Aug 29

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Vol. 1

Issue 87

Price -

Dibrugarh, Saturday, August 29, 2015

5.00

Every Thursday & Sunday

Pages- 12

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Arunachal to get additional Himanta Biswa Sarma formally fund under PMGSY in 3 phases inducted in the saffron brigade ○ ○

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cmyk

Fake notes, counterfeits on the rise

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Contd. on Page 4 ○

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Tripura to implement food safety act with more sops

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Contd. on Page 4 ○

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Bangladesh arrest two suspected Islamists over blogger murder

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A deep resentment prevails among a section BJP workers and leaders of Dhubri district following news of induction of Congress MLA from Golokganj, Abu Taher Bepari in the party today. Party workers of Golokganj unit of BJP led by Premsukh Sethia thronged Dhubri district BJP office and protested against joining of Congress legislator, Abu Taher Bepari in the party.

They also sent memorandum to state BJP president and demanded not to allow Bepari to join the party. ○

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Asia's Refugee Policy Vacuum

Fake notes are on the rise in India. In fiscal 2014-15, counterfeit notes in circulation rose 22% to 5,94,446 pieces, according to the Re-

The Left Front government in Tripura has decided to introduce the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from September 1 with more sops, a minister said here today. Under the NFSA, which

BUSINESS

REGION

NEIGHBOURS

EDITORIAL

serve Bank of India's annual report. These are counterfeit notes that were detected in the banking system. While 95.6% of these notes were detected by commercial banks, 4.4% were detected at RBI offices.

came into force on July 5, 2013 under the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, each eligible person would get 5 kg of foodgrain a month - rice at Rs.3 per kg, wheat for Rs.2 per kg and coarse cereals at Re.1 per kg - through the state governments.

such deadly attack this year. Dhaka Metropolitan police official Mahbub Alam said Kausar Hossain Khan, 29, and Kamal Hossain Sardar, 29, were arrested in raids in the capital city late Thursday and that they were suspected members of the Ansarullah Bangla Team blamed for attacks on atheist bloggers and writers.

Asian states, and a failure to adopt a regional approach to the issue. In early 2015, the Rohingya refugee crises challenged the region on the matter of this failure, and highlighted the devastating human effects of the absence of effective asylum policy.

Police in Bangladesh have arrested two more suspected members of a banned militant group thought to be behind the slaying of a secular blogger in the fourth

This Asian asylum policy vacuum is the legacy of a longstanding antipathy towards the international refugee protection regime on the part of many

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things?" It seems as if he has nothing to do with the party and that only personal gains matter, he added. Mr Bora further said that the people of Assam are loosing faith in the Modi-led Government and this has been proved during the Tiwa elections. The BJP government promised 'Acche Din' to the people of Assam but in reality the picture is clear to all.

Mr Bora said, "Dr Sharma 's joining will not bring any change in the BJP politics and it will only prove to be detrimental in the days to come."

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ET Correspondent Golaghat, Aug 28

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 28

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APCC to take tough stand against rebel MLAs

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If Modi could not bring change in 14 months then what will Himanta’s joining the party do: Atul Bora

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The Lakhimpur district body of All Assam Students' Union today staged demonstration against the state and central governments alleging comprehensive failure to tackle the burning problems of the district, that is flood and

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erosion. The organisation in this regard slammed the governments along with the 4 existing MLAs of the district as well as the MP of Lakhimpur Parliamentary constituency alleging that they are only hungry for power but also have found no time to do something better in order to tackle the

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ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Aug 28

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File picture of erosion at Rohmoria

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Kabir Mondal Dhubri, Aug 28

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The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today said that it will take a very tough stand against the rebel MLAs, and in this regard will issue show-cause notices to Congress MLAs who had gone to the MLAs who had gone to the GBI Airport in Guwahati to welcome Himanta Biswa Sarma, "They will be slapped show cause notices soon," said Anjan Dutta, APCC president. Former Congress stalwart Himanta Biswa Sarma, who finally quit the party after a three-year long battle against chief minister Tarun Gogoi, is all set to formally join the BJP in Guwahati on Friday. Several Congress MLAs who are close to Sarma reached the airport to welcome Himanta.

Assam Gana Parishad president Atul Bora has raised a question: If Modi-led government could not bring change in 14 months then what will Dr Himanta Vishwa Sharma's joining the BJP party do. The AGP leader said, "There was a time when Dr Himanta Vishwa Sharma spoke against BJP and now he himself has joined the saffron brigade.

How a person can do such ○

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Brother leaves for Mumbai in connection with Sheena Bora murder case

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BJP workers unhappy with Cong MLA Abu Taher Bepari joining the party

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 26

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Contd. on Page 4 ○

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Lakhimpur AASU alleges negligence of state and centre to tackle flood and erosion

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Yet again, the people of Rohmoria are faced with the threat of erosion emanating from the Brahmaputra River.

Earlier, erosion had caused devastation in their lives. lose of property which the people cannot still forget. “There has been erosion since yesterday at Bogurituli village under Rohmoria but today erosion

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A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Aug 28

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Contd. on Page 3 ○

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People demand immediate steps to check erosion at Rohmoria

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after the opposition protested over this, the charges were revised and fixed at Rs.3,000, the minister informed.

When asked if his department is considering rain water harvesting, the minister said the Govt. through PHE and Water Supply dept. has started rain water harvesting three years ago and it is being continued in many districts.

the people of the State by giving concocted press statements after the Hon’ble Guwahati High Court, Permanent Bench, under the acting Chief Justice K. Sreedhar Rao inflicted graft charges on the Chief Minister, Nabam Tuki for awarding contract work to his kith and kin without floating tender during his stint as the Minister for PWD & UD.

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Despite the Supreme Court of India staying the Gauhati High Court’s order of CBI enquiry into alleged corruption by the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, the state BJP today said that the Hon’ble Gauhati High

Dhubri, Aug 28: Activists of Dhubri District Mahila Congress Committee took out a procession in the town in protest against the price rise of essential commodities and burnt the effigies of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Guwahati MP, Bijoya Chakraborty today.

(Correspondent) ○

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main and as such he is morally bound to resign and that the stay order of the SC does not absolve the Chief Minister of the charges of giving works to his kith and kin, without floating tender.

Meanwhile, the state BJP alleged that the ruling Congress party (APCC) and its party frontal wing are making desperate attempts to mislead

Court has prima facie found that the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh was involved in engaging in favoritism by awarding work to his kith and kin.

According to the Arunachal BJP, owing to the fact the High Court has ordered CBI enquiry, the illegality in Nabam Tuki’s dealings has now come in the public do-

Congress mohila wing protest against price rise

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ET Bureau Itanagar, Aug 28

Dhubri, Aug 28: Nearly two hundred consumers of LPG cylinder hit the street of Dhubri town in protest against the scarcity of LPG cylinders since the last two weeks while the same are available in the black markets. They also submitted a memorandum to Dhubri deputy commissioner demanding immediate supply of LPG cylinders to the consumers.

(Correspondent)

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Arunachal BJP reiterates CM Tuki should resign on moral grounds

Scarcity of LPG cylinders

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“Though I am a Congress MLA, I am a PHE and Water Supply Minister of all people of the State. My duty is to provide drinking water to everybody irrespective of their political affiliations, community and whatsoever,” said Takam Pario, PHE & Water Supply Minister, Govt. of Arunachal

Doomdooma, Aug 28: Sarbananda Sonowal, the union minister of state (independent), sports and youth welfare, visited the erosion- affected Dholla hatighuli area. The flood waters of River Brahmaputra has eroded a sizable portion of land for the last several years.

Sonowal conversed with the affected people and took stock of the state of affairs. District administration, water resource department and the officers of Brahmaputra board also accompanied him. (Correspondent)

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Pradesh while speaking to The Eastern Today.

The Arunachal Pradesh Water Supply Bill 2015 which was passed on 14 July during the fifth session of the sixth legislative assembly has undergone some alteration particularly on the new water supply connection charges. As part of the Bill, initially, the amount for new water connection was increased from the previous Rs.2000 to Rs.5000. However,

Pynshisha Nylla Itanagar, Aug 28

Sonowal takes stock of erosion-hit areas

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Dhubri, Aug 28: The dead body of one Hasan Khan of Harirpur village of Barpeta district, was recovered from Austami ghat under Mancachar police station of Dhubri district today. A police source said that Khan earlier attempted to commit suicide last evening by jumping into the river Kalo which flows by Mancachar town but he was rescued by local people with the help of CRPF jawans and got him admitted in Mancachar hospital last night. Somehow he fled from the hospital and committed suicide, the source added. The dead body was sent to Dhubri Civil Hospital for postmortem, a police source said. (Kabir Mondal)

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Body recovered

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My duty is to provide drinking water to everybody irrespective of their political affiliations, community: Takam Pario

ET CAPSULES

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In an apparent twist and strong move in the Sheena Bora murder case, Mikhail Bora brother of the deceased, on Friday left for Mumbai for further interrogation in the case. Mikhail was accompanied by two Mumbai Police officials. Mumbai Police have already quizzed Mikhail twice - first at his grandparent's house - where Sheena Bora and Mikhail Bora were raised - and then at the Dispur police station on Thursday evening. While speaking to media on Thursday, Mikhail spoke about the concrete evidence which he claims he has that could prove the motive

behind the high-profile murder. Speaking to reporters in Guwahati where he stays, Mikhail said that he has photographs and a recorded conversation as evidence. As the murder mystery of Sheena Bora, Indrani Mukerjea's daughter, unfolds with stories of sleaze, betrayal and family feud, reports had claimed that Mikhail was the next target of former media honcho. In a sordid twist, reports claimed that former STAR CEO Peter Mukerjea's wife Indrani, after murdering Sheena, had planned to kill her own son Mikhail Bora. Reports say that Indrani had many times tried to persuade Mikhail to visit Mumbai so that he could be eliminated.

NDFB(S) Central Committee member held in Guwahati ET Bureau Guwahati, Aug 28

A hardcore NDFB (Songbijit) Central Committee member and assistant financial secretary was apprehended by a joint Army and Assam Police team in Chirang district of Assam yesterday, a defence spokesman said. Based on specific inputs from military intelligence, the joint team launched an operation and apprehended the militant Contd. on Page 4

One Neel Nibaran Lahkar arrested in Sweety Borah murder case ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 28

In a major breakthrough for the Guwahati police in the Sweety Borah murder case, Neel Nibaran Lahkar, an acquaintance of Baruah, was arrested by Guwahati Police Crime Branch officials from Barambai area near Hajo in Kamrup district on Friday. Sweety Baruah, a model cum actress was suspected to have been murdered late on Tuesday night in her apartment in Bora Service area in Guwahati where she lived with her sisters.

Contd. on Page 4

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SpiceJet to purchase additional planes New Delhi, Aug 28

Gurgaon-based no-frills airline SpiceJet is in discussions with global aircraft makers to acquire more planes for its fleet following the turnaround of the carrier, which was almost out of the business last year.

Contd. on Page 3

BEFORE BUYING PLANES ØThe issue of how many firm and how many options the orders will be for will be decided during the course of the negotiations ØThe selection of firms and the number of aircraft that SpiceJet would go for will be decided during the course of the negotiations

ØA decision on the 55 Boeing MAX aircraft which were ordered during the erstwhile ownership of Maran's family would also be taken during the on-going negotiations. ØAs of now there was no discussion on the specific numbers. But it is expected that the aircraft order will be a sizeable one

ØThe airline would induct five

more Boeing 737s besides adding 40 new flights in its existing network including the international routes during the forth coming winter schedule

ØThe airline has many offers

of capital and depending on how much capital is required to fund the purchase apart from offers of strategic investment by funds and airlines

cmyk

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Former congress minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcome by his supporters at LGBI Airport, Guwahati on 28-08-15.

