Institution, officials of Market Association and local people attended the inaugural programmes.

Baruah, was later sealed by officials of Tinsukia Municipal Board, part of the raid team. The team also comprised of an executive magistrate Sushanto Dutta and OC of Tinsukia police station Puna Gogoi.

Executive magistrate Sushanto Dutta said, district magistrate had imposed section 144 prohibiting sale of smokeless tobacco in the district. However, there were regular media reports of black marketing of

smokeless tobacco product despite a ban, he added.

Accordingly, based on secret information raids were conducted at a godown at Makum Road belonging to one Binod Baruah.

He said, 8 bags of banned tobacco products were found stocked at the godown and the same were seized by the police. Since the case is a violation of Section 144 it is punishable under section 188 CrPC,

The meeting strongly condemned the tendency of mobile theatre groups, their play writers and artists for instigating pornographic scenes in mobile theatre plays The meeting called upon all concerned to refrain from such tendency in the culturally rich medium. The meeting decided to send letters to all concerned requesting to avoid such pornographic scenes from mobile theatre plays. They also demanded the Government to bring the mobile theatre groups under their control, enforcing the Mobile Theatre Artists Welfare Act 2013. The meeting was attended by more than 200 citizens of the town.

2 NDFB-S cadres killed in Kokrajhar

ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, July 25: Two cadres of NDFB-S were killed at an encounter with security forces at Jharbari and Diglipara under Kokrajhar PS today.

Pungkha Narzary.

Two pistol, hand grenade, live bullet and cash were recovered from them. They were involved with anti-social activities as well extortion in the disBased on an input, a trict. joint team of security forces belonging to po- “Police has been conlice, army and CRPF ducting stern search cobra conducted an operation against milioperation where an ex- tant organizations in change of fire was held the region and attained and claimed to kill two several success with cadres of the militant recoveries of huge arm outfit. They were iden- and ammunition”, said tified as Jwngsar Sreejith T, ASP, Basumatary and Kokrajhar.

Anti –Corruption team arrests Education Officer red handed ET Correspondent Mangaldai, July 25: Phulendra Kalita, District Elementary Education Officer cum District Mission Coordinator Sarba Siksha Abhijan, Darrang has been caught red handed by a team Anti-Corruption wing of the Assam Police during taking bribe in his office chamber late this afternoon.

A cash amount of Rs 20,000 has also been seized from the possession of the officer. According to police the officer allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs

30,000 in advance from a local supplier on the promise of granting him supply order of official goods.

On receiving this proposal from the officer, the supplier secretly made contact with the Anti-Corruption department and today the supplier offered an amount of Rs 20,000 to the officer in his office when the team of anti-corruption led by an Additional Superintendent of Police already present in the office campus in civil clothes caught the officer red handed.

Phulendra Kalita, District Elementary Education Officer cum District Mission Coordinator Sarba Siksha Abhijan, Darrang has been caught red handed by a team Anti-Corruption

8 bags tobacco seized from Tinsukia business godown, godown sealed Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, July 25: Taking a tough view on continuous media reports on black marketing of tobacco products despite a ban on the sale and storage on smokeless tobacco, Tinsukia district administration on Monday evening conducted raids at few places and recovered 8 bags of tobacco from a godown at Makum road.

The godown, belonging to one businessman Binod

The citizens meeting was presided over by Dr. Basanta Kumar Bhattacharya, former president of Nalbari Jilla Sahitya Sabha and was attended by the representatives of Nalbari district unit of AASU, Nalbari Anchalik Karmachari Parishad, Nalbari Jilla Sahitya Sabha, Nalbari Chamber of Commerce, Marawari Yuba Mancha, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, Asom

Natya Sanmilan Samiti among others.

added Dutta and said, police has registered a case in this connection.

He said, because of the violation of section 144 officials of Tinsukia Municipal Board has sealed the godown and issued a notice to Binod Baruah, proprietor of Binod Enterprises in whose name trade license had been issued. As per a recent order from Municipal administrator at Guwahati, all such trade license issued

to businessman dealing in tobacco needs to be cancelled if they are not following the rules, particularly, section 5 and 6A of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act (COPTA), 2003.

It may be mentioned here that few years back there was wide - spread protest in Tinsukia demanding ban on sale of tobacco products.

However, despite a ban on tobacco it was being openly black marketed in Tinsukia

but the same social organization seemed to be least concerned, a matter of mystery.

According to sources, few businessman took opportunity of the situation than prevailed, and took over control on the entire tobacco business. Since than they have been black marketing in the entire district, at a price much above the MRP and have earned crores of rupees in past few years.

Kamrup Women Cell re-constituted ET Correspondent Rangia, July 25: The District Level Women Cell of Kamrup has been re-constituted with DC Kamrup as Chairman and Suranjana Senapati as Member Secretary and 9 others as members.

The other members are Executive Director of Assam Centre for Rural Development, Dr. Sunita Changkakati, representative of Human Rights Law Net-

work, Chairman of Kamrup Zila Parishad, Supdt. of Police, ADC (Magistracy), District Social Welfare Officer, a lady doctor of Family & Health Department, Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor of Kamrup District.

The newly re-constituted District Level Women Cell of Kamrup will sit on July 27 at 3pm in the Conference Hall of DC’s Office at Amingaon.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

PAGE 3

India asks diplomats in Pak to send wards outside for studies

WASE with admin and police nabbed drug paddler

New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI): Amid growing strain in Indo-Pak ties, India today asked its diplomats and other officials posted in its High Commission in Islamabad to withdraw their children from schools there from the current academic session, virtually downgrading it as a "non-schoolgoing station".

Spl Correspondent Pasighat, July 25: Getting tips from their sources, the Women Against Social Evils (WASE) with the support of district and police administration busted a drug racket run by one Lorence Kadu, S/o late Talo Kadu near public bus stand which has been under operation from quite long time on late Saturday night.

They have been advised to make arrangements for their wards to study outside Pakistan. Most of the children of Indian officials in Pakistan study in international schools.

The announcement came after a government's review of staffing and related policies for their diplomatic missions as also prevailing circumstances at the station.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, "It is a normal practice for all countries to review staffing and related policies for their diplomatic missions, including in view of prevailing circumstances at those stations.

"With effect from this academic session, officials posted in the High Commission of India in Islamabad have been advised to make arrangements for education of their wards outside Pakistan, till further notice."

Reacting quickly to India's move, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria in Islamabad said, "This is an informal, internal, administrative arrange-

ment we were informed of two months back. No other considerations were communicated to us."

According to officials, there are about 50 school-going children of Indian officials, who are currently posted in Indian mission in Islamabad.

This development amounts to "downgrade" of Pakistan as a "non-school-going station", an official said.

Last week, India had asked Pakistan to ensure full safety and security of Indian officials and their families there in view of the threats of marches and protests at the High Commission after the observance of 'Kashmir's Accession to Pakistan Day" and "Black Day" last week.

India and Pakistan are witnessing growing bitterness after Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made provocative statements on the Kashmir situation in the wake of Burhan Wani's killing on July 8.

Wani was a wanted terrorist Commander of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen.

OST centre of GHP need to be shifted red handed. “Drug paddler cum addict, Lorence Koyu has been learned of selling such drug items at OST centre at General Hospital to other addicts and he has been under the radar of our operation”, added Joya who along with her team of WASE led by President, Omem Ering are making all out effort to do away drug menace from the district. As per WASE sources, Kadu was secretly operating the racket from house’s one of room where addict customers come and uses the drugs.

Despite untiring effort from NGOs like WASE and ABKWW to eradicate drug menace from the district in particular and Adi belt in general, the menace is spreading alarmingly which need a joint concerted effort from all quar-

ters like NGOs, district administration and police.

Meanwhile, the OST centre at General Hospital, Pasighat where drug addicts are treated and medicated to reduce the addiction, has turned out to be a hell for general patients. The drug addicts in the guise of visiting the centre has robbed and stolen the belongings of many patients. The addicts are of too much used of the theft incidents that, they don’t even bother to execute plan to rob anybody in the broad daylight. In an interaction with this reporter two months ago, some doctors and staffs of the General Hospital, Pasighat had said that, they too don’t feel safe in the hospital. Many bags, money purses, mobile phones etcs has been stolen by the addict thieves who

Rivers in Tezu left trail of destruction

Nikh Kamin takes around DCM and Zingnu to Upper Course of Noa-Dihing

Joya Tasung Moyong, General Secretary, WASE, informed that, they received a confirmed message from their sources and immediately Executive Magistrate, Ainsten Koyu and police led by S.I. T. Mungrey was informed and jointly raided the house of Kadu where brown sugar 1.700 gram with many other drugs were seized from his possession

Contd. from Page 1

Not only did Sharif praise Wani but he also remarked that "Kashmir will one day become Pakistan", a comment which evoked a sharp reaction from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said his dream of the state becoming a part of his country "will not be realised even at the end of eternity".

Pranab da guided me like a guardian: Modi

adjacent to Moitreepur village to fund for flood control embankments for the mighty river, Noa Dihing.

Culvert near Dimwe protected to avoid Culvert's threat

Contd. from Page 1

The river has damages meters of approached road and hectares of cultivable land. The complete divert of Dhura River after entering the village also damages culvert and NH – 13.

“Almost 300 meters of bank has eroded, we are working on war footing to

New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped praises on President Pranab Mukherjee, who completed four years in office today, calling him a "guardian and mentor" who held his finger and guided him on various subjects when he took over as prime minister two years ago.

made Rashtrapati Bhavan a converging point between a common man and highest seat of power.

"Important thing is my political background is different, President's political background is different but we can feel every moment in his company how people with different political upbringing "I was new to the world can work shoulder to of Delhi. The atmo- shoulder to in democsphere was new to me. racy," he said.

On many subjects, the President, like a guard- Modi also said effort ian, a mentor, held my is made almost all the finger and guided me. schemes of his govVery few people are as ernment are impleprivileged as I am," he mented in President's said while inaugurating Estate, which he the second phase of called a "village with Rashtrapati Bhavan a population of over museum.

10,000", in miniature form even when some Lauding the initiatives state governments feel taken to preserve his- hesitation to announce tory at Rashtrapati them.

Bhavan and also its res- "If there is governtoration, Modi said ment of a person of Mukherjee has given a different political lot to the nation in his party yet the schemes long public life and also of that government beto the historic building coming schemes of during his four-year Rashtrapati Bhavan, tenure. this greatness can only be shown by Pranab He said Mukherjee da," he said.

divert the course but flooded river foiled the restoration work. If weather improved if we will succeed in our effort”, informs B Langkam AE WRD. The road in between Tezu – Demwe – Parsuram kund is still cut off and may open after tomorrow noon if good weather support, reveals Shankar Prasad OC 1446 BRTF Dimwe. The wing protection of culvert near

Dimwe was completely washed out and we manage gunny bags to protect the culvert for being eroded, he said.

Meanwhile, the district administration has expressed sigh of relief following gradual receding of major tributaries namely Asapani, Sukha, Denning, Tezu Khola, Dhura Rivers of the township.

Road connectivity disrupted in Roing

A bridge in Old Abali, Arango village damaged by flood water Contd. from Page 1

'Red Alert' has been sounded by the district administration of Tinsukia and thus stopping all forms of boats from plying in the river.

Within the district numerous bridges and culverts have been damaged. Especially the region around Old Abali, Arango and Harupahar are facing road dis-connectivity. An iron bridged over Abha River was damaged in the flood of 2012. People had to cross

the river through its bed.

However, now flood in the river has ensured disruption of this fragile connectivity.

Adding to the woes, further two bridges in the region have been damaged yesterday evening, cutting of the accessibility of the region to district headquarter, Roing.

Meanwhile the Mpen and Dharmapur areas under Miao

circle are partially inundated with erosion continuing. The Noa Dihing river is also not receding. Villagers near Namchik under Kharsang

Local Legislator, Nikh

Kamin have highlighted and apprised the Deputy CM that if Noa Dihing River is not taken care of in the upper course, it will greatly devastate lower parts such as Namsai, Mahadevpur, Lekang and some part of Assam.

Deputy Commissioner, Khimhun and SP of Changlang along with the CRPF Innao and Army officer from the Dumba Army Camp were also present along the legislators.

Flood situation deteriorates in Namsai Contd. from Page 1

He also directed the District Administration to provide also essential commodities to the affected people and to provide necessary medical aid accordingly.

District Administration with the help of NDRF, CRPF, Volunteers, NGO’s have intensified rescue and relief operation and saved around 260 precious human life so far.

28 nos of relief camps accommodating around 6000 inmates mostly in Lekang Circle are presently operational. All essential commodities like food, blankets, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, bath towel, torch lights etc are being provided as per need to the relief camps and affected people of the District.

Mobile Medical teams are regularly attending the patients and in affected areas with required medicines. Potable water are being provided to the

needy people by PHED with the assistance of CRPF. In these day of extreme crisis food items for the domestic animals with medicine are also been supplied.

20,419 people from 32 villages under Namsai district are directly affected by devastating flood.

Plying of vehicle on NH-52 again suspended due to over flowing of flood water and weakening of two nos of culverts on NH 52.

The major damaged occurred at Pabojan Bridge on NH-52, but PWD and NH-52 authorities trying to repair the breach point to normalize the traffic movement. If situation persist for few more days possibility of shortage of essential commodities in 4 (four) district of the State cannot be ruled out.

Around 3,500 Hcts of agriculture field, 115 nos of fish pond are totally submerged and damaged by the flood water. In

veterinary sector approximately 250 nos of cattle’s, 400 nos pigs, 200 nos goats and 2000 nos poultry birds died/washed away. As per preliminary report 3500 residential houses are completely damaged and the residential areas are still inundated.

Most of the inter village roads, village-circle hq roads are severely damaged and cut off due to wash away of culverts.

Supply of electricity snapped since evening of 24th July due to spill of electric Pole by soil erosion in Lekang Circle. Power supply for 5 districts in the eastern Arunachal Pradesh is completely disconnected.

However, District Administration is continuously monitoring the situation and prepared all contingency plans. General Administration along with Disaster management Dept, NDRF, CRPF, all Head of departments, women organization, youth volunteers, PRI Leaders are providing their services round the clock.

Samsung to build ‘Samsung Digital Healthcare Centres’ in Arunachal Contd. from Page 1

When informed that Samsung has already funded smart classes in all Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in the circle are still submerged by Country to set up Smart flood waters. Flood waters are also continue to overflow Digital Classrooms, the over parts of the main road near Chief Minister assured that the state government will Miao.

Hanging bridge damaged at Miao Contd. from Page 1

It is pertinent to mention that more than thousands families from the riverside villages of Moitreepur, Gautampur, Shantipur, Jyotipur, Dumpani, Udaipur, Modoideep villages have been displaced during the last 1 decade of recurrent floods

and soil erosion by the NoaDihing River. About 200 families are displaced so far since April this year. The displaced families remain in pitiable conditions as they have lost their houses and they have no source of sustenance. There is no provision of housing for the displaced families and amount of relief given to the state government is inadequate while there is also no provision of rehabilitation.

are openly seen loitering around in the premises and hospital canteen.

Hence, the OST centre which is supposed to bring down the number of addicts need to be shifted to somewhere else as many has felt that, instead of helping to drug addicts, the centre has turned out to be a hell for the other genuine patients most of whom are poor to afford quality treatments in the private noshing homes. It is to add here that, the posting of police team and installation of CCTV cameras in the hospital premises has also not been able to fully curb the incidents yet which invites a serious analysis from hospital management, district administration and police for larger interest of the suffering patients.

inspect these Smart Classes of JNVs in Arunachal Pradesh and send a report to the company. He, however, requested Samsung Electronics to extend the usage of these facilities to other schools in the state as well.

Expressing gratitude on behalf of the people to

Samsung Electronics, the Chief Minister assured the state government’s commitment to take the opening ahead.

“Please send us the formal proposal immediately so that we can take up these CSR programs of Samsung in the State and fast track these initiatives,” he requested.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

PAGE 4

situation continues Sivasagar, under serious threat of flood Flood to be grim in Teok

ET Correspondent Sivasagar, July 25: The continuous rain since last two days has affected the normal life here in Sivasagar and made unexpected flooding over various places of Sivasagar town as well as adjacent areas.

The water levels of Dikhow, Dorika and

Disang River are rising full strength along with mighty Brahmaputra.

Rupohi mukh is totally drown under the water of Brahmaputra.

