30 december 2015, wednesday

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ASSENG/2015/64205

Ph. No.-08471896580/ 07085295635

Vol. 1

Values of Life Globalization

in

Issue 205

and

Dibrugarh, Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Price -

5.00

2015 saw writers take up cudgels, book publishing soaring

Rs. 8,000 cr expenditure leaved unaccounted by Govt.

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Pages- 12

'Drama' creating Samajwadi Party must apologise for Dadri communal faux pax

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Arunachal witnesses’ history as Chinese truck Stop Hitler Raj/Gunda Raj, with exhibits enters India through Pangsau Pass Sarbananda tells CM Gogoi Infamous Stilwell Road used for international trade after 70 years of Second World War A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Dec 29 A truck carrying eighty two packets of exhibits comprising electronic goods, organic tea & coffee, other edible items, toys etc along with two light motor vehicles arrived at Border Trade point of Pangsau Pass, India today travelling through the famous Stilwell Road all the way from Baoshan of Yunnan province, China for showcasing in 3rd Assam International Agri- Horti Show 2016 at Guwahati. The Exhibits were received from the Chinese delegates by the representatives from North East Federation on International Trade (NEFIT) in presence of the

ET CAPSULES Army rescues vehicle Aalo, Dec 29: In a heroic and timely action, the Indian army came to the rescue of a Arunachal Pradesh Police Tata Sumo vehicle, which skidded off the road into a 120 feet deep gorge. The incident took place on a hair bend turning about 60 km from Bame on Barupak road after the driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to save a tourist vehicle coming from opposite side. Luckily the driver of the ill fated Tata Sumo escaped without any serious injuries.

When informed about the incident, Army Garrison at Aalo swung into action and dispatched two heavy recovery vehicles to recover the vehicle after toiling for two days. State Police while extending their appreciation towards Army’s efforts, acknowledged that the assistance extended has furher strengthened a healthy civil Military camaraderie.

ADC, Jairampur, Kento Riba welcoming a Chinese delegate. Pic - ET Photo

Angered with alleged ‘arrogant’ top government official CoSAAP holds demonstration A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 29

Frustrated with the state government for non fulfillment of their demands around hundred members of Confederation of Service Association of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) hold dharna in front of civil secretariat gate office with demand for immediate ouster of special secretary (Finance) Satya Gopal from Arunachal Pradesh. CoSAAP president Pate Marik said that Gopal has misbehaved with its members and used abusive language inside his chamber after Chief

Minister’s assurance to withdraw the NOC system on promotion and retirement. “On Nov. 10 last around 5 pm along with his personal staffs Parliamentary Secretary UD & Housing Techi Kaso, chief engineer PWD Katung Wage and in charge Principal Secretary Finance Chief Minister Nabam Tuki called us in new secretary building and directed Satya Gopal to withdraw the NOC on retirement as well as assured to call a trial meeting in between other students unions, organizations who is opposing the demands of CoSAAP. He also assured that the issue will be taken up during cabinet meeting. “Later, when we ap-

proached the chief secretary he told us that the same has been marked again to the principal secretary but surprisingly, the principal secretary who himself attended the meeting denied to issue the notification to withdraw the same assurance of the CM,” Marik said. He further alleged that the senior state government official has threatened to transfer him to vigilance department and in a high pitch tone asked, “Do you know what is your position and what is mine ?” Later, the official also ordered Marik to get out of his office. The agitators also raised slogans like ‘arrogant attitude down down, Satya Gopal go back, Satya Gopal

DG, Assam Rifles visit bring cheers to troops in South Arunachal Pradesh

Dibrugarh, Dec 29: On Sunday night at the project site of Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) a fire has suddenly caught which was immediately extinguished by the firemen at BCPL.

Golaghat, Dec 29: The weekly closure day of business establishments in Golaghat has been changed to Sunday from the earlier day of Thursday. In an order issued by the Additional Labour Commissioner, Golaghat the order will be effective from January 1.

(Correspondent)

Hai Hai…. The agitators also warned that if the demands are not fulfilled immediately they will resort to more rigorous agitation. Talking note of the present political scenario, CoSAAP has decided to postpone its indefinite tools and pen down agitation which was suppose to start from first week of February but after once there is political stability they will resume their agitation. It might be mentioned that CoSAAP has demand for enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, withdrawal of NOC system on promotion and retirement, and restoration of original lateral entry system in APCS.

NFR GM completes annual inspection of Tinsukia rly div Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, Dec 29

Fire at BCPL

Weekly closure day changed

Director, Department of Trade & Commerce, Govt. of AP, Shri Tokong Pertin, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jairampur Shri Kento Riba, SDO, Nampong Shri Kretkam Tikhak, Superintendent of Customs, Preventive Force, Govt. of Assam Shri N K Mitra. The Director termed the new development as a historic moment for Arunachal Pradesh as the famous Stilwell road constructed during the World War II was used once again for transportation of goods after 70 years. He was with the opinion that the road can be a conduit for trade and better understanding for the two Asian economic giants as well as among the BCIM countries.

Contd. on Page 4

DG, Assam Rifles sharing a lighter moment with AR personnel at a forward post in Arunachal. Pic - Assam Rifles.

Pranjal Bhuyan Jagun, Dec 29

Director General, Assam Rifles Lieutenant General H J S Sachdev, Ati Vishishtha Seva Medal, Vishishtha Seva Medal visited various posts of Assam Rifles located in South Arunachal Pradesh bordering Myanmar. The visit commenced with Vijaynagar,

which is the eastern most and remotest corner of the country bordering Myanmar, followed

by Jairampur and covering Changlang and Khonsa in a span of two days. Vijaynagar is a land locked area without any road connectivity. The nearest road head is about 160 km away from Vijaynagar. The Director General was accompanied by Major General

Sandeep Sharma, General Officer Commanding, Dao Division & Commander 25 Sector Assam Rifles, Brigadier Govind Kalwad. The Director General interacted with troops of Assam Rifles, met the local civil administrative authorities and interacted with the prominent village citizens of the areas.

Contd. on Page 4

The General Manager of NFR H.K. Jaggi’s annual inspection of Tinsukia railway division ended on Tuesday evening here at New Tinsukia railway station. He was accompanied with the heads of other departments along with DRM of Tinsukia railway station Aneet Daulat. Talking to the media at the VIP lounge of New Tinsukia Railway Station, Jaggi said that during inspection he has found many good things and improvement while a few things were not upto the mark. Accordingly, some were awarded while others were counseled and even punished where ever required. Responding to a question he clarified that the second foot over bridge at New Tinsukia railway station which is under

BJP State President Sarbananda Sonowal addresses BJP joining meeting held at Dergaon constituency in Jorhat. Pic - Nekib Ahmed ET Correspondent Jorhat, Dec 29

Sarbananda Sonowal while addressing a manmoth rally at the Dohotia Nalin Hazarika memorial auditorium in Jorhat district heavily flayed the Tarun Gogoi government for his ‘Gunda Raj’ rule throughout the length and breadth of the state in the past 15 years.

The BJP state president Sarbananda Sonowal said in the past 15 years 80% of all

Central government funds from various schemes went into the pockets of the Congress leaders. “No Congressman is without a luxury car and the luxury car is the reason behind the hardships of the people of Assam,” he said.

Sonowal said a total of 82, 000 cases have been registered at various police stations throughout the state for cases like rape, murder theft and dacoity. On the other hand, 75,000 cases has been registered against exploitation of

“No Congressman is without a luxury car and the luxury car is the reason behind the hardships of the people of Assam.”

Sarbananda Sonowal women, rape alone in the state in the last 15 years. BJP is in line to get a big boost with over 2000 active AGP members joining the saffron party from the Dergaon Assembly segment. Sushila Hazarika, wife of late Nalin Hazarika a veteran AGP worker is likely to inducted into the saffron party along with several others by the first week of the New Year which was announced by Assam State BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal here today.

Saffron party trying to bring ‘Goondaraj’ , says Tarun Gogoi AStaff Reporter Guwahati, Dec 29

In a scatching attack on the BJP, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that the saffron party is trying to bring "goondaraj" in Assam, alleging that the rival party wants to win the 2016 assembly poll in the state through use of muscle power.

Gogoi hinted that former minister and new BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma was behind the attack on congress headquarters in Guwahati on December 28. Assam government has ordered an inquiry into the attack on Congress office.

Angry BJP supporters protested outside the Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati after senior Congress leader Nilamoni Sen Deka made derogatory remark against Prime Minister

The saffron party is trying to bring "goondaraj" in Assam, alleging that the rival party wants to win the 2016 assembly poll in the state through use of muscle power.

Assam CM Tarun Gogoi Narendra Modi. During the protest there were instances of stone pelting and several Congress workers were injured.

Gogoi said, "Never in Assam's history has such an incident happened where of-

fice of a political party is vandalized like it happened on Monday. Not even during the days of Assam agitation (19791985) led by All Assam Students Union any such attack took place.

Contd. on Page 4

Contd. on Page 4

MOU signed for setting up of Software Technology Parks of India in Itanagar ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 29

GOALS OF STPI-ITANAGAR Making the region one of the preferred IT destination and attracting IT/ITES Units to the state.

Promoting the export of IT Software and Services from the region thus contributing to Gross National Exports.

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), an organization under Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Govt. of India is setting up new Incubation facility at Itanagar to cater the need of IT Industries and boosting the entrepreneurship and IT exports from the State of Arunachal Pradesh.

Stimulate to create direct and indirect employment Developing world-class incuba- opportunities for the IT tion infrastructure for IT/ITES educated masses of this startups. region.

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Providing Statutory Services of Government of India for Software Technology Park (STP) & Electronic Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) Scheme

Development of overall economic scenario in the region.

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Officials during the signing of the MOU. Contd. on Page 3

Providing High-Speed Data Communication and other value added services

PAGE 2

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Awareness campaign on forest and wildlife held at Deomali

Participants of the awareness campaign on forest and wildlife held at Deomali recently.

ET Correspondent Deomali, Dec 29: The awareness campaigned on preservation and protection of Forest and Wildlife was held at

Mopaya village under forest department Deomali jointly organised by DISHA in collaboration with forest department, Deomali re-

cently. Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary of DISHA Shri Gopal Bayang urged the people of Deomali in particular and tirap district in gen-

BPF president reacted on Nilamoni's remark on Modi ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, Dec 29: BPF supremo Hagrama Mohilary, who is also BTC chief termed controversial remarks of former minister and Congress leader Nilamoni Sen Deka on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was unfortunate and unwanted for the state.

Nilamoni, on Sunday had commented controversial

that Union HRD minister Srimriti Irani,a second wife of Modi, which has been created chaos among political parties and citizens across the country.

Narendra Modi was not acceptable and condemnable for society in today's life. He has demanded strong action on Nilamoni and expelled him from Congress party.

Mohilary, reacting to the comments of Nilamoni today while attending a party meeting at Tulsibill in Kokrajhar said that comment by Nilamoni on

"It was a shame comment from a Congress leader for the state as well country stating PM Modi have a second wife and love affairs", Mohilary added.

eral to preserve, protect and to promote by planting more trees in surroundings and to avoid wild animal hunting.

DFO Deomali Shri C.

Simai appreciated DISHA led by its Secretary for conducting workshop on awareness campaign on forest and wild life at Tirap district which was long desired by the department of forest and environment adding that deforestation and hunting of wild animal will harm only human being in the days to come as such forest and wildlife must be protected to protect us. The workshop was attended by all rank officers and staff of forest and environment Deomali, resource persons from Hawai Anjaw district Shri Tephiak Bayang, Senior teacher, Panchayat leaders from Mopaya village including village council members and GBs.

Section 144 CrPC imposed in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary ET Correspondent Morigaon, Dec 29: The Morigaon district administration today promulgated prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary prohibiting the use of microphone and musical instruments in and around the sanctuary.

The picnic parties near Pobitora Wildlife sanctuary are creating sound pollution

during the last few days which is harmful to wild animals. Though picnics are permissible outside the sanctuary, they create health hazard outside Pobitora. In a separate order, Pranjit Gogoi, ADC, Morigaon promulgated prohibitory order banning poaching, capturing, selling and consuming migratory birds in Morigaon district.

Meeting held over Chutia community gives ST status for six ultimatum to BJP Govt. ethnic groups ET Correspondent Morigaon, Dec 29: An emergency meeting of the co-ordination committee of six ethnic groups namely Koch Rajbongsi, Chutiya, Tai-Ahom, Moran, Mattak and Tea tribe was held here at Conference hall of Morigaon Press Club. The meeting was presided over

by Ajit Deka, president of Morigaon district unit. Explaining the purpose of the meeting, Jayanta Bordoloi, Secretary of Morigaon district Chutiya Sanmilan said that viewing the socio-economic status of the six ethnic groups in Assam they might be forced to go on an agitation demanding the Scheduled Tribe status.

Though these communities have exerted pressure on the central government to en-

list them in ST list, there has been no breakthrough in this regard. Speaking on the occasion, Naba Kanta Bordoloi, President of Morigaon district Chutiya Sanmilan said that the six communities must fight unitedly to achieve their goal. He also appealed to the all youth organisations of these communities to hold a convention in Morigaon town to chalk out the future course of action.

Though Union Minister J. Orang assured the agitated ethnic groups of Assam, there is yet no government notification till date in this regard . The meeting resolved to hold a full fledged convention of these communities on the demand in the first week of February at Morigaon town.

SPORTS 38th Pasighat outscored 36th Nari-Koyu by 2-0 in the CM Trophy

Players of both the teams along with officials.

Spl Correspondent Pasighat, Dec 29: Playing in the semis of ongoing 3rd edition of district level CM Trophy 2015-16 here at General ground yesterday, the 38th Pasighat secured their berth in the final after outscoring 36th Nari-Koyu by 2-0.

Franklin Taki and Tator Padung displayed their outstanding skill by netting one each against the rival 36th Nari-Koyu. Millo Tago, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forest, Central Arunachal Circle attended the kicked off ceremony as Chief Guest who encouraged the encouraged the young players to display

their talents to higher level and put stressed upon participants saying that, participation is more important than winning match. The kicked off ceremony was blended with glittering and colorful march past displayed by participating teams. Many senior dignitaries and sport lovers like veteran footballer Tamat Gamoh also attended the ceremony. The final of football and volleyball (both men & women) will be played tomorrow on 30th which is being organized by the Dept. of Sports & Youth Affairs, East Siang District, informed Nada Apa, DSO (Sport).

regarding ST status

ET Correspondent Lakhimpur; Dec 29: The people of Chutia community in the entire state of Assam is going to take an anti-BJP stand unless ST status is entitled to them before the upcoming Assembly Elections. Sodou Chutia Jati Sanmilan, Asom expressed this clearly in a press conference held at North Lakhimpur Press Club. Chief Secretary Haren Chutia, acting president Khagen Rajkhowa and General secretary Arpana Chutia of SCJSA stated in the

conference that though the BJP has taken up a process to entitle the six ethnic castes of Assam, they cannot trust them because PM Narendra Modi led Union Govt. paid no attention to entitle the six castes as ST as per the promise made before the general elections. They expressed their grievances with regard to it and demanded ST status before the assembly elections. In order to strengthen the demand, eight district bodies of Chutia Jati Sanmilan in

the North Assam became united today at the Sadhani Bhawan located at Japisajia of the district and fixed a deadline to the Union Govt with regard to taking decision to empower the ST status within the month of January. The organization called upon the State Govt. to assist and coordinate with the Union Govt regarding the issue. Moreover, the organisation decided to organize a public convention in Guwahati by January 22.

SHORT TENDER NOTICE Sealed tender affecting court fees stamp of Rs. 8.25 are invited from registered contractors of Class I, & II category under any Govt. Department for the following works and will be received up to 2.30 PM on 06-01-2016 at the office of the undersigned. The tender will be open on the same date and place at 3.30 PM in presence of the tenderer or their authorised representative, if they wish to be present. Any information in this regard may be obtained from the office on any working days, if the last receiving day falls on holidays, Bandh etc. the same will be received on the next working days. Earnest money as shown below in the form of NSC/ KVP/Bank Draft from any Nationalized Bank duly pledged to the Executive Officer, Lanka Municipal Board, Lanka will have to be deposited along with each tender. In case of Bidder belonging to SC, ST, OBC or an Unemployed Graduate Engineer (proof to be enclosed along with the tender), the Earnest money will be 50% of the value of the earnest money to be deposited.

Details tender notice and tender paper may be obtained from office of the undersigned during the office hours on all working days up to 2:30 PM on 21-12-2015 on payment of Rs. 500.00(Rupees Hundred) only in cash which is non-refundable.

The details of works: Group No.

Name of Schemes

Name of fund

A

Construction of R.C.C. Storm Water Drain along with Lanka Cow Marker Road (right side) at Ward No. 9(Part-I) Construction of R.C.C. Storm Water Drain along with Lanka Cow Marker Road (Right side) at Ward No. 9(Part-II)

13 th Finance Rs. 4,67,970.00 Rs. 9,360.00 Commision (2nd installment) for the year 2011-12

30 Days

13th Finance Rs. 3,44,500.00 Rs. 6,890.00 Commision (2nd installment ) for the year 2013-14

30 Days

B

C

Digging pond including green fencing for garbage disposal at garbage disposal place at Masakss

Estimated amount(in Rs)

Earnest Money 2%

Time of Completion

N o n - S a l a r y Rs.19,50,900.00 Rs. 39,020.00 45 Days component of 4th Finance Commission for the year 2014-15

Executive Officer Lanka Municipal Board: Lanka

ACCHE DIN OR BURE DIN ...

A graphite put up by the Congress in Jorhat criticising the Modi led NDA government at the Centre for rampant price hike of essential commodities. Pic - Nekib Ahmed

ASTRO FOR YOU You are ever eager to socialise, and today especially, you may want to mix business with pleasure. You will be welcomed to join in group activities because you can work and play with equal enthusiasm. In fact, you may learn a lot from such a healthy exchange of ideas.

There ain’t no mountain high enough and there ain’t no valley deep! Today, you will find yourself on an invincible run. You might be your own worst enemy today, if you waste your effort and energy for unproductive purposes. Overall, it is smooth sailing today.

Today, your emotions will cloud your ability to reason. You may try to find a refuge in devotional and spiritual activities. A visit to a couple of religious places may help you restore your peace of mind. A laid-back mindset will work wonders for you today.

It is quite possible that your personal life will take precedence over your professional life. You will not be able to repress or ignore your feelings, and you should not either. But you should be careful about how you express yourself in public.