Himanta Biswa Sarma today formally joins BJP at a programme held in Hengrabari. Pic - UB

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It was nothing short of a festival today at the Rajiv Bhawan at Guwahati, where the Assam Pradesh Congress today celebrated the day as

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“Ullas Divas” (happy day) for “getting rid” of once Congress strongmen Himanta Biswa Sarma, who today joined the BJP, within a month of being named as a key accused in the Louis Berger scam.

ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 28

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APCC celebrates 'Ullas Divas' for 'getting rid' of Himanta

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Contd. on Page 4

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After much speculation, former Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at the party’s Guwahati based

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Rs 80-90 crore over and above the state allocation of Rs 250 crore would be provided.

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ØIn Phase 2, additional fund of

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rected the state government to release the fund to APRDA within at least seven working days, failing which the funds would be curtailed unless the interest on the parked amount is released to APRDA.

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ØThe Union Minister also di-

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assured to provide additional fund of 500 crore during this fiscal.

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ØChaudhary Birender Singh

Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh agrees to provide additional funds to Arunachal Pradesh under PMGSY in three phases. ØIn the first phase the remaining amount from the allocated fund of Rs 250 crore would be released immediately.

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ØUnion Rural Development

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vised Estimate would be initiated to secure additional fund within three months where Arunachal Pradesh would get a substantial share.

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ØIn Phase 3, proposal for Re-

headquarters today evening.

Earlier in the day, he arrived at Guwahati airport from New Delhi at 11 am where he was accorded a grand welcome by the BJP activists.

ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 28

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OVER AND ABOVE

Union Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh has agreed to provide additional fund to Arunachal Pradesh under Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in three phases. In the first phase the remaining amount from the allocated fund of Rs 250 crore would be released immediately.

In Phase 2, additional fund of Rs 80-90 crore over and above the state allocation of Rs 250 crore would be provided while in Phase 3, proposal for Revised Estimate would be initiated to secure additional fund within three months where Arunachal Pradesh would get a substantial share, an official press note said today. The association during a ○

meeting with the Union RD Minister apprised him on the difficulties being faced by the contractors with regard to the pending liabilities and the requirement of additional allocation under PMGSY for smooth and speedy implementation of the flagship programme of the Centre. Singh assured the delegation to provide additional fund of 500 crore during this fiscal. The Minister also directed the state government to release the fund to APRDA within at least seven working days, failing which the funds would be curtailed unless the interest on the parked amount is released to APRDA. The association assured the Minister to request the state government to release the fund as soon as it is credited in the state exchequer.

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ET Bureau Itanagar, Aug 28

PAGE 2

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

AJYCP blocks NH 38 Margherita in protest ET Correspondent Margherita, Aug 28: Assam Jatiyotabadi Yuba Chaatra Parishad (AJYCP) Margherita Regional Committee today blocked NH 38, Margherita for more than 1 and half hours near Block Tiniali, Margherita demanding construction of the dilapidated roadway. More than 500 agitators from different student body organisations and villagers from different villages

were present today at the road blockade programme. Sanjib Ulup, adviser, Salil Neog, president and Kanchan Bora, general secretary of AJYCP Margherita Regional Committee took the lead in the road blockade programme. Kanchan Bora, general secretary of AJYCP, Margherita Regional Committee said that Margherita Pengree PWD road spanning a total length of 26 km is in pathetic

Three-day GU festival begins at B.N. College Kabir Mondal Dhubri, Aug 27: A threeday Gauhati University Zonal Inter-College Youth Festival has begun here at Bholanath College today. Nearly 100 students from 11 colleges of Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Goalpara districts of lower Assam are participating in the music and drama competitions. The zonal level youth festival of Gauhati University was inaugurated by Dhubri deputy commissioner, Nazrul Islam. The inaugural function was addressed by the principal of the college, Dr. Dhruba Chakraborty, retired teacher, Debasish

Bhattacharjee, member of governing body, Nagen Roy, cultural secretary of Gauhati University, Bulbul Saharia, and judges, Dilip Patgiri and Dilip Barua. Lokgeet, Jyoti sangeet, Bhupendra Sangeet, Jayanat Hazarika geet, Rabindra sangeet, Bishnu Rabha geet, Parboti Prasad Barua geet, Paramparagata Jayantiya geet, Ban geet, Bor geet, classical vocal music, light vocal music, western song competition, Tal Baidya, swar Baidya and samabata sangeet, folk orchestra and drama-one act play competitions will be held during the youth festival, a college source informed.

Shillong wins smart city battle New Delhi, Aug 28: Meghalaya capital Shillong has found place in the list 98 cities selected by the Centre for the NDA government's flagship Smart Cities project.

However, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna don't figure in the list. An elated Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that now the next job of the State Government is to find an agency to prepare the plan."Our plan will have to be an innovative one," she said. Earlier, Meghalaya government had constituted a 16-member State Level High Powered Steering Committee, under the Chief Secretary PBO Warjri, for implementation of the Centre's Smart Cities Mission in Meghalaya.The selected 98 cities will get Rs 100 crore for the next five years for being developed into smart cities. Five more cities from North East -Imphal, Aizawl, Guwahati, Kohima and

Margherita Mahila Block Congress Committee burns Himanta Biwas Sarma's effigy ET Correspondent Margherita, Aug 28: Margherita Mahila Block Congress Committee today at 11.30 am burnt the effigy of former Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma near the Margherita Congress Bhawan. Mrs Urmila Nath President of Margherita Mahila Block Congress Committee said, "Today, we burnt the effigy of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma where more than 300 Mahila Congress members of Margherita were present and we burst crackers and distributed sweets as after many days we have given a farewell to the leader of the dissent group that has maligned the image of the Congress Party in Assam." Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma is a "political opportunist" and that's' why he joined the saffron party BJP, said Urmila Nath, president of Margherita Mahila Block Congress Committee.

Pasighat - have found place in the list. Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Bareilly, Aligarh, Jhansi, Sharanpur are among 12 cities selected in UP for the Smart City project.However, Patna and Bangaluru and Mumbai are not in the list."It is the states which have sent the names of the cities to be included in the project. Names of Patna and Bangalore were not proposed by their respective states. As far as Mumbai is concerned, Maharashtra has proposed Mavi Mumbai for that purpose," Naidu said. While UP has maximum of 13 cities, followed by 12 by Tamil Nadu and 10 by Maharashtra to be developed as Smart Cities, Madhya Pradesh has seven cities in the project .Karnataka and Gujarat have six cities each while Bihar and Andhra has three each and rest of the states have two and one cities respectively in the project. (Agencies)

condition; people from Greater Buridehing Mauza, Ketetong, Inthem suffer a lot commuting on these road with potholes at every step in this 26-Km long Margherita Pengree PWD road.

The agitators shouted many slogans such as "Margherita local MLA Pradyut murdabad", "Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi murdabad", "PWD Minister Ajanta Neog murdabad".

Kanchan Bora said that if within

days the roadway is not constructed then AJYCP Margherita Regional Committee shall permanently block NH 38, Margherita. A memorandum was submitted to Margherita constituency MLA Pradyut Bordoloi, PWD Minister Govt of Assam, Dibrugarh MP and Tinsukia District Deputy Commissioner through the Margherita Sub Divisional Officer (Civil).

List Of Phone Numbers Of Nursing Homes Tinsukia City Hospital & Research Centre Category: General Hospital Hospital Address: Gnb Road Near Bujhuri-786125, Assam Pin Code :786125 Phone Number :0374-2333349 Fax :0374-2350026/2339974

Dr.Bawaris Nursing Home Jeevan Jyoti Nursing Home Category: General Hospital Category: General Hospital Hospital Address: Parvathiya Road Hospital Address: Parbatia,Opp Hindi Girls High School-786125, Assam Tinsukia-786125, Assam Pin Code :786125 Pin Code :786125 Phone Number :(0374)2339756 Phone Number :0374-2336319 Fax :0374-2335334 Fax :0374-2350131

Pinewood Hospital Category: General Hospital Hospital Address: Subothoni Road Moniam Dewan Nagra-786125 Pin Code :786125 Phone Number :0374-2300730 Fax :0374-2339730

Help-Line APST BUS SERVICE Ph: 0360-2212338, 0360-2351490 NIGHT SERVICES Name of Routes Departure Distance(km) Bus Fare 1) Itanagar- Shillong ( Daily service) 5:00 pm 510 460/2) Itanagar-Nyapin(Mon, Thu, Sat) 2:00 pm 325 400/3) Itanagar- Aalo (Daily service) 2:30 pm 325 350/4) Itanagar-Daporijo (Daily service from Nlg)12:00 noon 432 470/5) Itanagar - Yingkiong (Alternate day) 01.00 pm 436 550/6) Itanagar - Seppa (Alternate day) 12:00 noon 385 420/7) Itanagar - Khonsa (Sun, mon, wed, thur) 1:00 pm 677 620/8) Itanagar - Namsai (Daily service) 1:00 pm 655 580/9) Itanagar - Koloriang (Alternate day) 2.30 pm 334 400/DAY SERVICE 10) Itanagar - Guwahati (Daily service) 6.00 am 395 350/11) Itanagar - Pasighat (Daily service) 6.00 am 270 250/12) Itanagar - Tirbin (Mon, thu & sat) 5.30 am 328 330/13) Itanagar - Bomdila (Daily except Fri) 6.00 am 346 320/14) Itanagar - Aalo (Daily service) 5.30 am 325 350/15) Itanagar - Sagalee (Sun, Tues & Thur ) 7.30 am 121 135/16) Itanagar - Pakke Kessang (Mon, Wed & Fri)7.00 am 160 200/17) Itanagar-Mengio (sun, tue &Thur) 6.00 am 198 230/18)Itanagar-Kimin/ H-Camp (Daily except Sat)12.00 noon 94 80/19) Itanagar-Gerukhamukh (Daily except Fri)12.00 noon 134 120/20) Itanagar- Balijan (Daily except Sun) 12.30 pm 105 105/21) Itanagar - Sonajuly (Daily except Sun) 01.00 pm 70 80/22) Itanagar - Jote (Daily except Sun) 07.00 am & 01.00 pm 22 30/23) Itanagar- Lakhimpur (Daily Service) 3.30 pm 64 70/-

Bordoloi Avenue, Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh - 786005 Phone Numbers: 0373 - 2302219, 2302225

G M Hospital

Shrishti Hospital & Research Centre Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh - 786 005 Phone: 0373 - 2300024, 2302099

AMC Road, Jalan Nagar Dibrugarh - 786 005

Archana Trauma & Orthopaedics Hospital

Brahmaputra Diagnostics & Hospital

Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh - 786 005 Phone: 0373 - 2302100, 2302099

Near Indian AirLines City Office Paltan Bazar Dibrugarh - 786 005 Phone Numbers: 0373 - 2303476

Assam Medical College

Marwari Arogya Bhawan Hospital Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2302872, 2302051

Graham Bazar, A.T. Road Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2322547

Jalan Nagar, Dibrugarh - 786 002 List of Phones numbers: Emergency Room : 0373 - 2300627 Labour Room: 0373 - 2300022 Drug Deaddiction Centre: 0373 - 2302952 Community Medicine: 0373 - 2302994 RIA Centre: 0373 - 2302093

Sanjivani Diagnostic & Hospital

Dr. Pawan Bajaj's Skin Clinic

Aastha Hospital

Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2303448, 2303458, 2301904

Sankardev Hospital Mancotta Road, Chowkidinghee Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2327717, 2327715, 2326960

In the Court of Shri T. Aran, EAC First Class Executive Magistrate, DC's office, Khonsa an affidavit has been executed for change of name from Shri Tirom Nokbi to Shri Rangkap Sumpa. The Affidavit was executed on the day 25th August,2015 in presence of Shri Gawang Sumpa, UDC as witness.