Neelam kakoty mazumdar

The district administration constructed relief camps in Teliadunga, Rupohimukh and Mokaloni L.P School for the flood affected

peoples Dikhowmukh.

of

On the other hand most of the places of Sivasagar town including Sole Gaon, T h a n a m u k h , Melachakkar and many other villages drown under water. ONGC's residential areas are also affected by severe flood.

Assam FM proposes censure motion against Manmohan Singh PTI Guwahati, Jul 25: Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today proposed to move a censure motion against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for "knowingly or unknowingly" causing "temporary damage" to the state by adopting some policies.

"Let us move a censure motion against Manmohan Singh for repeated violation of Assam's interest. Knowingly or unknowingly, Manmohan Singh did some temporary damage to Assam," Sarma said during a discussion on Special Category Status to the state.

He cited the example of oil royalty issue and the 14th

Devotees turn up in large number ET Correspondent Golaghat, July 25: Under the banner of Shiv Jalabhishek Kawad Yatra Samity Golaghat devotees in large number offered holy water at Amolapatty Shiv Temple today. Despite the rains, devotees dressed in orange dress went to Dhansiri river to collect water barefooted. After coming from there they performed the ritual on the first Monday of Sawan month.

Next Monday devotees will gather in Town Temple of Lord Shiva.

Finance Commission to justify his allegation.

"It was the 14th Finance Commission, constituted by Manmohan Singh and not Narendra Modi, which recommended that there

should be no difference between Special and non-Special Category Status states," Sarma said.

The UPA government under the leadership of Manmohan Singh had also

acted against the interest of Assam in oil royalty issue, he said.

nanced, one is 70 per cent and two are 50 per cent financed.

Sarma said the current Central Government and later the Gauhati High Court had asked the PSU oil companies to pay royalty to Assam on pre-discounted price with effect from January 1, 2014.

The minister reiterated his stand that Assam continued to get all the benefits of Special Category Status states and only the name for this was changed to North East and Hill States.

"We are not bothered about the name. We are still getting the benefits. How does a name change matter?

Assam is still having all the characteristics of a Special Category State," he said.

"In 112 schemes, we are getting funds from the Centre. Out of this, 48 schemes are 100 per cent financed, 58 are 90 per cent financed, three are 80 per cent fi-

"The state government is getting the best possible cooperation from the Centre. We have come for a change and we will deliver the change," he said.

Sarma suggested the opposition Congress, who raised the issue for a clarification over continuance of the status, to have a friendly approach towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Over 70 cases of tiger deaths reported in 2016 New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) : More than 70 cases of tiger deaths including 21 incidents of poaching have been reported across the country this year, while there has been a 30 per cent increase in population of the big cats, the government today said.

"73 cases of tiger mortality have been reported by the states till date which inter alia include 21 cases of confirmed poaching including

seizure, seven cases due to natural and other causes while 45 cases are under scrutiny," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

The assessment of the status of tigers, co-predators and their prey in 2014 using the refined methodology has shown a countrywide 30 per cent increase in tiger numbers with an estimated

number of 2,226 (range 1945-2491) as compared to 2010 estimation of 1,706 (range 1520-1909) tigers, he said.

A total of 78 tiger mortality cases were reported last year which included 14 cases of poaching including seizure, 28 deaths due to natural and other causes and 36 cases which were under scrutiny, according to data furnished by Dave.

Replying to another question, he said the government has received one representation for protection of tigers in Kanha including a 15-year-old tiger called Munna.

"Yes Sir. One such representation has been received in this authority and Madhya Pradesh has been requested to furnish an update or factual position on the matter," Dave added.

ET Correspondent Teok, July 25: The flood situation of Teok Jhanjimukh under Teok revenue circle of Jorhat district is still critical today.

Due to continuous rain since 24 hours, the water level of Brahmaputra River is raising rapidly and spreading within the large areas of Jhanjimukh.

Teok revenue circle officer,

Pranabjit Kakoti today visited the flood affected areas like Sagunpara, Kumalia Chapori, Bhakat gaon, Kumar gaon, Phukon Bari gaon, Bormathauari, Japong and Upper Sagunpara and other places of the Jhanhjimukh areas.

Kakoti also observed the distribution process of flood relief items like -dal, rice, salt, Potato etc. from the

govt. department.

The general secretary of AASU, Jorhat district, Jitu Neog along with some numbers of Simalaguri and Teok branch visited the flood affected areas today and demanded proper observation and legal distribution of flood relief items among the affected villagers from the government.

DC reviews flood scenario in Kamrup, 15 villages and 622 hactors of crop affected ET Correspondent Rangia, July 25: In view of the occurrence of flood in various parts of the state, the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup, Vinod Seshan has instructed to regularly monitor the water levels of major rivers of Kamrup District and asked all heads of Department to remain prepared to facilitate people in case of any flood in the District.

Reviewing the preparedness DC asked to take immediate and proper human and livestock protection steps in case of any flood and to be pro-active in the time of distress. He also instructed all Circle Officers to update flood status at 7 pm everyday.

Kamrup DC stressed on close monitoring of the position of embankment throughout the District and asked Water Resources Department and other agencies to take immediate steps in case of any breach of

embankment.

He stressed to prepare a list of boats and to ensure availability of boats in case of emergency. DC further instructed to Food and Civil Supplies Department to provide Cattle feed today Cattle Camps setup under Hajo Circle area.

DC also asked the Veterinary Department to regularly conduct camps for the household animals and stressed on the visit of medical team to water affected areas and further requested the NDRF and SDRF to remain alert.

In the meantime, Seshan has inspected the vulnerable Puthimari Embankment at Gohaikhat near Kalitakuchi Revenue village under Hajo Circle on July 24 and instructed to take immediate steps.

It is noteworthy that, as on July 25, altogether 15 nos. of villages under Hajo

Circle of Kamrup District are inundated either partially or fully.

The affected villages of Kamrup District are No.1 Velkor, No.2 Velkor, Tapabari, Banglapara, No.1 Solmari, No.2 Solmari, No.1 Khalihamari, No.2 Khaliahamari, Andhupara, Hardia PGR, Hardia Pam, Dokonia, Gaonburar Pam, Panditor Pam and Rabitilar Pam. 622 Hactors of crop, 2700 nos. of big animal, 550 nos. of small animal and approximately 5000 poultry were affected. Already 11 nos. of cattle camps were opened.

Rescue operations were carried out with the help of 5 nos. of machine boats. Due to increase of water level one breach has taken place in the PWD road in Soniadi to Sorabori. In the meantime, Mobile Medical team has already deployed in Hajo and Veterinary camp was held at Mahkatul.

Illegal sale of NSP arms: LS Speaker advises Mann not to attend House till security issue resolved SC reserves verdict on PIL New Delhi/Chandigarh, Jul 25 (PTI) AAP MP Bhagwant Mann, whose videography of Parliament House complex kicked up a row, was today "advised" not to attend Lok Sabha by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan till a decision is taken on the alleged security breach which will be probed by a ninemember House panel.

Mann on his part accused BJP, Congress and Akali Dal of joining hands to "suppress his voice" in view of the Punjab Assembly polls due in 2017.

The panel set up by the Speaker has been asked to submit its report by August 3, while Mann has time till tomorrow morning to submit his explanation to the committee.

It is chaired by BJP member Kirit Somaiya, "The act of the member of audio-visual recording of the Parliament and posting it on the social

media puts the security of Parliament in peril," the Speaker said, adding that several members had expressed concern over the issue on Friday last.

The member is "advised not to attend the sittings of the House" until a decision is taken in the matter, Mahajan said.

Mann was not present in the House.

As soon as the House assembled, she informed it about the action being taken on the issue which had led to the adjournment of Lok Sabha proceedings on July 22.

"The inquiry committee shall inquire into the serious security implications and related aspects.... (and) suggest suitable remedial measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future and recommend appropriate action in the matter," the Speaker said.

Last week, Mann had put out in the social media a

video of his vehicle passing security barricades and entering the Parliament complex. He had also videographed a room where Parliament questions were being sorted out.

Apart from chairperson Somaiya, the panel has two other BJP members -- Meenakshi Lekhi and Satyapal Singh. Others are Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena), B Mahtab (BJD), Ratna De (TMC), Thota Narasimham (TDP), K C Venugopal (Cong) and P Venugopal (AIADMK).

visual recording by him on social media".

Mann claimed he has been "barred" from raising issues of public by being not allowed to attend the House proceedings.

He said the "grand alliance" of BJP, Congress and Akalis has hatched a "conspiracy against me as I am very active in the House and raise issue of the public".

"It has happened in the wake of Punjab polls," he told reporters in Chandigarh.

The panel has no member from Shiromani Akali "With this decision, it Dal. Mann represents means that I cannot raise Sangrur in Punjab. issues of public till August 3. They could have The panel would look told me to appear before into the serious security the committee and alimplications and related lowed me to attend the aspects "germane to and House to raise issues of arising out of the conduct the public. Attending the of audio-visual recording Session in Parliament is around Parliament House my right. They have enby Mann on July 21, croached upon the rights 2016 and subsequent up- of lakhs of people," he loading of the said audio- said.

New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) : The Supreme Court today reserved its verdict on a PIL filed in 2007 which alleged that a racket was being run by some army officers and bureaucrats by illegally procuring and selling Non-standard Pattern (NSP) weapons from Central Ordnance Depot, Jabalpur.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur concluded hearing arguments on the petition which has claimed that the scam had surfaced in 2007 when the authorities in Rajasthan's Ganganagar district noticed that several licences were issued to dubious

persons, including terrorists, smugglers and rowdy elements, by local authorities without verification.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, that over the years orders have been passed and complied with and in some cases, criminal proceedings have been initiated while in others administrative actions have been taken.

The bench was told that a subsequent probe by the government had brought out a larger racket in which several army offic-

ers, including the ones in Major General rank, along with IAS and Rajasthan civil service officers were allegedly found involved in the sale of NSP arms to dubious elements.

For their personal use, army personnel are issued weapons, known as NSP weapons, from ordnance depots.

During the hearing, the apex court was earlier told that any serving or retired officer can purchase only one weapon but reports suggested that one officer appeared to have availed the facility in his name for 17 times.

Army organizes medical camp at Kokrajhar ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, July 25: Red Horn Division of Army organized a medical camp for flood affected areas in Kokrajhar district on Monday.

Over 200 citizens from

flood affected areas were given away free medicine as well health checkup by army doctor and civil hospitals in the district.

Several villages were severely affected in the flood waters since few days in the district due

to incessant rain. “The medical camp was organized to give free medical checkup and distribution of medicines under humanity services among flood affected citizens in the district�, said a senior army official.

The Centre had told the court that 73 army officials of various ranks have been punished with disciplinary action for illegal sale of weapons and issuance of licences to dubious persons and the punishment ranged from censure, demotions and withholding of increments.

During the earlier hearing on the PIL filed by advocate Arvind Kumar Sharma, the apex court had questioned the government as to why it was allowing some army officers to continue in service despite they being allegedly involved in illegal sale of weapons.

NDFB (S) link man arrested ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, July 25: A NDFB-S link man was apprehended by police at Sonapuri village in Kokrajhar today. The link man was identified as Puren Narzary of Sonapuri village. A pistol and three live bullets were recovered from his possession.

REGION 1000 migrants get work AICC mulls disciplinary permits in Manipur action against Syiem PAGE 5

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

Shillong, July 25: After a brief lull Meghalaya is once again heading for a serious political crisis with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) contemplating revamping the party in the State and taking disciplinary action against KHADC Chief Executive Member Pynshngain N. Syiem who is reportedly toying with the idea of forming a regional party of his own.

The Congress high command is also likely to go ahead with the principle of ‘one man one post’ in Meghalaya which will divest three ministers from their present position in the MPCC, said AICC sources.

Manipur minister calls for 'new education techniques' Imphal, July 25: Manipur Education Minister Kh Ratankumar on Monday called for building character of students and new education techniques.

“It is high time we bring new techniques to draw the attention of students so that they learn their lessons well and no room is left for unfair means during examinations” Ratan said, addressing the annual function of the Council of Higher Secondary education Manipur (COHSEM).

The COHSEM annual function was held for the first time post its formation 24 years ago.

The COHSEM Annual Report was released as a part of its first annual function.

The council acknowledged the DCs, SPs and flying squads who played a major role in the recently held council examination.

(Agencies)

AN-32 aircraft: Parents waiting for their son’s return

The ministers are MPCC working President Deborah C. Marak, organising Secretary H.D.R. Lyngdoh and general secretary Sniawbhalang Dhar.

In a swift development the AICC has asked MPCC president D.D. Lapang to initiate disciplinary action against the KHADC chief after receiving reports that he is ‘trying’ to form a regional party of his own by splitting the Congress.

Former Congress minister R.G. Lyngdoh is slated to be the leader of the new party with the full backing of the BJP and other regional parties which are trying to topple Congress in the

Lapang who arrived here earlier, had a long meeting with party president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday following which these developments took place, the AICC sources said. Lapang also met AICC general secretary in charge Meghalaya, C.P. Joshi, and discussed the present state of affairs in with him.

Lapang – on whom the high command has reposed faith – has been asked to resuscitate the party from the grass root level for the upcoming Assembly polls which are less than two

years away. The party is also unnerved at the rise of the NPP under the MPMLA brothers’ duo of Conrad and James Sangma which was decimated during the last assembly polls in 2013.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was called by the AICC for a discussion but he could not reach the national capital. Lapang was not available for comments.

There are unconfirmed reports that Lok Sabha member from Shillong Vincent H. Pala is joining the BJP which he himself has denied several times. Pala, who was in Odisha as part of an AICC delegation, came back to the capital in

the evening.

The AICC is aware of the discontentment among the party leaders and workers after failing to change the leadership issue in the hill state. The loyalists are also not happy since the party high command repeatedly disallowed a cabinet reshuffle despite persistent demands from the chief minister.

The party is also worried about the impending byelections in the KHADC to the seats which fell vacant following the controversy over the dual post issue.

The party is, moreover, quite unnerved after a series of defeats in Garo Hills and Khasi hills recently.

Centre alerted northeast on possible jihadi activities IANS Agartala, July 25: The Union Home Ministry has alerted all the eight northeastern states to maintain a maximum vigil to deal with any threat of jihadi activities in the region, a top official said on Monday.

"The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has requested all the eight northeastern states to remain maximum alert to tackle any threat of jihadi actions in northeast India, especially in Assam," the top official of Tripura government's home department said quoting an advisory of the union home ministry.

The official, who refused to be identified, said that the MHA also alerted the all central and state intelligence agencies to keep a close watch on the situation especially along the international borders Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said in Guwahati that threat of fundamentalists to northeast India is not new.

"Vulnerability of threat is very high as around 98% of northeast region is associated with the international borders," Rijiju told reporters in Guwahati.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju Only 250 km out of the northeast's 5,687 km outer perimeter touches India. The remaining 5437 km represents international boundaries with China (1300), Myanmar (1643 km), Bangladesh (1880 km), Bhutan (516 km) and Nepal (98 km).

The minister said, "IS (Islamic State) is also trying to influence the region. The Centre is taking all steps to thwart any threat."

"My ministry has asked all the state governments in northeast specially Assam government beef up security in these states following the

Govt justifies Rs 2.20 crore for Rock On 2 Shillong, July 25: With controversy surrounding the sanction of over Rs 2 crore to the Rock On 2 team by the Tourism department, the State government claimed that the intention was to woo tourists to the State.

Manipur, July 25: A pall of gloom has descended over the family members of H Ginzasiam Paite from Manipur who was among the 29 people on board the IAF's AN-32 aircraft which went missing while flying over the Bay of Bengal on July 22.

With no sign so far of the missing plane, which was flying from Chennai to Port Blair, the family members are spending sleepless nights awaiting information about him.

The aircraft, which was due to land at Port Blair at 11.30am on July 22 at INS Utkrosh naval air station in Port Blair, is yet to be located.

Ginzasiam, who belonged to the 15th Assam Regiment, had left his home town Churanchandpur in Manipur on July 16 for his new posting at Port Blair.

(Agencies)

North East including in Meghalaya.

“60 per cent of the film was shot in Meghalaya and this will be a means to promote tourism,” a government official said on Sunday.

According to the official, while other states spend crores of rupees in the print and electronic media for the tourism promotion, the Tourism department depended on Rock On 2 to promote the State.