Though God is benevolent, but it is necessary that we reciprocate the magnanimity of the Almighty through our actions. So wake up today with a little prayer on your lips. Make it a point to visit a temple for some peace of mind. The other alternative is to do a small puja at home. Connect with your spiritual side through meditation and find peace with yourself.

The day will bring unexpected changes and pleasant surprises. You may hit the road with your loved ones, and the journey will not only be exciting but also calm your nerves. Overall, a bright, happy day to make most of.

It’s a full platter today, and you have to manage it all somehow. The day promises to be full of activities, especially those that involve writing letters and reviving old contacts. Expect a call to appear for an interview for a better job. Also, look forward to being put in charge of organising events at work.

You’ve been keeping things within for too long now, and today may just be the day when you vent it all out. This overwhelming pressure may have an effect on your health. You must spend quality time with your loved ones to ease up a bit.

A demanding day today, as you find yourself in charge of arranging and attending high-voltage meetings. Those dealing in stock and share will have profitable returns in the afternoon. But don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Wait till the evening to count those wads of notes.

Opportunities are rare, and good opportunities rarer still. Today, you will run to grab an opportunity and will make the most of it. This move will yield instant results, and place you better in comparison with your opponents. Rivals, in fact, will try to do you down but will fail miserably in their attempt. Your social standing, on the other hand, will grow manifold and all because of your extraordinary traits.

Today, you will wish there were two of you! You are deluged with pending work, and even doubling up efforts will not seem enough. You may even cancel your movie date, deciding to deal with your sweetheart’s tantrums later. It’s your boss you are worried about.

Bright prospects will greet whatever new ventures you decide to focus on today. It is a good time to implement your plans. Apart from short-term monetary gains, you may also find yourself pursuing activities which bring you intangible rewards, like goodwill for example.

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

30-12-15 (WEDNESDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-50 A.M-Tokari Geet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali(Assamese Modern Song) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi(Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Song) 12-15 P.M-Teachers' Broadcast 12-45 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Ei Path Hoise Bikashor" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 7-15 P.M-Chah Shramikar Aasor 8-00 P.M-Hindi Film Songs 9-30 P.M-Sahitya Kanan (Literary Magazine Programme) 10-00 P.M-Classical Music Sd-/H.O.P

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Governor congratulates people of Namsai, Kurung Kumey and East Siang Districts A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 29: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa has congratulated the people of Namsai, Kurung Kumey and East Siang Districts for being awarded the best performing districts, during the Digital India Week, which was observed from 1st to 7th July 2015. The best performing districts were selected by Department of Electronic and Information Technology under the Union Ministry of Communications and IT. Congratulating the Deputy Commissions Shri RK Sharma (Namsai), Smt Mamta Riba Naksang

(Kurung Kumey) and Ms Isha Khosla (East Siang), who received the awards on behalf of the people of the respective Districts from Union Minister of Communication and IT Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad in a function organized to mark the ‘Good Governance Day’ in New Delhi on 28th December, the Governor expressed his hope that under such abled leadership the objectives of the Digital India will be soon realised. He wished that the Digital India be popularise and the reach of existing eservices are expanded.

The Governor called upon the Deputy Commissioners

of other Districts to emulated the proactive role of DCs of Namsai, Kurung Kumey and East Siang Districts and educate and motivate the citizens of the Frontier State of Arunachal Pradesh on functional digital literacy, cyber security, cyber hygiene, ensure better utilization of Digital infrastructure.

The Governor also congratulated the Communication and IT engineers from respective National Informatics Centre and District Informatics Centre, Shri Sanjiv Kumar Das, Shri Bamang Chai and Shri Amujao P.

Anshu Jamsenpa feted at 7th National Tribal Sports Meet

Keralites celebrate Mandala Puja with great pomp and show A Staff Reporter Naharlagun, Dec 29: The premises of Naharlagun Shiv Temple reverberated with the chant of "Swami Saranam" as hundreds of Ayyappa devotees offered worship during the 'mandala puja', which marked the conclusion of the first phase of the twomonth-long pilgrimage season here recently. The Mandala Puja was organized by the Ayyapa Seva Bhajan Samity of Capital Complex and was celebrated with great pomp and show by the whole of Keralites community residing in the state which was also joined by the local people of the state.

Mandala Puja celebrations continues for a period of 41 days beginning from first day of the Malayalam month of Vrishchikam (November-December) and culminating on eleventh day of Dhanu (December-January). During this period devotees also prefer to make a pilgrimage to the famous shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala in Western Ghat.

Mandala Puja signifies 41

days of austerities which is the essential component of Mandal Puja and are strictly followed by the orthodox and traditional people. The austerities prescribed are stiff for the people who wish to take pilgrimage at Sabarimala shrine on the day of Mandala Puja or the auspicious Makara Sankranti day. Main Mandala puja is conducted on the 41st day after the 1st of Vrichikam. During this period devotees lead a simple and pious life and restrain themselves from indulging in worldly pleasures. The shrine where Lord Ayyappa placed was beautifully decorated in complex of Shiv Temple with lighting all around was another added attraction. A variety of programmes was also conducted within the temple complex during the puja celebrations besides holding bhajan session of Ayyapa Seva Bhajan Samity, vilakku puja, sampoorna Narayaneeyam parayanam by the lady devotees and Gita Chanting by children followed by a community feast.

Awareness camp cum training programme on cultivation of large cardamom

Anshu Jamsenpa feted at 7th National Tribal Sports Meet

A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 29: Mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa returned today from Ranchi after attending the opening ceremony of 7th National Tribal Sports Meet. Organized by Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra from 27th to 31st Dec, the sports extravaganza is being held in Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Mega Sports Complex which is 650 crore multi-disciplinary sports facility spread over 230 acre in the outskirt of Ranchi city.

27 States & union territories who were competing in this mega sports meet to give their best performance and create new national record. 120 athletes screened & selected by Sports Wing of Arunachal Vikash Parishad are participating in this sports meet.

Addressing the gathering as Guest of Honour, Anshu Jamsenpa said that India needs mountaineering & adventure sports policy to give more fillip to the aspiring youths who wants to move ahead in these adventure sports field. She encouraged the 3200 sports persons from

Chief Guest of the function, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram informed that the Center is working on a policy that would provide scholarship for sportspersons on the lines of students in the field of education.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das lit the torch

CM Tuki appreciates three districts A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 29: Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has appreciated the efforts put in by the district administration of Namsai, Kurung Kumey and East Siang Districts for fetching the best performing districts award, during the Digital India Week, which was observed from 1st to 7th July 2015.

Terming this as a rare feat in terms of information technology, CM congratulated the concerned deputy commissioners and the people of the districts for making Arunachal proud by inscripting its name in the digital world.

He also categorically appreciated the efforts of the NIC and DICs for making it possible for this landlocked state to achieve this landmark feat.

Anshu Jamsenpa was also felicitated for her mountaineering achievement in the presence of high dignitaries cheered by a huge gathering of over 40000 audiences in the stadium.

to kick start the event and announced that medal winners at Olympic level would be felicitated with cash award of Rs 2 crore and a Government job.

Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Sudarshan Bagat, RSS General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi, President of Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram Jagdeo Ram Oraon, several MPs and MLAs were also present during the opening ceremony.

Jharkhand Sports & Tourism Minister Amar Kumar Bauri extended invitation to Anshu Jamsenpa & Tsering Wange President of Arunachal Mountaineering & Adventure Sports Association to do a reccee and explore adventure sports avenue in Jharkhand on joint venture basis..

st

131 Foundation Day of Congress observed A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 29: While marking 131st foundation day of Indian National Congress, Congress Legislature Party meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nabam Tuki here on 28th December last.

One of the world's largest and oldest political parties of its kind, the Indian National Congress was founded on December 28, 1885. The Congress led India to Independence in 1947 after a long but remarkably peaceful struggle.

The CLP members led by CM paid rich tribute to the great leaders who sacrificed their lives for the country and the party. The CLP resolved to uphold the party ideologies and strengthen it from all levels.

CLP decided to hold series of rallies and meetings in grass root level right from the block to district and then in the state level to strengthen the INC party.

The rallies would be organised by the district and block units of the INC and would be attended by all the congress legislators.

The rallies and meetings in the block and district level would also witness sensitisation on Arunachal Pradesh state flagship programs which provide optimum benefits to the common masses. CM categorically instructed his congress legislator colleagues to ensure that state flagship programmes like CM's Universal Health Insurance Scheme, CM's Skill Development and Employment Generation Scheme, CM's AgriMechanisation Programme, VIDYA, CM's Girl Child Hygiene Scheme etc. should compulsorily reach and benefit the genuine beneficiaries.

The CLP resolved to work rigorously for the betterment of the state and its people and give them the developmental fruits that have been promised.

Aalo, Dec 29: An awareness camp cum training programme on cultivation of large cardamom was organized by Bharatiya Kisan Sangh at Huhing area of Jomo village under Rumgong Block on 28th Dec. last Inaugurating the programme Kirmar Lona, District Horticulture Officer, West Siang District emphasized of the need to conduct such kind of programme to create awareness among the farmers to actively involved in Horticultural activities and adopt latest technologies to increase the production and productivity of crop and make it number one producer of large cardamom in the state.Damya Lombi, HDO

Rumgong and Henbom Dirchi, HDO (HQ highlighted the importance of cash crop and significance of organic farming in which the participants actively took part in the interactive session. Shri Tangir Talom, President Bharatiya Kisan Sangh Rumgong block requested the Department to help and provide technical guideline for successful implementation of the project and to prepare Scheme for another 500 hectares. The Department Officers inspected the area and fencing work erected by the farmers and the programme was attended by as many as 60(sixty) farmers including women beneficiaries. (DIPRO)

Keralites celebrate Mandala Puja with great pomp and show in Naharlagun.

Inspection by Highway Monitoring Committee Aalo, Dec 29 : The West Siang District Trans Highway Monitoring Committee inspected the ongoing repairing works from Bam tri junction to Logum Jini for which an amount of Rs. I crore have been earmarked by the govt. The committee opined that urgent attention is required at Doke to Bagra, Nigmoi to

Darka village and Sipu Bridge to Hissam Colony.

The President and Secretary of the Committee, Shri Kento Ete and Mito Lollen have expressed their reservations on jungle cutting rather stressed on leveling the big potholes and undulating surfaces that are unfit for travelling.

It may be mentioned that the road is in such a dilapidated condition that many of the commuters take Nyorak wak road to come at Aalo.

The immediate problem is not about repairing the entire stretch of road but maintainance and filling up the hostile potholes commuters are scared of. (DIPRO)

Massive cleanliness drive Carried out on the eve of New Year

MOU signed for setting up of Software Technology Parks of India in Itanagar Contd. from Page 1

In this connection, MOU was signed between STPI represented by Shri Devesh Tyagi, Sr. Director and Dept. of Information Technology, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh represented by Smt. Neelam Yapin Tana , Director, IT in the presence of Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI, Shri Amit Bansal, Addl. Director, STPI and Shri Hano Takka, Deputy Director, Dept. of Information Technology, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh at New Delhi.

For establishment of STPI Centre at Itanagar, State Government is providing 12000 sq. ft. built-up space and 5 acres of land free of cost to STPI. This facility would act as a resource center for IT/ ITeS exporting units by offering infrastructural facilities like ready to use state of art incubation facilities, High Speed Data Communication (HSDC) with uninterrupted data connectivity and other amenities as required for development and export of Software & services. The new facility would be operational within 6 months and stimulate to create direct and indirect employment opportunities for the IT educated masses of this region.

Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) was established during the year 1991 by Ministry of Communications & IT, under Department of Electronics & IT, (The then Department of Electronics) Govt. of India with distinct focus for promotion of IT/ITeS exports from the country by providing single window regulatory services under STP & EHTP schemes, plug & play incu-

bation facilities for the startup companies and young entrepreneurs as well as High Speed Data communication services for a seamless access for offshore IT/ITeS exports.

STPI has been successfully delivering Statutory services to the IT/ITeS industries in most industry friendly environment and has earned the goodwill of the industry for its liberal style of functioning.

Working closely with all the stakeholders STPI has played a key role in creating Brand India and transforming the country as most preferred IT destination.

A fact that is aptly proven by the stupendous growth in exports by STP units from Rs. 54 crores in 1992-93 to a staggering Rs. 2 lakhs 93 thousand Crores in 2014-15.

STPI has also played a phenomenal role in promoting Tier-II/Tier-III cities of the Country. Out of 54 STPI centres, 47 Centres are in Tier-II and Tier-III locations with an objective of an uniform and overall development of IT/ ITES exports across the country. The IT Industry is transitioning from Software Services to Product Development where STPI is set to play a vital role and to meet the requirement of IT Industries in the years to come and is working closely with Govts., Industry, and Academia for promotion of innovation led entrepreneurship and dispersal of IT Industries beyond Metros.

The STPI Centre at Itanagar is a step forward to facilitate and support the dynamic entrepreneurs of the region to explore global opportunity with following goals:

A view of the massive cleanliness drive carried out on the eve of New Year.

Aalo Dec 29: Massive social service was conducted

by Bharat Scoutes and Guides from different schools of Aalo Township as part of Swacchh Bharat Abhiyan on the eve of New Year today. Hundreds of boys and girls started cleaning the roads from entry point to Aalo from Sipu bridge to various

streets of Aalo township.

Under the initiative of popular NGO, the Mothersâ•™ Vision number of social services and awareness were also launched in sectors, colonies and market ares to send the messages of cleanliness before the advent of New Year. The Swacchh Bharat a

Bharatiya Kisan Sangh Organized Awareness cum Training Programme Aalo Dec 29: An awareness camp cum training programme on cultivation of large cardamom was organized by Bharatiya Kisan Sangh at Huhing area of Jomo village under Rumgong Block on 28th Dec. last Inaugurating the programme Kirmar Lona, District Horticulture Officer, West Siang District emphasized of the need to conduct such kind of programme to create awareness among the farmers to actively involved in Horticultural activities and adopt latest technologies to increase the production and productivity of crop and make it number one producer of large cardamom in the state.

Damya Lombi, HDO

Rumgong and Henbom Dirchi, HDO (HQ highlighted the importance of cash crop and significance of organic farming in which the participants actively took part in the interactive session. Shri Tangir Talom, President Bharatiya Kisan Sangh Rumgong block requested the Department to help and provide technical guideline for successful implementation of the project and to prepare Scheme for another 500 hectares. The Department Officers inspected the area and fencing work erected by the farmers and the programme was attended by as many as 60(sixty) farmers including women beneficiaries. (DIPRO)

Abhiyan is gaining momentum in villages too where rules are being framed on loitering of stray animals especially pigs and unhealthy toilets. Pressing four days ban on commercial outlet of IMFL and night petrol among women are healthy sign to contain unwanted elements in the township. (DIPRO)

Houses burnt down to ashes Seppa, Dec 29: Two houses of Dola Tachang & Rustom Tachang burnt down to ashes at Seda (Dollang ) Village under Pijirang circle of East Kameng district Seppa yesterday. The estimated losses run up to 15 lakhs. The Pappu Valley yputh president Narbo Natung provided clothes and utensils to the fire victim.

(DIPRO)

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DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Memorandum submitted by Golaghat district Journalists’ Association ET Correspondent Golaghat, Dec 29: The Golaghat District Journalists’ Association has submitted a memorandum to the honorable railway minister, Suresh Prabhu through Deputy Commissioner of Golaghat regarding the long pending demand of Golaghat people for a stoppage of the Rajdhani Express. The Association has demanded the stoppage of ‘Rajdhani Express’ which plies from Dibrugarh to New Delhi and vice-versa,

at Furkating Junction in Golaghat district. According to the president Apurba Ballabh Goswami.

“Furkating Jn is at a distance of about 7 km from Golaghat Town. Furkating Junction is the only station of the district and majority of passengers disembark and board trains at this Junction. This is the nearest railhead on the Board-Gauge line for the tourists including the foreign tourists visiting the world famous Kaziranga National Park. Besides the above, the

Numaligarh Refinery which is also in the vicinity of Golaghat caters to its staff, officers and inhabitants of the said refinery and everyone has to face immense difficulty for the non-stoppage of the Rajdhani Express.

Due to non-stoppage of Rajdhani Express patients who are suffering from various serious ailments and diseases have to travel about 50 kms towards Mariani or about 70 kms towards Dimapur to board the Rajdhani Express.”

Assam CM claims condition of women better in Assam then BJP ruled states A Staff Reporter Guwahati, Dec 29: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today came out with statistics in BJP-ruled states to claim that the condition of women was better inAssam than in many states, a day after union HRD Minister Smriti Iraniattacked the Congress government in the state over atrocities onwomen.

district on Monday, Irani said 75,000 cases of atrocities against women have been registered in Assam in the last 10 years and that women were not safe in Congress-ruled Assam. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Gogoi said: "The number of women committing suicide in Assam was 1,036 in 2014.

Gogoi said that in 2014, as many as 19,139 cases of atrocities against women were registered in Assam, while BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh registered 28,678 cases of crime against women during the same year. "In Maharashtra, 26,690 cases of crimes against women were registeredin 2014," he said.

The statistics for women's suicides in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat was 3,678, 4,474, and 2,672, respectively, during the same year." "Assam has also done well as far as female literacy, which is 63 percent compared to 52 percent in MP, 62 percent in Gujarat and a mere 45 percent in Rajasthan," Gogoi said. He slammed the BJP

At a public rally in Nalbari

and said the party has been sending union ministers to Assam and other parts of the northeast just for the sake of politics and not for taking up development work.

"Recently, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj came to Assam, and held a meeting with businessmen only. What business does a foreign minister have with businessmen of Guwahati," the chief minister asked.

"I welcome her (Sushma Swaraj's) visit to Assam.

But she should have met with the state government to discuss issues like cross-border infiltration, militant activities in Myanmar and the issue of China building a dam on the Brahmaputra. But she had no time to meet us," he said.

FIR against AIUDF chief ET Correspondent Jorhat, Dec 29: A FIR has been lodged against AIUDF chief Badurudin Ajmal over his communal comment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he said that Modi tasted beef in Pakistan during his recent visit

to Pakistan in a meeting at Jorhat. The case has been lodged by one Jitumoni Borah of Jorhat stating that Modi is purely vegetarian and Hindu by religion. The FIR stated that the comment was to create confusion among the people of the

country. On the other hand, two non-political youths from Jorhat namely Polash Sarma and Udit Baruah had registered a case against Nilomomi Sen Deka for his comment regarding HRD Minister Smriti Irani and PM Narendra Modi.