ASTRO FOR YOU Today you will feel like going green. You could plant a sapling, or organise some dustbins to keep the neighbourhood clean. If you wish to make the world a better place to live in, do it but take it step by step.

Hoist the sails and prepare to leave port. Your sugar-coated words will seal business deals with ease. The activity and action may slow down as the day progresses. Resist the urge to get sentimental as it could lead to conflicts that will haunt you in the days to come.

You will ponder over religious and cultural values and issues today. You will indulge in a fair amount of discussion with your family members over the issue and present your thoughts and feelings on the subject. These discussions could end up covering topics like law, education, societal concerns, manners and etiquette etc.

An excellent and exceptional day for you at work is in store for you. You are likely to need all your business acumen while negotiating deals. Your leadership skills are likely to come to the fore during the final stage of a deadline, be it about completing an order or launching new products and marketing them.

Today may not be the best time to mess with you, considering the aura of invincibility that you possess. Be it a game, a competition, or an argument, you will have the edge over others in every sphere. Also, you may come across people with whom you will have personal differences, and those who will try to change your fortunes. The best way to deal with them, is to be patient and play the waiting game.

Your communication and creative abilities are your best weapons. You will be overflowing with zest for life and will exude cheerfulness. However, be warned that your creativity will bloom fully only in situations where there is no pressure or strain.

You will try to gain in-depth knowledge about new technological inventions in your spare time today. Some of you may have queries regarding higher education that you may be able to take up today and reach a conclusion about.

There is nothing more enchanting and alluring to you than some passionate time with your love interest. The only problem is that that there may be too many love interests. Your chosen partner, though, may get to see a different side of you in the evening. The Scorpio in you can make anyone fall on their knees, begging for your love. Today, this side of you shall be dominant. Professionally, you will be able to resolve nagging issues.

A cheerful you, your energy level is on an all time high. You will enrol you name for a correspondence or a part-time course. This will boost your confidence and brush up your memory as well. People who are in legal profession will have a rocking day ahead.

Today, you will not be in the right mood to work or produce expected results.

Mounting work pressure may further dampen your self-confidence. The dullness will vanish in the air by the evening and you will be back to your happy self. Are you wondering who will be responsible for this change? The answer is your friends and family members.

You spend a lot of time planning for a better future. Sure, it does minimize the chances of errors as you know possible obstacles in advance. But, the time you spend for calculations takes you away from the reality and you don’t fully concentrate on what you have now. Learn to balance.

Financially, you have bright prospects awaiting you today. You will be able to deal with the mind-numbing financial jugglery required to take stock of your monetary matters with precision. You might be dealing with people who secretly have an axe to grind against you.

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

List of hospitals in Dibrugarh with contact details & phone numbers, Assam Aditya Diagnostics & Hospitals

Name Change

Paltan Bazar, Opposite Aditya Hospital Dibrugarh

Dr Damani's Nursing Home Near Circuit House, Dibrugarh Phone: 0373 - 2300928, 2302873

Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 29-8-15 (SATURDAY)

6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha 6-15 A.M-Classical Music, Artist-Bhajan Sapori 6-50 A.M-Lokageet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto 8-35 A.M-Surar Satsori 9-05 A.M-Antara 12-15P.M-Teachers' Broadcast 12-30P.M-Hindi Film Songs 2-00 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Suriya Geetere Sonowali Asom" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-30 P.M-Mishing Geet by Umakanta Taye and Party 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Yuvavani 7-45 P.M-Daakpakhili 8-00 P.M-Ekalabya (Sponsored Prog. of K.K.H.S.O.U) 9-30 P.M-Radio Serial-"Karam Parab" Sd-/H.O.P

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

District Electricity Committee meeting held Tawang, Aug 28: The first meeting of District Electricity Committee (DEC) was held at DC office Tawang under the chairmanship of DC Tawang Duly Kamduk. Er TT Dirkhipa, SE(E) Dirang explained about the flagship programmes like Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) and

Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Jojana (DDUGJY) through a power point presentation.

Schemes as prepared by Electrical Department under the two flagship programmes were passed by the committee.

Further, DC took stock of the present generation of electricity at various

hydels vis-à-vis the total power requirement of the district. He apprised the house that electricity shortfall during winter would be immense owing to lean discharge of water as well as increased requirement. He cautioned the engineers to prepare for the winter season in advance and

distributed hand held wireless devices with the help of police for keeping constant track of power generation and consumption simultaneously. Engineers from various departments like Electrical, E&M, DHPD, APEDA, NHPC, etc. took part in the meeting apart from others. (DIPRO)

Weather experts say, flood problem not yet over ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 28: The problem of flood is not yet over, at least according to the weather experts. Southwest monsoon is active over parts of North East, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. Heavy rainfall occurred at iso-

lated places over Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Met department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall today at isolated places over Chhattisgarh,

Telangana, Konkan and Goa, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In Delhi, sporadic spells of showers may bring respite to the residents of the national capital today, that has been reeling under intense humid conditions. The minimum temperature was

recorded at 28.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average, with the maximum expected to be around 37 degrees Celsius. The weatherman has predicted light rains and thundershowers in some areas of the city towards the evening and at night.

Students register protest against murder of girl Kabir Mondal Dhubri, Aug 28: Students of Mancachar College of Dhubri district took out a procession holding placards in the town today to register protest against the murder of a student of their college yesterday and failure of the police to arrest the accused. It may be recalled that body of 16-yearold girl of Sahapara village under Mancachar police station of South SalmaraMancachar Police district, was recovered yesterday.

In an FIR, the family of the deceased alleged that she was raped and killed in Sonali Asom Jatiya Bidyalay, a police source said. Yesterday, in protest against the murder, shops in Mancachar remained closed and people demanded arrest of the culprit.

The girl was seen with a boy of the same village in

Khonsa, Aug 28: While attending the valedictory function of 2-day awareness campaign as Chief guest on 28th August, the Tirap Deputy Commissioner Ravi Jha interacted with the children who shared their experience and how they benefitted during the 2-day training programme on HIV/AIDS/ NCPCR, Drugs Abuse, Disaster Management. He appreciated the programme organiser and resource persons for imparting the 2-day workshop. The DC also suggested the programme organiser and the department of Education, Disaster Management and Health & Family Welfare to

conduct such awareness campaigns from time to time so as to ensure freedom from HIV/AIDS/ POCSO/ Disaster Management.

In his vote of thanks, Shri Pubi Lombi,

DDSE, Khonsa extended his gratefulness to all the resource persons for their tireless deliberation during the 2(two) day awareness campaign and making it a grand success. He also appreciated

DC Tirap Ravi Jha Chief guest of the valedictory function for sparing his valuable time and for sharing his advices to the students, teachers, PRIs leaders and department functionaries. (DIPRO)

Governor extends Raksha Bandhan greetings ET Bureau Itanagar, Aug 28: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa has extended his warm greetings and good wishes to the people

of the State on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan. The Governor wished that the occasion will continue to spread universal love and peace in the world. He hopes

that the festive occasion will strengthen the endearing bond among all communities and groups and help all in the collective endeavour to work for the well-being of one and

all. May this happy occasion rekindle our resolve to work for safeguarding our sisters, daughters and mothers from all evil eyes, the Governor wished in his message.

Arunachal CM extends Raksha Bandhan greetings ET Correspondent Itanagar, Aug 28: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has conveyed his best wishes on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan to the people. In a message, Tuki emphasized on the greater sig-

nificance of the bond of love between siblings which is universal.

“Sisters tie the rakhi to their brothers in the hope that their brothers would protect and take care of them and in return the sisters pray for safety and welfare of their

brothers. The motto of the simple festival is much bigger, which is the message of universal brotherhood,” Tuki observed. He called upon the people to imbibe the real significance of the festival and follow the message of universal

brotherhood. “While our sisters tie rakhi to us with great faith, let us pledge to protect and treat our women at par and maintain brotherhood amongst all communities for peace and progress of all mankind,” the Chief Minister added.

My duty is to provide drinking water to everybody irrespective of their political affiliations, community: Takam Pario Contd. from Page 1

the morning yesterday walking towards the school where she was al-

legedly raped and murdered, residents of Mancachar said.

Mancachar town remained tense over the incident for the second day today.

Take walking breaks to improve blood sugar level Washington D.C., Aug 28 (ANI): A new study has revealed that interrupting sitting with walking breaks can improve the blood sugar levels of children. Senior author Jack A. Yanovski of the National Institutes of Health said that interrupting a long period of sitting with a few minutes of moderate activity could have shortterm benefits on a child’s metabolism, and added that small behav-

DC graces valedictory function of 2-day awareness campaign

ioral changes like taking short walking breaks could also yield benefits. In the study, the randomised crossover trial examined sedentary behavior and metabolism in 28 normalweight children aged between seven and eleven years old. On two different days, the children either sat continuously for three hours or took three-minute breaks to walk on a treadmill every half hour during that period.

When children took breaks to walk, their blood sugar and insulin levels were lower than when they sat continuously. The findings indicated the children’s bodies were better able to maintain blood sugar levels when their sitting was interrupted. First author Britni Belcher of the National Cancer Institute said that sustained sedentary behavior after a meal diminishes the muscles’ ability to help clear sugar

from the bloodstream, which forces the body to produce more insulin, which may increase the risk for beta cell dysfunction that could lead to the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Belcher concluded that their findings suggested even short activity breaks could help overcome these negative effects, at least in the short term.

The study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. (ANI)

As pointed out by many MLAs during the passing of the Water Bill that catchment areas need to be protected first, the minister during the interview with this daily said, “The bill which has been passed is for the future not just for the upcoming two-three years. We are identifying .

and incorporated many things in the bill. The work as planned is progressing.

We have to protect the catchment areas and also start planting more trees near the water sources which we are generating now.”

While expressing concern over the developments in his constituency, as a representative, the minister said, “In my constituency, the first thing I want is

connectivity. I want to concentrate first in this which means roads. Because this is the lifeline, followed by power supply and sufficient drinking water supply. While commenting on the rumour that the Govt. at the centre is not releasing funds to the State because many complaints of corruption have been lodged in Delhi and adding to the woes were the agitations of the NGOs de-

claring that that there is no money in the State, the minister however said, “I have not heard anyone working in my dept. complaining for not getting monthly salary. There is no money for people who are not working. Money is being utilized assiduously.”

He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the country India not only to the BJP-run Govt. at the centre.

SpiceJet to purchase additional planes Contd. from Page 1

The selection of firms and the number of aircraft that the airline would go for will be decided during the course of the negotiations, SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh said recently.