Earlier, the reply to the RTI query by a Khasi daily had revealed that Tourism department had funded the film at the cost of Rs 2.20 crore, evoking criticism from local filmmakers

in the State. Meghalaya Film Makers’ Association had slammed the government for the undue favour showered on Rock On 2 while the local film makers are yet to get any assistance from the government.

The Tourism department had signed an MOU with Excel Entertainment Pvt. Limited for the total monetary sponsorship of Rs 2.20 crore for the movie.

As per the MoU, one of the obligations of the producers of the film is that a 60 second commercial in 35 MM format as provided by the Directorate of To u r i s m 1 2 w e e k s prior to the release of the movie will be attached along with the master negative of the movie and “shall be screened before the start of the movie in all formats except theatrical exhibition”. (Agencies)

recent terror attack in Dhaka," he added.

Tripura Director General of Police K Nagaraj said the state government has asked the BSF (Border Security Force) to maintain maximum alert along the border in view of the terror attack in Dhaka.

"Though there is no specific report of any hostile development, CPMF deployed in the state, and Tripura Police and Tripura State Rifles are keeping a close watch on the prevailing situation," Nagaraj told IANS. The police chief said that we are giving special attention on the bordering dis-

tricts and sensitive and mixed populated areas of Tripura.

Brigadier General Mohammad Habibul Karim, Chittagong sector Regional Director of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), said that they would share terror information with the Border Security Force (BSF).

Karim, who is leading a 20member Bangladesh delegation at a four day border coordination meeting begun here on Sunday, told reporters that terror activities could not be curbed by a single security force or a single country, this has to be dealt with joint efforts.

A four-day long Inspector General (IG) level meeting between the BSF and BGB began here on Sunday to discuss and resolve border issues between the two neighbouring countries.

BSF's Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram frontiers officials and and concerned officials of the three bordering states have attended the meeting.

Indian delegation is led by BSF's Meghalaya frontier IG P K Dubey his Tripura frontier counterpart J B Sangwan.

UCIL intends to set up uranium processing plant at Mawthabah Shillong, July 25: The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) is planning to set up a processing plant at Mawthabah in connection with uranium mining.

As per the official website of UCIL, the KyellengPyndengsohiong, Mawtahbah uranium project (KPM uranium project) tops the three projects listed by the corporation.

Under KyellengPyndengsohiong, Mawthabah uranium project, Meghalaya, the website says: “The sandstone hosted ore body at Killung and Rangam in West Khasi Hills is the first of its kind to be discovered in the country.”

Commenting further, the website says: “UCIL has planned to construct open pit mines at this site and a processing plant at Mawthabah.

Infrastructure development and some welfare activities have already been taken up.

Site activities are expected to start soon.”

Fresh protests have erupted from anti-uranium groups against the tender notice issued by UCIL on July 2 for Expression of Interest as preparatory step for mining of uranium.

As per the July 2 tender notice, the Chairman and

Managing Director, Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a Government of India Enterprises, under the administrative control of Department of Atomic Energy, is planning to set up open-pit mine and processing plant of uranium ore in South West Khasi Hills district.

There is also protest against a two-lane road project from Wahkaji to Mawthabah which – the anti-mining groups allege – is to facilitate uranium mining.

However, another section of pressure groups from West and South West Khasi Hills had welcomed construction of the road minus uranium mining.

According to the State government, the construction of the road has nothing to do with uranium mining.

After the meeting with the pressure groups on Friday, the State government had asked UCIL to stop all pre-mining activities as highlighted in the July 2 tender notice even as the government decided to write to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways regarding the two-lane road project from Wahkaji to Mawthabah to know whether the construction of the road has any connection with uranium mining.

(Agencies)

Imphal, July 25: The Manipur government has issued work permits to over 1,000 migrants engaged by various construction companies and contractors in the state, allowing them to stay here with dignity and respect.

Deputy labour commissioner E Tomba Singh said the licenses had been issued to help migrant workers coming to the state from 2014 onwards, especially in the face of the people's movement for implementation of Inner Line Permit System (ILPS) in the state.

Addressing reporters at a media conference, organized by the Manipur infor-

mation and public relations department at its Imphal head office on Saturday, Tomba said the labour department would take punitive action against companies or contractors employing migrant labours without proper licenses in any of their work sites.

He added that the department was mandated to provide care and protection to the migrant workers and help them in settlement of disputes arising out of employment or non-employment, terms of employment or conditions of labour, welfare and social security of various workers in the state under 25 different labour

laws in force in Manipur.

Disputes arising between workers and their employers, problems regarding employment and unemployment can be settled through coalition or adjudication under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, he said.

Commenting on the problems of child labour in hotels, restaurants, vehicle workshops in the state, he said any child under 14 cannot be employed in any form and action against these establishments and individuals would be taken under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986.

(Agencies)

Army files FIR against Airtel over unverified SIM cards in Manipur ANI Imphal, July 25: The Indian Army has filed an FIR against Airtel and the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) for distributing pre-activated SIM cards for the mobile without verification as this not only constituted a grave security threat, but was also in direct contradiction of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) guidelines.

On July 21, the army formation at Manipur learnt that ATSUM was giving pre-activated SIM cards of Airtel connection for the mobile.

It was further learnt that the number of such SIM cards was about 2,000 and these cards in the possession of militants would adversely impact on the military functioning in the area.

but no action was taken yet.

The Airtel head at Guwahati was intimated about it and he promised to look into the matter,

Meanwhile, reacting to the story, an Airtel spokesperson said: "As a

Later, the Army filed an FIR against Airtel as well as ATSUM on July24.

responsible company, we ensure full compliance with all regulations and guidelines laid down by the government. We are investigating the matter and will extend our complete cooperation to the authorities, as may be required."

Kalam monument to come up at IIM Shillong Umsawli campus Shillong, July 25: Construction of a monument in honour of (L) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at IIM Shillong will be made possible only after the permanent campus is set up, informed Amitabha De, Director, IIM Shillong, while announcing that a two day programme will be organised to commemorate the first death anniversary of the beloved President.

When contacted by The Shillong Times, De said, “The auditorium which is around 2000 sq. ft. will be named after him and in front of it a full bust of Late Kalam will be erected. We

can place the bust only after we get a permanent campus; the present campus belongs to the State government and nothing can be done about it but definitely we will erect a monument in his honour.”

However, De lamented that monuments are not being protected and cited the case of the bust of Pandit Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar at Kolkata.

He, however, assured that a monument will be erected in his honour, and said, “Kalam’s full bust will be set up at Umsawli, the permanent campus. And the

Umsawli campus will be completed in one or one and half years.”

De informed that Manas Kumar Mandal, Chief Controller (Life Sciences), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the country’s senior scientist will deliver a lecture during the observation of Kalam’s death.

Speaking of Kalam, De recollected that he had met him for the first time in 2000 and looked up to him as one of his mentors.

“He gave me directions and helped me looked at myself,” De recalled. (Agencies)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

PAGE 6

Sidhu takes on BJP but Raj calls for laws to check crimes against women mum on joining AAP New Delhi, July 25: Former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday said he gave up his Rajya Sabha seat as he was repeatedly asked to stay away from Punjab which he was not prepared to do.

Addressing a crowded press conference here, Sidhu, however, declined to spell out his political future and ducked questions on whether he planned to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

“I resigned from the Rajya Sabha because I was told to not turn towards Punjab and stay away from Punjab…

Why should I stay away from Punjab and on whose wishes?” a visibly angry Sidhu asked.

Saying he believed in “rashtra dharma”, the cricketer-turned-politician said: “How could I ignore my roots and betray my homeland? Should I stay away from Punjab just to cater to personal interests of some people?”

Sidhu, who was not allowed by the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest from Amritsar in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, did not take the name of any political party or leader in his nearly 10minute media address that was punctuated by Urdu

Former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu couplets.

Ever since Sidhu submitted his resignation from the Rajya Sabha on July 18, the opening day of Parliament’s monsoon session, there has been intense speculation that he might team up with the AAP, which has emerged as a major player in Punjab ahead of assembly elections due next year.

While AAP leaders have hinted that Sidhu would campaign for it, the Congress has repeatedly urged him to join it. On its part, the BJP has not expelled Sidhu or his wife.

Sidhu said he had been elected to the Lok Sabha from Amritsar thrice since 2004 and pointed out that in 2009 he was the lone BJP victor in 51 Lok Sabha constituencies in northern India.

He claimed he was offered a Lok Sabha seat by the BJP from Kurukshetra in Haryana and west Delhi but he refused to contest from outside Punjab. He made it clear that he could not be placated by a Rajya Sabha berth.

Taking no names, Sidhu said: “This was not the first time I was being told to stay away from Punjab… This is for the third or fourth time.”

“What is my mistake?” asked the former BJP MP who has had repeated runins with Punjab’s ruling Akali Dal, a BJP ally.

The former India cricket opener, now a popular TV personality, said no party was “above or bigger than Punjab”.

“The people of Amritsar have given me so much af-

fection and respect. I cannot betray their trust.”

Pressed by journalists to say if he was joining the AAP as its chief ministerial candidate, he replied: “That’s not the issue. You will see Sidhu wherever Punjab’s interests lie.”

When journalists persisted, he replied in English: “I only want to serve Punjab and Amritsar. That’s all.”

After Sidhu’s press conference, the Congress reiterated that he was welcome to join the party. “For every secular nationalist person, Congress is the party,” party leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said.

The AAP made no formal reaction, but Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: “Sidhu would have spoken against drugs if he went to Punjab. BJP prevented him.

Who was BJP trying to protect? Shocking.”

R.P. Singh of BJP demanded to know why Sidhu accepted a Rajya Sabha seat if he was so cut up with the party and why he was leaning towards Kejriwal after having criticized him in the past.

The Akali Dal said it played no role in the BJP’s decision not to nominate him from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat in 2014 but quickly added that his chances of winning were slim. (IANS)

Communication with BJP leadership broken: Uddhav Thackeray IANS Mumbai, July 25: Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on Monday admitted to a virtual breakdown in communication with the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national leadership.

He attributed this mainly to a "generational shift" in the BJP -- with which the Sena is allied both in the central and Maharashtra governments. Seasoned BJP leaders have been replaced by a younger lot, he said.

"The generation changed and the new dispensation got power very quickly. But after stabilizing in office, they should look for open dialogue," Thackeray said.

In the second of a three-part interview published on Monday in the party mouthpieces Saamana (Marathi) and Dopahar ka Saamana (Hindi) ahead of his 56th birthday on July 27, Thackeray spoke at length with Executive Editor and MP Sanjay Raut.

There was a time when then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to regularly call up and discuss issues with the late Shiv Sena President Bal Thackeray, he said.

"Then, there were Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde who continued to connect with the Sena and BJP at the centre. Such great individuals are no more," Thackeray rued.

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray' He pointed out that the elder generation in the BJP - comprising people like Vajpayee, Advani and others - was out of politics.

The Sena chief, however, added that he enjoyed a rapport with Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.

The almost three decades long ties between the BJP and Sena broke down on the eve of the 2014 Maharashtra assembly elections.

The Sena sat in the opposition benches briefly before joining the ruling BJP - with the avowed claims of keeping the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party out of power.

Elaborating, Thackeray said instead of concentrating on a "Congress-free" India vide political misadventures like

in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP would do better to "free and get back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or Chinese-occupied Arunachal Pradesh - the nation will be forever indebted to BJP".

Warning the BJP not to take the people for granted, he referred to 1980 when the voters threw out the Janata Party government and brought back Indira Gandhi to power.

"Don't make the mistake of writing off the Congress so soon. That party is well-entrenched in India since before independence. See the recent outcome of local body elections in Gujarat where it came up trumps. So, avoid taking the Congress so lightly," Thackeray said.

Thackeray referred to the economic situation and said

though Prime Minister Narendra Modi "appears to be doing a lot", the changes the people expected in two years have yet to materialize.

"All these 'achhe din', Make In India, Skill India, Start-up India, which were launched with much fanfare, when will they take off and start bearing results?" he asked.

To a question on bringing back black money stashed abroad, he said the assurance "definitely helped the BJP in elections - then what? Merely issuing large media advertisements won't help in the long run".

Asked to name five major achievements of the NDA, Thackeray said: "Modi has done a lot of things. So it would be difficult to name just five."

Stop attacks on Dalits, LS MPs demand

New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI): Cutting across party lines, members in Lok Sabha today highlighted the cases of atrocities being committed on Dalits in various parts of the country and demanded steps to prevent them.

Chirag Paswan (LJP) drew the attention of the House towards atrocities against two dalit youths who were allegedly thrashed and urinated upon in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

Alleging that a series of incidents of atrocities against dalits in Darbhanga and Kishanganj had happened

as state government did not act against such crimes, Paswan demanded CBI investigation into the cases.

He said there were 20 crore dalits in the country, but very few people were willing to come to their rescue at times of crisis.

Pappu Yadav (RJD) accused the Uttar Pradesh government of trying to create a rift between different castes.

Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP) said there have been a lot of politics over atrocities on dalits and said no castiest

remarks should be made, while claiming that in South India, casteist words were still being used. "Usage of such words should be stopped and attacks on dalits should not be politicised," Lekhi said.

M Ramchandran (Cong) raised the issue of the arrest of two sisters on an alleged complaint of a CPI-M worker in Kerala and claimed that, as they were daughters of a Dalit leader, they were harassed by the police at the instance of the Left activists. His remarks drew loud protests from Left members present in the

House.

The incident of alleged racial harassment of a Manipuri woman by an immigration officer was raised

by Thokchom Meinya (Cong). He said the people from North East faced such attitude even 70 years after independence, which reflected the failure of nation building.

North East does not find mention in National Anthem and text books do not teach history of that region, Meinya said as he demanded a strong anti-racial law in India.

Ahmednagar(Maha), Jul 25 (PTI) Slamming the BJP-led state government over the gang-rape and murder of a minor girl here, MNS chief Raj Thackeray today said there was a need for a law like Sharia (Islamic) to check serious crimes against women and children.

ters, where he met the family members of the deceased and offered his condolences this morning.

"There is an urgent need to create the laws like Sharia (Islamic law) for controlling serious crimes against the women and the children. The anti-social elements are creating a state of terror and there is a need to make the laws stringent," Raj said.

He said the hands and legs of those who rape and kill minors and women should be cut off.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray

A 15-year-old girl was brutally raped and killed by three men on July 13 at Kopardi village in the district.

"Such incidents are the outcome of the collapsed law and order situation in the state and the present gov-

He also suggested to make necessary changes to conernment is proving itself trol the misuse of the SC worse than the past Con- and ST (Prevention of gress-NCP led govern- Atrocities) Act. ment," Raj told PTI. Raj later also had a meetHe was speaking after vis- ing with his party workers iting the Kopardi village in at Pathardi in the district Karjat tehsil, about 76 kms following which he told from the district headquar- mediapersons that "The

time has came that we must cut hands and legs of the criminals who gangrape and murder the minors and the women."

"Our normal legal procedures take undue long time for the judgements and it indirectly boosts the courage of the criminals," he pointed out.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Ahmednagar Guardian Minister Ram Shinde had yesterday met family members of the gangrape victim at Kopardi.

Fadnavis had expressed his deepest condolences and assured strongest action against the culprits and strictest punishment through fast track court.

Lok Sabha expresses concern over disappearance of IAF's Antonov AN-32 New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Monday expressed concern over the disappearance of the Indian Air Force's AN-32 aircraft which went missing on Friday with 29 people on board.

"The whole country and the entire house is concerned over the missing IAF aircraft. An intensive search and rescue operation is going on," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anant Kumar informed the House.

Earlier, raising the matter during Zero Hour Congress leader of the House Mallikarjun Kharge sought a status report on the missing aircraft by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was not present in the House.

"It's a very serious matter

AN-32 aircraft and I expect the government to respond in this matter," Kharge said.

"The aircraft is missing for the last four days and there

has been no trace of it. The family members of those on board are worried. The House must know: What went wrong and what steps are being taken by the gov-

ernment," Kharge said.

The aircraft had not been found until Monday despite an intensive search and rescue operation, called 'Operation Talash'.

Trump says US could pull out Researchers of World Trade Organisation discover unusual solitary marine species

Washington, Jul 25 (AFP) Republican White House nominee Donald Trump has suggested that the United States could pull out of the World Trade Organisation if he is elected president.