Altercation at wine shop lands one in jail ET Correspondent Doomdooma , Dec 29 : A altercation created a conflict like situation in a wine shop at Rupai Siding Tinali of Doomdooma.

The incident took place at around 6o'clock evening when a person namely Jayant Moran went to the shop for a bottle of liquor.

According to sources Jayant Moran is said to be a surrendered ULFA who lives at Bidut Bibhag Colony in Rupai Siding.

He was coming back along with his wife after enjoying a New Year eve picnic, on

the way to home he went to the shop for a bottle.

The salesman at the shop asked him to clear the previous balance but the person refused to clear the balance started abusive language which has gathered hundreds of local people to watch the high voltage dram between the liquor salesman and the buyer.

In the meantime the wife of the Jayant Moran asked for the help of the security persons who were patrolling at the NH37.

The staff of the liquor shop alleged before the police

that he(Jayant Moran) had hit him with a brick while the Moran claimed the allegation false and accused the salesmen that he heated him with a filled up liquor bottle on his head.

Later, the staff of the liquor shop was handed over to Doomdooma Police .

Mridul Moran is said to be the owner of the wine shop.

It is noteworthy that the sale of liquor has rising high as English new year is knocking the threshold; the number of picnic revelers has also gone high.

DM to Take Stern Action against Violators of Executive Order Aalo Dec 29: The District administration has serious note of any violation of Executive Order banning illegal fishing in rivers as so many fingerlings have been released in different rivers of West Siang district. The West Siang District Magis-

trate Shri Pige Ligu has assured action in response to a complaint made by West Siang District Socio Economic and Cultural Development Society that fishermen from outside the district are being engaged by the local people to catch fish

thereby indulging in random killing of aquatic animals and dislodging the biodiversity. The administration will began to act tough without giving any further notice to anyone and book all offenders under appropriate section of law.

Congress leader criticizes Modi and his government ET Correspondent Margherita, Dec 29: Margherita Town Mandal Congress Committee President Gautam Baruah Nangia have slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government at the Centre for not being able to control dirty and hate politics to which the BJP leaders and workers have resorted to across the country. Before the 2014 Lok Sabha Polls Prime Minister

Narendra Modi have assured that Acche Din (Happier Days) will come with Minimum Government and Maximum Governance but nothing took place instead prices of essential commodities have gone up, crime have increased, unemployment problem is growing day by day, women and girls are have become unsecured and moreover, black money have not been brought back from foreign banks as promised

by Modi and his party before the last Lok Sabha elections. Even after 1year and 7 months of the NDA rule Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to keep his prepoll promises, Nangia said. On 28 December at Guwahati Rajiv Bhawan BJP goons attacked Congress Workers with Machete and Stones which have killed the democracy of our country and can be Termed as Black Day for Assam, he added.

Arunachal Pradesh BJP denies any role of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 29: The Bharatiya Janata Party Arunachal Pradesh straight way denies any role played by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju as well as central leaderships in the recent political dramas in the state.

How long the people of the state be kept dark and be fooled by the ruling Congress in their factional feuds, which is nothing new in the state. The state has witnessed dramatic turn of the open rivalries since December 24, 2014 which caused to dropping a senior Congress Minister, Kalokho Pul from the Nabam Tuki Government and series of events leading to Dec. 17, 2015 political drama.

The BJP which is a lone opposition party in the state has rightfully played as a constructive and responsible Opposition party in the aftermath of long standing political stalemate in the ruling Congress, due to which people of the state have been badly affected and victimized with the state administration kept standstill and state put to suspense with the state gov-

ernment reduced to acute minority evidenced from the reported boycotts of dissident MLAs. The BJP has taken right step to demand the Nabam Tuki government to prove its strength in the State Assembly rather than becoming media stunt over the strength of the ruling party and the various development funds draining at the hand few hands. With the Forceful Maha Signature Dinner came to limelight following the Speaker accepted resignations of 02 (two) Congress MLAs from trouble thorn Longding and Tirap Districts and subsequently notified their Assemble Constituency vacant on Oct 1, 2015 the numbers in the State Assembly against the Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and Speaker, Nabam Rebia turned 34 out of the 60 Members house, and a government only survives having the confidence of at least 31 MLAs out of 60 Members State Assembly in the parliamentary Democracy. Thus it has became logically that Nabam Tuki Government was reduced to minority in number, and in such a situation it necessary that the incum-

bent government must seek confidence of the Assembly, which is mandatory.

Under such political turmoil, the 11 BJP MLAs with 02 IND MLAs jointly moved impeachment motion for removal of the Speaker as per the constitutional provision, and the State Governor has also to act on his part for the well being of the people and the state. Every incidents and political turns taken place in the ruling Congress has been open before the people of the state. But surprisingly the Congress central leaderships – AICC maintained stoic silence and the dissident MLAs appointment with the AICC President, Madam Sonia Gandhi and Vice President, Rahul Gandhi kept them to wait for 03 Months time as appeared in the Medias, which has established how the AICC has been step-motherly treating the State Congress leaders and their MLAs. Here the Opposition BJP has nothing to do with but the BJP cannot remain silent and silent spectator on the sufferings of the people of the state, so the MLAs have moved the required democratic steps for the

Three arrested in connection with Hetou Chapori attack Mayukh Goswami Mangaldoi, Dec 29: Police today arrested three persons in connection with the case of attacking and seriously injuring one Suklal Mandal besides setting ablaze several huts in No 2 Hetou Chapori under Mangaldai Police Station last afternoon.

They have been identified as Korban Ali , Mohammad Ali and Ali Haidar of No-1 Hetou Chapori . A case has al-

ready been registered by police on the basis of an FIR lodged by Priya Nath Nath of Mahabahu Krishi Samabay Samiti, the united forum of more than 80 indigenous farmers of both Hindu and Muslim community who used to farm in about 600 bighas of land for the last 30 years. It may mentioned here that situation in the river rine area reportedly turned tense since the month of September fol-

lowing erecting of few huts by some unknown families within a night with the alleged evil intention of encroaching the land occupied by the indigenous farmers community. Meanwhile the Darrang district administration with a view to maintaining peaceful atmosphere in the district has organized a meeting inviting representatives of different local public organizations.

public interests and public well being.

It was also surprising that several community organizations and election time political party are the spokespersons of ruling Congress regime and they have forgotten about financial mismanagements, corruption and political instability victimizing the people of the state and hindrance on the development activities.

By virtue of being in the Union Minister in the new Government at Centre, Kiren Rijiju has to attend various development matters of the state and meet and attend people of the state coming down to National Capital including Chief Minister, Nabam Tuki and his council of Ministers including MLAs and Panchayat leaders is good gesture from his part despite pre-occupied with busy schedules being in the most sensitive Ministry for the first time from North East States. The BJP does not have any say for such services rendered to our state on party line as if the previous Congress representatives did. Let there be broad perspective in the public ser-

vices and send out constructive politics to our younger generations too for they have to take over in the future course of national services.

Hence, the BJP did not expected such a raw and remote allegations on Kiren Rijiju alleging his any role in the present Political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh at least at this hour of sorrowful crisis in that family when he has lost his loving brother and must be doing rituals by this time just for petty politics, and appeals all to protect peace and harmony for the larger interest of the state as coming beyond party affiliations also.

Now, therefore the ruling Congress cannot escape from the truth and making their desperate attempts through various means to blame on the opposition with different pretexts and stories. We advise the ruling Congress party to refrain from the unfounded, fabricated and concocted allegations on BJP. The ruling Congress should owe the responsibility for derailing the development process in their infighting for their petty politics and put the state in ransom.

ATASU warns micro finance companies ET Correspondent Golaghat, Dec 29: The Micro finance companies like Ujjiwan, Bandhan, Arohan are mentally harassing the rural Assamesw women.

This allegation has been made by All Tai Ahom Students Union (ATASU), Golaghat district committee. The organisation has alleged that the Micro finance companies are offering loans to set up Women

Self-Help groups in rural areas and the agents of these companies are harassing them in the name of loan interest and installments. The ATASU has warned these companies to do business in accordance and to respect the women of Assam.

The organisation also appealed the Golaghat District Administration to keep an eye on the business of the micro finance companies.

Arunachal witnesses’ history as Chinese truck with exhibits enters India through Pangsau Pass Contd. from Page 1

The director expressed his enthusiasm to provide every possible support in terms of logistics with a hope that it will go a long

way in developing future trade and business among BCIM countries and ASEAN. ADC, Jairampur who looked unhappy with the poor liaisons by representatives of NEFIT with

Burmese Govt. which created undue delay in delivering the exhibits suggested them to involve the Local Administration in future to avoid such circumstances. He assured them of full co-

operation from the Local Administration. The successful arrival of exhibits by road through Stilwell road cultivated a new ray of hope among the people of Changlang that the border trade

through Pangsau pass will be boosted and that international trade, peace, socio-economic development and cooperation will usher among BCIM countries and ASEAN, he added.

DG, Assam Rifles visit bring cheers to troops in South Arunachal Pradesh Contd. from Page 1

They thanked the Director General for all the assistance being provided by the Assam Rifles in the re-

spective areas, epitomizing its very core; ‘Friend of Hill People’. The Director General also visited the exservicemen association at Jagun where he had general

discussion with various veterans. He was also briefed by Brigadier Govind Kalwad, Commander 25 Sector Assam Rifles at Lekhapani on the

existing security situation in South Arunachal Pradesh which has been brought under control by the relentless efforts of Assam Rifles troops in

these areas. The Director General lauded the efforts of Assam Rifles for their commitment and endeavors in ensuring peace and tranquility in the area.

NFR GM completes annual inspection of Tinsukia rly div Contd. from Page 1

construction will be having both ramp and escalator or lift as part of facility for the passengers. On

a question regarding curd and ice cream being denied to passenger of Rajdhani express between Gauhati and Dibrugarh and vice versa despite repeated complaints he as-

sured that the matter will be pursued with the concerned general manager.

On another complaint regarding the parking lot at reservation counter being used largely by commer-

cial vehicle owners for loading and unloading of goods and parking fee collected at New Tinsukia railway station even for persons halting for two minutes to take out lug-

gage from vehicles, Jaggi assured strict action in this regard. The GM said the motto of railway is to increase facilities in the region and the target is being met.

Saffron party trying to bring ‘Goondaraj’ , says Tarun Gogoi Contd. from Page 1

Militant outfit ULFA killed our leaders but never attacked our offices or office of any political party."

The chief minister said, "Diganta Kalita, the right hand man of Himanta Biswa Sarma, was among the BJP workers who were protesting outside Rajiv Bhawan. We have information that the whole thing was

planned. I am even not happy with the police. The inquiry by additional chief secretary VB Pyarelal will ascertain the lapses and motive behind the incident and will bring out if there was any instigation."

Gogoi said the Congress office was attacked with stones and sticks. "Leaders with criminal record are heading the BJP state unit.

BJP are yet to come to

power and see their attitude!

I will not allow goondaraj to happen." He said external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who visited Assam recently, was busy meeting businessmen instead of talking about the problems and issues confronting the state.

"We have problems where declared illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are not accepted by Bangladesh. There are re-

ports of China constructing dams in the upper reaches of Brahmaputra and Northeastern insurgents in Myanmar. She (Swaraj) does not have time to discuss all these issues. Does New Delhi deal only with foreign affairs?" said Gogoi. The chief minister said funds of central universities have been slashed and several higher education institutes are witness-

ing conflicts due to attempts to curb autonomy.

In many IITs there are no professors, he said.

"Model school project is being stopped by NDA government. In Assam women are respected, (HRD minister) Smriti (Irani) must know this. We will give a white paper on the status of Assamese women in comparison to women in other places of the country."

Tripura CPI-M leader, who committed suicide, cremated the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said.He established the Left party's base in Sabroom and adjoining areas and donated his land to build the CPI-M's divisional office in Sabroom, bordering Bangladesh.He is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son.

(Agencies)

The body of veteran CPI-M leader and five-time legislator Sunil Kumar Chowdhury, who committed suicide on Sunday, has been cremated with full state honours

former Tripura assembly deputy speaker, committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Sabroom town on Sunday."His body was cremated with full state honours on late Monday evening at his residence in Sabroom " a south Tripura district administration offi-

Gender, land, labour issues highlight at fest in Kolkata

Meghalaya comes 3rd in Digital India week celebration Shillong, Dec 29: Meghalaya has bagged the third spot among the best performing states in the field of Information Technology (IT) during Digital India Week.

Informing this, PBO Warjri said that the State has performed well in 2015 in the field of Information Technology (IT).Chhattisgarh got the top spot followed by Himachal Pradesh.Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi

cial said. Sabroom is in southern Tripura and 140 km from here.Chowdhury joined the Left party in 1953 at the age of 25. He was elected to the state assembly five times since 1962 and became deputy speaker of the Tripura assembly in 1993, a statement issued by

Chowdhury, a former Tripura assembly deputy speaker, committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in Sabroom town. His body was cremated with full state honours at his residence in Sabroom.

Agartala, Dec 29: The body of veteran CPI-M leader and five-time legislator Sunil Kumar Chowdhury, who committed suicide on Sunday, has been cremated with full state honours, official said here on Monday.According to police, Chowdhury, 85, a

Kolkata, Dec 29: In its third year, the Kolkata People's Film Festival (KPFF) beginning here on January 22, 2016 will feature a retrospective of the works of veteran feminist documentary filmmaker Deepa Dhanraj, organisers said on Tuesday. KPFF is a people-funded, 'free entry' film festival held by West Bengal-based film society People's Film Collective. The fest is a part of 'Cinema of Resistance' movement.

Dhanraj will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural. Four of her documentaries including "Kya Hua is Shahar Ko?" and "The Advocate" will be screened. Other themes of the fest are documentaries on land and labour issues, structural violence, memory and justice, young adults as well as three feature length fiction films ("Court", "Mor Thengary" and "Chauthi Koot"). Controversial documentary "Caste on the Menu Card" is another highlight of the cinematic gala. Guest speakers include filmmakers and activists Iffat Fatima, Ajay T G, Subasri Krishnan, Meghnath, Tarun Mishra. The event will run till January 24 at the Jogesh Mime Academy. (Agencies)

Shankar Prasad handed over the awards to the winners on Monday.Speaking on the occasion, Prasad announced that India Post will launch its payment bank by March 2017.

As many as 40 international financial conglomerates, including World Bank and Barclays, have shown interest to partner with Postal Department for the payment bank, Prasad said.The Reserve Bank granted in-principle ap-

proval to 11 applicants, including Postal Department, in August to set up payments banks.

The Union Minister also announced the launch of free incoming all over the country by MTNL from next year.It may be reminded that the Central government launched the Digital India Week on July 1 and that the Meghalaya Government will be observing the Digital India Week from July 2-7. (Agencies)

LBCD youth department organizes 'Carnival'

Cafeteria at the carnival Dimapur ,Dec 29:Youth department of Lotha Baptist Church Dimapur, has organized a two day 'Carnival' starting from December 28 at the church premises, Monday to raise funds for church building.The carnival was focused at providing a healthy atmosphere for the youths by creating

avenues for both recreation and talent grooming. Various activities including photography, musical play, talent hunt, minute to win it, literary competition, xfactor and carnival games were underway.Executives of the youth department disclosed that there will be photography competition

where a panel of judges will choose from a wide array of photos taken during the carnival by the participating photographers.

One special attraction of the carnival was the talent hunt where anyone can participate by singing, dancing or playing a musical piece from any musical instrument.Day two of the carnival will begin at 3 p.m. with the carnival games after which the talent hunt will begin at 5 p.m.Prize distribution for all the competition will commence after the talent show, said the organizers. The carnival is open to all and the organizers have invited youth from in and around Dimapur to participate and also have a good time of fellowship. (Agencies)

Kharge mocks UP govt., says cannot get a cup of tea with such money Bengaluru, Dec. 29: Mocking theUttar Pradesh Government for distributing cheques of Rs. 23 to Rs.100 to farmers as compensation in drought-hit Banda District, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said even a cup of tea is unavailable with that amount of money. "What is the value of this much money, you don't even get a cup of tea. Compensation should be fix as per acre. So, that it is decided that this much money should be given, not 14 Rs or 15 Rs," Kharge told here. "There are norms in Central government and in state government. While distributing the cheque or while assessing the crop damage or the farmers' crop loss, they should thoroughly check and minimum compensation should be given and not like this.

Norms should be changed.

Uttar Pradesh government must have checked before

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge distributing the cheque.

They should at least give a cheque of 500 or thousand rupees," he added Echoing similar sentiments, Congress leader P.L. Punia said that the meagre amount that was being distributed as compensation to the already suffering farmers in the drought-hit Bundelkhand region was an insult to them. "The compensation that is being provided in the drought-hit Bundelkhand region is an

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DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

insult to the farmers. What kind of compensation is being provided by giving cheques of Rs.75 and Rs.100? The farmers should receive sufficient and adequate compensation, either from the state or from the central government, Punia told. On Monday, the Banda District administration distributed cheques ranging from Rs.23 to

Rs.100 as compensation to the farmers. The farmers went to the office of the District Magistrate and expressed their anger, shouting slogans for the dismissal of the former. The farmers also said that the amount that would be spent to encash the cheques would be more than the compensation that was given to them. (ANI)

"What is the value of this much money, you don't even get a cup of tea. Compensation should be fix as per acre.

So, that it is decided that this much money should be given, not 14 Rs or 15 Rs,"- Says Mallikarjun Kharge

W-Bengal polls: Mamata shows weakening signs Kolkata, Dec 29: With the West Bengal assembly election a few months away, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is showing signs of weakening, which may ultimately tell upon her grand concept of a federal front at the national level. Several factors, the most important of them being the CBI's suddenly speeded up investigation into the Saradha chit fund case, have led to an uncomfortable situation where names of either some TMC functionaries or some other personalities known to be close to the party are now coming to the fore.

It must, however, be admitted that investigations are going on under orders from the Supreme Court and it is not the time for making any comment on the case. But the CBI's recent cross-examination of Shankudev Panda, one of the general secretaries of the TMC, did result in knee-jerk reactions from the party. Within a very short time after Shankudev's deposition, he was removed from all the positions he held in the party and the rank and file has been asked not to maintain any contact with him.