The airline currently has a total of 36 aircraft in its fleet comprising Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier planes. "We have not discussed any specific numbers but we expect the aircraft order will be a sizeable one," Singh said on

the sidelines of an industry event here. He said that the negotiations with the aircraft makers are going on for quite some time, adding, "We expect to complete the negotiations and place the order this financial year." To a question on the number of aircraft that SpiceJet was looking at to acquire, Singh said as of now there was no discussion on the specific numbers. But we expect the aircraft order will be a sizeable one. The issue of how many firm and how many options the

orders will be for will be decided during the course of the negotiations, he said. Singh also said a decision on the 55 Boeing MAX aircraft which were ordered during the erstwhile ownership of Maran's family would also be taken during the on-going negotiations. In July this year, Singh had said that SpiceJet needs some long-term aircraft order so that it can put a business plan around it. The airline would induct five more Boeing 737s besides adding 40 new flights in its

existing network including the international routes during the forth coming winter schedule, Singh said. When asked how he plans to fund the new aircraft order, he said there is no shortage of capital available to SpiceJet. "We have many offers of capital and depending on how much capital is required to fund the purchase," he said adding there were also offers of strategic investment by funds and airlines but did not divulge more details. (Agencies)

Nitish Kumar says plans on for granting credit cards to college-going Bihar youth Opposite Aditya Hospital Bordoloi Avenue Jalan Nagar, Dibrugarh Hospital Specialized in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O & G) and Infertility

Other Available Facilities

*Laparoscopy * General Surgery *Medicine *Paediatrics *ENT *Dentistry * Plastic Surgery For further information Please Contact: Reception: ( 0373)-2300501 Manager- +91 9954605550 Dr.Rina Ahmed - +91 9435030074

Patna, Aug 28 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said plans on for granting credit cards for college-going students of the state. To promote higher education in Bihar, “student credit cards worth

four lakh rupees will be provided. They can take it from any bank. The state government will give a three percent subsidy as interest to be paid to the banks,” said Kumar.

Kumar talked of various

schemes for the all-round development of the students of Bihar. “I have noticed how students want to learn various languages now-adays. Block wise centers would be set-up for the same. Computers, which are

a must these days, will also be provided and taught,” he added. Nitish Kumar spoke of how the JD (U) is all inclusive, devoid of caste, creed and religion, and working for the development of all. (ANI)

President greets nation on the eve of Raksha Bandhan New Delhi, Aug 28 (ANI): The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has greeted people of India on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. “On the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, I convey warm

greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens in India and abroad.”

Mukherjee said in a statement released by Rashtrapati Bhawan. The thread of Rakhi binds sisters and brothers in an in-

separable bond of love and trust. This festival underlines the need for enhancing efforts for the welfare of women and for all men to do their utmost to ensure the safety and security of women in society.

“May this festival be an occasion when we all pledge that we will dedicate ourselves to the wellbeing of the women of India, particularly the girl child”. Mukherjee added.

(ANI)

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PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

Advisor to union minister visits DHSK College

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Aug 28: V.V.S.N. Rao, the advisor to union minister of sports and youth affairs Sarbananda Sonowal along with Subhas Basumatary, the Director of the NE Regional Office of Sports Authority of India (SAI) today

visited DHSK College and took stock of the sporting facilities and atmosphere in the campus. The visit follows after a delegation from the college led by Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia, Principal of the college and Anisha Buragohain, the secretary of the DHSK College

Student’s Union met the union minister a couple of days ago. Both the officials were greeted at the college by the authorities and the students with traditional phulam gamocha at their arrival in the college campus. During his deliberations, the Principal pointed

out that the college, which is moving towards completion of 75 years of its foundation, requires a playground, a general stadium, an indoor stadium, a gymnasium hall, NSS Bhawan etc. The teachers also requested for similar facilities in the campus. On the other hand, Rao while assuring the college that he will do whatever is possible in his capacity to upgrade the sports infrastructure of the college, advised the college authorities to prepare a multiple sports project for development of sporting activities in the campus.

Teachers Priyadev Goswami, Abhijit Baruah, Titus Bhengra were present during the interaction and they too came up some valuable suggestions. Former general secretary of the college union and current BJP leader Rituparna Baruah, BJP youth leaders Subhash Dutta and Dipu Ranjan Markary accompanied the officials during the visit.

2nd Socio-Academic Counseling organized by SEWA at Namsai ET Correspondent Namsai, Aug 28: 2nd Socio-Academic Counseling organized by Socio Economic Welfare Association under the aegis of Chau Zingnu Namchoom, MLA, Namsai was held on 28/08/2015 at Namsai Town Club. The progrrame started with the welcome address by Chow Lukumang Choutang, JT, GHSS Lathao. Dr. C.M. Thoumoung, President SEWA on his keynote importance of Socio-Economic Counseling for the students communities.

Chau Zingnu Namchoom, MLA Namsai patron of the function, gave away prizes and cash money to the 32 students of Class - X and Class - XII including to the toppers Nang Aisi Namchoom and Mst. Arijit Bhattarcharjee of Class - X and Mst. Indra Kesh Yadav of Class - XII Science. The awardees were selected irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Chau Zingnu Namchoom in his speech appreciated all the awardees and asked the students to work hard to secure

better marks and to fulfill the dreams as parents have high expectation from you.

Deputy Commissioner, Namsai R.K. Sharma in his speech he stress for time management and being student should maintain proper discipline and also appealed to the senior citizen to come forward to help and Principal cum DDSE C.T. Moungkang, in his speech he emphasized for the need of character building and also stress that students most acquire quality of simplicity, punctual,

discipline and should have learning quality. And need to differentiate good and bad. He also appealed for the improvement of academic scenario of the district to all the principal, headmaster and teachers community. The following resource persons S.K. Nair, ST Mathematics of GHSS, Robin Boruah, SEWA Secretary Lekang, C.T. Manlong, Secretary General SEWA, have deliberated on the topic importance of quality education career building, im-

portance of Socio-Academic Counseling, importance of roles of parents on supervision and monitoring in nurturing students.

Senior citizens C.S. Jeinow, Retd. D.C., in his speech advises on moral and character building.

ZPC and public leaders, C.K. Mounglang and Chow Lik manpoong also spoke on the event. The ceremonial felicitation programme was ended with vote of thanks by C.A. Pomoung, SEWA Secretary Lathao.

BR Ambedkar's London Home to be Turned Into Memorial

One injured in clash

LONDON, AUG 28: Dr BR Ambedkar will be the first Indian to have an entire home dedicated to his memory in London after India sealed a 3.1-million deal to acquire a bungalow where the Dalit icon and architect of Indian Constitution lived as a student in the 1920s. The Maharashtra government this week completed the formalities to acquire the 10 King Henry's Road townhouse in north London where Dr Ambedkar resided during his student days in 1921-22. The three-storey home will now be transformed into a memorial after the state government gains possession within two-three weeks and carries out essential repair and renovation work. The memorial is expected to open to visitors by later this year or early next year. "This property also has the distinction of being recognised as an English Heritage since 1991 and carries a blue plaque with the words 'Dr Bhimjirao Ramji Ambedkar 1891-1956, Indian Crusader for social justice lived here'. "This property, therefore, has historic significance for all his followers and admirers, not only in India but all over the world," said Rajkumar Badole, Maharashtra's minister of social justice and special assistance.

"Our plan is that for the maintenance and use of this property as Dr Ambedkar Memorial, the government of Maharashtra would work closely with the High Commission of India," he said. The details of the shape and form of the new memorial will now be finalised after consultations between Maharashtra government and India's Ministry of External Affairs. Among some of the proposals under consideration for the memorialcum-museum is a plan to use one of the floors as a transitory residence for Indian students who arrive in the UK to study.

The 2,050 square feet residential property in London went up for sale through an estate agent last year. The Federation of Ambedkarites and Buddhist Organisation (FABO) UK wrote to the Indian government to urge them to purchase it as a historically important monument. The decision for Maharashtra to purchase the property was cleared by the Indian government, with the state Cabinet giving its final nod to the proposal in February this year. "Generations of Indians in the UK and visitors studying, interested or inspired by Dr Ambedkar's key roles in furthering social justice, human rights and equal treatment issues will be able to visit... Additionally, its five bedrooms could be used as accommodation for Indian students from Dalit backgrounds while doing post-graduate studies in the UK," said FABO UK president Santosh Dass. Over and above the 3.1 million pound cost of the home, there will be an estimated 2,17,000 pound Stamp Duty (payable at 7 per cent on the purchase price), with essential legal and insurance costs and renovations taking the cost up to around 4 million pounds. "There is a lot of work to do on the house before it can be opened to visitors. "We look forward to working with GOM (Government of Maharashtra) and the High Commission in London in the months and years to come to ensure that this cultural and political heritage site is put to uses of which Dr Ambedkar would approve," Mr Dass added.

Kabir Mondal Dhubri, Aug 28: Aizur Rahman,15, was seriously injured when he was attacked by a family at Bouskata embankment under Fakirganj police station of Dhubri district today. Rahman was shifted to Fakirganj Primary Health Centre where his condition was stated to be critical.

NDFB(S) Central Committee...

Contd. from Page 1 identified as Swamla Basumatary alias Sohitab, 30, allegedly involved in the Adivasi massacre in December last year, the spokesman said. He was

moving in the Bedai group of the outfit since December 2014. A pistol and some ammunition were recovered from Swamla, who had been trained in Myanmar in 2010, the spokesman added.

One Neel Nibaran ....

Contd. from Page 1 Her family accused railway employee Neel Nibaran Lahkar of murdering her. Sweety's relatives alleged that Lahkar would often come to the

model's apartment unannounced and express his love for her. Lahkar is an employee of the Railway Protection Force. The body of Sweety had blood stains and there were several injury marks, police said.

Lakhimpur AASU alleges..

Contd. from Page 1 burning problems of their respective constituencies. The organisation demanded immediate rehabilitation of landless families who were victimized by flood and erosion

in the past years in Lakhimpur. The sit-in strike which was held at 'Swahid Bhawan' premises was led by Krishna das, Chief Organising secreatry of central AASU, Sanjjev Konwar, president and Pulak Bora, secretary of Lakhimpur AASU.

View of human chain formed in Sonari today by Charaideo district committee of AJYCP demanding inner line permit in Assam. Pic -Mritunjoy Das

MDKG college students’ election concludes A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Aug 28: Monohari Devi Kanoi Girls' (MDKG) college students’ election for 201516 was concluded today with highest number of students participating in the election and voting for their favourite candidates.

In the race to the post of Vice President, Monisha Chetia (471) defeated Mayuri Chetia (360) by 111 votes. Bornali Chetia bagged 580 votes and was chosen as the General Secretary of the College. She beat Kiron Rajkumari who got 258 votes. Kashmiri Hazarika was chosen as the Assistant General Secretary who bagged 598 votes pitted against Poppy Chetia who got 226 votes.

Arishmita Kumar was selected as the cultural secretary who won by virtue of 85 votes pitted against Nilakshi Phukan who was

also in the race for the post of cultural secretary; she got 370 votes. The students of MDKG selected Suman Gogoi, as their music secretary by giving her 497 votes. Jurina Phukan contested against Suman, and got 334 votes. Sandhya Chetri was selected as the common room secretary who bagged 566 votes pitted against her rival Basabi

Bora who got 269 votes.

Nitu Gogoi was elected as the Outdoor Games secretary, who bagged 503 votes, pitted against her rival Ruma Chiring Phukan who got 318 votes. Sanghmitra Dutta was elected as the Indoor Game Secretary, who received 513 votes. Parthna Gogoi was also in the race for the post of Indoor

Game secretary who got 300 votes. Jashmine Gohain bagged 446 votes pitted against Jashita Baghri who got 387 to the post of Welfare Secretary.