The New York billionaire made the comments yesterday during a wide-ranging interview with NBC television's "Meet the Press," his first since being crowned as his party's presidential nominee.

Donald Trump

Trump, who has already threatened to renegotiate or rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement, also doubled down in the interview on recent comments questioning the US commitment to its NATO allies.

Union has done - Trump was dismissive.

gether so they could beat the United States. Okay?"

"I'm the only one that said Brexit is going to happen," said the billionaire.

"What did it do? The stock market is higher now than when it happened."

"So you know, we're in competition in one way and helping them in one way. It's so messed up."

He said he would slap punitive import taxes of up to 30 per cent on firms that moved manufacturing activities abroad, citing NAFTA partner Mexico as an example.

Pressed again on whether a fractured Europe was good for America, Trump equivocated, putting forward a vision of Europe as an economic competitor to be bested.

When show host Chuck Todd objected that such plans would be challenged at the WTO, he responded:

"No, no -- but we're spending a lot of money in Europe," he said. "Don't forget, Europe got together, why primarily did they get together? To beat the United States when it comes to making money.

In other words, on trade.

"Doesn't matter. We'll renegotiate or pull out.

These trade deals are a disaster, Chuck. World Trade Organization is a disaster."

Asked if he was concerned such actions could rattle the world economy - much as the British decision to exit the European

"The reason that it got together was like a consortium so it could compete with the United States."

"Look at Airbus," he said.

"They got together, all of these countries got to-

In the same interview, Trump said that French and German citizens could face "extreme" vetting at US borders in light of recent terror attacks in both countries.

Regarding the United States' NATO commitments, Trump was unapologetic, repeating that he intended to force allies to shoulder defence costs that the United States has borne for decades.

"We have countries within NATO taking advantage of us.

With me, I believe they are going to pay," said Trump, who previously warned assistance to allies would depend on whether they "have fulfilled their obligations to us.

Tokyo, July 25: Researchers have discovered a very unusual zoantharian species on the east coast of Okinawa Island in Japan.

Generally, most known zoantharians are colonial (hence their common name of ‘colonial anemones’), and many dwell in shallow waters of subtropical and tropical regions, where their large colonies can be found on coral reefs.

But the new species, named Sphenopus exilis, were leading solitary lives, the researchers reported in the journal ZooKeys.

“This report demonstrates how much more research is needed on these understudied ecosystems,” said lead author Takuma Fujii from Kagoshima University in Japan.

“The only reason this species was discovered was that the right person was in the right place at the right time,” said study co-author James Davis Reimer from the University of Ryukyus in Nishihara, Japan.

Solitary zoantharian species, such as this one, are known from a scant few reports, and only three species are described, all reported more than 100 years ago from the Indo-Pacific region.

The new species is much smaller than the other three Sphenopus species, with its polyps measuring approximately three cm in length, the study said.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

Killed Pakistani model's cousin surrenders to police IANS Islamabad, July 25: A cousin of murdered Pakistani social media sensation Qandeel Baloch on Monday turned himself over to police for investigation.

Haq Nawaz surrendered himself to police at Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab province as his involvement was suspected in Baloch's murder, Dawn online quoted a senior police official as saying.

Baloch's brother, Waseem, in his confession claimed to have acted alone, saying he had drugged and then strangled his sister.

Police were, however, looking to investigate Haq Nawaz and his possible involvement in the murder.

Police also took Waseem's polygraph and DNA tests at a forensic lab in Lahore on Friday.

Baloch was killed in her Multan house on the night of July 15 by Waseem for "family honour".

After Qandeel's murder, the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz government faced mounting pressure to pass long-delayed legislation on "honour killings" to remove a loophole which allows other family members to pardon a killer.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz earlier said the government wanted to pass the legislation and was negotiating with religious parties in parliament.

NEIGHBOURS

Source of arms used by Dhaka’s cafe attackers traced IANS Dhaka, July 25: The police here have traced the source of the “state-of-the-art” weaponry used to attack an upscale cafe in Dhaka on July 1 that killed 22 people, a top official said on Monday.

“We are trying to arrest those who supplied the weapons,” the Daily Star quoted Bangladesh Inspector General of Police (IGP) A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque as saying.

“The arms used in the attacks were not very modern.

We have found the source from where the attackers got them [arms],” Hoque said, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The police chief had on Sunday announced that the masterminds behind the

271 killed or missing in China rains, 59k troops sent Beijing, Jul 25 (PTI) Eighteen more bodies were today recovered in flood-hit China, pushing the toll due to heavy torrential rains to 271 killed or missing, prompting the army to mount a massive relief and rescue operation by deploying 59,000 troops.

In the devastation caused by torrential rains, the death toll has gone up to 150 and the number of those missing to 121.

Eighteen people were recovered today in China's Anyang City, Henan Province.

The army has deployed 59,000 troops to help with relief and rescue, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang Qilong of the Chinese Armed Police Force (CAPF) headquarters said 16 CAPF corps, seven divisions and other troops joined the work, using 590

inflatable motor launches.

Armed police have worked on over 375 km of dikes, repaired almost 1,000 km of roads and dredged over 80 km of river courses, it said.

Also four officials from the province were suspended from their posts for dereliction of duty in coping with deadly floods.

The four officials included two Communist Party of China (CPC) officials in Xingtai city, a chief engineer of Shijiazhuang municipal bureau of transport and a deputy head of Jingxing County.

Public outrage mounted as many questioned why they were not informed of the impending floods and complained the officials on failed to organise evacuation before the flood crested.

Heavy rain since last Monday has battered 71 county-

Don't derail ties with India, says Pakistani daily IANS Islamabad, July 25: Pakistan was on Monday urged by a leading newspaper not to sour its "already precarious relationship" with India by making controversial statements on Kashmir.

"As far as Pakistan is concerned, politicking of the current circumstances (in Jammu and Kashmir) by its mainstream politicians will only undermine its own stance," the Daily Times said in an editorial.

It said that raising slogans "that sour Pakistan's already precarious relationship with its neighbour (India) is not a solution that could work in either short or long run".

The warning came days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared he was waiting for the day when Jammu and Kashmir, where violent protests following the kill-

ing of a militant commander on July 8 has left over 45 people dead, would become a part of Pakistan.

The daily said the Pakistani military establishment had been previously accused, especially during the 1990s, of engineering separatist movements in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Pakistan should also refrain from giving the impression that it supports any kind of armed struggle in Kashmir as no issue on regional or international level has ever truly been resolved through warfare.

"There is simply one solution to this festering problem ... a political settlement acceptable to all parties."

For that, Pakistan and India must put aside their hardline stances aside and figure out a long-term solution to the Kashmir dispute, it said.

Dhaka sergeant suspended for assaulting driver Dhaka, July 25: An intern traffic sergeant of Dhaka who pinned a car driver to the ground with his boot and stirred a wave of uproar in the social media has been suspended.

Intern Sergeant Mehedi Hasan marred the reputation of police, said Khan Muhammad Rezwan, deputy commissioner of Dhaka South traffic zone.

A suspension order has already been floated in this

regard. The Daily Star obtained a copy of the suspension order this morning that was dated July 24.

As police described it, Sergeant Mehedi Hasan assaulted a driver of a private car on Dhanmondi Road 7A on Saturday afternoon and handed him over to Dhanmondi Police Station.

A video of his actions was floated on Facebook and it drew social flak overnight.

PAGE 7

level cities in Henan, and Anyang was the one of the worst-hit areas.

Nearly 200,000 people had been relocated and the direct economic losses are estimated at 7.2 billion yuan (about USD 1.1 billion), according to the city government.

In rural areas, about 1,500 km of roads were flooded and 56 bridges were damaged.

In the city, about 70 square meters of land were waterlogged, nine electrical pump stations were damaged, and 20 residential communities were affected.

The city has mobilised 316,000 people, 5,032 cars, 20 steam boats and 50 water pumps in the rescue work.

So far, over 210 km of roads and more than 570 pieces of electrical equipment have been repaired, the report said.

Dhaka attack have been identified and their arrest is “a matter of time”.

Hoque reiterated the need for a social movement against militancy and mentioned that those running militant groups in Bangladesh have been identified.

He also mentioned that educational institutions of the

country are under vigilance as the terrorists who have been identified behind the recent attacks were students.

Seven terrorists on July 1 attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery and O’ Kitchen Restaurant in Gulshan’s highsecurity diplomatic enclave.

They killed 22 people, in-

cluding 18 foreigners and two policemen, until the security forces ended the 12-hour siege rescuing 13 hostages.

Although the Islamic State (IS) has reportedly claimed the responsibility of the attack, the government maintains that the home grown militant outfit Jamaat-ulMujahideen (JMB) was behind the attack.

Almost a week later, on July 7, another terror attack struck the country’s largest Eid congregation at Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh claiming the lives of four people, including two policemen.

The IGP also noted the police are yet to ascertain any “concrete” international link into the cafe attack.

Expelling of Chinese journalists will have serious consequences: State media IANS Beijing, July 25: If expelling of three Chinese journalists by India is a revenge for China's opposition to its Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership, there will be "serious consequences", said a state-run daily urging Beijing to respond in a similar manner.

In a hard-hitting editorial, the Global Times said: "China should take actions to display our reaction."

"We at least should make a few Indians feel Chinese visas are also not easy to get," the editorial said.

The piece came in the wake of India's refusal to extend the visas of three Chinese journalists from Xinhua news agency, owned by the Chinese government.

However, the officials in India's External Affairs Ministry have said that Xinhua could always send new replacements.

"No official reason was given for the rejection of the visa renewals. Some Indian media claimed that the three journalists were suspected of impersonating other people to access several restricted departments in Delhi and Mumbai with

fake names," the editorial said.

"There were also reports attributing it to the journalists' meeting with exiled Tibetan activists. Moreover, speculation is swirling that India is taking revenge against China for the latter's opposition to India joining the NSG." "If New Delhi is really taking revenge due to the NSG membership issue, there will be serious consequences," said the daily which is known for acerbic tone.

Ties between the two countries have come under pressure after Beijing opposed

Karachi, July 25: In a surprising move, the top leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party decided on Sunday to replace the octogenarian Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, with a relatively young man to what many believe face tough challenges ahead.

New Delhi's entry into the NSG which regulates the global nuclear trade.

The editorial said that India had a "suspicious mind".

It also commented that nationalism among Indians had soared in recent years.

"Indian society in recent years has witnessed soaring nationalism. Crowned by Western public opinion as the world's biggest democracy, the Indians have a strong sense of pride," it said.

The editorial concluded by saying: "China should stick to a friendly strategy toward India, as we believe bilateral friendship is in the interests of India as well."

Although there were reports of an imminent reshuffle in the Sindh cabinet, it appears that even Mr Shah was not aware of his fate when he landed in the United Arab Emirates. Sindh Senior Minister Murad Ali Shah — a top candidate for the post of chief minister — was already in Dubai when Mr Shah arrived there.

Senator Farhatullah Babar, spokesperson for Mr Zardari, said in a statement that the PPP had decided to make changes in the Sindh cabinet, including bringing in a new chief minister. According to Senator Babar, Mr Shah was also present in the Sunday meeting in Dubai which took the decision to remove him.

Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, who would summon a session of the Sindh Assembly for the election of the new leader of the house.

Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah Explaining the decision, he said it had been taken after “some senior leaders of the party” called on the former president in Dubai.

Senator Babar said PPP chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari “is scheduled to return to Karachi early in the week (starting from Monday) to meet provincial party leaders and MPAs before finalising changes in the Sindh cabinet”.

While the statement did not speak about any other issue that came under discussion during the meeting, also attended by Mr BhuttoZardari and Faryal Talpur, sources said Mr Zardari had earlier instructed Chief Minister Shah to extend the policing powers of Rangers only in Karachi division as soon as he reached the provincial capital.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif IANS Islamabad, July 25: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday called for anti-terror cooperation with Afghanistan in the wake of a suicide bombing that killed 80 people and wounded over 200 in Kabul on July 23.

"Pakistan remains strongly committed to deepening cooperation with Afghanistan in fighting the scourge of terrorism, which is a common enemy," Sharif told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a telephone conversation.

"The Prime Minister conveyed heartfelt condolences on behalf of the people and the government of Pakistan over the dastardly terrorist attacks in Kabul," a state-

ment from the Prime Minister office said.

The Islamic State militant group (IS) had claimed responsibility for the attack amidst a "gathering of Shia" in Deh Mazang, the group's Amaq News Agency confirmed.

He strongly condemned the brutal act of terrorism and extended deepest sympathies to the victims' families, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ghani thanked Sharif for expressing solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan at this critical moment, the statement said.

"We are together in fighting the war on terror," President Ghani added.

Chinese city launches maritime ecological protection fund

PPA decides to remove Sindh chief minister

Mr Shah — a third-time chief minister — had gone to Dubai on Saturday to attend a meeting convened by PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari for primarily discussing and finalising a decision on expanding the scope of special policing powers of Rangers to the whole of Sindh.

Pakistan PM vows anti-terror cooperation with Afghanistan

However, Mr Zardari was still reluctant to give Mr Shah a go-ahead to expand the area of jurisdiction of the paramilitary force, as demanded by the military establishment, to the whole of Sindh.

The sources said the PPP co-chairman wanted certain assurances from the military establishment that Rangers would not arrest any elected member or bureaucrat and would inform the Sindh chief minister before taking any action in any part of Sindh other than Karachi.

He also wanted his party to refer the matter of Rangers’ stay in Sindh and their powers to the provincial assembly, the sources added.

After his return to the country, Mr Shah would tender his resignation to Sindh

A senior PPP leader, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that because of old age Mr Shah “is not moving with the pace of time as he was supposed to”.

Besides, he said, Mr Shah was “too soft” on certain issues, which included the current controversy surrounding the Rangers’ special powers and their action against certain individuals belonging to the PPP. The 83-year-old Shah, who was the provincial president of PPP from 2004 until earlier this year when Mr Bhutto-Zardari dissolved all provincial bodies, had survived attempts to replace him in the past. Mr Zardari shot down every proposal to remove him.

Murad Ali Shah, son of the late former chief minister Abdullah Shah, did not contest the May 2013 general election. He was elected unopposed in a by-election from Jamshoro (PS-73) in November 2014 after he renounced his Canadian nationality.

At that time too, he was tipped as the next chief minister after Mr BhuttoZardari threw his weight behind him.

IANS Beijing, July 25: The Chinese city of Sansha has decided to allocate five million yuan (about $748,000) annually for maritime environmental conservation for the next three years.

The first round of special environmental funding worth one million yuan ($150,000) was earmarked on Saturday for the exploration of the newly confirmed world's deepest underwater sinkhole (300.89 metres), or blue hole -- a major coral reef in the Xisha Islands, Xinhua news agency reported.

The funds will be used to

support scientific research and development of new methods and equipments in environmental protection, said a senior official of the land resources and environmental protection bureau.

Over the past four years, Sansha city has invested more than 30 million yuan (about $4,500,000) in treatment and restoration of reefs and islets.

Sansha City was officially established in 2012 to administer the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha island groups and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea.

Cabinet lambasts info minister over comment on lawmakers

Dhaka, July 25: Cabinet members today came down heavily on Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu after he expressed regret over his comment alleging lawmakers, peoples’ representatives and diplomats being involved in corruption in Test Relief (TR) and Food For Work (FFW) programmes.

After the regular session of the Cabinet was over, the information minister delivered a written speech apologizing for his comment on TR and FFW programmes as it was not intentional.

“Being a member of the parliament myself, I respect all the lawmakers and peoples’ representatives. This respect is still untarnished.

Still if anyone has been unintentionally hurt then I express my regret,” Inu said.

Cabinet sources said, after the minister read this message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that an arrow and a statement can never return once they have been

delivered.

The premier also remarked that the minister by his comment on the lawmakers had brought allegations of corruption against even her and also against himself as they both were lawmakers, and asked him to give explanation for his remarks.

State Minister for Labour Mujibul Haque Chunnu said, “I have been working as a member of parliament since 2009. If anyone can say or prove that I stole even an ounce of wheat, I will resign from my post. Information minister has blamed us all over corruption which was not right. He has humiliated us all”, he added.

Inu made the comment on TR and FFW programmes at a conference of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) in the capital yesterday.