The media in Kolkata is speculating that Shankudev has taken names of some big wigs in his deposition to the CBI. The TMC has, however, advanced this argument: Shankudev has been removed to facilitate investigations. Then why did'nt the

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee party removes Madan Mitra, a TMC bigwig, from the position of a minister when he was sent to jail? No answer is forthcoming. It is, however, reliably learnt that except for Kunal Ghosh, a jailed MP, no other person has taken Banerjee's name as a beneficiary of the Saradha scam. But the alleged involvements of some of her partymen have certainly weakened Mamata's so long unquestioned hold over her party. Recently she took the initiative to patch up with Mukul Roy, an estranged general secretary, who still enjoys some amount of influence in the party. From Banerjee's side, there was no urgent need for this. Both the BJP and the Congress had publicly expressed their reservations about admitting Roy into their fold. Then there is the case of Subhendu Adhikary, the party MP who had organized the opposition to the CPI-M led administration in

Nandigram. Adhikari was known to be extremely peeved as Banerjee had taken away the responsibility of TMC's youth wing from him and handed it over to her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. Banerjee was so unnerved about Adhikary that she has recently been forced to declare that the latter would become a minister in the event of a Trinamul victory in the coming election. Sources point out that Banerjee has become a bit shaky although she is confident of victory in the coming poll.

But there is a murmur of disapproval within some influential MPs of the Trinamul Congress about Banerjee's overdrive for forming a federal front at the national level. Interestingly Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is being uniformly favoured by almost all sections of the TMC as an ally at the national level, while the least acceptance remains for Lalu Prasad and

Thousands bid adieu to Friday Lyngdoh

Thousands bid farewell to to Friday Lyngdoh Shillong, Dec 29: Thousands of people on Monday paid homage to veteran Congress leader and former Minister Friday Lyngdoh who was laid to rest.

Lyngdoh, 87, who passed away on Thursday last, represented erstwhile Mawkhar (now North Shillong) constituency in the State Assembly.A sea of humanity gathered near Lyngdoh's house at Mawkhar to bid adieu to the popular leader, who had headed Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).People from all

walks of life, including public representatives and government officials, paid homage to Lyngdoh by laying wreaths on his coffin. Prominent among them were the MPCC president and Advisor to the State government

DD Lapang, Home Minister Roshan Warjri, WHD Syngkon, Mawkhar headman etc.Sports Minister Zenith Sangma attended the funeral ceremony on behalf of his brother Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.The Chief Minister could not make it to the funeral ceremony due to ill health, Zenith later informed.On behalf of the Chief Minister, Zenith read out the condolence message which said that Lyngdoh was a leader accessible to all.Lapang read the message of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, which recalled the contributions of Lyngdoh for the welfare of the people of the state.Later, his mortal remains were taken to the Mawkhar Presbyterian Church before being laid to rest at Mawkhar cemetery. (Agencies)

A sea of humanity gathered near Lyngdoh's house at Mawkhar to bid adieu to the popular leader, who had headed Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee

Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Some TMC bigwigs are still not prepared to forget Mualayam Singh Yadav's somersault at the time of the last presidential election. It is also being generally felt in the TMC that Banerjee is still not mature enough for making political moves at the national level. In her own estimation Mamata is prepared to write off the BJP's prospects in the next election, an appraisal many of her party members are now not (rpt not) prepared to share. In the 2014 parliamentary election, the BJP had got nearly 17 percent votes and though its fortunes mostly plummeted in subsequent local body elections. Yet, two factors might infuse fresh vigour into it: selection of a hard core organizational man named Dilip Ghosh as the state party president and making Rupa Ganguly of "Draupadi" fame incharge the state BJP's women's wing. Already, the BJP has started various agitational programmes. The Congress, with its shrinking electoral base, may not pose any problems for the TMC. But the proceedings of the CPI-M plenum will be of interest to Banerjee.

Party sources aver that her recent decision to meet Sonia Gandhi at Delhi was primarily meant to forestall any possibility of the Congress and the Left bloc coming close to each other.

(Agencies)

14-year-old girl allegedly gang-raped

by Armymen on Howrah-Amritsar Express Madhupur, Dec 29: A minor girl alleged that two Army jawans raped her on Monday inside a compartment of the Howrah-Amritsar Express, after being compelled to consume alcohol by a third jawan, an RPF official said here. The 14-year-old girl, in her statement to the RPF, said that she had boarded the train from Howrah Junction. In the train compartment, she alleged that she was first forced to drink alcohol by a jawan and then raped by two others, according to RPF sub-inspector P Jani.

He said, they got a message from RPF Howrah, which received a complaint from the girl's father that his daughter has allegedly 'fled' and travelling by the train.

After receiving message, RPF raided the train when it reached Madhupur railway station. It was searched thoroughly and the girl was found from the compartment, the official said, adding that a jawan, who had forced her to drink liquor, was arrested. The other two accused were absconding, he said. The girl had been sent to a hospital for a medical test. (Agencies)

4 villagers hurt in Ukhrul police firing Imphal ,Dec 29: Four villagers, including a mother and her son, were injured when police commandos opened fire to control an angry crowd inside the complex of the 3rd IRB posted at Kasom Khullen village under Ukhrul district, Manipur last night. According to reports, the incident took place around 7:00pm. S Simreibul, 30, and her 13 year old son have been undertaking medical treatment at Shija Hospital here. The other two injured are being treated at the Jawarharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sci-

ences (JNIMS), Imphal.

The condition of the woman is reported to be serious.-Earlier, a skirmish ensued between some personnel, including police commandos attached with the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) post, and a group of people in Somarei village under Saikul constituency on the intervening night of December 25 26.Reports informed that the commandos and IRB personnel misbehaved with some village girls during the Christmas celebration when the skirmish was taking place.A

villager was picked up by the personnel from the post on December 27 and he was later allegedly thrown out of a police vehicle near the village area. Enraged, a large number of people from Somarei and its surrounding areas stormed the IRB post, resulting in a violent standoff over the incident.The angry protesters demanded that all personnel involved in the incident be punished. The post commander was injured when one of the protesters reportedly attacked him with a club during the confrontation.

The IRB personnel then opened fire in their attempt to control the mob.

Meanwhile, Somarei villagers blocked the Kasom Khullen road since early Monday morning in protest against the firing and the earlier incident. They demanded that the IRB personnel and commandos should be punished and their post also be removed immediately. Official sources said Saikul MLA Yamthong Haokip visited the village and took stock of the situation. A tense atmosphere still prevailed in the village, sources informed. (Agencies)

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

PAGE 6

'Drama' creating Samajwadi Party must apologise for Dadri communal faux pax New Delhi, Dec. 29: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh of creating unnecessary hype and communal tension through the recent Dadri lynching incident. The BJP response was to an enquiry by the U.P. Veterinary department that revealed that the meat over which Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched on September 28 was mutton. What was recovered from the house of the lynching victim in Dadri was not beef, but meat of "goat progeny," a preliminary inquiry by the Uttar Pradesh Veterinary Department has found. The

Pune Police arrests two for Pune Infosys campus rape Pune, Dec.29: Two Pune Infosys campus employees were arrested on Tuesday in connection with an alleged rape of a woman.

The victim, who works as a cashier at the Infosys phase 1 campus canteen, was allegedly raped on December 27 by two housekeepers. An FIR has been lodged against the two and the police is investigating the matter.

According to reports, one of the two accused had raped the woman in the lavatory while the other captured the scene on mobile. The accused had also threatened the victim not to inform others about the incident else they would make the clips public. (ANI)

Seven lose vision after cataract surgery at Rajkot's charitable hospital

Seven people lost vision after undergoing cataract surgeries

New Delhi, Dec. 29: Seven people lost vision on Tuesday after undergoing cataract surgeries at a charitable hospital in Rajkot, Gujarat. The reason for the mishap is yet to be deciphered. The laboratory and the operation theatre of the hospital have been sealed to gather reports of a possible infection. The reports would be received after three days, and only then can a conclusion be reached over the reason of the botched up surgery.

(ANI)

"mutton sample" has now been sent to the forensic laboratory in Mathura for 'final diagnosis,' the UPVD report said. BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh said,"The Samajwadi party from day one wanted to politicize the whole issue.

Now, the truth has emerged from the forensic test. Therefore, the Samajwadi Party should apologise not only to Mohammad Akhlaq's family, but also to the people of Uttar Pradesh for creating this drama and this hype of communal violence." "The BJP has said from the very beginning that mob lynching had happened. An unfortunate incident has

filed last week against 15 persons, including Vishal Rana and Shivam, son and nephew of local BJP leader Sanjay R a n a .

Vishal and Shivam allegedly spread the rumour that resulted in the mob attack on Akhlaq's house.

Mohammad Akhlaq, 52,

BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh happened. Culprits who have done this, those who have spread this rumour they need to be arrested rather than looking at it through forensic evidence, whether the meat belongs to a goat or a

cow," he added. The report has come less than a week after the Gautambudh Nagar Police charged 15 people, including a minor, in this case. The report is now part of the charge sheet

was beaten to death on September 28 in Bisahra village in Dadri District by a mob infuriated by rumours that he and his family were eating beef. Akhlaq's son Mohammad Danish, who was also beaten up, and is recuperating from his injuries.(ANI)

"The Samajwadi party from day one wanted to politicize the whole issue.

Now, the truth has emerged from the forensic test. Therefore, the Samajwadi Party should apologise not only to Mohammad Akhlaq's family, but also to the people of Uttar Pradesh for creating this drama and this hype of communal violence."

Subramaniam is compromising his position: Justice (Retd.) Sodhi New Delhi, Dec.29: Justice (Retd.)R.S. Sodhi on Tuesday lashed out at former solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam for seeking best officers from the Centre in the DDCA scam probe and said that the latter is merely compromising his position and drawing power from a totally illegal notification. "I think Gopal Subramaniam is merely compromising his position. He is drawing his power from a totally

illegal notification. Let the governments fight. Why should you become part to it?" Sodhi told . "Gopal Subramaniam has no power to write this letter to NSA Doval. He is merely compromising his position. Commission is a non-starter and has no legal sanctity. This is not what I expected from Gopal Subramaniam," he added. Subramaniam had earlier written to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval asking for man

power to investigate the Aam Aadmi Party-alleged irregularities in the DDCA during Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's tenure as president of the body.

Subramaniam has asked for five men each from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Delhi Police to constitute a Special Investigative Team (SIT) that would investigate the matter further. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier hit

Justice (Retd.)R.S. Sodhi out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and demanded his apology after a three-member report on the alleged DDCA

PM Modi inaugurates National Conference of SC/ST entrepreneurs

scam did not mention Jaitley's name. The report of the three-member Enquiry Commission set up by the Delhi Government to probe the affairs of the DDCA does not mention Jaitley's name. The 247page document points to issues relating to the reconstruction of the Kotla stadium like alleged irregularities in the construction of corporate boxes, but does not speak of any financial embezzlement during Jaitley's tenure. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi, Dec.29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated National Conference of Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes entrepreneurs in the national capital. "We all know Baba Saheb as the man behind our constitution, but not many know him as a master economist," he said. The conference is being organised by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), on the occa-

sion of 125th birth anniversary of father of the Indian constitution Dr B R Ambedkar. The programme, which is being conducted to seek the support from the Centre in promoting entrepreneurship among Dalits, is being attended by more than 1200 Dalit entrepreneurs. Prime Minister Modi has initiated several measures to boost entrepreneurship among youth, and especially among Dalits.

(ANI)

'Time for print media to strike back': Jaitley

SC upholds Kerala Govt.'s liquor policy New Delhi, Dec. 29: The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Kerala government's policy restricting the sale and consumption of liquor at the bars in five star hotels only and rejecting other hotels serving liquor at bars. The verdict came on a batch of petitions from liquor bar owners, challenging a judgment of the Kerala high court upholding the state's new liquor policy to close down all liquor bar hotels except those in the five-star classification. "The appeals of the

Advocate VK Biju bar owners have been dismissed by the Supreme Court. By dismissing the appeals, the Supreme Court clearly held that the five percentage taken by the Kerala

government for the rehabilitation of the workers is doubtful and therefore the workers can approach the high court of Kerala and Supreme Court," advocate VK Biju told. "It also pointed out that the workers if at any point they are suffering it is a clear violation of their livelihood," he added. Kerala government has defended its liquor policy contending that pursuant to the Kerala high court judgment of March 31, only 24 five-star hotels in Kerala have the licence

to serve Indian-made foreign liquor as the annual licence of other hotels expired on March 31.

The high court had also upheld the policy allowing the 300-dd bar hotels, to be closed for the sale of liquor, to run as beer parlours. The state said it had not made any classification of hotels at all.

The policy has only prescribed the qualification to serve liquor, only five star hotels can do so. The liquor policy restricting the sale and consumption of liquor at the bar benefitted 24 five-star hotels in the state and it was upheld by the Kerala High Court on March 31.

(ANI)

"Only 24 five-star hotels in Kerala have the licence to serve Indianmade foreign liquor as the annual licence of other hotels expired on March 31"

The whole world is united against the Islamic State: Abu Bakr Washington D.C, Dec 28: The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is mocking at the coalition against it. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria finds itself under growing pressure on several fronts, facing battlefield setbacks in both countries. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State, has warned of difficult times ahead, saying 'the whole world' is united against the Islamic State. The problems for ISIS are multiplying as Iraqi security forces are on the verge of clearing the center of Ramadi, the largest city

paign shifting to include ISIS targets and France stepping up airstrikes on Raqqa reports. In northern Iraq, ISIS is also struggling to keep open supply lines into Mosul, after the capture by Kurdish Peshmerga in November whereas in Syria, the US backed Kurdishled SDF (Syrian DemoThe Islamic State in Iraq and Syria finds itself under growing pressure on several fronts

in Anbar province which the terror group seized in May. Iraqi military officials report that ISIS has abandoned government buildings it occupied in the heart of the city. ISIS

claimed that 'conspiring' against them has grown since the bomb attack on the Russian Metrojet airliner and the terror attacks in Paris, with the Russian air cam-

cratic Forces) threatens to further erode 'ISIS' access to the Turkish border through the town of Manbij. Further east, ISIS' oil fields and refining capacity around Deir ez-Zor have been severely damaged by months of airstrikes, reducing its revenues and fuel supplies.(ANI)

"The problems for ISIS are multiplying as Iraqi security forces are on the verge of clearing the center of Ramadi, the largest city in Anbar province which the terror group seized in May."

Farooqui slams UP Govt. for mocking farmers' plight New Delhi, Dec.29: Former Samajwadi Party (SP) leaderKamal Farooqui on Tuesday lashed out at the Samajwadi Party ledUttar Pradesh Government, saying that the state government was mocking at the plight of the farmers by distributing cheques of Rs. 23 to Rs.100 as compensation

in drought-hit Banda District. "We were thinking that the Samajwadi Party would make Uttar Pradesh an 'Uttam Pradesh' but that is not the case. By distributing cheques of Rs.23 to Rs.100, they are mocking at the plight of the poor farmers who are already in distress," Farooqui told. Echoing

similar sentiments, Congress leader P.L. Punia said that the meagre amount that was being distributed as compensation to the already suffering farmers in the droughthit Bundelkhand region was an insult to them. "The compensation that is being provided in the drought-hit Bundelkhand region is an insult to the farmers. What

kind of compensation is being provided by giving cheques of Rs.75 and Rs.100? The farmers should receive sufficient and adequate compensation, either from the state or from the central government, Punia told. On Mondqay the Banda District administration distributed cheques ranging from Rs.23 to Rs.100 as

compensation to the farmers. The farmers went to the office of the District Magistrate and expressed their anger, shouting slogans for the dismissal of the former. The farmers also said that the amount that would be spent to encash the cheques would be more than the compensation that was given to them. (ANI)

Union Information and Broadcasting MinisterArun Jaitley

New Delhi, Dec. 29: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that the print media needs to strike back as the dividing line between facts and opinions has become very blur. Jaitley, who was speaking at the release of 59th Annual Report on Print Media 'PRESS IN INDIA', pointed out that India is an exception to the worldwide trend of decline in print media. "Why do print media continue to grow in India? As there are two types of print media in the country; one is national and other one

the regional print media," he said. "The print media has an opportunity to bring clear facts to the reader, amidst explosion of electronic media," he added. Jaitley also said the report showed that magazine journalism is growing and gathering its strength in the nation.

"The written word continues to be powerful; print media continues to grow in India at 5.80 percent in 2014-'15. In today's age, consumer of news has to discern the truth from differing viewpoints and versions of news," he added.

(ANI)

"The print media has an opportunity to bring clear facts to the reader, amidst explosion of electronic media,"

UGC asks all universities to ensure online admission system New Delhi, Dec. 29: The University Grants Commission (UGC) asked all universities to ensure having online admission system from the next academic session.

UGC chairman Ved Prakash has asked all universities to give top priority to put in place an online admission system for all programmes and sought details of the progress made by them in this regard. In a letter to vice chancellors of various universities,

Prakash said the progress achieved by the varsities in implementing the online admissions will be reviewed in a meeting scheduled for early next month. The UGC chairman said, establishing online admission system will not only ensure greater efficiency but also promote transparency in the functioning of the institutions. He added that it would help students and parents in making informed choices. (ANI)

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

China launches 'most sophisticated' observation satellite Gaofen-4 Pakistan executes four Beijing , Dec 29: China today successfully launched its "most sophisticated" observation satellite, Gaofen-4, as part of the country's high-definition earth observation project. Gaofen-4 was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket. It was the 222th flight of the Long March rocket series, the

State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) said.

Gaofen-4 is China's first geosynchronous orbit HD optical imaging satellite and the world's most sophisticated HD geosynchronous orbit remote sensing satellite, Xu Dazhe, head of SASTIND and China National Space Administration said. Different from Gaofen-1 and Gaofen-2 in low orbits

Gaofen-4 was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre i

(600-700 km) around the earth, Gaofen-4 is located at the orbit 36,000 kilometers away from the earth and moves synchronously with the earth. It can "see" an oil tanker on the sea with a huge CMOS camera, reaching the best imaging level among global highorbit remote sensing satellites, Li Guo, chief designer of Gaofen-4 said. The successful launch of Gaofen-4 was the 19th space mission in this year. It will be used

for disaster prevention and relief, surveillance of geological disasters and forest disasters, and meteorologic forecast, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Tong Xudong, the chief designer of the Gaofen project with SASTIND as saying. The Gaofen project aims to launch seven high-definition observation satellites before 2020. Gaofen-1, the first satellite of the project, was launched in April 2013.