Meanwhile, Nishi Gogoi won uncontested the post of Magazine secretary. Dr. Dilip Kumar Bhuyan, Principal of MDKG congratulated all the students who won the election.

Himanta Biswa Sarma formally...

Contd. from Page 1 The very arrival of Himanta in the city from New Delhi had become a media event, with TV cameras waiting from morning at the airport.

Political activists from the state BJP have been camping outside the airport right from the morning with party flags, and traditional musical instruments to accord a wel-

come to the to-be-BJP leader. Scenes of song and dance were witness outside the airport. The BJP staged a 25-km roadshow from LGBI airport to the BJP state office in Hengerabari. During his journey to the BJP office he launched a scatching attack on the Assam government saying, “Tarun Gogoi should resign from his post as his government will fall apart soon,”.

On the other hand, BJP MLA Prasant Phukan has stated that 16 MLA of Congress has given confirmation to join BJP in the next sixteen days.

At Hengrabari a massive convention was held which was attended by thousands of people, in that Himanta sang praises for Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Later speaking to the media, Himanta said that he has given 23 years of his life

to the congress and now he considers it a wastage.

On being asked how BJP will do in the 2016 elections, Himanta said that BJP will easily get above 84 seats, and said that Congress will get less than 14 seats. “My aim is to see Congress get less than BPF,” said Himanta.

Himanta also said that the rise in the percentage of the minority population is a big threat to the state and the nation.

APCC celebrates 'Ullas Divas' for...

Contd. from Page 1 “Today we are very happy. In all district offices in Assam, people today broomed the campuses and cleaned the waste. It is symbolic to say that Himanta is just a waste as he led the dissident faction for the last few years and impacted the party’s image in the

state,” APCC president Anjan Dutta told reporters at Rajiv Bhawan.

He said the party celebrated the day as “Ullas Divas”, distributed sweets among workers and blasted crackers.

“We also burnt his effigy in front of our state office in Guwahati.

Himanta was a man who took all benefits from

Congress and is now shifting his ideology to have personal benefits,” Dutta alleged.

Congress party, he said, was very happy today to “get rid of Himanta”, who was named by BJP as a key accused in the Louis Berger bribery case in a document published about a month ago.

Sarma was also grilled

by CBI in connection with his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

The Congress and in particular Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has reiterated several times this week that Sarma’s departure will not affect the ruling party in the forthcoming Assembly elections in 2016.

People demand immediate steps to check..

Contd. from Page 1 has started taking place rapidly and as of now 3000 sq meters of agricultural land has been eroded by the river,’’ said a local of Rohmoria.

Ghanan Gogoi, a local of Rohmoria said, for the last 10 to 15 days erosion has been taking place and gradually it is eating into the crop land. “Till now no one has visited the place. We demand immediate steps be taken to check erosion,’’ he said.

Since 1997, erosion has wiped out 38 revenue villages, eight schools, one police station, six tea es-

tates, one PWD road and one sericulture farm in the region. Nearly 2,000 families were displaced and over 23, 000 bighas of land lost in erosion.

“The people have been shifted to the safer places; erosion has gobbled up many hectares of land in this area. The work of Geo-bags has been completed up to 2.6 km from Kchuani to Borpara and another 5.4 km stretch of works has not been completed,’’ said Binod Kedia, Chief Advisior of Flood Erosion Resistance Struggle Forum, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.

Kedia said, “Rs 78.48 crore was sanctioned by

the Ministry of Water and Resource, Govt of India on November 16, 2014 but now Niti Aayog has not yet released the fund’’. He added that many times they have urged the concerned department and the MP’s and Minister of the region to immediately release the fund. The Flood Erosion Resistance Struggle Forum, which is spearheading the Save Rohmoria campaign, has urged the concerned department to take immediate step to control the growing erosion in the region. Many primary schools and houses were gobbled up by the mighty

Brahmaputra.

“The problem of erosion in Rohmoria is a very old one and up to now huge chunks of land have been gobbled up by the river and this evil is rearing its ugly head yet again,’’ said a villager.

Erosion in Rohmoria had begun after the great earthquake of 1950. In 1999, the affected people formed the Rohmoria Erosion Resistance Struggle Forum, which has been waging an arduous struggle for Rohmoria’s protection and began initiating anti-erosion measures on its own without any government support or intervention.

PAGE 5

REGION

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

Tripura to implement food safety act with more sops Agartala, Aug 28: The Left Front government in Tripura has decided to introduce the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from September 1 with more sops, a minister said here today. Under the NFSA, which came into force on July 5, 2013 under the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, each eligible person would get 5 kg of foodgrain a month - rice at Rs.3 per kg, wheat for Rs.2 per kg and coarse cereals at Re.1 per kg - through the state governments. The NFSA entitles up to 75 percent of the rural population

Nagaland Governor asks security forces to be careful in view of Naga accord Kohima, Aug 28: Nagaland governor P B Acharya has urged security forces to take extra care and precaution in handling any law and order situation keeping in mind the peace agreement between the Centre and NSCN (IM). "All the citizens and security agencies should have one goal to achieve and that is peace," the Governor said during an interaction with General Officer Commanding (GoC) 3 Corps, Rangapahar, Lt Gen Bipin Rawat at Raj Bhavan yesterday. The GoC made a courtesy call on the Governor and briefed him on the security situation in the state, a Raj Bhavan official said today. Lt Gen Rawat was accompanied by Deputy Inspector General, Assam Rifles (North), Brig Rajeev Nanda and other high-ranking officers of Assam Rifles, the official said. (Agencies)

Bengal power minister praises Piyush Goyal Kolkata, Aug 28: West Bengal Power Minister Manish Gupta today heaped praise on union Power Minister Piyush Goyal, notwithstanding the political rivalry between his party Trinamool Congress and the BJP.Terming Goyal's ascendancy as a "breath of fresh air", Gupta said: "There has been a huge change in policy and planning. We need to involve all minds -users, consumers - to improve the power sector and this is exactly what he has done. This has been a notable achievement."

The state minister, also a senior Trinamool leader, lauded Goyal's leadership saying it has resulted in rise in coal production in the state-owned coal behemoth Coal India."It was widely said that Coal India needs to step up production and this has been done. He has made remarkable progress," he said.Gupta said the Centre's vision about solar power and the rise in economic growth is in sync with the vision of the Mamata Banerjee-led state government."The Centre feels India needs to make a quantum jump and this is exactly what our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said for West Bengal."He said Bhutan can be a key partner for India for hydel power projects.

(Agencies)

and up to 50 percent of the urban population to receive food grain at subsidized prices. "From September 1, under NFSA, we would provide rice at the rate of Rs.2 per kg instead of Rs.3 per kg as stipulated in the act," Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha told reporters. He said: "According to the NFSA, only priority households and extremely poor families are entitled to get subsidized food grains.

However, we have decided to continue TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System) to all 969,000 ration card hold-

ØThe Left Front government in Tripura has decided to introduce the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from September 1 with more sops

ØUnder the NFSA, which came into force on July 5, 2013

under the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, each eligible person would get 5 kg of foodgrain a month - rice at Rs.3 per kg, wheat for Rs.2 per kg and coarse cereals at Re.1 per kg - through the state governments

ØThe NFSA entitles up to 75 percent of the rural population and up to 50 percent of the urban population to receive food grain at subsidized prices

ØAccording to the NFSA, only priority households and extremely poor families are entitled to get subsidized food grains

ØTo provide food grain subsidy for priority households, the additional annual expenditure from the state government exchequer would be Rs.16.73 crore.

ers comprising priority and non-priority households. The non-priority households would not get

any subsidy in the food grains."To provide food grain subsidy for priority households, the addi-

tional annual expenditure from the state government exchequer would be Rs.16.73 crore. The minister said that the families belonging to above poverty line or non-priority households, which are outside the ambit of NFSA, would be provided rice at the rate of Rs.13 per kg and 5 kg per head per month subject to maximum 15 kg a family instead of the existing 20 kg a family per month.

This is non-subsidized rate. "In the entire eastern and north-eastern region of India, Tripura would become the first state implementing the

NFSA," Saha added.

The NFSA was passed by parliament in 2013 and the deadline for implementing the same has been extended thrice. According to a central government report, the NFSA has been implemented by 13 states and two union territories only. To provide food grain subsidy for priority households, the additional annual expenditure from the state government exchequer would be Rs.16.73 crore.

To implement the NFSA, the entire TPDS system has to be computerized and the ration cards must be digitized. (Agencies)

Nitish counters PM Modi's special package with Rs 2.70 lakh cr vision Patna, Aug 28: To counter the Prime Minister's Rs 1.25 lakh crore special package for Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Friday unveiled a Rs 2.70 lakh crore development plan in the next five years that would include free electricity and drinking water connection in every household.Taking a jibe at the PM's special package, Kumar told a press conference here, "Unlike the much hyped package which is nothing but repackaging of old schemes, my (Rs 2.70 lakh crore) vision comprises programmes which are doable and I

have worked out mobilisation of resources for it.""Its 'dil ki baat' (talks from heart) and not 'maan ki baat' (talks of mind)," Kumar said.The 7-point development plan was in addition to the ongoing schemes in different sectors, Kumar said here as he was flanked by state Finance Minister Bijendra Yadav and senior minister Vijay Chaudhary. Elaborating on the 7 points in his development plan, Kumar highlighted five new programmes for youths, who constitute the bulk of the state's population.The CM said

youths in the age group of 20-25 would get Rs 1,000 monthly allowance twice for a period of nine months each to meet expenses during search for jobs.Every youth who has passed class XII would get a student credit card with the help of which a loan of Rs 4 lakh from any bank could be availed.

The state government would provide 3 per cent interest subvention on the loan taken from this credit card, Kumar said.

The state government would establish a Rs 500 crore Venture capital fund from which young entrepreneurs would get

startup capital to set up manufacturing units, he said.The CM promised to provide free wi fi facility in all colleges and universities in the state.He further said Registration and Modern employment consultancy centres would be opened in all 38 districts to provide basic computer education, language training and skill development to 1.5 crore youths in the state. The plans for youths would cost about Rs 49,800 crore in next five years, he said, adding "he has in mind from where to mobilise the resources."With elec-

tricity emerging as a major election issue in Bihar, Kumar said all left out villages and habitations would be connected with electricity in next two years and after that state government on its own expenses would connect every house with the electricity."Through increased availability of electricity the dream to illuminate every house in the state with 24 hour electricity would be realized," Kumar said. The future power projects would cost Rs 55,600 crore in five years which would be arranged, he said. (Agencies)

Landslide blocks NH 54, Mizoram's lifeline Aizawl, Aug 28: Mizoram remained cutoff from the rest of the country with National Highway 54, the lifeline of the state, blocked by a massive landslide at Kawnpui town since last evening. People stranded on the highway said that the landslide at Kawnpui was so massive that it looked like as if the en-

Tripura govt rules out ceasefire with NLFT

Agartala, Aug 28: Tripura government today ruled out possibility of ceasefire with the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), which concluded two rounds of tripartite talks with the state and central governments."Two rounds of talks were concluded in Delhi and Shillong in last six months and nothing fruitful has come out so far. NLFT has proposed for ceasefire, but the state government made it clear there will be no ceasefire and the security forces will continue to provide security to the citizens," Tripura CM Manik Sarkar told reporters."They did not submit their demands. One good thing was, they agreed to find the solutions under the constitutional framework. Even while sitting at the negotiation table, the outfit went on making their extortion and abduction bids, which is not

Women to get 35 percent of government jobs, says Nitish Patna, Aug 28: Thirtyfive percent of all government jobs in Bihar will be for women if he formed a government again, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today, releasing a five-year "Vision Document". He also pledged to launch student credit cards to provide loans of Rs.4 lakh for higher studies to all students who pass Class 12 - at 3 percent subsidy by the government. A head of the assembly polls, Nitish Kumar said he would be

"People of Bihar have faith and trust in me. I will change the face of Bihar with focus on youths and women, by implementing development schemes on a mission mode". Nitish Kumar on a "mission mode" if he won the election."People of Bihar have faith and trust in me. I will change the face of Bihar with focus on youths and

MUDA bye-law: State Congress now a divided house Shillong, Aug 28: The disunity in the State Congress has come to the fore with the party MLAs registering their protest against MUDA's fresh notification on localities which will fall under building bye-laws.Though the decision related to MUDA notification was taken following the recent meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and attended by Home Minister Roshan Warjri and Urban Affairs Minister among others, the party legislators, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh ( Government chief whip) and P N Syiem ( KHADC chief) are opposing the MUDA notification.In fact, Syiem has been opposing the Ordinance to empower the headmen Okayed by his own Congress-led Government. When contacted, Ronnie Lyngdoh said that instead of MUDA notification, the building bye laws passed by KHADC was need of the hour.