The information minister may deliver a speech at Jatiya Sangsad today in this regard.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

PAGE 8

The Future of India's Defense Exports Part I Can India reach its ambitious target of exporting $2 billion in defense technology per year?

Protection of Speech Essence of Free Society The freedom of speech is regarded as the first condition of liberty.

It occupies a preferred and important position in the hierarchy of the liberty, it is truly said about the freedom of speech that it is the mother of all other liberties. Freedom of Speech and expression means the right to express one's own convictions and opinions freely by words of mouth, writing, printing, pictures or any other mode. In modern time it is widely accepted that the right to freedom of speech is the essence of free society and it must be safeguarded at all time. The first principle of a free society is an untrammeled flow of words in an open forum. Liberty to express opinions and ideas without hindrance, and especially without fear of punishment plays significant role in the development of that particular society and ultimately for that state. It is one of the most important fundamental liberties guaranteed against state suppression or regulation. Freedom of speech is guaranteed not only by the constitution or statutes of various states but also by various international conventions like Universal Declaration of Human Rights , European convention on Human Rights and fundamental freedoms, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights etc.

These declarations expressly talk about protection of freedom of speech and expression.

Freedom of speech

enjoys special position as far India is concerned.

The importance of freedom of expression and speech can be easily understand by the fact that preamble of constitution itself ensures to all citizens inter alia, liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.

The constitutional significance of the freedom of speech consists in the Preamble of Constitution and is transformed as fundamental and human right in Article 19(1). Whereas America as a leader country as far as protection of freedom of speech and expression is concerned. It provides very wide interpretation of freedom of speech to its citizen.

Freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition -- this set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of expression.

However, initially there was no provision for protecting freedom of speech in American Constitution, but very soon realizing the importance of freedom of speech it amended its constitution and pave way for protection of speech and expression.

There have been many incidents that have happened in the last few years where people have been bashed for giving their opinions.

Everybody has an opinion. Freedom of speech and expression should, therefore, receive generous support from all those who believe in the participation of people in the administration

Creates History Becomes 1st Indian to win gold in athletics India's Neeraj Chopra won the javelin gold at the IAAF World under20 athletics championship in Poland, setting a world record of 86.48m.The 18-yearold's win at Bydgoszcz on Saturday is the country's first-ever gold in a world athletics championship. The young man from Panipat in Haryana bettered the previous U-20 record of 84.69m held

by Latvian Zigismunds Sirmais by nearly two metres. South African Johan Gobler (80.59m) took the silver and Anderson Peters (79.65m) of Granada finished third. South African Johan Gobler (80.59m) took the silver and Anderson Peters (79.65m) of Granada finished third. Chopra's mark is also a new national record.Reports said Chopra throw puts him eighth among all throwers this year. Defending Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago's best for this year is 86.35m. Chopra had won the gold at the South Asian Games in Guwahati earlier this year with a personal best 82.23m, making him the world's best junior thrower this season.

Also according to a report previously, two Indian women discus throwers, Seema Antil (bronze, 2002) and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (bronze, 2014) had won medals in the World junior championship.

Long jumper Anju Bobby George is the only Indian to have won a medal in the senior World championship, with a bronze in 2003.

However, the world record holder will not be able to represent India the Rio 2016 Olympics. Back in May, he had produced his best form since the SAF Games to clinch the silver medal at the Zygmunta Selesta Memorial in Warsaw, Poland but had fallen short off the qualification mark. The Olympics qualification standard for men's javelin is 83 metres and so far Chopra has performed 82.23 metres at SAF, 79.52 metres at the 1st Indian GP and 79.51 metres at Rehlingen Gemany Weltklasse meet respectively this season.His effort at the U-20 World Championships would have given him a direct entry to Rio, however it has come too late as the last date for Olympic qualification is over.

Saurav Jha Long among the world's top importers of weapons, India now wants to turn its military related trade into a twoway affair by enhancing defense exports from its soil. This new emphasis on exporting military wares has yielded early results with Indian defense exports doubling over the course of the past year to about $330 million. India's defense minister Manohar Parrikar, however, has set his sights higher and wants annual military exports to touch $2 billion in a couple of years.

While the initial growth in sales has been driven by exports of military stores due to the removal of excessive controls, reaching Parrikar's target would require Indian diplomacy to re-orient itself toward securing weapons contracts for major indigenously-developed systems under the aegis of the government's "Strategy for Defense Exports" (SDE). SDE, which is overseen by the Department of Defense Production (DDP) in India's Ministry of Defense (MoD) is intended to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" scheme while consolidating Indian influence abroad.

image for representational purpose (Photo: bharatshakti)

companied by a large industry delegation comprising representatives from India's main arms manufacturers during his visit to Vietnam in June.

Military industrial ties were believed to be high on the agenda during Parrikar's interaction with his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich. On the sidelines of the visit, Parrikar stated that "India's help in modernizing the Vietnamese military will not just strengthen the diplomatic and military bond between both the nations but also open the doors of strategic exports."

Indian Navy (IN). Currently capable of being fired from a domestically developed ship based launcher, Varunastra is also being adapted for deployment from torpedo tubes sported by India's submarine fleet, including the Russianorigin Kilo class units.

So besides potentially equipping Vietnamese surface vessels, the Varunastra may also someday find its way onto Vietnam's own Kilo class boats, especially given India's involvement in training Vietnamese submariners.

As per India's training

In the initial phase, India's defense sales effort is likely to concentrate on homegrown missile and naval systems, which have high indigenous content in terms of components. Of course, India will also progressively leverage the various international collaborations it has built up through years of co-production and co-development as it joins global export control regimes such as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). While India will try to export certain classes of tactical systems as widely as possible, weapons with greater strategic import will obviously be offered to select partners. Overall, India is likely to focus on a few key defense partners with which it has maximum strategic congruence for building up its position in the global defense market.

In keeping with that objective, Parrikar was ac-

and sensors that Vietnam may not be able to affordably source from elsewhere. For example, India is reportedly set to upgrade two Soviet-era Petya-class frigates of the Vietnamese Navy with new sonar and torpedo launchers, a new fire control system, and a new antisubmarine rocket launcher system.

Incidentally,Petya class boats can easily be equipped with 21 inch/ 533 mm torpedo launchers. And there is a strong possibility that initial Varunastra sales to Vietnam may form a part of this upgrade package.

Other systems of Soviet

Military industrial ties were believed to be high on the agenda during Parrikar's interaction with his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich. On the sidelines of the visit, Parrikar stated that "India's help in modernizing the Vietnamese military will not just strengthen the diplomatic and military bond between both the nations but also open the doors of strategic exports."

Indeed, not only is India set to take a final decision on how it might transfer the BrahMos to Vietnam, it has begun discussions with Hanoi to sell the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) developed Varunastra 533 millimeter heavyweight torpedo that was recently inducted into the

and military cooperation agreements with Vietnam, it must also assist the latter in maintaining and upgrading equipment of Russian origin that is common to the militaries of both countries. Accordingly, Indian industry is looking to partner with Vietnamese firms to augment military platforms with weapons

origin in the Vietnamese military that have been identified for upgrades in collaboration with India include T-54/55 main battle tanks and BMP family infantry fighting vehicles, all which will receive new thermal sights and fire control systems. New Indian software defined radios are also likely to

be purchased by Vietnam to upgrade both infantry and armored units.

Domestic modernization programs of both Russian as well as Western origin systems have given Indian industry a lot of experience in the arena of integrating equipment from diverse sources with different industry standards. This in turn has allowed Indian industry to emerge as a supplier of sensor and navigation upgrade packages for platforms of diverse origin besides being able to offer standard spares and maintenance services for the same.

These capabilities are now getting reflected in the growth in exports that has taken place of late.

For instance, last year India exported select avionics for Malaysia's Su30 MKM fighters, which are similar to India's own Su-30 MKIs, and the two countries agreed to set up a "Su-30 forum" last November for exchanging information on training, maintenance, and technical support. With India beginning to train Vietnamese pilots for their own Su-30 MKV2s, one can expect similar exports to Vietnam too in the future.

Indian exports in the recent past have included light helicopters to Afghanistan, Nepal, and Namibia, DRDO developed HMS-X2 sonars to Myanmar (the same sonar likely to feature in Vietnam's Petya class upgrade), and protective armor to NATO members like Turkey. A range of spares, mechanical components, and electronic assemblies are also being supplied to global majors as a result of offset agreements. A significant driver of this growth has been the simplification and streamlining of the DDP's standard operating procedure for the issuance of no objection certificates (NOC) related to exports of military stores by domestic companies.

One other particularly noteworthy export has been that of the 1,300-ton offshore patrol vessel (OPV) MCGSBarracuda to Mauritius in December 2014. Built by DDPcontrolled Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) for $50.8 million, the Barracuda is India's first ever export of

Dibrugarh Railway Station

Image for representational purpose (Photo: .odt.co.nz)

Sir, Dibrugarh Railway Station deserves to be preserved as a heritage site. The station is the second oldest Railway station in India, the first being the Mumbai Railway station. The firstever (next to Mumbai to Thane) train left Dibrugarh at about 7 a.m for Margherita with 400 passengers on February 18, 1884 - a red letter day in the history of Dibrugarh. Recently our Railway minister Suresh Prabhu visited the station which received a spectacular face lift before the minister's visit. But towards one end of the station, adjoining the Santipara Railway gate on the edges of a busy thoroughfare (Rotary Road) linking Santipara with busy R.K.B. Road. But on both sides of Railway Gate at the entrance of Rotary Road well within the railway premises, garbage are accumulated by the railways, the outsiders, too throw garbage there. A nauseating

smell emanates from these garbage so much so that one passing the said spots is compelled to hold one's nose. Some people urinate at the spots with impunity. This shabby state has been there for quite some time past. The Dibrugarh Railway station authority simply takes it as a non-issue. The stench pollutes the atmosphere in the areas adjacent to the said spots. We wonder, what makes the Railway authority maintain a double standarddemonstrating amply, the sheen which is just a faรงade, nothing else.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

a home built warship.

Besides theBarracuda, India's government owned Goa Shipyard Limited is currently building two OPVs for the Sri Lankan Navy, as well as eleven fast attack craft (FAC) and two fast patrol vessels for Mauritius. India has supplied Sri Lanka and other Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries with refurbished boats in the past, but is now looking to export new OPVs, interceptor craft, corvettes, and frigates to littoral states in the region. As per an Indian naval official, most countries in the IOR littoral seek "sub-20 meter boats for harbor patrol, 50-60 meter boats for their territorial waters, and 80-110 meter boats for their EEZ surveillance."

East African countries such as Mozambique have certainly been looking toward India to help build their coastal fleets for a while and India may now finally be in a position to deliver. This is underlined by the fact that Indian defense shipyards have enhanced their capacity and productivity via recent modernization efforts and are now in a position to compete for foreign orders.

GRSE has actually emerged as the lowest bidder for a two-frigate tender floated by the Philippines Navy (PN).

However, even as defense shipyards have augmented themselves, some very modern private shipyards like Indian defense major L&T's Kattupalli facility, which have been designed to build warships, are underutilized at the moment. As such, L&T is set to supply 10 fast interceptor craft of a type that it is already producing for the Indian Coast Guard to Vietnam for a contract worth about $90 million. This is being facilitated by the $100 million credit line extended to Vietnam by India for the purchase of critical defense equipment. During his visit to Vietnam, Parrikar reportedly assured the Indian private sector of the full support his ministry, DRDO, and public sector defense units to "realize the national aspiration of exports of defense items to friendly nations at competitive price." Courtesy: the diplomat

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, Dibrugarh786001 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Email : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

p O

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

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The auto driver who cares: Here's why passengers stop to take selfies with him and his three-wheeler Marisha Karwa Passengers and passersby alike stop Ranjit Singh to take selfies with him and his three-wheeler. Why? It's the most delightful ride on the road, says Marisha Karwa Customer care - that bane of the service industry usually providing more suffering than succour - may well be a forgotten mantra in corporate circles. For Ranjit Singh though, it is his raison d'ĂŞtre. In his autorickshaw, plying in Mumbai's suburbs, you have at your disposal wifi, multiple pins to charge mobile phones and iPods, a box of candy and gum, a flask of cold water, a flat screen that plays songs, cigarettes, lighter and an ashtray, paper napkins, newspapers and magazines, a notepad and pen, a fire extinguisher as well as toothpicks, earbuds, a dustbin and three mini-fans to tackle the weather. Other than the nicotine product, Singh offers everything free, and has placed the items such that passengers can conveniently access and take whatever they wish to.

"Yeh sab passenger ki suvidha ke liye hai (All these facilities are for passen-

gers)," says the 30-something-year-old in an accent that lays bare his Bihari roots. "Itna entertainment aur enjoyment milta hai public se, ki pata hi nahin chalta ki main bukha hoon yaan pyasa (I enjoy ferrying passengers so much that I don't realise if I'm feeling hungry or thirsty)."

If that sounded a tad filmy, it's perhaps the residual effect of being in the 'industry'. The Samastipur native came to the city of dreams in search of a better livelihood many years ago and, following his elder brother's lead, dabbled in the television industry, working as a costume help and dressman.

A few years ago, he started driving a rental autorickshaw, experiencing first hand the dilemmas of being the driver of a threewheeler. "I don't like to refuse passengers. But every so often, I'd have to turn them down if my shift time would be coming up, and the auto had to be given to another driver," says Singh.

Ever since he bought his autorickshaw nearly two years ago, he has not refused a single passenger.

Mind reader Singh drives his vehicle, which he calls 'A/C auto dekho magar pyar se', on all seven days of the week,

Ranjit Singh with a popular bollywood actor (Photo: static.dnaindia) starting from his residence in Juhu at 4pm and driving till early morning. "Isme lights lage hue hai. Raat mein jab chalti hai na, toh sabse alag dikhti hai (There are lights installed inside so the rickshaw looks unique at night)," he enthuses.

The jovial, khaki-clad man's insight into consumer psyche goes beyond the cosmetic. He points out that when passengers are on the phone, it's easier for

them to note down an address or a number on paper rather than place the call on hold to make a note on the mobile phone itself. Newspapers, magazines and the television, he says, are for entertainment, while the charging pins are life-savers for passengers returning home late at night.

As for the toothpicks, "yeh to bahut use hoti hai (these are frequently used)", he blurts, by people

who flag him after emerging from restaurants, to dig out stuck food particles from their cavities.

Despite his conviction in providing these facilities, getting his vehicle fitted with the racks, stands and fixtures was anything but easy. "Most welders and mechanics refused outright.

'Have you seen any such stand in any other rickshaw? Where will your passengers sit?' would be their

refrain," recalls Ranjit, who is short, stocky and wears his mane in a long pigtail on the nape. "I persisted and told them that they can charge me whatever it would cost but to get it done.

The fixtures mean a comfortable ride for my passengers."

He credits a mechanic, Mahesh from Malad's Chincholi neighbourhood, for a top rate job of wiring all the electrical elements to

the autorickshaw's battery.

He estimates spending nearly Rs1 lakh on all the products and accessories, but the bigger task is maintenance. "I spend Rs50 daily to refill the candy box." he says. "I've lost 35 lighters in two years because people often pinch these from the holder. So now I buy cheaper lighters."

No extra charge The petty thefts don't bog him. If anything, he thrives in the sheer variety of people he gets to meet and interact with daily - students whom he's ferried and waited with outside actor Salman Khan's residence, dozens of regulars such as a family in Versova for whom he is the default driver, numerous TV actors and industry people and BMW and Mercedes drivers who roll down their windows to gesture a thumbsup. There are also fellow auto drivers - some envious, many others proud - RTO officials who flag him to take photos and jaded passengers who presume that his fare would be higher or his meter tampered with. "I go by the meter and the standard fare applies," says Singh. "It often happens that people who are happy with the ride pay more... anything from Rs10 and 20 extra to even Rs100 over the

fare reading."

Call it the effect of serendipity, but the MH-02 DU 3669-registered rickshaw is an instant conversationstarter. "I meet all kinds of people‌, they tell me that they've forgotten their worries after sitting with me," he smiles.

"Sometimes they stop me when I'm driving just to click a selfie or shoot a video. At signals, other drivers will gape or greet and ask to shake my hand. I don't feel like a star, but sometimes I do feel shy so I just look straight ahead."

Talks that inspire Such has been Singh's impact that he was among 16 speakers at the TED-inspired inaugural SEEtalks 2016, hosted by the School of Entrepreneurial Education, at NCPA on June 16.