(Agencies)

Desertification in China 'Overseas funds' fuelling terrorism in Indonesia reduced over past few Jakarta, Dec 29:Over- individuals, including a overseas funds were de- Hodayatullah, who was seas fund transfers into man initialled L, who col- tected only after they arrested on Dec 23, had years: Research Indonesia allegedly linked lected the funds from were invested in busi- received funds from Syria Beijing ,Dec 29: Desertified and sandified lands have shrunk over the past few years in China, the authorities said today, noting that despite the progress these remain serious issues for the country. By the end of 2014, there was 2.61 million square kms of desertified area in China, about 27 per cent of the whole territory, down 12,120 square kms from a previous survey in 2009, research by the State Forestry Administration showed. China has been monitoring desertification and sandification every five years since 1995. By the end of 2014, there was 1.72 million square kilometers of sandified land, about 17.93 per cent of the national territory, down 9,902 square kilometers from 2009, it said. It was in 2004 that desertified

areas started to reduce.

Despite the notable progress, the monitoring results also indicate that desertification and sandification are still a serious matter, Zhang Jianlong, head of the administration said.

Launched in January last year, this fifth monitoring survey combines land surface data with satellite remote-sensing technology, and is expected to inform policy-making. Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. Desertification is caused by a variety of factors, including climate change. Sandification refers to the coarsening process of the land surface after fine particles are lost to erosion. (Agencies)

to terrorism last year and this year amounted to well over 10 billion rupiah (S$1 million), of which about six billion rupiah was from Australia, said Mr Agus Santoso, deputy head of PPATK, which is Indonesia's anti-moneylaundering agency.The money was used to help finance the living costs of widows and families of slain terrorists, buy weapons from the southern Philippines, fund paramilitary training, and promote violent ideology by way of gatherings and discussions."Many to a few, a few to a few, and a few to many," Mr Agus said, referring to the few

many individuals in Australia, and then transferred the money to a few foundations in Indonesia which, in turn, distributed the money to many individualThe total number of money transfers suspected for terrorism-related purposes had been 13 since last year, and PPATK had reported them to Indonesian anti-terror Detachment 88 for followup."What PPATK is doing is to follow the money, helping Detachment 88 to map out who in what networks," Mr Agus told the media after the agency held a year-end press conference in its office in Jakarta yesterday.Some

after the issue was raised by Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Sehar Kamran. Welcoming the visit, Rabbani said the meeting could have taken place at the Governor House instead of Jati Umra. Earlier, PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar had suggested the Senate should raise its voice against the overstepping of institutions into other domains.

(ANI)

but police had not been able to prove this yet. Arif was arrested in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, with an Uighur national who was ready to be a suicide bomber in an attack planned for this month .Two bomb-makers in Arif's cell escaped a police raid and are now on the loose with ready-touse bombs. Since the middle of this month, police have arrested seven suspects in Java from cells linked to ISIS, and four others from one linked to the Jemaah Islamiah terror network, responsible for several major attacks in Indonesia. (Agencies)

Protest rally near Khaleda's Gulshan house

Sartaj Aziz to brief Pak Senate on PM Modi's surprise visit Karachi, Dec. 29: Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz has been summoned by the Senate chairman to brief lawmakers on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to the country and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif's trip to Afghanistan. Senator Raza Rabbani asked Aziz to take lawmakers into confidence on Modi's visit

nesses in Indonesia, said Mr Agus said. "They approached local entrepreneurs with existing business, became their partner, managed to grow the business faster and used the profits to finance terrorism," he said.Fund transfers were also instrumental in financing the trips of Indonesians going to Syria to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), said terrorism analyst Adhe Bahkti. He said these types of transactions had mostly not been detected by PPATK. Police spokesman Inspector General Anton Charliyan told a recent media briefing that terrorist Arif

Protest near Khaleda's Gulshan house

Dhaka, Dec 29: Several hundred members of different pro-liberation organisations have been demonstrating on Gulshan 2 intersection in the capital protesting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's controversial remarks on the number of 1971 martyrs.Sources said they flocked to the intersection around 10am Tuesday as Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee had announced to lay siege Khaleda's Gulshan residence.Martyrs' family members and mem-

bers from Muktijoddha Sangsad Command moved towards Khaleda's house as well, but police barred them there.Afterwards, they stayed on the intersection and started chanting slogans against the BNP chief.When contacted, Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee leader Shahriar Kabir said Khaleda would have to make an apology to the nation for making disputed statement over the number of 1971 martyrs.Meanwhile, police have taken necessary

security initiatives on the intersection to avoid any unwanted incident. The surrounding roads remained blocked since the morning.Today's protest appeared within three days after Prime Minister's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy on Saturday urged upon the countrymen to stage protests in front of Khaleda's house over her remarks.On the other hand, State Minister for Post and Telecommunication Tarana Halim urged the government to enact a law so that none can make such comment in the future.Shahriar Kabir, Shammilito Sanskritik Jote

president Nasir Uddin Yusuf Bacchu, and war heroine Ferdousi Priyobhashini demanded the government to file sedition case against Khaleda for the remarks.BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on December 21 in a party programme expressed her doubt over how many people were killed during the country's Liberation War in 1971. She also termed the figure as disputed.Her comment came only a few days after Pakistan denied the atrocities they had done in Bangladesh during the nine-month-long bloody war. (Agencies)

Several hundred members of different pro-liberation organisations have been demonstrating on Gulshan 2 intersection in the capital protesting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's controversial remarks on the number of 1971 martyrs

Myanmar woman jailed for Facebook post Sartaj Aziz

Sri Lanka PM appoints committee to seek public opinion constitutional reforms Colombo, Dec 29: Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a 24-member committee consisting of representatives from political parties and civil societies to seek public opinion on the proposed constitutional reforms.The committee will be chaired by Attorney Lal Wijenayake and include President's Counsel Faizer Mustapha, Professor Gamini Samaranayake and Professor AM Navaratne Bandara and M.L.A. Cader, among others.The Prime Minister's office said the PM has granted approval to the committee to seek

public opinion and accordingly, the committee is expected to visit across the island and seek oral and written submissions from the public.

A report on the public's opinion and recommendations will be handed to a Cabinet Sub Committee on Constitutional Reforms.Prime Minister Wickremesinghe will move a resolution in Parliament when it reconvenes after holidays on January 9 to convert the House into a Constitutional Assembly. The resolution will set in motion the process of making Sri Lanka's third Constitution in the place of the 1978 Constitution. (Agencies)

Yangon, Dec 29 : A woman in Myanmar has been jailed for six months after she was charged with making fun of the country's military in a Facebook post, a media report said. Chaw Sandi Tun was arrested in October this year for her Facebook post, which compared the colour of the army chief's uniform with a longyi (sarong)

worn by Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy party. "If you love mother that much, why don't you wrap mother's longyi on your head," Chaw's post read.The political activist was sentenced under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, which bans defamation and 'disturbing'

people.According to Chaw's lawyer, she denied writing the post saying her account had been hacked.Chaw said earlier a doctored image of Aung Suu Kyi was shared on Facebook and the wife of the country's information minister Ye Htut was one of the people who shared it."If they found me guilty, Ye Htut's wife is also," Chaw said in her de-

fence. Myanmar was ruled by a military junta since the 1962 military coup. In 2011, the military announced gradual political reforms to pave the way for a civil government.Despite signs of freedom such as the recent general elections, Myanmar remains restricted and the military retains power.

(Agencies)

Obama invites Modi, Sharif to Washington next year Karachi, Dec. 29: US President Barack Obama has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to attend the Nuclear Security Summit from March 31 to April 1 next year inWashington. There has been no official announcement regarding the invitation as yet.The conference would offer the first planned opportunity of 2016 to carry forward bilateral ties between India and Pakistan

Barack Obama invites PM Modi, Nawaz Sharif to Washington next year

which have seen some icy lows and relative heights this year.The fourth Nuclear Security Summit

had been announced by Obama during the previous edition of the moot in 2014. (ANI)

US President Barack Obama has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to attend the Nuclear Security Summit from March 31 to April 1 next year in Washington

terrorists for attack on army school Islamabad, Dec 29: Four terrorists were executed in Pakistan for their involvement in last year's Army Public School attack in Peshawar, a media report said today. Terrorists Noor Saeed, Murad Khan, Innayatullah andIsraruddin were executed in Kohat central jail for their involvement in December 16, 2014, school attack that left at least 150 people, mostly children, dead.The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant group was responsible for the carnage at the Army Public School in Peshawar, the provincial capital of K h y b e r Pakhtunkhwa.Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif signed the

death warrants of the terrorists who were convicted for "slaughtering, suicide bombing, abduction for ransom and funding terrorists organisations", an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.Earlier this month, four terrorists involved in the school attack were hanged at a civil jail here.In wake of the APS carnage, military courts were set up to try terrorists under National Action Plan (NAP) which was approved by all the political parties of Pakistan against terrorism.A total of 637 terrorists have been killed and 710 arrested after the Pakistani authorities launched the National Action Plan. (Agencies)

Four terrorists were executed in Pakistan for their involvement in last year's Army Public School attack in Peshawar

Top Chinese university President sentenced to life for graft Beijing, Dec 29 : A former president of a top Chinese university was sentenced to life in prison today for bribery and embezzlement of public funds. Zhou Wenbin was found guilty of accepting cash and gifts worth over USD 3.24 million from companies and school staff while serving as president of East China Geological Institute and Nanchang University between 2002 and 2013, a statement from the Intermediate People's Court of Nanchang city.In return, Zhou helped the companies win project bids and procurement contracts and helped

school staff gain promotions, the statement said.He was also convicted of embezzling about USD 10 million of public funds from Nanchang University in Jiangxi province, staterun Xinhua news agency reported.Zhou, 55, became president of Nanchang University, the top university in the province, in late 2002.He was arrested in 2013.Thousands of officials were either punished or faced probes in the massive anti-corruption drive launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping after he took over the leadership. PTI KJV NSA. (Agencies)

Water Board union calls off strike after meeting with Minister Colombo,Dec 29: The trade union action launched by the National Water Supply Trade Union Joint Federation was called off this morning after the union has given assurances that their demands would be met.Minister of Town Planning and Water Supply, Rauf Hakeem met with the representatives of the Water Supply Trade Union United Front this morning to discuss the employees' bonus issue.Trade Union Alliance convener Upali Ratnayake said the island

wide strike that was launched Saturday to protest the slashing of their annual bonus was called off after Minister Hakeem assured to issue a circular to provide them Rs. 37,500 as their annual bonus.The union launched a token strike Saturday and the workers refrained from engaging in any maintenance activity, office work or consumer activity from 9 am to 12 noon Monday.

They threatened to boycott work from 9 am - 12 noon today as well.(Agencies)

Asia's largest underground railway station to open in China Beijing, Dec 29: Asia's largest underground railway station will open on Wednesday in the China's Shenzhen city, enabling high-speed trains to slash the travel time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong to half an hour.The Futian Highspeed Railway Station covers a total area of 147,000 sq. metres, or the size of about 21 football fields, the People's Daily reported on Tuesday.Its three underground floors are installed with more than 1,200 seats, allowing 3,000 passengers to wait simulta-

neously, according to Guangzhou Railway Corporation, which operates the station. With the opening of the new station, travel time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong will be slashed to half an hour.Residents in Shenzhen only need 15 minutes to go to Hong Kong.According to the operation table, there will be 11 pairs of high-speed trains running in and out of the station from Wednesday to January 9.Twelve more pairs will be added to the schedule from January 10.

(Ahencies)

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DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Tripura Power Project

Values of Life in and Globalization

Finally Illuminates after 13 Years Triumphing over 13 years of hurdles, northeast India's third biggest gas based-power project in Tripura has begun generating 101 MW electricity, ensuring the region's self-reliance in energy. As after test generation and completing necessary formalities, commercial production of electricity from this power plant would start within a month. As Rs.1,000 crore ($151 million) project of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), located 70 km south of Tripura capital Agartala and 10 km from the Bangladesh border. The entire 101 MW would be given to Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) and would otherwise resolve the electricity crisis of the northeastern region. The project's foundation stone was laid in March 2002 by Suresh Prabhu, the then power minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the centre.

The environment-friendly project was originally slated to be commissioned in 2005. In 2007 but the union power ministry abandoned it for a variety of reasons but work resumed in 2010 thanks to the Tripura government's pressure. Conceived in 2000 with an initial installed capacity of 500 MW, the power plant's capacity was reduced to 280 MW in 2003-04 after ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) reduced its gas allocation by half.. Also according to NEEPCO General Manager (Electrical), the ONGC further slashed the gas allocation in 2008, forcing NEEPCO to further scale down the plant's installed capacity to 101 MW. ONGC's dilly-dallying in supplying gas on a regular basis caused the abnormal delay in commissioning the project. The Monarchak project is the third biggest gas-based power plant in the northeast region after the ONGC's 726 MW plant at Palatana in southern Tripura, the company's first in the commercial sector, and the 291 MW Kathalguri in eastern Assam's Dibrugarh district.

It is also pointed out that there would be a technical glitch in the supply and the ONGC would suffer losses if the NEEPCO project intermittently consumes gas. Designed by the US General Electric Company, the plant's turbines have been supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. NEEPCO has also installed a five-MW capacity solar power plant at a cost of Rs 50 crore within the Monarchak power plant complex. This is the biggest solar power unit in the northeastern region, comprising eight states including Sikkim. Credited with installation of several power projects in the northeast, NEEPCO, headquartered in Meghalaya capital Shillong, also plans to generate at least 1,500 MW from solar and wind energy in the next five years. According to union power ministry documents, the hydro-power potential of the northeastern region is estimated at 58,971 MW, which is almost 40 percent of the country's potential. However, only about 2.1 percent (1,242 MW) had been harnessed till last May. The northeast is going to be power surplus and it was an enormous problem to transmit the excess power from the region to the country's power-starved regions. The eight northeastern states' off-peak and peak demand on an average is 1,500 MW to 2,500 MW against the current installed capacity of 4,730 MW. This means that most of the plants are working under-capacity. And meanwhile, Tripura will soon begin supplying 100 MW of power to Bangladesh.

The transmission lines have been commissioned on both sides of the border and supplies will begin after a power purchase agreement has been signed. With the commissioning of the Monarchak plant, NEEPCO's share of installed capacity in the region would be more than 42 percent.

Controversial Remarks Drawing strong condemnation from BJP The protests are on rise in different parts of Assam against former Assam Congress minister Nilamoni Sen Deka who made an objectionable remark against Union HRD Minister, Smriti Irani on Sunday. Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators have filed FIR against Deka, a former Assam minister who while addressing a public meeting in Assam's Nalbari district said many refer to Irani as the "second wife of Prime Minister Narendra Modi".Deka's comment came a day ahead of union Human Resource Development Minister Irani's scheduled visit to the district for a public rally. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) distanced itself from Deka's statement, saying it was his personal comment and not the APCC's official view.The former Assam minister, however, later withdrew his comment. But hundreds of BJP workers surrounded Deka's residence at Rajgarh locality in Guwahati over the comment. Several women organizations and BJP units have also staged massive protests against the Congress leader across the state.

Many organizations also burnt Deka's effigies. Seeking a public apology from Deka, the BJP workers are demanding the Congress to expel him and a disciplinary action should be taken against Deka, saying he not only disrespected the union minister but Assam's entire women community. As according to them the Congress must prove that they respect the women of the country and we are not going to tolerate this kind of nuisance against any woman.Whereas Senior BJP leader Chandra Mohan Patowari demanded the APCC to expel Nilamoni sen Deka for crossing all limits and alleged that Deka has been making such controversial statements ever since becoming a legislator and minister. "It is an insult of the prime minister. How can anyone dare to disrespect the prime minister of the country? The statement of Deka only proved the Congress' attitude towards women of the country," the BJP leader said. Also leaders of any political party should avoid making statements that hurt sentiments of any of its partner. The fight is a bigger one. Such things create confusion among workers of partner parties at the grassroot level

Pranjal Bezborah Values make men's lives meaningful and give them a sense of direction. Contemplation on human values is as old as the very beginning of the social life of man. Man has an innate urge to be, to know, and to enjoy.

Every man is not only conscious of these urges in him, he also realizes that his fellowmen too have these urges. He undertakes all his activities to satisfy two urges - to survive and to develop. His awareness of the fact that his fellowmen also have these urges makes him define the scope of his interest in these urges in such a way that it not only does not clash with the interest of his fellowmen but also promotes reciprocity in them. This is the beginning of moral and social life. To consider one's interest on par with the interests of all others is the basic principle of morality and social life.

In the present Indian social life, the increasing inequality of income and consequent gap between the rich and the poor, the urban and the rural, the organized and the unorganized and the government and the private sectors should be a matter of great concern. The increase in the rate of economic growth as reflected in the uring the past few years has no meaning and relevance if it does not concern people. History shows that societies have survived with the fundamental, universally accepted system of values and not by material growth alone. The suicides of farmers, the increasing rate of criminal and antisocial activities and cases of death by hunger prove the fact that development and prosperity is meaningless if it does not concern people and environment.

Three issues fundamental to any policy of development are - poverty elimination, environment degradation and peoples'

participation. In a country like India it is evident that development policy and programme should focus on the interaction of poverty, environment and people. The poor, particularly in rural India, which consists of the majority population, are caught in a vicious downward spiral. They are forced to overuse resources to survive. The depletion of resources further impoverishes them. Many of them leave villages and migrate to towns and cities, which in turn creates several other problems of over crowding, sanitation and so on. In development, thus, there is a great challenge of finding appropriate methods of empowering local people in relation to local resources and their equitable distribution.

Poverty in India is closely related to its increasing land degradation and deforestation. With deforestation, rivers are drying up and under ground water level is fast receding. Floods and draughts have increased in frequency and severity leading to enormous losses, human suffering and poverty. To safeguard the interest of the poor, albeit the country as a whole, development politics must take into serious consideration the inter-relatedness of poverty, land resources, environment and people.

Governmental development priorities have been in modernization and industrialization. The rural sector, to which the majority of the population belongs, has remained neglected. Nearly half of the rural population is below poverty line. But it is the urban sector that gets the investment in education, infrastructure development, institutional support to urban needs and development.

Whether it is the pay commission, the development of roads, electricity amenities or even the price of milk and vegetables, it is the urban bias that wins. Educational institutions have multiplied across the country but their focus is on urban needs and urban consumer. It is perceptible that the direction of development has been away from the village and villager.

Image for representational purpose On the eve of independence, in a reply to a letter of Gandhiji Jawaharlal Nehru wrote on the issue of village development - "A village usually speaking is backward intellectually and culturally and no progress can be made from a backward environment. Narrowminded people are much more likely to be untruthful and violent." On the other hand Gandhiji considered the villager the salt of the earth and the sheet anchor of democracy. He said, "Behind the crude exterior you will find a deep reservoir of spirituality. Take away his chronic poverty and illiteracy and you have the finest specimen of what a cultured, cultivated free citizen should be." According to Gandhiji the real test of independence was that the common man should have the consciousness that he is the maker of his own destiny. To him it is bad economics under which wealth accumulates and men decay.