"There should be two sets of laws. Let MUDA can manage urban affairs and KHADC will handle rural areas," Lyngdoh said. He also expressed concern

over lack of consultation on the part of the Government with the stake holders before issuing the fresh MUDA notification and added that status quo should be maintained."Such a policy decision should have been discussed with all concerned including the village authorities," Lyngdoh said. The legislator said that a person from Lawsohtun which is part of his Mylliem constituency has already met him and they have sought clarification from MUDA. He also pointed out the irony of MUDA imposing building byelaws in areas which are administered by Block under Community and Rural development department. Besides Lyngdoh, the KHADC CEM had also opposed the fresh MUDA notification during news conferences and meetings, and the framing of KHADC's own building byelaws is seen as an open revolt against Government's decision on fresh MUDA notification.

(Agencies).

women, by implementing development schemes on a mission mode," he told the media."I am confident of making a quantum jump as far as development of

Bihar is concerned in the next five years. "We plan to provide free Wi-Fi in all colleges and universities in Bihar."Nitish Kumar said a venture capital of Rs.500 crore

would be set up to help young entrepreneurs.

"We also plan to provide self help allowance to unemployed youths."He said the government would provide 35 percent reservation to women in all government jobs in Bihar."We are already providing 35 percent reservation for women in recruitment as police constables and sub-inspectors and 50 percent reservation as primary school teachers and in Panchayati Raj system."The Janata Dal-

United leader said that he would provide safe drinking water and electricity connection to each household besides building toilets in all houses in the next five years. Nitish Kumar admitted that many things need to be done for Bihar's development despite whatever he had already achieved.He said more than 66,000 km of roads were constructed and school dropout rate had fallen to 1.5 percent. (Agencies)

Garland decked Youth Congress activists protest against inflation in Agartala Agartala, Aug. 28 : The Youth Congress in Agartala staged a unique protest against inflation and against the state government's inaction to bring the prices of vegetables, including onions, under control.Wearing garlands made out of vegetables, the Youth Congress activists claimed that the NDA regime at the Centre and the Manik Sarkar-led Left frontruled government in the state of Tripura were both equally responsible for the current crisis.Shouting antiModi and anti-Sarkar slogans, they recalled that Prime Minister Modi had promised be-

fore the election that he will give relief to the common man from inflation, but had totally failed on this score.They also claimed that Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was not able to control the price of vegetables locally produced in the

state."Right from ladyfinger to various other vegetables is produced in huge quantities in the state, and therefore, there is no reason for this price rise. Today, a kilogram of ladyfinger is going for Rs. 120, and is out of reach of the poor. Both

tire mountain had collapsed. Engineer-in-Chief of the state Public Works department Vanlaltluanga said concerted efforts were being made to clear the highway for vehicular traffic. Vanlaltluanga said that the work to clear blockades was being hampered by many other landslides in different parts of the state. (Agencies)

the BJP at the Centre and the CPI-M in the state are opposite sides of the same coin and have totally failed in serving the cause of the common people," said Sushanata Chowdhury, the president of the Youth Congress in Tripura."Black marketers are taking advantage of the situation and making huge profits.

Both the BJP and the CPI-M are not taking any steps against them. The Youth Congress is demonstrating against this," he added. Earlier, the Youth Congress had organized a similar protest across the nation against the NDA Government's failure to control inflation. (ANI)

acceptable," he said. Stating that insurgency was an offshoot of backwardness and lack of employment, Sarkar said the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM) should create jobs in the Northeast to stop the menace."NSDM is looking at skill development, but if the opportunities for employment are not created for the youths of the North East region, insurgency will continue," he said.The Chief Minister said the 'Look-East' policy formulated by the former UPA government was converted to 'Act-East' policy by the NDA government led

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but to implement the policy, infrastructure should be built-up in the region along with industrialization."If infrastructure is made and industrialization takes place, insurgency will come down because the youths will have access to jobs," he added.

(Agencies)

Domicile issue reverberates in Jharkhand Assembly Ranchi, Aug 28: The domicile issue reverberated in the Jharkhand Assembly today, with Fulchand Mandal of the ruling BJP claiming that Chief Minister Raghubar Das hailed from Chhattisgarh."Our chief minister belongs to Chhattisgarh. The rights of Jharkhandi students are grabbed by those from other states," Mandal said, embarrassing the ruling party members. As he continued to speak, the Speaker forced him to sit down. Main opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM) legislator Jagganath Mahto raised the domicile issue in the house as Speaker Dinesh Oraon objected to the slogan 'implement domicile policy in the state' written on his shirt.Amid noisy scenes, Fulchand Mandal was on his feet and said that Jharkhand had no domicile policy in the last 15 years, adding that youths from other states were getting entry into grade three and four jobs through the backdoor. "Hemant Soren is from Jharkhand and he ruled the state for 14 months but could not implement the domicile policy," he said. The opposition members stood in the well of the house and shouted slogans to demand the implementation of the domicile policy in Jharkhand."Mandal wrongly stated that the chief minister belongs to Chhattisgarh.

Ragubar Das is by birth and by heart a Jharkhandi," said Biranchi Narayan, a BJP legislator. Raghubar Das is the first non-tribal chief minister of Jharkhand. The tribals and other indigenous people had raised objections over his appointment as the chief minister. (Agencies)

President Pranab Mukherjee to present National Sports Awards ANI New Delhi Aug 28: President Pranab Mukherjee will be presenting the National Sports Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29. Sania Mirza will be conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. The government also announced 17 other sportspersons, including cricketer Rohit Sharma and shooter Jitu Rai, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, hockey player P R Sreejesh, wrestling duo of Bajrang and Babita, athlete M.R.

Kim Jong-un dismisses top officials after standoff with Seoul

PAGE 6

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

Poovamma, shuttler K. Srikanth and boxer Mandeep Jangra, for the 2015 Arjuna Awards. The officially announced winners for Dronacharya Awards 2015 are: Coach Anoop Singh for wrestling, Harbans Singh for athletics, Swatantar Raj Singh for boxing, Nihar Ameen for swimming and Naval Singh for athletics - para-sports.

Dhyan Chand award for lifetime achievement will be given to Shiv Prakash Misra.

Pranab Mukherjee will be presenting the National Sports Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29

Nestle accused of using slave-caught fish in cat food

PM Modi's 56" chest challenge to Pak hollow: SP ANI New Delhi, Aug 28: Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Naresh Agawal on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 56" chest challenge to Pakistan when he was campaigning for general elections in 2014, now appear hollow.

"The Prime Minister kept on talking about his 56inch chest throughout last year's election, and of giving a befitting reply to Pakistan." Agarwal told.

"This nation won't tolerate

Backroom channels should have been activated before holding NSA talks: Congress

ANI New York, Aug 28: North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has dismissed top officials after a standoff with South Korea. The standoff began after land mines were planted by North Korea that injured two South Korean soldiers.

The two countries, earlier in the week, threatened strikes against each other before reaching an agreement on measures to reduce animosity. South Korea responded by resuming propaganda broadcasts critical of Kim's authoritarian rule for the first time in 11 years. During a ruling Workers' Party meeting, Kim hailed the agreement, which came after marathon talks, as a "crucial landmark" that put "catastrophic" inter-Korean relations back on track toward reconciliation.

Nestle works with Thai Union Frozen Products PCL to import more than 13 million kilogrammes of seafood-based pet food for top brands sold in the United States, and that some of the ingredients in those products came from slave labour.

Men and boys, often trafficked from Thailand's poorer neighbours Myanmar and Cambodia, are sold to fishing boat captains who need crews aboard their ship, the complaint said. It spoke of shifts

of up to 20 hours a day with little or no pay, and beatings or even death if the work is deemed unsatisfactory. "By hiding this from public view, Nestle has effectively tricked millions of consumers into supporting and encouraging slave labour on floating prisons," said Steve Berman, managing partner of the Hagens Berman law firm. "It's a fact that the thousands of purchasers of its top- selling pet food products would not have bought this brand had they

Two poachers arrested along with three country- made guns were seized

BJP dubs ceasefire violation as Pak's 50-yr-old frustration ANI New Delhi, Aug 28: Speaking on the continuous ceasefire violation on the Line of Control (LoC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday dubbed it as Pakistan's 50-year-old frustration. "As far as Pakistan is concern what is happening in the border is the reflection of the frustration of what Pakistan underwent 50 years ago. Pakistan is venting out their frustration," BJPspokesperson Sambit Patra told. "Only yesterday, a dreaded terrorist has been caught on the borders. This exposes to the global arena, the kind of state Pakistan is, a state which promotes terrorism, a country who doesn't follow rules and regulation, so it further exposes Pakistan," he added. Patra further said that the Central Government has given a befitting reply against all the activities.

Baripada, Aug 28: Officials claimed to have arrested two poachers and seized three country-made guns and belongings from their possession on Thursday night during patrolling core area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve of Mayurbhanj district. Two poachers were identified as Maheswar Naik son of Krushna Naik in Podadiha village and Visikasan

Jamdhiha son of Ambar Jamdiha in Nachipur village under Kaptipada police station area. Deputy director of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) Ajit Kumar Satpathy said two poachers were arrested from Dharunai, a place near Vanjabasa section, compartment no-TK7 (P1) under Upper Barakamar range. Three country made guns, plastic bags and rice

Seychelles President nominates Shahnaz Husain as cultural envoy to India ANI New Delhi Aug 28: India's beauty icon and Padmashri Award winner Shahnaz Husain has been nominated as the Cultural Ambassador for Seychelles in India by the President of Seychelles, James A. Michel, during his recent visit to New Delhi. Shahnaz Husain, over the last four decades, has taken India's herbal

Shahnaz Husain, over the last four decades, has taken India's herbal heritage worldwide heritage worldwide. She has created a brand and an international market for Ayurvedic beauty and healthcare.

Seychelles is a tourism destination where its culture has

Congress lashed out at Modi for false OROP promises ANI New Delhi, Aug 28: Congress leader and former Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh, lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday, for making false promises of passing the One Rank One Pension scheme on completing 100 days in power.