The aspiring actor, who enjoys going for auditions, says the auditorium was packed, and that he was greeted with a standing ovation. "Mera pas solah minute ka time tha, par mera pas bolne ke liye itni sari cheez thi, ki main bahut kuch bol nahin paya (I had 16 minutes to speak, but I had so much to share that I couldn't say it all," says Singh.

But as the saying goes: Actions speak louder than words. Courtesy: dna

Why The New Child Labour AmendBook Review: The Age of ment Bill Fails India's Children (Again) Endlings- Explorations and Investigations into the Indian Wild sistency in his position on environmental issues and relies on adequate scientific data and expertise to illustrate his point.

In his introduction, Jay Mazoomdaar puts on record that this collection of essays about his explorations and investigations into India's wilderness and wildlife conservation policies is the work of a journalist and not an expert. And that he is likely to raise more questions than answers. Despite the disclaimer, Mazoomdaar's essays pack in enough research and wit to draw in those interested by wildlife conservation and the conflicting demands of development.

Mazoomdaar, however, falls short of doing justice to the title of his book,The Age of Endlings: Explorations and Investigations into the Indian Wild, which conveys the promise to dwell on the theme of the gradual extinction of wildlife species, accelerated by anthropogenic activity.

The 271-page book makes for an interesting read with a collection of 22 essays and stories divided into Explorations and Investigations. In the former, Mazoomdaar reproduces longer versions of essays published inOpen and Tehelka magazines that tackle issues ranging from human-wildlife conflict and the culling of animals to the famous victory of the Dongri Kondh tribes against multinational giant Vedanta's mining project in Niyamgiri hills in Orissa. In Investigations, the author compiles some of his best pieces in investigative journalism, mostly relating to tigers, tiger poaching and

Cover page of: The age of endlings- explorations and investigations into the indian wild (Photo: static.dnaindia)

an essay pertaining to the perils of releasing captive-reared wildlife into the wild.

The first chapter, In Search of Thar's Snake Demon, narrates the author's enviable chase of a mythical snake in the shifting sands of Rajasthan's Thar desert that is said to suck out the breath of its unsuspecting victims.

Infused with solid reporting and written in engaging prose, Mazoomdaar builds a landscape of intrigue that will keep the reader hooked. Sadly, subsequent stories and essays only sporadically attain the high pitch of this first chapter.

While giving a racy snake story to chew on, in the chapter Playing God, Mazoomdaar also raises pertinent and ethical questions on the forest department's decision to support ailing animals even in the wild rather than letting nature take its course. Similarly, the book highlights issues of growth vs environment while dealing with the Vedanta episode, 'maneaters' and animal culling.

Contrary to the views of most activists and environmental journalists, Mazoomdaar is not hesitant about arguing that culling is necessary in certain cases, even as a measure of effective conservation.

The author shows con-

In the Investigations section, the book is heavy on stories of tiger territories, poaching and on questionable policies regarding India's national animal. The large chunk of the tiger reportage is also a measure of how conservation of the apex species dominates policies, often relegating other species to the sidelines. As a result, there are no essays on conservation of elephants, reptiles and even marine mammals that are under threat due to marine pollution and climate change.

In its epilogue, the book delves into the impact of insurgencies and internal security on wildlife conservation and the illegal trade of wildlife. A riveting subject to begin with, the experiences narrated do not crystallise into a fitting end for the precluding issues tackled. In fact, it could have made for a rather interesting separate chapter.

Despite some of its inconsistencies and exclusions of key issues, Mazoomdaar's book ought to be lauded for taking a clear stand on some of the raging - both past and ongoing - debates on environment and wildlife conservation. Courtesy: dna Nikhil M Ghanekar Book- The Age of Endlings: Explorations and Investigations into the Indian Wild Author- Jay Mazoomdaar Publisher- HarperCollins 288 pages

The Bill which amends the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, was first tabled in the Rajya Sabha in December 2012, and then sent to the Standing Committee on Labour for review. Recommendations were received from the civil society and a wide range of stakeholders submitted suggestions to the Committee. Through several consultations, it was impressed upon the Hon'ble Minister for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya the urgency to amend the Bill as per the report of the Standing Committee and the need to expedite its passing in both Houses of Parliament.

The members of civil society were assured of the government's intentions to achieve a complete ban on child labour through the passing of a stringent child labour law. However, what has taken form is distressing and will have a catastrophic effect on our children.

An already weak law has been weakened further. After thirty years of struggle and no progress, this amendment will further cripple our fight against child labour. According to the 2011 Census, India is home to 43.5 lakh child labourers. Independent studies by civil society organisations place the figure at an approximate 117 lakh. The acceptance of child labour in our society, on the pretext of the poor socio-economic conditions of families, implies a collective corruption of human conscience that decriminalises the act and also makes it a roadblock to inclusive democracy and sustainable development.

It is critical that we do not ignore the lacunas in this Bill and address them with utmost urgency, before it becomes a law to be enacted.

The government of India is suggesting putting a blanket ban on employment of children up to the age of 14 years, irrespective of the sector they work in. This reform links the age to that under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and puts us on the track to align our legal framework with the provisions laid down in The United Nations Convention 138 on the minimum age of employment, which is fixed at 18 years. India is one of the very few countries in the world to have not ratified this convention.

Legislation and policies

for the protection of child rights framed after the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 have defined a child as a person below 18 years. One of the main objectives of the amendment Bill was to ensure that the child labour law adheres to this uniform understanding of the child. The Standing Committee had recommended the same in the report. However, the proposed amendment continues to define a child as a person below the age of 14, thus, creating contrariety.

Decades of painstaking progress by the judiciary has been neglected by the weak will of the legislature.

The Bill defines children between 14-18 years as adolescents and prohibits their involvement in hazardous occupations and processes except for in family-run establishments. However, children working in carpet manufacturing, glass furnaces, brick kilns and other hazardous occupations and processes are exempted from the ban. This is due to the reduction in the list of hazardous occupations and processes from the earlier list of 83 to merely three now.

For instance, a child can work in his uncle's beedi making workshop every day after school and be outside the protection of law. The same child as per the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 is not allowed to purchase the beedi until he turns 18. The State had, as a guardian to minors, taken such a thought-out decision. Why is the interest and safety of our children falling second to the economic situation now?

These amendments defeat the purpose of the ban.

The ban also carries a proviso that children will be allowed to support their families in home-based work and family-run enterprises, during vacations and after school hours. When the list of hazardous occupations is reduced to three, taking into consideration the socio-economic conditions of these families, you will be able to comprehend that these children won't be helping their family in household chores but in dangerous work processes such as construction business, manufacture of pesticides and slaughterhouses.

The Bill also leaves great scope for misinterpretation of family and family-run enterprises by not defining the

terms. Family should be limited to closest of kin, namely, father, mother, brother, sister and a legal guardian. It has been observed that under the garb of the family name, uncles (the so-called Mamas and Chachas) exploit the children and, often, sell them to traffickers for sexual and physical slavery.

Thus, this ambiguity in the terms and limited list of hazardous labour will prove detrimental to the protection of many children in situations of exploitative labour.

On analysing the data provided by Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), an organisation working at the grassroots level for the rescue and rehabilitation of children, we can determine the extent of how this shall take place. Between January 2010 and December 2014, BBA rescued 5,254 children from situations of exploitative labour. 21% of those below 14 years were employed with family members. 83% of all the children were rescued from home-based units; under the proposed revisions.

With no prescribed or practical method to determine relation to the child, rescuing these children will be a bigger challenge as the employers can now, with legal protection, claim to be the child's relatives.

We also stand witness to less than one percent conviction rate under the Child Labour Act in several states, which is beyond comprehension. India ranks 27th worldwide and is classified as 'extreme risk' by the study conducted by Maplecroft on the prevalence of child labour. With 6.5% of the world's child labourers, we have had hardly any jail terms for the offenders under the Act and even the fines imposed have rarely been collected. Now, the proposed amendment will make the act of employing a child labourer a compoundable offence.

Which means that under the jurisdiction of the District Magistrate, an offender can pay a penalty and be let off.

Simply put, this means that no offender will now go to jail. Thus paving the way for employers, small and medium-sized enterprises and multinationals alike to employ children without major concerns.

As a child-rights activist, I am bothered by the way this has shaped up and been received. It is a decent step towards the complete elimination of child labour in the

country because the government has finally declared its intentions of bringing children out of labour. However, by leaving such loopholes in the drafting, these intentions become questionable.

The implementation of the law is key. In this regard, we need more robust laws and stringent policing which cannot be misused to the advantage of corporates and business houses. The Make in India campaign must not thrive on the sweat and toil of our children. Likewise, we must not allow for children to work with or for families.

When the nature of engagement is not specifically defined but left at 'helping' the 'family', children would be working late into the night or after school hours with their uncles and be unable to balance education with labour. Their education is fundamental to the growth of this country and the provisions in the bill provided for ease of work for poor families are in contradiction to this principle.

I respect the work and values of Indian Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.

He is the highest moral authority we have on the issue of children and their rights.

Mr. Satyarthi has rescued more than 85,000 children from labour and exploitative conditions through raid and rescue operations. Though the countless number of children he and his organisation have saved from these conditions, either through advocacy and policy making is unknown. He states that "politics must not be aimed at the next election, but the next generation". Our parliament must reflect the same spirit and vision in the new Bill.

We are in our 70th year of Independence and the excuse of 'socio-economic' conditions of families seems shallow now. Is it because we haven't made substantial progress, or are we setting a political stage to use and misuse our children for the benefit of business houses?

I hope that we can create an uproar regarding this as our children need us more than ever. Every campaign needs a nucleus. As the largest section of the society, the youth, us, we need to raise pertinent questions and promote the delivery of justice to the most oppressed and vulnerable - children.

Ask yourselves, "Does the government really want to ban child labour?" Courtesy:

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

Oil prices extend losses on supply worries Singapore, Jul 25: Oil prices dipped on Monday, extending last week's losses on fresh worries about a global supply glut as more US rigs come back online and the dollar strengthens.Both contracts sank Friday after a report showed the number of active US installations rose for a fourth straight week as firms are tempted to reopen them by the relatively higher prices.

However, the increase in production adds to an already painful oversupply crisis. "Crude oil markets have been under pressure as oil supplies have started growing with the resumption of output from the capacity lost due to wildfires in the Canadian oil sands," EY oil and gas head Sanjeev Gupta said in a note, referring to blazes that hit the country's key oil fields.

Canada is the largest supplier of crude to the United States. Gupta said media reports of increased production from Iraq have also added to market pressure.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was down six cents at $44.13 a barrel and Brent was also six cents lower at $45.63. Official US data last week showed that while crude supplies decreased, gasoline supplies remained high even during the crucial summer holiday driving season. "The general tone for the market at the moment is soft to sideways," Ric Spooner, a chief analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney, told. "It's being weighed down by US dollar strength against a background of relatively high inventories and the fact the rig count has begun to creep up." The dollar has picked up in recent weeks as central banks around the world prepare to unveil fresh stimulus measures at the same time as strong US data fuel speculation the US Federal Reserve will lift interest rates. Prices have fluctuated between $43 and $52 per barrel since early June after falling below $30 in February on the back of the world supply glut and weak demand. (Agencies)

BUSINESS

Global steel prices to be FPIs buy shares lessen during July-December worth Rs. 17,000-cr

New Delhi, Jul 25: Global steel prices are expected to decline in the second half of current calender year, after an upward rally during January-June, on account of decline in demand in China, the world's largest consumer. However, BMI Research, a Fitch Group firm, said 2017 will usher in good news for the market with steel prices edging up higher. "We expect the January-June 2016 steel rally to fade and prices to head lower in the latter half of 2016 as declining Chinese steel demand growth, stemming from a slowdown of the country's construction activity, will result in an oversupplied market," the firm said in its latest report. It expects prices for the metal to trade in the range of $450520 per tonne during the

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: topnews) second half of 2016 with the average price for the entire

year coming to $480 a tone.

"Over the first half of 2016,

steel prices rallied due to a combination of high demand from Chinese steel users restocking the metal, government stimulus measures implemented in the housing market and positive investor sentiment," BMI research said. "Although we forecast the January-June 2016 steel price rally to fade over the latter half, prices will gradually edge higher from 2017 onwards, due to Chinese supply moderation." The global steel market would see a surplus of 2 million tonnes in 2016, a decrease from a 2015 surplus of 12.2 million tonnes. From 2017, the global steel market will tighten and shift into deficit, decreasing the stocksto-use ratio from 13.6 per cent in 2016 to 11.6 per cent by 2020. (Agencies)

Dept. of Posts fails to pay tax New Delhi, Jul 25: The Department of Posts could not pay its service tax because of "unwarranted refusal" by the officials concerned who did not exercise their discretionary power in letting it pay the levy through cheque. The Service Tax Rules, 1994, stipulate that while every assessee shall pay the levy electronically through Internet banking, the jurisdictional deputy/ assistant commissioner may for reasons to be recorded in writing allow the assessee to deposit service tax through any other mode.

"In spite of these provisions, the Department of Posts (DoP) has informed that in certain jurisdictions, officers are not allowing them permission to pay by cheque," said a communication from the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to its senior officials. DoP has been refused permission by Controller General of Accounts to open a current account, which in any case would have allowed electronic

and Facebook. Yahoo has been in restructuring mode for nearly four years under chief executive Marissa Mayer, who came from Google in an effort to help

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: upload.wikimedia)

payment. "Under the circumstances, they can make a payment by cheque only," CBEC said. The Board, tasked with the responsibility to collect indirect taxes, including service tax, further said the assessee in question is a government department and "the question of jeopardy to revenue cannot exist". It noted that

refusing permission to DoP amounts to "expecting them to comply with the law while simultaneously preventing them from doing so". "The purpose of giving discretion in the law gets defeated," CBEC noted while directing officials concerned to use powers vested in them "judiciously and rationally". Accordingly, whether it is Depart-

ment of Posts or any other assessee, CBEC "directed" that discretion vested in the jurisdictional deputy/assistant commissioners should be exercised judiciously and rationally. Also, the supervisory officers should, from time to time, check such exercises of discretion so that there are no "unwarranted refusals", CBEC added. (Agencies)

the internet pioneer regain its past glory. The deal would allow Yahoo to separate its main assets from its holdings in Chinese internet giant Alibaba, which ac-

counts for most of Yahoo's $37 billion market value.

The exact terms of any acquisition were not clear. Yahoo declined to comment on the process "until we have a definitive agreement," a company statement said. But any deal would almost certainly include the popular Yahoo News, Mail and other online services used by more than a billion people worldwide.

Yahoo remains a major force online, but has lagged its rivals in its ability to "monetize" its audience through advertising that is linked to customers' browsing and other online activities. Several other bidders have been in talks, according to reports, including Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, who is being backed by billionaire Warren Buffett. But Verizon appeared to be the leading candidate, because

of its ability to integrate AOL's advertising technology into Yahoo services.

"We continue to believe Verizon is the most sensible buyer, to combine with AOL, cut costs and leverage proprietary first-party data," said Daniel Salmon at BMO Capital Markets in a research note. Yahoo earlier this month reported a $440 million quarterly loss, in part because of writedowns on the value of some assets.