The evil of economic and political control by one country over the other for the exploitation of its resources human or material is a kind of colonialism. This system is still practiced in its essence by countries aspiring to effect a quick entry to the modern era vis-Ă -vis

their own rural population.

In the present globalization era, there are two components of threats to values - domestic and international. It is true that the winds of change can neither be stopped nor diverted, yet it is possible for our leaders in business, industry and in all other fields to be conscious of the intrinsic nature of a free market economy which is ruthlessly exploitative and manipulative of both nature and man. The truth underlying the global scene is one of exploitation of the weak by strong. The desire for money, material, power and domination over others are undoubtedly the forces for value erosion globally. Free market economy enhances and encourages disparities in income, wealth and life style, which is erosive to the value system. We need to be alert and guard against the insidious evils of this system.

In a market economy, manipulation of market has become a fine art. It creates a desire amongst the people to get what they can not afford. In the remotest village, soft drinks and items of cosmetics are sold where the people are not able to provide their child a cup of milk. The insatiable desire for more

and more consumption and more and more gratification of sensory organs is the greatest force for disharmony in the society and distortion of values. If the inordinate desire for money, materials, power over others and domination of the market are the forces of value erosion in the international scene, they are even more so in the national scene. In almost all cases of political corruption, the source is well exposed in the organized corporate sector or the organized crime - the mafias. This nexus of evil, the collusion between state - power and the corporate sector constitutes the most powerful threat to the destruction of institutions and systems - administrative, judicial and financial built on universally cherished values of democracy, individual rights and distributive and social justice.

This is the greatest force for the destruction of values. Not only are the limited natural resources wastefully exploited but the chasm between the haves and have nots widens across a gulf of envy and discontent in this kind of value orientation. Even in a country like USA, increasing prosperity has triggered off more of individualism and social inconformity. High level of

growth in income and standards of living do not guarantee high quality of life. Quality of life envelopes purity, character, concern for fellowmen resistance to injustice and suppression, spirit of service and sacrifice and above all moral integrity.

References: 1.Chakraborty, S.K. 1992. Management

by Values - Towards Cultural Congruence. Oxford University Press, Delhi.

2.

Sharma, Subhas. 2006. Management in New Age - Western Windows, Eastern Doors. New Age International Publishers. New Delhi.

3.

V .

Muralidhara Sharma, Values in the Indian Traditional Knowledge and their Implications for Modern Education System, University News, 44(05), 2006.

(The writer is a professor in the Department of Commerce, Dibrugarh University.) Email i d : Pranjalbezborah@yahoo.com

AIIMS In Assam Sir, Badaruddin Ajmal, the Chief of the AIUDF, M.P., Dhubri deserves kudos for raising certain relevant and useful questions on the floor of the Lok Sabha, something that other M.Ps from Assam miserably failed to do. One such question is about the setting up of the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Assam. the Union Health minister J.P. Nadda's reply was, for want of suitable plot, the project of setting up AIIMS-Like institute in Assam is delayed. It is noteworthy that the process of setting up AIIMS has already started in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Raipur, Patna, Jodhpur and Hrishikesh, as reported in a section of the press. The report suggests that a central team visited the state and finalized a site with 198 acre plot in kamalpur revenue circle in Kamrup district for the said project. The fact of site selection is finalized by the state and the reports submitted by the Central team also corroborated the fact, we fail to understand why J.P. Nadda, the Union Health minister should mislead the House by distorting the truth.

If the information received in the state Health minis-

try is any indication, the Union Health minister should give a clarification that the state government is misleading the people. We want truth should prevail, as we have had enough of Politics.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bodoloi Dibrugarh

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

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

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESNDAY, DECEMBER 30

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2015 saw writers take up cudgels, Vikas Khanna comes out with new storybook for kids book publishing soaring 2015 began with the mega annual event - the Jaipur Literature Festival where Nobel winner V S Naipaul, American travel writer Paul Theroux, Amit Chaudhuri, Pakistan's Hanif Kureishi, Man Book Prize winner Eleanor Catton and Bailey's Prize winner Eimear McBride were among scores of invited guests.

The Indian literary scene was abuzz with activities in 2015 with works of several big-ticket authors rolled out and a number of festivals organised among other things but writers returning their awards in protest against growing intolerance made maximum headlines.

The year saw numerous autobiographies and biographies, and books related to business, commercial and mass market fiction, besides literary fiction, sports, self help,

chik-lit and culinary works. There were a number of works by new and little-known authors too.

2015 began with the mega annual event - the Jaipur Literature Festival where Nobel winner V S Naipaul, American travel writer Paul Theroux, Amit Chaudhuri, Pakistan's Hanif Kureishi, Man Book Prize winner Eleanor Catton and Bailey's Prize winner Eimear McBride were among scores of invited guests. A number of other festivals followed

with one in Kumaon claiming to be the first annual retreat literary festival in the country.

But more than 35 authors giving up their Sahitya Akademi awards and five others relinquishing their posts in the literary body against "rising intolerance" saw a new wave of protest.

Their action earned the support of celebrated authors like Salman Rushdie and Vikram Seth. PEN International, the world's leading association of writers working to promote literature and defend freedom of

expression, also stood in solidarity with the Indian authors. Otherwise, it was a hectic year for publishers.

According to Karthika V K, Publisher of HarperCollins India, 2015 was a "hugely satisfying year for us in terms of the books we published, the many awards and shortlists, and even a publisher of the year award."

For Penguin Random House, 2015 was a "very strong year with more bestsellers than ever before." "On the literary fiction list the standout was the culmination of Amitav Ghosh's epic Ibis Trilogy with the publication of 'Flood of Fire,'" says Caroline Newbury, VP Marketing and Corporate Communications of Penguin Random House.

"This year has also been gratifying in seeing international acclaim for

a number of our authors. Amitav Ghosh was shortlisted for the Man Booker International, Akhil Sharma's 'Family Life' won the Folio Prize and Neel Mukherjee's 'The Lives of Others' took the Encore Award for Second Novel," Newbury told PTI. "It was wonderful to see Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Lowland' win the DSC Prize, Samanth Subramanian win the Crossword Award for 'This Divided Island' (as well as being shortlisted for the hugely prestigious Samuel Johnson Aw a r d ) a n d M i h i r Sharma's 'Restart' was longlisted for the FT McKinsey Business Book of the Year before taking the Tata Lit Live Business B o o k o f t h e Ye a r award jointly with TT Ram Mohan's 'Rethinc'," she says.

Courtesy: PTI

Punjab's Health Minister Thinks 'Alcohol Isn't An Intoxicant'. Why That's So Messed Up Punjab Health Minister ful use of alcohol has seriSurjit Kumar Jyani on ous health impacts, the Monday was quoted as comment by Jyani shows saying that he little comdoes not conmitment or Abhishek Jha sider alcohol leadership an intoxicant by him tobecause "the government wards his duties as the gives licences for manufac- Health Minister. Since turing liquor," they auction policy interventions are liquor vends, and helpful in reducing harmbecause"liquor is con- ful use of alcohol, the sumed in the Army" and WHO too identified leadalso at parties. To make ership, awareness, and matters worse, the Minis- commitment as important ter made this statement af- for the reduction in a Gloter inaugurating a de-ad- bal Status Report On Alcodiction centre. hol and Health published in NSSO's 2011-12 consump- 2014. Regulation of ention data shows that, on an dorsement and advertiseaverage, per capita alcohol ment- both of which might consumption in Punjab is get a boost by the 141mL per week for toddy Minister's statement- is anand country liquor and 50 other preventive measure mL per week for beer, for- noted in the report. Harmeign liquor, and wine. With ful use of alcohol is a serirespect to other states and ous problem that the MinUTs, Punjab stands 15th in ister needs to take cognithe toddy and country li- sance of. In 2012 alone, the quor category and 14th in WHO report says, "about the beer, foreign liquor, and 3.3 million deaths, or 5.9% wine category. With the of all global deaths, were state already ailing from a attributable to alcohol conserious drug problem (the sumption." Moreover, the Narcotic Control Bureau report identifies harmful said earlier this year that use of alcohol as a compothe state accounts for half nent cause of "more than of the total drug-related 200 disease and injury concases in the country), this ditions in individuals, most endorsement of sorts from notably alcohol depenthe Health Minister himself dence, liver cirrhosis, cancan only harm the state cers and injuries." more.

Apart from committing a Moreover, given that harm- factual error in denying

Watching his mother facing the perennial problem of trying to make his little niece drink a glass of milk gave celebrated chef Vikas Khanna the idea for his new book.

"The Milk Moustache", an illustrated book for children on friendship published by Puffin Books India, was launched.

The book is like a cycle of nature that nurtures us and helps us grow, the award winning Michelinstarred chef, restaurateur and filmmaker says.

He got the idea of his illustrated "book of gratitude and love" after "a simple incident of watching my mother trying to make my little niece Saumya drink a glass of milk".

"It was truly sacred as mom was telling her story and then adding little flavours to the milk. I then thought of writing a book on the cycle of the milk, from a cow's perspective," Khanna told.

For him, writing a book for children is "a great way to connect" with the younger minds.

"It is absolutely pure and creative. They are our nation's new artists, dreamers and guardians.

It helps them to think much further, one book at a time," he says.

In 2013, Khanna wrote "Young Chefs", last year

he penned "The Magical Rolling Pin" and this year he also wrote "The Magic Rolling Pin" for children.

Asked for his suggestions to mothers, who face great difficulty in making their children drink milk, he says, "I think finding flavours which are kids' favourites is the key, I have personally discovered. Sometimes even changing the form of milk to a custard, panna cottas helps."

In "The Milk Moustache", when the children of a village refuse to drink milk one day, it makes Kali the cow very sad.

And it is up to Jassi, the local milkman's daughter and Kali's best friend, to find a way to end the milk strike and lift Kali's spirits again.

Khanna says he has eaten some of the best dishes at Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar's house and would love to include them in his upcoming books.

How India Is Failing Its Pedestrians And Public Transport Users Every Single Day Aparna Gupta

that alcohol is an intoxicant, stating that he had a different opinion about alcohol was against even the policies that the Minister is supposed to follow. The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla, for instance, had informed the parliament in April this year that India was the first country that adopted a national framework for prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) in line with the global framework. This global framework was endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2013 and

had targets and indicators for each country and included a 5% relative reduction in alcohol use by 2020 and a 10% relative reduction by 2025 beginning from 2013.

Popular opinions and glamourising alcohol consumption is also a reason why young people take to alcohol. Drunken driving could be a fallout of this, despite being punishable under the Motor Vehicles Act, and the statistics for deaths due to drunken driving in India are alarming. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways told the Parlia-

ment in August this year, in response to a question, that drunken driving led to around 6,000 to 11,000 deaths country-wide every year between 2009 and 2013. There were also around 20,000 to 30,000 lakh accidents every year due to drunken driving between 2009 and 2013.

As a legislator and politician, Jyani can make and change opinions by his work and speech. As the Health Minister, he has even more of a mandate for driving opinion on alcohol and he should refrain from making such irresponsible statements.Courtesy:YKA

Amidst the glamour and hype of increased FDI inflows and ease of doing business, an unnoticed bottom left corner of the newspaper recently read "a cluster bus ran over seven people in North Delhi after its driver died at the steering wheel due to a suspected heart attack." The incident, though not a one off happening, reflects the much deeper malaise currently being faced by public transport system in India. Researches around the world have convincingly established that expanding public transit systems in cities can lead to hidden economic benefits ranging from $1.5 million to $45 million every year. Thus, the glaringly visible lack of safe, accessible and wellestablished public transport system in Indian cit-

ning in India are fabricated on chassis which is more suitable for trucks, thus compromising on the safety and comfort of passengers. Moreover, both heavy motor vehicles such as trucks and buses, and non-motorised transport are made to use the left most lane on Indian roads, exposing vulnerable road users to accidents. According to a study undertaken

by IIT Delhi, in Bengaluru, about 25 percent of the victims of fatal crashes involving buses were pedestrians. The alarmingly high numbers of fatalities caused by the Blue Line Buses in Delhi led to the tag of killer line before the service was phased out by the State Government in 2011.

The pathetic conditions under which public transport drivers operate is hidden from no one. The poor salaries force drivers into

As 46 Farmers Commit Suicide Daily, Why India's Agrarian Crisis Is Bigger Than We Think Anwarul Hoda Farmers are those who work in acres, not in hours.

Their day starts with the earliest rays of the sun and ends when it sets beyond the western horizon. Little do they know that no matter how hard they work, monetarily they will always be deceived. Sometimes hit by men or else by nature, they still continue to plough the earth and provide us with food.

Farmers in India have neither proper infrastructure nor the government's support. They are continuously struggling for survival. But still they continue to cultivate food as they have no other option.

Farmers have no right to determine the price of their produce. In fact, they are not even permitted to sell their goods where they want. Is it not an irony that one doesn't even have such

rights in a so-called liberal economy? Also, they are compelled to sell their commodities only through the local Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMCs).

India is an agrarian economy and currently, the livelihood of 836 million people is dependent on agriculture. Farmers of India are the most marginalised section of the economy that earn less than 40 rupees a day. More than 3 lakh suicides by farmers have been reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) since India liberalised, privatised and globalised its economy. In a single day, 46 farmers give up their life; that means every 30 minutes, a suicide is reported. Please note that the data doesn't include farmers whose lands are not registered in their names and the women farmers. As per 68th round

His next book is called "My First Kitchen", a step by step help guide with recipes.

"It is a simple and bold kitchen diary," he says.

He, however, says he doesn't have any plan to write fiction for adults.

"Between the commitment of cookbooks and Junoon (the Indian food restaurant), I have not thought of it, yet."

He also does not have any immediate plans of starting his own chain, saying, "Nothing as of now. Junoon New York is my little temple that is my kitchen."

Khanna's recipes reflect the many memories that have influenced his cooking from his grandmother's simple traditional dishes to the eye-opening experience of living in New York where he learned to adapt the centuries-old traditions of Indian cooking to the wonders of the city's ethnic diversity.

Courtesy:www.ptinews.in

survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Sample Office (NSSO) nearly 70% of rural women are engaged in agriculture but it's highly ironical that our country doesn't recognise women as farmers.

Agricultural infrastructure is so bad that even after 68 years of independence 61 percent of agricultural land depends upon the rain.

Employment in agriculture is continuously shrinking as farmers are employing a lesser number of workers to minimise their cost of production. In an answer to students at Aligarh Muslim University, Yogendra Yadav, a renowned social activist and political figure said that "due to mechanisation of agriculture, unemployment in rural India is rising high which is a very serious issue, further causing migration and social disturbances

in rural as well as in urban areas."

The pressure of debt and continuous loss in farming is forcing farmers to either migrate to cities or commit suicide. No proper policy of government till today has been made to combat the agrarian crisis in India.

P. Sainath is a well-established rural journalist and the author of 'Everybody Loves A Good Drought' which is based on his research on rural India. On several occasions, he pointed out that government is so much responsible for the prevailing agrarian crisis as its policies are never so effective to counter ground challenges facing by farmers. According to him, policies are made by those people who know nothing about farmers or farming. At the inaugural ceremony of the Vibgyor Film Festival in 2012, he talked about how the gov-

ernment put all its effort to save Kingfisher airline and spent millions in the name of subsidies and at the same time did nothing for millions of farmers of Karnataka or other states.

Among all the economic sector agriculture is most undeveloped. Drought, declining productivity and debt are factors which vastly affect the livelihood of farmers. Agriculture sector strongly needs reform in its policies to increase productivity of land. There is a need to shift heavy public investment to modernise this sector. Price mechanism and market structure should be reviewed and there is a need to establish provisions to eliminate the middleman, which eats up all possible profit of farmers. Representatives of farmers in parliament are also required as these existing parliamentarian are heavily burdened with lots of work.

Image source: REUTERS/Amit Dave

ies is not only bad governance but bad economics.

National Crime Records Bureau states that in 2014, 12,456 people were killed in road crashes involving buses (the only mode of public transport recorded in the report), thus accounting for almost 9% of the total road crash deaths in the country. However, ensuring safer public transport has still not received the attention it deserves, in both the government and the public discourse.

Each day more than 35 people are killed in accidents involving buses in India due to a number of factors ranging from but not limited to driver fatigue, bad road and vehicle design and lack of driver training. For instance, most of the buses currently run-

long and multiple shifts leading to driver fatigue and higher chances of accidents. The lack of institutionalised driver training and issuance of licenses without driver tests leads to untrained and inefficient drivers behind the wheels, making the use of public transport unsafe for both passengers and other road users. The incident that happened in September in North Delhi speaks volumes about the existing apathy regarding physical fitness of drivers.

The apathy towards safety in public transport reflects the failure of our demo-

cratic processwhich ignores the needs of the majority of city residents who are pedestrians, bicyclists and public transport users. According to the UN State of the World Population report, nearly 41% of country's population will reside in urban areas by 2030. Given the rapid pace of urbanisation and the desperate need for expanded and safe transit, it is crucial that existing concerns are addressed and a safe public transport system is established in the country.

Simple low-cost technological solutions, such as installation of pneumatic doors and modified low floor bus body design, will go a long way in making public transport safer in a country where large crowds precariously hanging for their lives on rickety buses is a common site. Similarly, separation of buses from non-motorized road users and provision of safe pedestrian and bicycling facilities on arterial urban roads will not only help reduce the number of fatal crashes significantly, but also improve access to public transport system. Lastly, there is a need to ensure better working conditions for drivers and an overhaul of driver licensing system so that only trained drivers are behind the wheels.

Given the rapid growth of India's mobility needs, it is important that the country's transit system responds effectively and swiftly. Today public transport users are largely people who are using these modes not out of choice, but because of financial constraints. A successful public transport system is not only crucial for addressing the growing levels of congestion and pollution, but also for ensuring safer commute for all road users. Courtesy:YKA

Aparna Gupta is Senior Associate, Policy and Research at SaveLIFE Foundation, a non-profit organisation committed to improving Road Safety in India.