"In the Rewari rally, Modi promised ex-servicemen

seized from them, a patrolling team led by forester Guru Singh traced them inside the forest. A case under Section 9, 27, 31 and punishable Act 51 with wildlife protection Act.1972 was registered and they will be produced in Udala SDJM Court.

They have remanded in judicial custody after their bail applications were rejected. (Agencies)

that if his government formed, he will implement the One Rank One Pension scheme in 100 days.

What happened?" Singh asked. "He (Modi) went to Siachen last Diwali and promised OROP. The next Diwali is to come," he added asking the Modi Government to pay heed to the ongoing hungerstrike by ex-servicemen.

One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme has been a long-standing demand of nearly three-million exservicemen and war widows in the country. It seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to defence personnel, who retire at the same rank with the same length of service irrespective of their date of retirement.

been positioned at the base of its tourism development, and it is with this 'tourism through culture' tag line, that Shahnaz has been nominated as that nation's cultural envoty.

Quota agitation: Hardik Patel to meet Jats demanding reservation soon

part of the government. The backroom channels should have been made active before the NSA-level talks were planned," said Soni.

"From the day this government has come into power, everything has been going against to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to say when he was in opposition. He is not fulfilling any promise that he had made," she added. The Pakistani troops resorted to yet another ceasefire violation in the R S Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday in which three civilians were killed and many more have been injured. Islamabad has been resorting to continuous ceasefire violations following the NSA-level talks cancellation.

ANI Ahmedabad, Aug 28: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel, who is demanding reservation for the Patel community under the Other Backward Caste (OBC) quota, on Friday declared that he will be meeting with the Jat community soon. "I will be soon meeting people who are demanding reservations for Jats," Patel told. Clearing the air that the meeting was not specially in connection to the ongoing protests, Patel said that he had been invited to meet the Jats.

"But if needed, we will go to Jantar Mantar for protests," he added. Patel was detained following the violent protests by the Patel community in Gujarat.

Truck filled with chickens and bodies of migrants in Austria shows horrific plight of refugees

European migrant crisis: 200 bodies found floating off Libyan coast

Swiss food giant Nestle is being sued in the US for allegedly knowingly allowing its Fancy Feast cat food to contain fish from a Thai supplier that uses slave labour Newyork , Aug 28: Swiss food giant Nestle is being sued in the US for allegedly knowingly allowing its Fancy Feast cat food to contain fish from a Thai supplier that uses slave labour.

Pet food buyers who filed the class action lawsuit on Thursday in US federal court in Los Angeles seek to represent all California consumers of Fancy Feast who would not have purchased the product had they known it had ties to slave labour.

According to the lawsuit,

this (ceasefire violation) for long. When all political parties are saying that we will leave politics and

stand with the nation, then, we cannot understand what is the government's problem to gather courage?" he said. "The way India is showing its weakness in front of Pakistan, today, this is the reason behind the ceasefire violations.

Civilians and our soldiers are getting killed. This is not good for the nation," Agarwal added. Agarwal was commenting on the ceasefire violation in the R.S. Pura Sector on Friday morning.

known the truth that hundreds of individuals are enslaved, beaten or even murdered in the production of its pet food." Nestle lists protection of human rights as one of its Corporate Business Principles. But "Nestle has failed to uphold its responsibility to ensure the absence of slave labour in its supply chains - and even worse, Nestle not only supported these human rights violations, but forced consumers to unknowingly do the same.(Agencies)

ANI Sydney, Aug 28: The discovery of a truck filled with chickens and decomposing bodies of migrants in Austria has brought to the fore a horrific reality and plight of refugees trying to escape from countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The discovery comes as a summit was held in Austrian capital Vienna on how to deal with the migrant crisis that has been described as the 'worst' refugee crisis since World War II. Many people have come to Balkan nations like Hungary, Serbia and Macedonia as means of escaping from their war-torn homes in search of a better lifestyle.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that never before in history have people in such large numbers fled from their homes to escape both war and persecution.

ANI Srinagar, Aug 28: Congress leader Ambika Soni on Friday said that backroom channels of communication should have been activated between India and Pakistan before reaching the final understanding on to hold talks at the NSA level. "We have such a large international border. There has to been some responsibility on the

Many people have come to Balkan nations like Hungary, Serbia and Macedonia as means of escaping from their war-torn homes in search of a better lifestyle.

ANI London, Aug 28: Around 200 bodies have been found floating off the coast of one of the main people-smuggling hubs in Libya after two boats carrying up to 500migrants capsized off Zuwara, a port in western Libya. According to the Guardian, a Libyan coastguard vessel found the bodies around a kilometre from Zuwara. Zuwara is a major departure point for refugees who hope to reach Italy. Around 40 bodies were found inside a halfsunk fishing boat as it was brought towards the shore by the high tide, according to a representative of Doctors without Borders (MSF) who was helping to coordinate the humanitarian response. Up to 160 others were discovered floating nearby, while around 110 survivors were rescued. It the incident is confirmed, the total number of deaths in the Mediterranean will reach over 2,500.

Congress slams PM for silence over ongoing ceasefire violations ANI New Delhi, Aug 28: The Congress Party on Saturday criticized the BJP-led NDA government for its silence over the ongoing cross border firing from Pakistan that has resulted in loss of many innocent lives. "This is very unfortunate. Large numbers of civilians have been killed. Six people were killed earlier in the unpro-

voked firing by Pakistan and a day before yesterday a Commissioned Officer died. Our Prime Minister is keeping mum, the government is maintaining a silence over it," Congress leader, Shakeel Ahmed told.

Ahmed further questioned the government for the gap between its promises made to the people before the assembly elections and its ac-

tions. "It is for the people of this country to see. Prime Minister Modi should compare what he had said at the time of elections and what he is doing today. The situation is pathetic and very unfortunate, the government must act on it," he added. Early on Friday morning, Pakistani troops killed three civilians and injured eight others.

It is for Nation to see where Modi Govt. has failed: Congress ANI New Delhi, Aug 28: Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed on Friday said it is for the nation to see where and why the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government has failed to keep the promises made during the

2014 general elections.

"See what they promised to the people of this country before the Lok Sabha polls, and see what they are doing today. It is for the people of the nation to see," Ahmed told here while commenting on the R S Pura ceasefire

violation by Pakistani troops. "This is really pathetic and unfortunate, and the government should act immediately on these issues," he added. "This is very unfortunate. Several civilians have been killed. Not today, twothree days ago, six

people were killed by unprovoked firing by Pakistan. On Wednesday, one of our junior commissioned officers was killed. So, this is very unfortunate and Mr. Modi is keeping mum, His government is keeping mum," Ahmed said.

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

NEIGHBOURS Sri Lanka Cabinet Bangladesh arrest two suspected Islamists over blogger murder formation further delayed

Dhaka, Aug 28: Police in Bangladesh have arrested two more suspected members of a banned militant group thought to be behind the slaying of a secular blogger in the fourth such deadly attack this year.

Dhaka Metropolitan police official Mahbub Alam said Kausar Hossain Khan, 29, and Kamal Hossain Sardar, 29, were arrested in raids in the capital city late Thursday and that they were suspected members of the Ansarullah Bangla Team blamed for attacks on athe-

ist bloggers and writers. The arrests follow the arrests two weeks ago of two other suspects - Saad-al-Nahin and Masud Rana - for involvement in the killing of the 28-year-old blogger Niladri Chottopadhay Niloy. Alam said the latest arrests were a result of interrogations of the two.

Niloy was hacked to death on Aug. 7. His wife, Asha Moni, filed a murder case against four unnamed persons, and the seriousness of the case meant the investigation was handed to the

Detective Branch of the police from the regular police .Police would not provide more details about Khan and Sardar but said they were out on bail after being accused of attempted murPolice in Bangladesh have arrested two more suspected members of a banned militant group thought to be behind the slaying of a secular blogger in the fourth such deadly attack this year

der in an attack on another blogger, Asif Mohiuddin, two years ago. Mohiuddin has since fled for Germany.

Niloy was known to his friends as an atheist blogger whose online name is Niloy Chowdhury. His family and friends said he has criticized radical Islamists at home and abroad, and had sought police protection after receiving threats. The police asked him to leave the country for his safety, they said.The United States has expressed its concern over the killing, while the United Nations called for Bangladeshi authorities to ensure accountability and prevent such violence. U.N. Special Rapporteur Heiner Bielefeldt is scheduled to visit Bangladesh from Monday to assess the state of freedom of religion and belief in the South Asian country.In February, Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy was hacked to death on the Dhaka University campus while walking with his wife. Two others were attacked and killed in March and April, one in Dhaka and another in the northeastern city of Sylhet. Investigations into those cases have made no headway. (Agencies)

200, including Bangladeshis, feared dead in Libya sinking

Yangon, Aug 28: A boat packed with mainly African migrants bound for Italy sank off the Libyan coast yesterday and officials said up to 200 might have died.The migrants on board had been from Bangladesh, Africa, Pakistan, Syria and Morocco, a security official in the western town of Zuwara said. The security official said there had around 400 people on board. Many appeared to have been trapped in the hold when it capsized.By

late in the evening, the Libyan coast guard rescued around 201, of which 147 were brought to a detention facility for illegal migrants in Sabratha, west of Tripoli, the official said, asking not to be named.Another local official and a journalist based in Zuwara confirmed the sinking but also had no information on casualties.

The Italian coast guard, which has been coordinating rescue operations with the European Union off the Libyan coast, could not im-

mediately confirm a sinking .Libya's coast guard has very limited capabilities, relying on small inflatable's, tug boats and fishing vessels. Zuwara, Libya's most western town located near the Tunisian border is a major launchpad for smugglers shipping migrants to Italy.Libya has turned into a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to make it to Europe. Crossborder smuggler networks exploit the country's lawlessness and chaos to bring

Syrians into Libya via Egypt or nationals of subSaharan countries via Niger, Sudan and Chad.More than 2,300 people have died this year in attempts to reach Europe by boat, compared with 3,279 during the whole of last year, according to the International Organization for Migration. As many as 50 refugees were found dead in a parked truck in Austria near the Hungarian border on Thursday, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the discovery had shaken European leaders discussing the migrant crisis at a Balkans summit.

Libya has been struggling to cope with an influx of migrants, putting them in overcrowded makeshift detention facilities such as schools or military barracks where they live in poor conditions lacking medical care.The North African country used to deport migrants it caught but with fighting between armed groups having cut off land border crossings to Niger, Algeria and Chad many stay months or years in detention facilities.

(Agencies)

Colombo, Aug 28: Sri Lanka's new government has further delayed formation of the Cabinet beyond the already agreed deadline of September 1. The election was held nearly two weeks ago in which the United National Party (UNP) failed to win the absolute majority of 113 seats in 225-member assembly.

The UNP and the opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party decided to form a national unity government following which there were serious negotiations and disagreements over the sharing of key portfolios. Duminda Disssanayake, the SLFP acting general secretary, said the new Cabinet was most likely to be inducted on September 4. He said the SLFP's 64th convention would be held on September 2 in Polonnaruwa and said they had invited all party officials including President Maithripala Sirisena who is the party

Chairman, to attend the event. Sirisena pledged to form a national government with his members providing the majority for the national unity government will be in office for a minimum period of two years. However, some members of the SLFP who are followers of the former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa have announced that they would not join the

national government but would work as the main opposition. Sirisena has allowed the MPs to act according to their wishes.

Sirisena on Monday appointed three members of the Cabinet including the foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera. They were appointed to host a visit by a group of top US State Department officials.

(Agencies)

1994, soon after a groundbreaking ceremony.