Mayer declined to comment on any bids at the time but said the company would pursue its reorganization at the same time it negotiates with bidders. But Yahoo has been under pressure from shareholders to break up the company to "unlock" the value of its holdings in Alibaba and Yahoo Japan, and to find a new path for the company after years of sputtering. (Agencies)

Spain sees growth verging on 3% in 2016 Madrid, Jul 25: Spain will post growth of 2.9 percent for 2016, Finance Minister Luis de Guindos said revising an earlier forecast of 2.7 percent as the country's recovery gathers momentum. "Our observations indicate stronger growth for 2016, close on 3.0 percent, coming in at 2.9 percent," De Guindos said on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 Finance ministers and central bank gover-

New Delhi, Jul 25: Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) increased their exposure in 16 Sensex companies in April-June quarter, with purchase of shares estimated at over Rs. 17,000 crore at current valuation. However, the holding of FPIs declined in 13 other blue-chips in the first quarter of current fiscal from the level seen in the preceding three months and data for one company was not available, showed an analysis of shareholding pattern of the Sensex constituents. Overseas investors have picked maximum stake in Dr. Reddy's Laboratories during the quarter under review - 6.58 percentage points. FPIs' stake in Dr Reddy's Laboratories rose to 42.58 per cent in three months ended June 30, 2016 from 36 per cent in March quarter. FPIs' stake in Axis Bank increased to 45.81 per cent in April-June quarter from 42.27 per cent in the preceding three months. At current share prices, FPIs snapped up shares worth about Rs. 17,465 crore in a total of 16 Sensex constituents. At the same time, they sold shares worth about Rs. 14,389 crore in 13 blue-chip

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: dividenddiplomats.) companies, resulting in a several steps taken by the net inflow of Rs. 3,076 crore government to turn around in all the Sensex firms to- the economy including regether. Besides, these in- laxing FDI rules, approval of vestors raised holding in new mineral exploration Infosys, Tata Consultancy policy as well as model law Services, Hero MotoCorp, on shops and establishTata Motors and Reliance ments prompted FPIs to inIndustries, among others. fuse money in the Indian On the other hand, FPIs' stock markets. Foreign inholding dropped in State vestors have invested more Bank of India (SBI), Bajaj than Rs. 14,500 crore in the Auto, Maruti Suzuki, Sun stock markets during the Pharmaceutical and Coal quarter under review, higher India. Market experts said a than Rs. 4,495 crore pumped slew of factors including in the preceding quarter. hopes of good monsoon, (Agencies)

Pvt insurers undercut PSUs by 90% to bag IRCTC cover

Near deal to sell core assets San Francisco, Jul 25: Yahoo is near a deal to sell its core online assets, ending a 20-year run as an independent company for one of the most storied names on the internet. Media reports said Yahoo, which introduced many users around the world to the internet, was close to selling its main assets for $5 billion. The online news site Re/Code reported that telecom giant Verizon had emerged as the buyer unless another bidder boosted the price. The report said a deal could be announced by Monday, with Verizon poised to integrate Yahoo with another online acquisition, AOL. The news underscores the sharp decline for Yahoo, which in 2008 spurned a $44 billion bid from Microsoft and has been struggling in recent years to counter the rise of online giants Google

PAGE 10

nors in Chengdu, China.

De Guindos told, he saw a relative slowdown in 2017 "perfectly in line" with eurozone and global trend forecasts and expressed confidence Madrid would avoid a European Commission fine for overshooting spending targets. Earlier this month, the EU threatened Spain and Finance Minister of Spain Luis de Guindos.

Portugal with huge fines for failing to fix years of (Photo:image.excite.es) high deficits. Madrid and Lisbon are appeal-

ing for leniency from penalties of up to 0.2 percent of their economic output. "It is good sense (to think) there will be no fine for Spain," De Guindos said, pointing to the fact that Spanish growth is currently outpacing the eurozone average.

Spain's government forecasts 2017 growth of 2.4 percent as the country emerges further from a 2008 property crash which sent

the economy into a tailspin before 2014 saw the eurozone's fourthlargest economy post its first full-year of growth in six years. The country was particularly hard-hit by the global economic crisis and unemployment rocketed to a high of 27 percent in early 2013. But last year it posted growth of 3.2 percent - outpacing most of its EU neighbours. (Agencies)

Mumbai, Jul 25: Private non-life insurers have undercut state-owned companies by almost 90% to get contract for providing insurance cover to train travellers. Private insurers ICICI Lombard, Shriram General Insurance and Royal Sundaram Alliance have agreed to provide personal accident cover for a journey at less than Rs 2. The IRCTC, which booked around 20 crore tickets in FY16, will soon offer insurance to customers at the rate of Rs 10 lakh for a journey, said A K Manocha, chairman and managing director, IRCTC. Manocha said the public sector companies had quoted up to Rs 36 for the same cover. This is not

the first time that the railways is tying up with commercial insurance companies. For a few years until 2009, Indian Railways had experimented with buying cover for passenger liability. The policy was discontinued after insurers hiked the premium to Rs 78 crore following a rise in claims.

The old cover was, however, the statutory Rs 5 lakh insurance for all passengers. Here the claims are not settled directly but the claimant has to approach the Railway Claims Tribunal, just like a motor accident victim has to file a case in the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. According to Manocha, passengers will have to opt for the per-

sonal accident cover. He said that given the extremely low price, IRCTC would consider making it a negative option to save passengers billing time. Insurance industry insiders say that although 28,000 deaths are caused by rail accidents, a large number of them are 'trespassers' and the experience of reserved coaches was likely to be better. Incidentally, IRCTC will soon enable booking for unreserved coaches. IRCTC has also decided to extend the offer period for its eWallet by three months.

Currently, the wallet is authorized using PAN data.

Manocha said that IRCTC would extend this to include Aadhaar as well. (Agencies)

HP Inc. India announced campaign for students New Delhi, Jul 25: Coinciding with the new academic year, HP Inc. India announced 'Back to College' campaign for students. The campaign aims at helping the students plan to buy new notebooks for their educational needs, thus digitally empowering them for the future. It also promises benefits of up to Rs. 11,998-for the students who purchase select HP products, including the all new

HP Pavilion x360 series, HP Pavilion series, HP All-inOnes and HP Desktop. "The launch of our new HP portfolio comes at a time that is in-sync with the upcoming college year. The new HP Pavilion Premium notebook series has been designed to fit with the unique and hectic regimes covering their entire student-lifecycle," said Category Head Consumer Personal Systems HP India, Anurag Arora.

"The new Pavilion PC portfolio comes with a new design language featuring new convertibles, notebooks and desktops with sleek designs and more power ideal for students and families. The new portfolio lets students reflect their sense of style and delivers the power they need to be productive and entertained, at a price that delivers value," added Anurag.

(Agencies)

Zopo plans manufacturing unit in India by December New Delhi, Jul 25: Chinese mobile phone maker Zopo announced its plans to set up manufacturing plant in India by the end of this year with an initial investment of about Rs. 100 crore as it is aiming to produce two lakh handsets per month. Advantage Computers (ADCOM), which manages Zopo's India business said, "Zopo has identified place in Noida for setting up its manufacturing unit with production capacity of 2 lakh units per month. The company has plans to invest Rs. 100 crore to start this plant by end of this year.""In India Zopo is looking to sell 1 lakh units per month. The plant will cater demand for Zopo phones in South Asian market which include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan (via Dubai), Nepal etc," said Managing Director Sanjeev Bhatia. Earlier this week, Zopo launched a smartphone Speed 8, which features 10 core processor chipset, the highest number of cores in any smartphone

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: images.indianexpress) launched in India till date, for Rs. 29,999 a unit. The chipset can deliver computing speed of up to 2.5 Ghz. Xopo Speed 8 has 5.5 inch screen size, 4GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, 3600 mAh battery, 21 megapixel primary camera and 8 megapixel front camera. "We have been selling phones in affordable range as well starting Rs 6,000 a unit. The deca-core smartphone is for Xopo customers looking for higher

phone speed. We expect 15 per cent of our target sales to come from Xopo's premium segment starting over price range of Rs 15,000 a piece," added Bhatia.

"We will invest about Rs. 50 crore per annum for branding."

Zopo expects 60 percent of its total sales to come from smartphones priced in the range of Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 a unit and 25 percent from handsets priced in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 a unit. (Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

Features

PAGE 11

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

Why Therapeutic Benefits of Coffee Do NOT Apply to Pregnant Women Caffeine can significantly impact the growing fetus as it is able to freely pass through the placenta, and since caffeine does not provide any benefits to your baby, only potential hazards, I strongly recommend pregnant women avoid ALL forms of caffeine.

Unfortunately, most people (pregnant or not) use coffee for its energy-boosting properties, which ends up serving as a band-aid for poor nutrition. If you're supplying your body with the nutrients it needs, you simply won't need the extra energy boost.

If this sounds like you, you may want to consider taking a look at your dietary habits. Proper nutrition clearly becomes even more important when pregnant or planning a pregnancy.

Coffee in Pregnancy Tied to Smaller, Later Newborns In a recent Norwegian study,1 which included data on nearly 60,000 women, coffee and other caffeinated beverages increased the odds of delivering a low birth weight baby and/or extended the gestation period.

Lead researcher Dr. Verena Sengpiel, an obstetrician/ gynecologist at the Sahlgrenska Academy of Sahlgrenska University in Goteborg, Sweden, believes the current recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists should be re-evaluated. American women are currently advised to limit their caffeine intake during pregnancy to two cups of coffee per day.2 According to Dr. Sengpiel, this may be too much, even though her observational study cannot prove a cause-

and-effect between caffeine and low birth weight. She told MedicineNet.com: "We cannot say from our data whether caffeine is the specific substance responsible for the fetus being at greater risk of [becoming a] low birth weight infant, nor did we study if these babies actually had special health problems during the neonatal period."

Still, higher caffeine consumption was found to be associated with an increased risk for reduced birth weight. Every 100 mg of caffeine consumed by the mother per day equated to a nearly one ounce reduction in the baby's weight at birth.

Every 100 mg of caffeine also increased the length of the pregnancy by five hours.

Interestingly, when the source of the caffeine was coffee, the length of the pregnancy was extended by eight hours. The reason for this difference is unknown.

Seeing how your average cup of coffee contains anywhere between 95-200 mg of caffeine, it may be best to err on the side of caution.

According to the featured article:3 "Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, 'Other studies have indicated that caffeine can affect fetal weight, so this is in accord with findings of other studies.'

Why caffeine might cause this effect is unclear, she said.

'We do know that caffeine crosses the placenta and the baby is not able to metabolize it very well, [so] it may affect some of the factors associated with growth,' Wu

theorized. She advised that women limit the amount of caffeine they consume during pregnancy. The World Health Organization says 300 mg a day, but in the United States the recommended amount is 200 mg a day, she added."

Caffeine During Pregnancy May Damage Your Baby's Heart Previous animal research from 20094 found that drinking the equivalent of just two cups of coffee while pregnant could be enough to affect long-term heart function of the offspring. They also found that this minimal exposure could lead to increased levels of body fat in males, when compared to offspring not exposed to caffeine in the womb. Scott Rivkees, Yale's Associate Chair of Pediatric Research and a senior researcher on the study, told Medical News Today:5 "Our studies raise potential concerns about caffeine exposure during very early pregnancy, but further studies are necessary to evaluate caffeine's safety during

pregnancy."

In the study, mice given caffeine during pregnancy produced embryos with "a thinner layer of tissue separating some of the heart's chambers than the group that was not given caffeine."

Long term, this resulted in a 20 percent increase in body fat in males, and a 35 percent decrease in cardiac function. According to Gerald Weissman, M.D. and editor-in-chief of the FASEB Journal:6 "Caffeine is everywhere: in what we drink, in what we eat, in pills that we use to relieve pain, and even in candy... This report shows that despite popular notions of safety, there's one place it probably shouldn't be: in the diet of an expectant mother."

Crucial Nutrients for Pregnant Women (and Women of Childbearing Age) Healthy nutrition cannot be limited to a handful of nutrients; it can only be achieved by eating a variety of whole, high-quality foods daily. I cannot stress this enough, as if you seek to make up for a diet of pro-

cessed foods by taking a multi-vitamin or eating a salad here and there, you are deceiving yourself and missing the point -- and the benefits.

For a succinct and easy-tofollow overview of the types of foods and nutrients that will support a healthy pregnancy, read my optimized nutrition plan. Ideally, by the time you enter pregnancy you will already be in the Intermediate orAdvanced stage, but even the Beginner stage is far better that the typical American diet. As you'll see, it is focused on minimizing processed foods while increasing your intake of vegetables, healthy fats and high-quality sources of protein, all of which are ideal for nurturing a growing fetus.

For more detailed healthy pregnancy guidelines, please review my special report: "No-Nonsense Guide to a Naturally Healthy Pregnancy and Baby," which covers far more than the basic nutrition tips offered here. Some of the highlights you'll want to be sure to include though are: " Fermented Foods and/or Probiotics: Nearly everyone can benefit from optimizing the balance of good vs. bad bacteria in their gut using probiotics, but if you are pregnant or planning to be, this is of utmost importance to you and your new baby. One of the best ways to do this is to avoid sugar and processed foods and to include fermented foods in your diet.

Research shows giving pregnant women and newborns doses of good bacteria can:

o Radically reduce the risk of developing autism or autism like disorders o Protect babies from developing eczema in childhood o Help prevent childhood allergies;8 o Help optimize your baby's weight later in life;9 o Improve the symptoms of colic, decreasing average crying times by about 75 percent;10 o reduce your risk of premature labor The best way to ensure optimal gut flora is to regularly consume traditionally fermented foods, which are naturally rich in probiotics.

This includes Lassi, kefir, sauerkraut and other fermented veggies, natto, kim chee, and tempeh. A highquality probiotic supplement is also an option, especially if you don't eat many fermented foods. " Vitamin D: I've included vitamin D here even though your main source of it should be from the sun, not from food.

Along with reducing your risk of premature birth, studies have found that vitamin D may protect against a number of birth defects and autism, as well as pregnancy complications like high blood pressure. It is absolutely imperative that pregnant women maintain a blood level of between 50 and 70 ng/ml of 25 hydroxy D, and I am hopeful that in the not too distant future it will be mandatory for pregnant women to receive regular vitamin D blood test levels. " Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is one of the eight B complex vitamins and is naturally present in

foods that come from animals, including meat, fish, eggs, milk and milk products. B12 is critical for normal neurological development and maintenance, and shortages can result in permanent birth defects. Note: If you eat a vegan diet, you are likely to bedangerously deficient in vitamin B12. " Folate in the form of Metafolate: Another B complex vitamin (vitamin B9), folic acid deficiency at the time of conception is known to increase the risk for birth defects such as spina bifida. Many women are aware of this and take folic acid supplements in their prenatal vitamins, but many are not aware that in order for folic acid to perform its crucial duties in your body, and for your fetus, it must first be activated into the biologically active form - L-5-MTHF. This is the form that's most usable by your body and the form that's able to cross the blood-brain barrier to carry out important brain functions. Nearly half of the population has difficulty converting folic acid to the bioactive 5-MTHF form because of a genetic reduction in enzyme activity, so it's important to look for metafolate or metafolin in your multi-vitamin instead of folic acid.

Be sure to read the label closely, as many companies don't use the bioactive form because it is too expensive and about 10 times more costly. Of course even better than a supplement would be a wide variety of healthy, fresh, organically grown vegetables, which will supply not only folic acid in the correct form but all the other important accessory

micronutrients. " Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats: Most women have major deficiencies of animal-based omega-3 fat like EPA and DHA, which is unfortunate because fetal cells cannot form omega-3 fats, meaning a fetus must obtain all of its omega-3 fatty acids from mother's diet. A mother's dietary intake and plasma concentrations of DHA directly influence the DHA status of the developing fetus.

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is so essential to a child's development that if a mother and infant are deficient in it, the child's nervous system and immune system may never fully develop, and it can cause a lifetime of unexplained emotional, learning, and immune system disorders.

DHA makes up 15 percent to 20 percent of the cerebral cortex and 30 percent to 60 percent of the retina so it is absolutely necessary for normal development of the fetus in utero, and as a baby post birth.

Studies have shown that sufficient levels of omega-3 fats optimize brain growth in children, especially during the third trimester. But because the fetus depends on the mother's DHA sources, the constant drain on a mother's DHA reserves can easily lead to a deficiency and some researchers believe that preeclampsia (pregnancy-related high blood pressure) and postpartum depression could be linked to a DHA deficiency.

The DHA in animal-based omega-3 fats will also help to prevent the vast majority of premature deliveries.

Courtesy: mercola

What Is Insulin Resistance? Could new talk therapy cut cost of treating depression?

Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas.

It allows your cells to use glucose (sugar) for energy. People with insulin resistance have cells that don't use insulin effectively. This means the cells have trouble absorbing glucose, which causes a buildup of sugar in the blood. If your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes, you have a condition called prediabetes.

The Effects of Insulin Resistance Some people with insulin resistance may develop a condition known asacanthosis nigricans.

This condition creates dark patches on the back of the neck, groin, and armpits. It also puts you at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. There's no cure for acanthosis nigricans, but if you treat the causes, some of your natural skin color may return.

Insulin resistance may also damage your blood vessels without you realizing it. This can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

If you have insulin resistance, you're at significant risk for progressing to diabetes. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be mild, so you may

not know you have the condition until a doctor runs diagnostic tests on you.