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Rs. 8,000 cr expenditure leaved unaccounted by Govt. Spice Jet announces New Delhi, Dec 29: The government's finances exhibit opacity in the way some of the funds have been spent with more than Rs 8,000 crore of expenditure being entered into the books with no accompanying explanation of how and where the money was spent, according to an analysis of the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit of the finances. "Scrutiny of Union Government Finance Accounts for the year 2014-15 disclosed that under 11 Major Heads of accounts (representing functions of the Government) expenditure of Rs.8,646.13 crore was classified under the Minor head '800-Other expenditure' in the accounts, constituting more than 50 per cent of the total expenditure recorded under the respective Major Heads," according to the CAG report. There were 11 heads of government spending where more than 50 per cent of the expenditure

had no details of how and where the money had been spent. Some of these heads are pretty significant, and should not be subject to such opacity.

For example, the government spent around Rs. 6,260 crore on 'Agriculture Financial Institutions', the largest such head where opacity of a high degree exists. Of this, almost 96 per cent of the expenditure has been explained away as 'Other Expenditure'. Similarly, under the Civil Aviation major head of accounts, the government categorised 84 per cent, or Rs. 820 crore, as 'Other Expenditure'. The report found that such opacity was prevalent across departments and ministries. "Some of the Major Heads where opaqueness in expenditure exists are Capital Outlays on Soil and Water Conservation (100 per cent of expenditure was booked under minor head 'other expenditure'), Capital Out-

Satya Nadella visits India: Microsoft to work with T-Hub to develop startups

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella.Source: www.y-axis.com Hyderabad, Dec 29: Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said Microsoft would like to work with T-Hub to develop accelerators and startups. He said it during his visit to T-Hub, billed as India`s largest technology incubator. "Indian talent in the area is dramatically growing and we can see their dominance in the field," he said while addressing budding entrepreneurs. On a private

visit to Hyderabad, Nadella visited the facility located at the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad.

Telangana's Information and Technology minister K. T. Rama Rao took him around the T-Hub and explained about various initiatives of the government. Earlier, Nadella met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. (Agencies)

5 million Galaxy S7 smartphones to be produced by Samsung initially Bengaluru, Dec 29: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the world's top smartphone maker, plans an initial production run of about 5 million of its upcoming Galaxy S7 smartphones, South Korea's Electronic Times reported, citing unnamed sources. The paper said Samsung is planning to launch two different versions of its new flagship

smartphone: a 5.2-inch flat-screen version, and a 5.5-inch, curved-screen version that will be called the 'Galaxy S7 edge'. Samsung plans to initially make 3.3 million of the flat-screen devices and around 1.6 million of the curved-screen version, the report said, with plans to launch the handset in February.

(Agencies)

TECHNOLOGY Sony PSP Playstation Portable E1004

lays on Coal and Lignite (100 per cent), Capital Outlay on Non-Ferrous Mining and Metallurgical Industries (100 per cent), Other Social Services (99.84 per cent), Capital Outlay on Other Communication Services (98.81 per cent), Flood Control and Drainage (98.72 per cent), Agricultural Financial Institutions (95.85 per cent), etc," the report shows. It also found that the government, instead of having distinct heads of expenditure, had merged several types of expenditure - such as on interest subvention for short-term credit to farmers, subsidy operations of Haj charters, the below poverty line scheme, and others - and had simply classified them as 'Other Expenditure', further muddying the waters. The CAG has been highlighting this opacity to the government every year since 2008, but almost nothing has so far been done to address the issue. As an

UNACCOUTABLE EXPENDITURE The government's finances exhibit opacity in the way some of the funds have been spent with more than Rs 8,000 crore of expenditure being entered into the books with no accompanying explanation of how and where the money was spent.

Some of these heads are pretty significant, and should not be subject to such opacity.

Similarly, under the Civil Aviation major head of accounts, the g o v e r n m e n t categorised 84 per cent, or Rs. 820 crore, as 'Other Expenditure'.

Some of the Major Heads where opaqueness in expenditure exists are Capital Outlays on Soil and Water Conservation (100 per cent of expenditure was booked under minor head 'other expenditure'), Capital Outlays on Coal and Lignite (100 per cent), Capital Outlay on Non-Ferrous Mining and Metallurgical Industries (100 per cent), Other Social Services (99.84 per cent), Capital Outlay on Other Communication Services (98.81 per cent), Flood Control and Drainage (98.72 per cent), Agricultural Financial Institutions (95.85 per cent).

interim measure, the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) began to insert footnotes in the accounts to demarcate when significant heads of expenditure had been merged under 'Other Ex-

penditure'. This too fails to explain what exactly constitutes this `Other expenditure,' and where the money has been spent.

"The Controller General of Accounts replied (September 2015) that it

had been sensitising all Ministries/Departments to meaningfully address this matter during the review of Statement of Central Transactions," according to the report.

(Agencies)

There were 11 heads of government spending where more than 50 per cent of the expenditure had no details of how and where the money had been spent.

For example, the government spent around Rs. 6,260 crore on 'Agriculture Financial Institutions', the largest such head where opacity of a high degree exists. Of this, almost 96 per cent of the expenditure has been explained away as 'Other Expenditure'.

RP-Sanjeev Goenka Group to appoint CEO for sports business Kolkata, Dec 29: The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, which acquired the franchise-rights of Pune cricket team earlier this month, will soon appoint a CEO for spearheading its sports business. The appointment is aimed at leveraging sports to promote the company's brands nationally and internationally, said Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman of the group. "Sports is our new vertical and we are planning to appoint a CEO who will take care of this new business," said Mr. Goenka. The group now has presence in football, through Indian Super League, where its marked its foray in 2014. It now co-owns a football team Atletico de Kolkata (ATK).

"Our vision is to grow the business of sports while promoting sporting talent in the country. We plan to set up a football academy

in this city.. I believe there is talent which needs to be nurtured." Goenka didn't disclose the amount of funds earmarked for the sports business and said the investments would be made through group companies. "But they are not the listed companies." The Pune-franchise was bought through a reverseauction by New Risings, an unlisted group company. The global sports sector is estimated to be worth between $480 and $620 billion However, in India, sport is yet to be recognised as a sector and there is no comprehensive study on the industry's estimated size in the country. The sports sector may comprise several segments such as sports tourism, sporting goods (manufacturing and retail), sports apparel, sports marketing firms and sport governing bodies, accord-

ing n KPMG report. Due to a lack of industry status and lack of sports culture, corporate investment in sports in India has traditionally been limited to corporate social responsibility activities, according the recent report. The commercial success of Indian Premier League (IPL) in cricket has led to a surge of similar commercial formats in other sports such as badminton, football and hockey. Reasonable success of the Indian Badminton League (IBL) and the Hockey India League (HIL) - sports that don't enjoy the same popularity as cricket - has shown that leagues are a good medium for generating interest and driving sports culture besides the potential return on investment. With the burgeoning middle class of India and an increasing disposable income, media cov-

erage of international and domestic sports and television and internet penetration, the time is opportune to form an organised sports sector with requisite policy support that further facilitates sports commerce and leagues of this nature, according to the report. The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group's gameplan is to promote the group brands nationally and internationally, by leveraging the "tremendous people-connect that sports has in this country," Mr. Goenka said. The Group has presence in diverse sectors. This ranges from power distribution to entertainment and plantation business. It operates in cities such as West Bengal, New Delhi, Gujarat, and Kerala.

Its IT venture FirstSource has major exposure in the U.K. while retail operations are throughout India.

(Agencies)

40 per cent decline in M&A deals but uptick in the offing Pune, Dec 29: Corporate India's boardrooms seem to have turned little quieter this year on dealmaking with the value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) dipping to $20 billion but experts foresee a bounce back in 2016.

The value of deals has dipped more than 40 per cent from $33 billion clocked in 2014. Consultants and analysts are anticipating deals worth more than $30 billion in 2016. Experts believe that the much-needed impetus to M&A deal activity can come from the changes in the country's regulatory framework such as a new bankruptcy law, faster pace of approvals and the relaxed FDI norms for many sectors, including multi-brand retail, telecom, insurance and defence. According to global consultancy

major, PwC, the M&A activity by value in 2015 stood at around $20 billion as opposed to almost $33 billion in 2014. The fall in deal value can be attributed to lesser number of domestic deals, stretched corporate balance sheets and costlier foreign assets, largely due to a depreciating rupee.

In 2014, domestic deal volumes had gone up significantly at around $19 billion with a number of big ticket transactions such as Sun-Ranbaxy and Kotak Bank-ING Vysya deals among others but the case was different this year as it saw only $7.3 billion of domestic M&A transactions. Though both inbound and outbound M&As witnessed an uptrend in 2015 they could not make up for the sharp fall in domestic deal

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puter " 1200 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery " Built with a quality monaural speaker. It lets you play multiplayer games with friends.

n Crude oil futures fell 0.44% to Rs 2,517 per barrel, in line with a weak trend in Asian trade, as speculators cut down their bets.

Storage " Memory Card Slot: Yes General " Brand: Sony " Model: PSP " Console Type: Handled " Controller Type: Button

n Also, oil prices for the far-month February delivery contract traded down by Rs 11, or 0.42%, at Rs 2,601 per barrel, with a business volume of 89 lots.

n Crude oil for delivery in January next year traded lower by Rs 11, or 0.44%, at Rs 2,517 per barrel, with a business volume of 1,797 lots at Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).

n Prices jumped last week after data showed an unexpected fall in US commercial crude stock, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) adding almost 10%.

Image for representational purpose New Delhi, Dec 29: Low cost carrier SpiceJet announced the launch of its 'Happy New Year Sale'.

As a part of this sale, one-way base fares start at Rs 716 (excluding taxes) for some very popular routes on the domestic network. The three-day sale launched today will be open till midnight, December 31, 2015. The travel period covered in this sale is from 15th Jan 2016 to 12th April 2016 and is valid only for travel on direct flights on SpiceJet's domestic network. Tickets for this

sale can be booked on all channels of Spicejet , SpiceJet mobile app, all travel portals, call centre & travel agents. Tickets under this offer are refundable (only taxes and fees) and changeable with a change fee and payment of fare difference. There is limited inventory under the offer and seats will be available on a first-come-firstserved basis. The discount will be applicable on one way fares only.

These fares are refundable fares (only statutory taxes will be refunded).

(Agencies)

Floating LNG terminals to be set up on east coast Chennai, Dec 29: Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL, Petronet and KEIRSOS are in contention to set up four floating LNG terminals on the east coast to cater to fuel requirements of industrial, commercial and domestic users in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The terminals, each with a five-million ton capacity, will cover users spread across 1,250 km from Gangavaram in Andhra Pradesh to Tuticorin District in Tamil Nadu. The APbased private firm, KEIRSOS Petroleum and Energy Pvt., will set up the project at Krishnapatnam PortT while GAIL's terminal will come up at Kakinada Port. Petronet's terminal will be located at Gangavaram Port and Indian Oil Corporation's at Kamarajar Port. GAIL and Petronet entered into separate pacts with the Andhra Pradesh Government some three months ago. While GAIL terminal is expected to go on stream by 2018, Petronet has not yet disclosed the details, according to trade sources. GAIL is spending Rs.3,000 crore on the terminal and 350-kmlong pipeline starting from Kakinada to Srikakulam via Visakhapatnam. LNG Bharat, a subsidiary of KEI-RSOS Petroleum

and Energy Pvt Ltd, is investing Rs.1,400 crore on setting up the terminal and for laying the 250 km-long pipeline from Nellore to Ennore. On completion, LNG Bharat's project will benefit consumers in Rayalaseema of Andhra Pradesh,Telangana and north Tamil Nadu. Besides, Chennai city would get access to piped gas. "With the completion of public hearing, almost all permissions will be in place within two months. IDBI Capital is vetting the detailed feasibility and financial viability report of both the projects. We expect to achieve financial closure within four months and commission the project by end 2017," Lieutenant Murthy Jasti, LNG Bharat Managing Director, said. The IOC had already conducted the feasibility study on its floating terminal LNG Project. A senior IOC official said that they had completed the feasibility study for the Rs.5,150 crore project and are expected to commence route survey in the coming months. The LNG terminal would become operational by 2018 and supply gas to Madras Fertilizers, Chennai Petroleum Corporation, Tamil Nadu Petroproducts, GMR Power and others.

(Agencies)

NEW PROJECTS Image for representational purpose activities. According to global deal tracking firm, Mergermarket, technology firms attracted an unprecedented level of activity in 2015 with 80 deals compared to just 45

in 2014 and with the value increasing to $5.1 billion as against $ five billion.

Other sectors that were highly active include transport and energy, mining and utilities. (Agencies)

0.44% downfall in crude oil futures, hurt by weak global cues

WEAK FUTURE

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Indore, Dec 29: Crude oil futures fell 0.44% to Rs 2,517 per barrel, in line with a weak trend in Asian trade, as speculators cut down their bets.

Crude oil for delivery in January next year traded lower by Rs 11, or 0.44%, at Rs 2,517 per barrel, with a business volume of 1,797 lots at Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX). Also, oil prices for the far-month February delivery contract traded down by Rs 11, or 0.42%, at Rs 2,601 per barrel, with a business volume of 89 lots. Analysts said the fall in crude oil futures is mostly in

tune with a weak trend in Asia where it slipped, giving up some of last week's sharp gains as concerns of a global supply glut weighed on prices ahead of fresh US stocks data. Prices jumped last week after data showed an unexpected fall in US commercial crude stock, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) adding almost 10%. Meanwhile, WTI for February delivery fell 27 cents to $37.83 while Brent for February was trading 17 cents lower at $37.72 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

(Agencies)

n Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL, Petronet and KEIRSOS are in contention to set up four floating LNG terminals on the east coast to cater to fuel requirements of industrial, commercial and domestic users in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. n The terminals, each with a five-million ton capacity, will cover users spread across 1,250 km from Gangavaram in Andhra Pradesh to Tuticorin District in Tamil Nadu. n The AP-based private firm, KEI-RSOS Petroleum and Energy Pvt., will set up the project at Krishnapatnam PortT while GAIL's terminal will come up at Kakinada Port. n Petronet's terminal will be located at Gangavaram Port and Indian Oil Corporation's at Kamarajar Port. n GAIL and Petronet entered into separate pacts with the Andhra Pradesh Government some three months ago. n While GAIL terminal is expected to go on stream by 2018, Petronet has not yet disclosed the details, according to trade sources. GAIL is spending Rs.3,000 crore on the terminal and 350-km-long pipeline starting from Kakinada to Srikakulam via Visakhapatnam. n LNG Bharat, a subsidiary of KEI-RSOS Petroleum and Energy Pvt Ltd, is investing Rs.1,400 crore on setting up the terminal and for laying the 250 kmlong pipeline from Nellore to Ennore. n On completion, LNG Bharat's project will benefit consumers in Rayalaseema of Andhra Pradesh,Telangana and north Tamil Nadu.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Features

PAGE 11

SERICULTURE Bulk eri buyers outside shattering weaving dreams in Assam Assam's eri silk weavers based products. Assam are being pushed out of lacks the market infratheir traditional business by structure," Aswini Kalita, machines elsewhere in In- Sericulture Extension Ofdia. Accelerating their de- ficer, says. scent into despair are At least 200 Metric tons of Assameri cocoon based supplimostly) Kishore Talukdar (and ers of eri coyarn ( coon and yarn. Also re- negligible quantity) is essponsible is the reluctance timated to be sold annually of local artisans to improve through this unregulated the quality of spinning and trade that denies the Assam add value to the finished government its royalty. products.

The supply picks up from Weavers say a racket of July and peaks before cocoon and yarn suppliers Durga Puja, the autumnal is killing their art and pro- festival, and slows down fession for a few rupees from March to June. The more. Operating out of volume of trade has been Gohpur in Sonitpur district, increasing, affecting the Hojai in Nagaon, primarily rural economy Rangapara in Udalguri, and based on eri spinning and Dhemaji and Kamrup dis- weaving. tricts, these suppliers have Three sets of people handle been catering to bulk buy- the primary stages of silk ers in other states who pay production - cocoon rearmore than local weavers. ing, spinning yarn and The extra payment doesn't weaving - though the lines hurt the buyers - many get blurred in certain cases. based in Bihar and West The trading of cocoon and Bengal - as they have vo- yarn is usually controlled racious markets across by middlemen who are urban India. driven by profits, not by "Buyers outside offer more deep-rooted sentiments atmoney to suppliers as they tached with Assam's have a well-organised sys- handloom culture. tem to add value to eri- "Cocoon and yarn suppli-

ers are in a race to get rich quick. They seem to have lost respect for the weaving culture," a silk entrepreneur says. The marginalised section of the weavers has been the hardest hit and this could make the eri spinning and weaving art history, he added.

"If there is no need for spinning eri yarn and weaving eri-based products, how will the dexterity of indigenous Assamese weavers, in a class of their own, remain intact? The inability to utilise the raw material at our disposal is robbing the poor of their livelihood," says Narmohan Das, Assam's pioneering social entrepreneur. He generates 'social value' rather than profit, and has 700 eri spinners and 311 weavers including 40 rearers in his team.

Eri has for ages sustained many a rural family in Assam. The popularity of their traditionally handspun eri silk products has captivated markets beyond, particularly European countries such as Germany, France and

who has recently purchased Rs 5 lakh worth of the yarn from poor artisans.

In the past five months, he has exported eri-- square scarf, stole, shawl and long scarf worth Rs 18 lakh to Europe. Stoles supplied to Switzerland in October last

Switzerland. The poor artisans - most of them women - attribute this giant leap to the tiny Takura or Takuri, a traditional eri spinning device besides the hand loom. The cocoon is spun with this device for weavers to express their

items was spun traditionally.

"Demand of eri-based products with natural dyes is very high in Europe. So my focus is on innovation and quality upgrade of such products. Mere pursuit of money cannot earn

Source: assamtimes.org artistry on.

Hand-spun eri silk products look unique and have a stable market, says Das,

year were valued at Rs 2 lakh. Blended with a smattering of milled yarn, the eri yarn of the exported

the goodwill that is needed in this business," says Das, who invented the eri stole in 2001.

But eri artisans in Assam have not been deriving the benefits of this growing market. Apart from not getting adequate raw material from suppliers, they have not kept pace with the times and the demands of a niche market that appreciates quality spinning and traditional products with a modern spin.

An artisan is paid Rs 800 for spinning 1 kg of warp and Rs 480 for an equal amount of weft when they should command Rs 1,400 and Rs 800 respectively.

"Many pay no heed to quality spinning and this often denies them their due," Das says.

A mindset that refuses to get out of the traditional mould is harming the cause of the weavers too. "We are still at the level of weaving barkapor, which is our status symbol but must not be our ultimate product. Weavers need to come up with diversified value-added products.

The government should come forward to give the kiss of life to this sector, still at the cottage level.

Yarn traders and weav-

ers, rather mill owners, are making hay with no plan in place," Kalita says.

Eri fabric, which is 12 metres long and 46 inches wide, is used in making sarees in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and other major cities. Weavers in Bihar, West Bengal and other states also thrive on eri dress materials that are a blend of the modern and the traditional (in their areas of operation).

According to the Handloom Census 200910, Northeast India is a home to 21.6 lakh handloom workers followed by West Bengal with 7.8 lakh. Assam accounts for a majority of the region's workforce that, if not cared for, could silence the Takura or Takuri forever. ( Kishore Talukdar is an independent journalist based in Guwahati. His areas of interest include Development journalism and Environment journalism. He can be contacted at tdrkishore@gmail.com ) Courtesy: Nezine.com

FLORICULTURE Carnation - Splendor Of Sweet Home

Source: cnseed.org Carnation - Dianthus caryophyllus - is one of the beautiful flower which beautifies both home as well as living rooms and its popularity is mainly due to wide range of colours, textures, excellent keeping quality and ability to withstand long distant transportation.

In USA, its popularity is next to rose. USA is the major importer of carnation. Almost all the western countries import carnation round the year. Therefore, carnation has got a big potential for export. India has the potential to grow carnation in a big way for export to western countries. Cooler places are suitable for cultivation of carnation. Many carnations are sweet scented.

Marguerite carnations which are a race hybrid carnations have a distinct clove scent.

Step-Wise Cultivation Technique 1. Types Of Soil Required: Loamy to silty loam soil is best suited for Carnation cultivation.

2. Soil pH : 6.0 to 7.0 3. Type Of Land a. High land not inundated during rainy season. b. Free from any shades c. Must be getting minimum eight hours exposure to sun.

4. Climate: Carnation requires high intensity during winter and cooler temperature during summer. Direct sunlight may lead to sunburn. The optimum temperature varies with the available

light intensity. During early summer the optimum temperature should be between 13oC to 18o C during night and 23°C to 25°C during day time and while during winter optimum temperature may be 10°C to 1_1°C during night and 15°C to 16°C during day time. Hot dry air during May - June will be very detrimental to carnation.

5. Light Intensity: Most of the carnations are photo period sensitive.

High light intensity during winter and medium light intensity will yield good result.

6. Land Preparation i. Time of tillage: August to October ii. Tillage: Minimum 9" tillage followed by 10 days exposure to sun. iii. Soil Sterilization: The place selected for carnation cultivation should be made free from weed, nematodes, and soil borne pathogens and pests. Chemical fumigants like methyl bromide, vepam, volrex or chloropicrin are used for soil sterilisation.

These chemical are either injected by hand or plastic tubing or sprinkled on the soil, and covered immediately by polyethylene sheet. The cover is left in the place for about 48 hours after application so that the fumes do not escape out of the soil. Important to note: Carnation is very susceptible to methyl bromide toxicity. 'Hence methyl bromide should be used only in case of sandy and very light soil. iv. Application of basal dose

of fertilizers & manures Fertilisers are well mixed with the soil and then the soil mass is well pulverised. Ridges & furrows are made on the soil for plantation of plantlets.

7. Collection Of Saplings Or Plantlets: i. Seed Propagation: Seedling may can be raised out of quality seeds procured from renowned seed producers.

However, perpetual types of carnation, vegetative propagation like stem cutting method is widely practised.

Seed propagation is usually adopted in case of Marguerite carnation and for the purpose of hybridization. ii. Stem cutting: In commercial floriculture, stem cuttings are always preferred to maintain the standard and variety true to the stock.

8. Method of Stem Cutting About 1000 healthy and disease free carnation plants are regularly maintained for stem cutting. 10 cm long healthy off-shoots are taken out by slanting cut at an interval of 15 days and planted on a planting bed after dipping the cut end in the rooting hormone like rootex powder. The bed is then covered with transparent polyethylene sheet on a arched bamboo structure. The stem cutting bed is prepared by mixing sieved compost or cow-dung and silty loam or loam soil in proportion 1: 1. The soil in the cutting bed should be sterilised first by steam application followed by application of chloropicrin. After planting, the bed is sprayed with systemic fungicide like Bavistin ( at 2g per litre of

water). Roots will strike out after within 3 to 4 weeks after planting. Within 30 days, the 'cutting will be will be ready for sale or plantation if the field.

9. Plantation: Plantlets are planted along the ridges prepared on the field with a distance of 15 cm between the plants, preferably in the afternoon with a plant density of 33/m2. The distance between ridges should be 20 cm. An acre of land will accommodate approximately 30 thousand plants. Before plantation of seedlings cuttings the roots are soaked for at least 2/3hours in a slurry of azospirillum - a bacteria culture applied as biofertiliser. It fixes the atmospheric nitrogen in the root zone and make soluble nitrogen available to the plants.

10. Maintenance Cares: (i) Irrigation Twice a week during October to February and thrice a week from February onwardsat 20 litre/m2. (ii) Periodic application of fertilizers and manures N.B - Soil testing for micro nutrient status before planting is always advised. (iii) Pinching: Pinching is an important cultural operation for successful production of carnation. After 20 days of plantation, the tips of the shoots should be pinched off to facilitate lateral branching instead of slander growth, because highly branched plants yield more flower, but at the same time it may be remembered that pinching delays the flowering by 2 to 3 weeks; (iv) Pest & Disease Control

Source: theflowersociety.com

Pest Control: The usual pests that attack carnation are red spider mites, thrips, aphids, mealy bug which suck the cell sap and make the plant seek and ultimately die. In case of red spider mite attack, malathion, metacid, Rogor etc. may be sprayed with water for controlling this pest.

Disease Control: For any kind of fungal diseases in carnation like Pythium, Phytopthora rot, Fusarium wilt, Fusarium stem rot, Alternaria blight, Grey mould etc. systemic fungicides like Bavistin or Dithane M-45 may be sprayed with water.

Besides, these fungicides should be used regularly at an interval of 15 days as a prophylactic against fungal diseases.

11. Harvesting 1.

Carnation starts blooming after 30 to 35 days.

The approximate yield would be about 20 tonnes per acre per season through several pluckii1gs.

2.

Flowers .are to be plucked in the evening and packed in bamboo baskets with wet news paper linings for dispatch to the market next morning.

3.

The maximum yield will be during October to March. The yield will be negligible' during the summer though the market price will be very high. Carnation can be forced grown during summer on adoption of appropriate technology. During rainy season the yield will be about 25 % of the winter and spring season.

Tube-Rose - The Lover's Bribe Tube-rose popularly known as Rajanigandha is the most demanded flower in Indian market because of its romantic and lingering aroma.

Hence, cultivation of rajanigandha is, no doubt, a viable proposition. After marigold cultivation as the starter, one can diversify his floriculture activity to tuberose. The cultivation of tuberose or rajanigandha is also very simple and requires less supervision.

Step-Wise Cultivation Technique 1. Soil Quality: Loamy to silty loam soil is best suited for tube-rose cultivation.

2. Soil: pH 5.5 to 6.5 3. Land *Up land not inundated during the rainy season.

Paddy field cannot be used for tube-rose cultivation. *Land should be free from any kind of shade and should be receiving minimum 8 hours bright sunshine.

4. Land Preparation i. Tillage Time: Mid may to mid June. ii. Tillage Depth: 9 inch depth deep tillage followed by 15' days exposure to bright sunshine. iii. Application Of Manures&Fertilisers -As Basal Dose: Fertilisers are well mixed and then pulverised. Long ridges and furrows are made on the soil before planting of the bulbs.

5. Collection Of Tube-Rose Bulbs: Tube-rose is usually propagated by its bulbs which grows beneath the soil.

Good and matured bulbs are collected during April after 3 years of cultivation in the field. Bulbs so collected are dried before plantation in the field. Bulbs with minimum diameter of 3-4 cm should be selected for commercial cultivation for higher and quicker return.

Bulbs with bigger diameter are always preferred. Such bulbs are available with tube-rose growers as well as

Source: oakparkflowerfarm.com with any Nursery at RS.300 - to RS.500per kg depending upon the quality.

6.Planting Of Bulbs: (i). Bulb Treatment: Bulbs are dipped for 1 0 minutes in a solution of Bavistin a systemic fungicide at 2 g per litre of water for destroying any residual fungal spores as prophylactic measure. (ii) Spacing: 0.15 m from plant to plant and 0.30 m from row to row. One acre of land will accommodate approximately 89 thousand bulbs having the density of 22/m2. In high density culture under green house the plant density may be 33/m2 (iii) Planting Depth: Bulbs are planted 5cm deep inside the soil.

7. Planting Time: Mid June to mid July.

8. Maintenance Cares (i). Irrigation: No irrigation is required during rainy sea son, but in other rime the tube-rose field is to be irrigated twice or thrice a week de pending upon soil moisture content. (ii). Application Of Manure & Fertilisers (iii). Weeding: A must after rainy season, particularly in October as weeds hamper the growth of the plant. (iv). Thinning & Removal Of Unhealthy Leaves: Periodic thinning of bushes by uprooting small and week plants from the peripheral

zone give good result.

Please remember that thick will not give' qualitative as well as quantitative produce. ' (v). Pest & Disease Control: Usually tube-rose is pest & disease resistant, leaf sheath rot and root are common fungal diseases that attack the plant. The cause of such diseases are due to (1) over watering and high humidity. The disease can be controlled by spraying Bavistin ( 2 9 per litre of water) or Dithane M-45 ( 5 g per litre of water). Spider mites may, also attach tuberose which can be controlled by spraying Rogor or Malathion.

9. Harvesting: Spikes come after 90 to 120 days from the date of planting provided bigger bulbs (more that 3-4 cm diameter) are planted.

The flowers can be harvested as loose flowers or in spikes depending upon the need of the market. The spikes should be cut with a stalk of 1.5 feet long.

10. Harvesting Of Bulbs: Tube-rose plants or bushes bloom economically for 2-3 years once planted in the field - thereafter, they need replanting in another plot of land. Therefore, after 3 years, the bulbs are dug out during April and then dried under sun. The bulbs may be graded according to diameters of the bulbs and stored or sold in the market.

cmyk

cmyk

"I now no longer fight for FIFA. They have abandoned me. I only fight for myself and my honour."

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Sepp Blater

PAGE 12

United in entertaining draw with Chelsea; Arsenal top blazing the ball wildly over.

United, now eight games without a win in all competitions, are sixth on 30 points while Chelsea are 14th on 20.

Arsenal beat Bournemouth 2-0 with goals from Gabriel and Mesut Ozil to move on to 39 points from 19 Premier League games, one ahead of Leicester City.

Ozil created the opening goal for defender Gabriel and scored the second,

continuing an impressive season during which he could create a record for assists. He has laid on 16 goals and is closing in on the record of 20 set by former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry in 2002-03.

Earlier, Tottenham Hotspur rose to third after Son Heung-Min netted a late goal in a 2-1 victory at 10man Watford while Marko Arnautovic's stoppage-

time penalty gave Stoke City a 4-3 win at Everton.

Darren Fletcher's 78thminute goal for West Bromwich Albion was enough to beat struggling Newcastle United 1-0 while Aston Villa's miserable season continued with the bottom side, marooned on eight points, going down 2-0 at Norwich City.

Crystal Palace and Swansea City drew 0-0.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard battles for the ball with Manchester United's Ashley Young during their EPL match.

Agencies London: Manchester United's winless run continued but they gave under-fire coach Louis van Gaal crumbs of cheer with a committed display in an entertaining 0-0 draw with Chelsea while Arsenal went top of the table on Monday.

Dutchman Van Gaal, whose

tenure in the Old Trafford hot seat is under intense scrutiny after a Champions League exit and three successive league defeats, was afforded a warm reception by fans who have been critical of his team's lack of flair.

United responded with attacking intent, striking the woodwork twice in the

opening 16 minutes and both sides created good chances throughout. Chelsea, playing their second game under interim manager Guus Hiddink after Jose Mourinho's sacking, wasted the game's best opportunity midway through the second half when Nemanja Matic raced clear through before

Arunachal to host T. Ao football tourney ET Bureau Itanagar: Dr. T. Ao NE Council Football Championship, the biggest football extravaganza of Northeast will be hosted in Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA) president Takam Sanjoy said that the event would be conducted at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Naharlagun during Febru-

ary. Sanjoy, who had discussed the event with Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, informed that the CM has assured to sanction Rs.7 lakh from the state share soon.

However, all preparations have begun for the smooth conduct of the mega event where the top soccer players of eight NE states would exhibit their skills.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary

Secretary for Sports & Youth Affairs, Likha Saaya informed that he had facilitated the sanction of Rs.70 lakh for the upgradation of Rajiv Gandhi Stadium with 10% state Govt share. The Arunachal Pradesh Football Association along with state sports department would be hosting the Dr. T Ao NEC Football Championship.

Arsenal's Gabriel (left) celebrates with his teammate Hector Bellerin (right) after scoring his team's first goal against Bournemouth.

Banned Blatter gives up on `abandoned` FIFA

Harlem Globetrotters legend Meadowlark Lemon dies at 83 ANI Washington: Meadowlark Lemon, the "clown prince" of basketball's barnstorming Harlem Globetrotters, whose blend of hook shots and humor brought joy to millions of fans around the world, has died at the age of 83. Lemon played

The "clown prince" Meadowlark Lemon

for 22 years, beginning in the 1950s, when the team's popularity rivaled the NBA. When he started with the team, black NBA players were almost non-existent. In 1972, Lemon had a resurrection with the show, 'Scooby-Doo Meets the Harlem Globetrotters.'

PCB vows ‘zero tolerance’ in Yasir Shah's doping case ANI Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has reiterated its 'zero tolerance' policy on doping as suspended star spinner Yasir Shah appeared before a medical panel of the board on Monday to explain his position. The 29-year-old spinner was handed a provisional suspension by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday after being charged with an anti-doping rule violation. The sample Yasir provided in an in-competition test, which was conducted on 13 November 2015, was found to contain the presence of chlortalidone, a prohibited substance which appears in Section 5 of the WADA Prohibited List (in the category of Specified Sub-

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah stances). Reflecting on the issue, the PCB stated that it has a zero tolerance policy towards the use of prohibited substances in cricket and has in place a strict regime which monitors and regularly imparts education relating to the ICC anti doping code. Yasir, who was adjudged as the Player of

the Series during the recently concluded Test series against England in the United Arab Emirates, is currently ranked fourth in the longer format of the game. The spinner has seven days to decide whether to request a test on a second urine sample and faces a possible ban of two to four years.

Sepp Blatter

ANI Zurich: Banned FIFA president Sepp Blatter has insisted that he will no longer fight for the world's football governing body after his former employers abandoned

him. The 79-year-old said that the allegations against him had provided him with a new energy and, therefore, he would now fight for his honour.

"I now no longer fight for FIFA. They have aban-

doned me. I only fight for myself and my honour," Blatter was quoted as saying. Blatter, along with his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini, have been serving an eightyear ban from all football-related activities over claims that the latter had received a ' disloyal payment ' of 1.35 million pounds from the outgoing president in 2011. In addition to the lengthy bans, Blatter and Platini have been fined 50,000 and 80,000 Swiss francs respectively. With the ban, Platini's hopes of succeeding Blatter as the president of the world football governing body in the upcoming election have been derailed.

Australia thrash Windies to seal series at MCG

Australia's James Pattinson is congratulated by his teammates after taking a catch to dismiss West Indies' Jerome Taylor to win the match on Day 4 of the second Test match at the MCG.

ANI Melbourne: Australia continued their winning streak against West Indies as they secured an unassailable 2-0 series win after comprehensively defeating the Caribbean side by 177 runs in the second Test here on Tuesday.

Chasing a massive target of 460, the tourists were bundled out for 282 despite resilient efforts by skipper Jason Holder (68) and Dinesh Ramdin (59).

For the hosts, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh turned the screws as they wrapped up the match on the fourth day by bagging four and

three wickets respectively.

Meanwhile, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle also made significant contributions by sharing three wickets between them. Lyon was adjudged `Man of the match` after scalping eight wickets in the entire match.

With the win, the hosts have also retained the Frank Worrell Trophy and extended their unbeaten run in Test series against West Indies to 23 years. Australia, which had won the opening match by an innings and 212-run in Hobart, will now play the third and the final Test in Sydney, starting from January 3.

Mercedes to spice up 'boring' F1 through Hamilton, Rosberg rivalry

Nico Rosberg along with Lewis Hamilton ANI Johannesburg: In a bid to spice up Formula One, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that they are considering to unleash rivalry between team mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Earlier, Wolff said that he might consider changing the lineup if the ri-

valry between Hamilton and Rosberg would affect the team spirit. Wolff has now admitted that their dominance would be bad for the sport and it would make the racing boring. However, he insisted that he doesn't want to see the team fighting and called on the duo to remain focused on the track.

PCB rejects Azhar's resignation over Amir's inclusion row ANI Karachi: PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has rejected the resignation plea of ODI skipper Azhar Ali after he and veteran Mohammad Hafeez refused to train with disgraced fast bowler Mohammad Amir. Azhar and Hafeez later agreed to return to the camp following a meeting with the PCB chairman. "Azhar Ali met the chairman PCB .He tendered his resignation. The chairman didn't accept his resignation, Azhar Ali agreed and he will continue as captain," the PCB was quoted as saying.

North Lakhimpur College in Semis Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Dec 29: North Lakhimpur College defeated Nandalal Borgohain City College, Dibrugarh by 28 runs in the last quarter final of the Inter-college cricket tournament organized by Dibrugarh University Sports Board at DU playground here today. Opt-

ing to bat first, North Lakhimpur College scored 154 for the loss of eight wickets in their stipulated 35 overs. Suraj Sonowal topscored with 38 off 93 balls with the help of four hits to the fence. Latu Boruah contributed 17 runs with the help of three boundaries for his side. For

NLB City College, Anup Jyoti Dutta scalped three wickets giving away 42 runs in his six overs while Abilash Gogoi claimed one wicket. In reply, NLB City College were bundled out for 126 in 32.5 overs. Mihir Gowalla scored 39 off 54 balls with the help of five boundaries while Hirak

Jyoti Boruah contributed 23 off 61 balls, hitting two fours. For North Lakhimpur College, Hiren Bordoloi picked up four for 37 in seven overs while Latu Boruah took two for 21 in his six overs. Tomorrow, DR College, Golaghat will take on Sonari Commerce College in the first semifinal.

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