Classic diabetes symptoms include: * extreme thirst or hunger * feeling hungry even after a meal * frequent or increased urination *tingling sensations in your hands or feet * feeling more tired than usual Evidence in Blood Work If you don't have obvious symptoms, your insulin resistance, prediabetes, and diabetes are usually detected with a blood draw.

One way to diagnose prediabetes or diabetes is with an A1C test. This test measures your average blood sugar over the past two to three months. " An A1C under 5.7 percent is considered normal. " An A1C between 5.7 and 6.4 percent is diagnostic for prediabetes. " An A1C equal to or above 6.5 percent is diagnostic for diabetes.

Your doctor may want to reconfirm this test on another day. However, depending on the lab where you have your blood drawn, these numbers could vary anywhere from 0.1 to 0.2 percent.

Fasting Blood Glucose Test A fasting blood glucose test is taken after not eating or drinking for at least eight hours. It provides your fasting blood sugar level.

A high level may require a second test a few days later to confirm the reading. If both tests show elevated levels of blood glucose, you may be diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes. " Fasting blood sugar levels under 100 mg/dL are considered normal. " Levels between 100 and 125 mg/dL are diagnostic for prediabetes. " Levels equal to or greater than 126 mg/ dL are diagnostic for diabetes.

Again, depending on the lab, these numbers could vary up to 3 mg/dL points in the cutoff numbers.

Random Blood Draws You can also have your blood glucose levels checked at any time of day. For these "random" blood draws: " blood sugar levels under 140 mg/dL are considered normal " levels between 140 and 199 mg/dL are considered prediabetes " levels equal to or over 200 mg/dL are diagnostic for Type 2

diabetes When You Should Get Tested Testing for diabetes should begin at about age 40, along with the usual tests for cholesterol and other markers of health. Ideally, you can get tested at your annual physical exam or preventive screening with your primary doctor.

Earlier testing may be recommended if you are overweight and you: " live a sedentary lifestyle " have low good (HDL) levels or high triglyceride levels " have a parent or sibling with diabetes " are AmericanIndian, African-American, Latino, AsianAmerican, or Pacific Islander "have high blood pressure (140/90 mm Hg or above) " have symptoms of insulin resistance " were diagnosed with gestational diabetes (a temporary condition that develops while pregnant) had a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds Even if your test comes back in the normal range, you should have your blood glucose levels checked at least every two to three years.

Courtesy: healthline

A new study has suggested that a simple and inexpensive psychotherapy or talking therapy, known as behavioural activation (BA), treats depression in adults just as well as the gold-standard cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

With long waiting lists and limited access to services, many people who need CBT for depression cannot get treatment. The study suggests that behavioural activation therapy could be delivered by junior mental health workers, leading to considerable savings for the NHS and other health services.

"Our findings challenge the dominance of CBT as the leading evidencebased psychological therapy for depression," said lead author David Richards from the University of Exeter, UK. "Behavioural activation should be a front-line treatment for depression in the UK and has enormous potential to improve reach and access to psychological therapy worldwide."

The Cost and Outcome of Behavioural Activation versus Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Depression (COBRA) trial recruited 440 adults with depression from pri-

Caption: representational image Photo: bloximages

mary care and psychological therapy services in three areas of England.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a maximum of 20 sessions of behavioural activation treatment delivered by junior mental health workers (221 participants), or CBT delivered by experienced psychological therapists (219). Between 20-30 percent of participants in each group did not attend the minimum number of 8 therapy sessions or dropped out, a common problem in psychological therapy services, and were not included in the analysis.

"Behavioural activation is an 'outside in' treatment

that focuses on helping people with depression to change the way they act.

The treatment helps people make the link between their behaviour and their mood. Therapists help people to seek out and experience more positive situations in their lives. The treatment also helps people deal with difficult situations and helps them find alternatives to unhelpful habitual behaviours," explained Richards.

He added, "In contrast, CBT is an 'inside out' treatment where therapists focus on the way a person thinks. Therapists help people to identify and challenge their thoughts and beliefs about them-

selves, the world, and their future. CBT helps people to identify and modify negative thoughts and the beliefs that give rise to them."

According to Professor Richards, "Our findings indicate that health services worldwide, both rich and poor, could reduce the need for costly professional training and infrastructure, reduce waiting times, and increase the availability of psychological therapies. However, more work still needs to be done to find ways to effectively treat up to a third of people with depression who do not respond to CBT or behavioural activation."

Courtesy: hindustantimes

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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, JULY 26

PAGE 12

demands India vs West Indies, 1st Test: India Narsingh CBI probe into record biggest Test win outside Asia doping scandal R Ashwin picked up seven wickets in the second innings as India defeated West Indies by an innings and 92 runs in first Test.

PTI Antigua, July 25 : India recorded their biggest win outside the sub-continent as they thrashed a listless West Indies by an innings and 92 runs in the opening cricket Test, riding on a fantastic seven-wicket haul by offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin in Antigua.

Ashwin produced an offspin bowling masterclass to grab 7/83 and triggered a second-innings slide that saw the hosts collapse from 88/2 to 132/8 on the fourth and penultimate day.

A defiant ninth-wicket stand of 95, West Indies’ highest in the game, between Carlos Brathwaite (51 not out) and Devendra Bishoo (45) delayed the inevitable before Ashwin came back to seal the issue by bowling the hosts out for 231.

This was also the Tamil Nadu spinner’s first fivewicket haul outside the Asian continent.

India bowled out the West Indies for 243 in their first innings, having amassed 566 for eight declared after opting to bat.

Forced to follow-on after conceding a massive lead of 323, the hosts failed to cope up with intense pressure created by Ashwin and Co on a pitch that offered assistance to slow bowlers.

At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the visitors shot out the hosts in three hours over the post lunch and tea session to finish their two

India take a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series against West Indies. (Source: AP)

innings at 243 and 231.

After tea, Brathwaite reached his third Test fifty, but the rest of the innings folded in just over 40 minutes.

Bishoo hit straight to midwicket off Ashwin in the 78th over, and three balls later bowled Shannon Gabriel (4) to wrap up the proceedings with a day to spare.

Post lunch, it was an extended session of play which proved enough for India to force a win.

But first they had to break through the 67-run partnership between Rajendra Chandrika (31) and Marlon Samuels (50).

The two batsmen began again in the same vein, trying to play for time, and in

doing so, the latter crossed the 50-mark off 74 balls raising hopes of a fight back.

But it was short-lived as Chandrika had a faint insideedge off Ashwin in the 36th over, judged accurately by the umpire and caught on the third attempt by Wriddhiman Saha.

It started the slide for West Indies and the off-spinner barged into the opening he had found.

In the very next over, he removed Jermaine Blackwood (0) for a second duck in the match, with skipper Virat Kohli holding a magnificent diving catch at midwicket to aid in the dismissal.

Then came the best moment for Ashwin, as a beautiful delivery beat Samuels’ straight bat and knocked

Lionel Messi's new look: The hair bleach fever has caught the Argentine legend – Pic inside!

back his off-stump in the 42nd over.

Earlier, post lunch, it was an improved display by the Indian bowlers who looked to change their line and length from the morning.

And the change could be seen almost immediately as Shami started proceedings after the break.

He kept both Brathwaite (74 runs) and Marlon Samuels (1) guessing, inducing an edge off the latter in the 49th over.

Four deliveries later, it became a double blow, as Jermaine Blackwood (0) was unable to fend off a sharp rising delivery and was caught at gully by Ajinkya Rahane.

Thereafter a short partnership developed between

Brathwaite and debutant Roston Chase (23) and they looked comfortable at the crease for the duration of their 47-run stand.

Brathwaite went on to score his 9th Test fifty off 156 deliveries, while the West Indies’ 100-mark came up in the 51st over.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli then went on the offensive and played around with his fielding combinations, putting in as many as five close-in catching positions for his pacers.

The trick worked as Yadav broke through, first dismissing Chase who was caught at midwicket with Kohli doing the necessary catching himself.

Two overs later, the same aggressive fielding worked as Brathwaite was forced to fend off a short delivery instead of pulling it, and edged behind to keeper Wriddhiman Saha, who affected his fifth dismissal of the innings.

Ashwin could have had a wicket too, towards the end of the session as Shane Dowrich edged to Rahane at slip, but the ball was seen to have bounced on replay.

Jason Holder was the other unbeaten batsman.

Earlier, West Indies reached 90/3 at lunch after Brathwaite had defied the Indian bowlers along with Devendra Bishoo (12).

The duo put on 38 for the second wicket but more importantly frustrated the visi-

tors by batting out 17.5 overs.

Starting at their overnight score of 31/1, Bishoo looked to stay with his partner for as long as possible, and he was successful in achieving that goal.

He frustrated the Indian bowlers for nearly 70 minutes, and in this interim, saw off Ishant, Yadav and Shami without much discomfort.

Samuels raced on quickly thereafter and looked more comfortable at the crease as time passed, as did Chandrika at the other end.

About 40 minutes were left for lunch when rain intervened and cut short the session.

Despite the shower passing by, the umpires called for an early lunch to allow for the ground staff to prepare the field for resumption.

Meanwhile Ashwin, who recorded his 17th fivewicket haul in Tests, ran through the West Indies batting line-up after Samuels and Chandrika defied India in the first session.

Chandrika’s dismissal four overs after the lunch break, taken early due to a short spell of rain, triggered a slide from which the hosts failed to recover.

The opener’s dismissal was followed by those of Jermaine Blackwood, who had a pair in the match, Samuels, debutant Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich and skipper Jason Holder as West Indies slumped to 132 for eight.

PTI New Delhi, July 25: Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, who recently shocked the world by announcing retirement from international football, is once again back in news.

And this time it is not because of his football skills, but because of a unique hair-style.

Lionel Messi

New Delhi, July 25: Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra wrote his name in history books by becoming the first Indian athlete to become a world champion at any level after winning gold medal at the U-20 World Championships in Poland.

Chopra, who broke the earlier record of 84.69 meters held by Latvian Zigismunds Sirmais, recorded a throw of 86.48m.

The 18-ar-old was gunning for a spot at Rio Olympics but failed to hit the qualifying mark of 83 meters and now have stunned everyone

with his record breaking throw.

Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has now written to the world governing body IAAF to consider new junior world-record holder in javelin throw as a wild card entry, as the official deadline was 11th of July.

Rio Olympics: WADA 'disappointed' as IOC fails to ban Russia for mega event Quebec, July 25: The World Anti-Doping Agency added its voice Sunday to those criticising the International Olympic Committee`s failure to ban Russia from the Rio Olympics in the wake of doping revelations.

The Montreal-based agency issued a statement saying it would work to "ensure the best possible outcome for clean athletes" in Rio, but regretted that the IOC ignored its call for a ban of Russia after the WADA-

commissioned McLaren Report found evidence of a government-backed doping system in a range of sports.

WADA had urged the IOC to ban all athletes submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee for both the Rio Games and the Paralympics, with individual exceptions to be considered by the IOC for participation under a neutral flag.

WADA also recommended that Russian government

officials be denied access to the Rio Games.

"WADA is disappointed that the IOC did not heed WADA`s Executive Committee recommendations that were based on the outcomes of the McLaren Investigation and would have ensured a straight-forward, strong and harmonized approach," WADA president Craig Reedie said.

"The McLaren Report exposed, beyond a reasonable doubt, a state-run doping

PTI New Delhi, July 25: A defiant Narsingh Yadav today demanded a CBI probe into the doping scandal which has jeopardised his participation in the Olympics, alleging that a conspiracy has been hatched to scuttle his Rio dream.

"There should be a CBI inquiry. The whole episode relating to my selection had gone to court. There was a CID report that my life is under threat. All this makes it clear, I have been framed so that I am stopped from going to Rio," Narsingh said.

"I have given my complaint to the federation in which I have made it clear that something could have been mixed in the food that was prepared at the mess. It is a conspiracy against me," he added.

Narsingh has returned positive for a banned substance barely 10 days before the start of the Olympics and that has cast a doubt on his

participation in the Rio Games.

The 26-year-old, who would be pleading innocence in front of the NADA panel that is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, is hopeful that he would be able to convince the committee members that the entire episode is a conspiracy.

"I am hopeful that everything will be clear soon. I have got the 100 per cent backing of everyone. I am still hopeful of going to Rio," 26-year-old wrestler said.

Interestingly, Narsingh was selected for the Rio Olympics in controversial circumstances as double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar had also staked his claim to represent the country in 74kg freestyle and demanded a trial.

But Narsingh was chosen by the Wrestling Federation of India as he had earned the Olympic quota in the World Championships last year with a bronze medal finish.

loss cannot overshadow Neeraj Chopra sets new U20 Javelin WORLD Wimbledon the results that I`ve had in the past RECORD in Poland – WATCH VIDEO 15 months: Novak Djokovic

Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, who recently shocked the world by announcing retirement from international football, is once again back in news.

In a photograph posted by wife Antonella Roccuzzo on Instagram on Sunday afternoon, the 29-year-old forward decided to bleach his hair blonde.While most of the fans compared Messi's new look with Aaron Ramsey - who sported a similar hairstyle at Euro 2016 several fans also compared his hairdo with Manchester United's Phil Jones or Manchester City's Samir Nasri.

India's Narsingh Pancham Yadav displays his medal after winning against South Africa Richard Brian Addinall in the 74 kilogram category wrestlingl. AP

program in Russia that seriously undermines the principles of clean sport embodied within the World AntiDoping Code."

IOC president Thomas Bach said Sunday that the body opted against an outright ban in order to protect the rights of clean Russian competitors.

But WADA said the decision to give individual sports federations primary responsibility for determining every Russian athlete`s

eligibility for Rio was a recipe for confusion.

"While WADA fully respects the IOC`s autonomy to make decisions under the Olympic Charter, the approach taken and the criteria set forward will inevitably lead to a lack of harmonization, potential challenges and lesser protection for clean athletes," said Olivier Niggli, WADA`s director general.

Niggli also expressed disappointment that an IOC eth-

ics commission ruled that whistleblower athlete Yulia Stepanova could not go to Rio, even competing as a neutral.

"WADA has been very vocal in supporting Yulia`s desire to compete as an independent athlete," Niggli said. "Ms. Stepanova was instrumental in courageously exposing the single biggest doping scandal of all time.

"WADA is very concerned by the message that this sends whistleblowers for the future."( AFP)

Ontario, July 25: Novak Djokovic said it took him only hours to digest his early Wimbledon defeat, and his hopes are high heading into a hardcourt season that this year includes the Rio Olympics.

Serbia`s world number one insisted his third-round loss to Sam Querrey at the All England Club - which ended his hopes of going on to secure a rare calendar Grand Slam -- was behind him.

"I trust that everything happens for a reason," said Djokovic, who will have a first-round bye at the Toronto Masters before taking the court for the first time since that shocking upset.

"I didn`t enjoy losing in the first week of a Grand Slam, but the next day it was already behind me.

"I had so much to do in my private life, being a father and husband. I didn`t think too much about it. But I know you can always learn more from your losses than your wins.

"The Wimbledon loss cannot overshadow the results that I`ve had in the past 15 months," said Djokovic, whose defeat at Wimbledon was his earliest at a Grand Slam in seven years.

"Now, it`s a new beginning."

Toronto marks the start of an extra busy spell for Djokovic, who is also eyeing Rio and the Cincinnati Masters before the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, starts on August 29.

A host of other top players opted

out of Toronto to rest up for Rio, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, reigning champion Andy Murray and former winner JoWilfried Tsonga.

Djokovic, a three-time winner of the Canadian title, said he wouldn`t be putting any pressure on himself.

"I don`t expect anything, I just want to try and get ready to perform as best I can," he said. "I`m looking forward to the tournament.

"I have a good history here. I want to play well and get as many hours on the court as possible."

Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori said that staying healthy after a Wimbledon abdominal injury is his most immediate concern.

"It`s not an easy schedule, there are three big events (Toronto, Rio, Cincinnati) and then the US Open," said Asia`s top player.

"My main hope is to remain healthy and stay strong.

"I was in the gym last week, I`m feeling healthy. This is a great opportunity for me to have a good event here and carry the good confidence into the Olympics."

Nishikori said he does not look too closely at his ranking, preferring to concentrate on his weekly form. "I want to stay top right for the Grand Slams. But I`m aiming for London (ATP Tour Finals) at the end of the season."(AFP)

Novak Djokovic

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