A senior Transport Ministry official confirmed the project had been delayed because of a difficulty in seeking fund."Frankly, major construction work still hasn't started at the site as talks are still going on for the ODA," said the official who declined to be identified as he not an authorized spokesman. He declined to give further details. The project was revived in 2012 when tourist arrivals were boosted by

political and economic reforms after a government led by civilians took office after nearly 50 years of military rule.The project attracted criticism because of the lack of a plan to transfer passengers to Yangon.In 2014, a Japan-Singapore consortium called Yongnam-CAPEJGCC won a bid to build the airport at a cost of $1.5 billion with 49 percent of that being secured through an ODA loan and the rest from private loans and the consortium. The capacity of the air-

port was targeted at 12 million passengers a year. Tourist arrivals have almost exceeded the capacity of existing international airports in Yangon, the city of Mandalay and the capital Naypyitaw.

Up to five million tourists are expected to visit Myanmar in 2015, up from 3 million targeted in 2014 and compared with 2.04 million in 2013 and 1.05 million in 2012.The airports at both Yangon and Mandalay are being upgraded and expanded. (Agencies)

Five Cambodians jailed for stealing relics from Lanka Colombo, Aug 28: A Cambodian court has sentenced five men to seven years in jail each for stealing a golden urn said to contain relics of Buddha brought from Sri Lanka. The disappearance of the urn believed to contain hair, teeth and bones of Buddha and several small statues came to light in late 2013, sparking a nationwide manhunt in the Buddhist- majority

country. Authorities recovered the urn and the relics during a raid in February 2014 at a house in the southern province of Takeo, around 130 kilometers away from the shrine in the city of Udong. Several people were arrested in connection with the theft.

Yesterday the court in Kandal province, where the theft took place, found five men including four guards at the

shrine guilty of stealing the urn along with the relics. Judge Say Samphors Serey sentenced each of the men to seven years in prison for "stealing items of Buddhist worship."A sixth man was acquitted. The relics are believed to have been brought from Sri Lanka to Cambodia in the 1950s to celebrate 2,500 years since the birth of the Buddha. (Agencies)

Pak Army says India only external threat to nation Karachi, Aug 28: The Pakistan Army has told the country's Senate Defence Committee that India was the only external military threat to Pakistan. According to the media, military officials shared the perceived threat with members of the Senate during a visit to the Joint Staff (JS) Headquarters.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Senate Committee, General Rashad Mahmood and his team briefed the members during first visit to the JS Headquarters. The Senate committee, led

by Mushahid Hussain, was told that India had over the last couple of years purchased weapons worth 100 billion dollars. (ANI)

Pakistani terrorist caught by Indian Army in J&K operation New Delhi, Aug 28: A Pakistani terrorist was caught following a fierce gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, making him the second terrorist from Pakistan to be held this month. The terrorist was identified as Sajjad alias Abu Ubadullah, 22, a resident of Muzaffargarh district of Balochistan province, a police officer told media."His preliminary interrogation reveals the captured terrorist is a 22-yearold LeT operative and belongs to Pakistan," an army statement said, referring to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group.The captured terrorist was interrogated by the army and Jammu and Kashmir Police. His capture followed a four-day joint operation by the army and police.A gunfight with the terrorists started on Wednesday afternoon after the army intercepted a group of militants in Toot Mar Gali of Nowgam sector in Kupwara. They had sneaked into India from Pakistan, officials said.Four

terrorists were killed in the gunfight.The army statement said that based on intelligence inputs about presence of terrorists in the forested area Kazinag Dhar Ridge, a search operation was launched on August 24, which forced the terrorists to move towards the higher reaches of the ridge."An effective cordon was established by the army, including Special Forces, which were inducted by helicop-

ters to prevent the escape of the terrorists," the statement said."In a slow and systematic operation owing to the difficult terrain and thick foliage, the forces re-established contact with the balance of the terrorists who had taken shelter inside a natural cave in the afternoon of August 26."After a deliberate operation by the army and police which lasted till today , three more terrorists were eliminated while

one terrorist was captured alive," it said.It added that a huge cache of "war-like" stores which included four AK-47 rifles and two underbarrel grenade launchers were also recovered. Sajjad was caught after Pakistani terrorist Naveed was arrested on August 5 following a terror attack on BSF troopers on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

Naveed had taken three people hostage, who overpowered him. (Agencies)

Nepal says will not let protests derail constitution

Myanmar airport project delayed by four years on fund shortage Yangon, Aug 28: A longdelayed international airport project in Myanmar has been postponed again, by four years this time, because of a delay in securing funds, state media and an official source said today.A South Korean company first planned to build the Hanthawaddy International Airport on an old World War Two Japanese airfield near the town of Bago, about 100 km (60 miles) north of the commercial city Yangon. However, the project was abandoned in

PAGE 7

Kathmandu, Aug 28: Nepal's government has vowed that protests in which 14 people have been killed will not derail a constitutional process that is in the final stretch, even though pressing ahead could further anger ethnic minority groups on the southern plains. In the most serious incident, nine people were killed this week when protesters attacked a police post in the far southwest of the poor Himalayan state, which lies sandwiched between India to the south and China to the north. The government deployed the army to restore order following the protests by members of a minority group called the

Tharus. Together with another group of plains people, the Madhesis, they demand autonomy under plans to turn Nepal into a federation."I don't see any possibility for the process to stop," Law Minister Narahari Acharya told media. Nepal, which emerged from a civil war in 2006, has all but completed work on a permanent charter that would carve the country of 28 million people into seven federal provinces .The Tharus, a group that numbers about 1.7 million, want a separate eighth province but their demands have been rebuffed as unworkable by the government. A great deal is at stake for the coun-

try. Adoption of the constitution, which requires a twothirds majority in parliament, would start a transformation in which a new president, prime minister and speaker would be chosen.Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has invited protest leaders to Kathmandu for talks, but they refuse to attend unless a curfew is lifted and 15 arrested activists - some charged with murder - are released."Without this we will not go for talks," said Ram Janam Chaudhari, who leads a caucus of Tharu lawmakers.The escalation, led one government leader to accuse India of instigating the protests. That

prompted a rare intervention by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged Nepal to make the constitutional process more inclusive. Ashok Mehta, a retired Indian army general and expert on Nepal, dismissed the accusation of meddling but urged that the protesters' demands be addressed - including for an eighth state."The plains are simmering," Mehta told media. "There is a need for a pause to take on board the concerns of the plains people." Bishnu Raj Upreti, head of the Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research, said the frustrations of marginal communities had been exploited by politicians who oppose the constitution and want to "create trouble"."The government should reach out to the people at local, constituency level," he said. "This will help ease the tension. Otherwise the feeling of injustice will be cemented further." (Agencies)

Nepal's government has vowed that protests in which 14 people have been killed will not derail a constitutional process that is in the final stretch, even though pressing ahead could further anger ethnic minority groups on the southern plains

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DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

Gujarat on the boil As Gujarat's Patedars or Patels demand reservation in OBC quota It betrays an evident irony in what appears to be a very affluent community gathering in the thousands demanding reservations. Thirty years after the Patedars or Patels of Gujarat took to the streets protesting against reservation for Dalits, Adivasis and Other Backward Castes in government jobs and educational institutions; they are here again in agitation mode. This time, however, the Patels want to be counted as one of the socially and economically weaker communities in the State. Led by Hardik Patel, a 21year-old young businessman who has become the face of the movement, the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) has been holding massive rallies in small towns and large cities for the past two months proclaiming that they can "make and break governments in Gujarat". According to Patel, a Patidar student with 90% marks does not get admission in an MBBS course, while SC/ST or OBC students get it with 45% marks. Although, they say, they are not against SC/ ST or OBC communities getting their due. Hardik's rise has baffled everyone, especially the political establishment.

The Patedars or Patels of Gujarat constitute barely 15 per cent of the state's population according to the 1931 caste census (the stats from the recent caste census have yet to be released by the government) but since the 1960s, the community has wielded a disproportionate amount of political and financial power.

That's why their demand for inclusion in the OBC category appears surprising.

After all, the Patels, primarily agriculturists, also have huge interest in industries as diverse as textiles, diamonds and pharmaceuticals. They have been, for the last two decades, the most militant and loyal cheerleaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development model for Gujarat designed and implemented during his terms as Chief Minister.

Patel Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel, the 22-year-old, whose detention after a mammoth rally in Ahmedabad sparked violence, blamed police and said the agitation for OBC status would be intensified. The Gujarat bandh called by Hardik Patel, leader of the agitation by the Patel community demanding reservation, paralysed life in the State this week, with violence claiming eight lives.

The Supreme Court has ruled that reservations cannot cross the 50 per cent mark in any state which Gujarat has already reached. That's why the demand by the Patels for a piece of the 27 per cent OBC reservation pie (part of the overall 50 per cent quota) has pitted them against the 146 groups which are already on the backward list and includes Prime Minster Narendra Modi's community, the Ghanchis, who acquired OBC status as late as 1999 and monopolised the oil and grain trade in Gujarat. The comparatively less prosperous and more aggressive Rabaris, Bharwads, Kolis and Thakores, amongst others, have threatened to oppose any further division of their quota.

Attacks on media persons Inadequate safety measures for the 4th pillar of democracy Attacks on journalists have grown more barbaric and kidnappings have soared in India. India has been ranked 141 in the World Press Freedom Index among 180 countries by the press freedom organisation which said freedom of press is often sacrificed in the name of national security.

Though there was a slight drop in the number of murdered journalists - down from 71 last year - thanks largely to fewer deaths in countries "at peace". A total of 720 reporters have been killed since 2005. The index mentions India as one of the countries where freedom of information is sacrificed to national security and surveillance and talks about Kashmir where "the work of journalists is handicapped by draconian news control policies". "Criminal organisations, security forces, demonstrators and armed groups all pose a threat to India's journalists. The violence and the resulting self-censorship is encouraged by the lack of effective investigations by local authorities, who are often quick to abandon them, and inaction on the part of the federal authorities.

In a recent incident, a correspondent who wrote about corruption for a Bengali-language daily has been reported missing in the Indian state of West Bengal, according to news reports. Chayan Sarkar's disappearance came at a time when a number of journalists have been attacked after reporting on corruption around India. A few hours before he was reported missing, Sarkar had filed a police report in connection with a recent attack on his home. On July 28, dozens of individuals had thrown stones at Sarkar's home and threatened him verbally about his reporting, according news reports. Witnesses said the individuals carried flags affiliated with the All India Trinamool Congress party, which rules in the state.

Last month, Akshay Singh, an investigative journalist for the private Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, died under mysterious circumstances in Madhya Pradesh following his investigation into the billion-dollar Vyapam corruption scandal in which hundreds of individuals have been accused of rigging exams and giving or taking bribes, according to news reports.

Dozens of individuals have died in unclear circumstances in connection with the case. In June, journalist Jagendra Singh, who reported critically on a member of the ruling party in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was set on fire and later succumbed to his injuries. In a recent incident, a journalist was attacked by an angry mob when he went to cover a riot which took place in Dibrugarh. The journalist who even had filed an FIR was threatened that his life would be at risk if he does not take back the complaint launched by him.

In view of the above, it can be said that though India boasts of being one of the largest democratic countries in the world, such attacks that too on the fourth pillar of democracy, i.e., media only prove the prevalence of lapses in the system when it comes to providing adequate security to the media persons.

Asia's Refugee Policy Vacuum The broad absence of asylum policy in the region is alarming and needs to be rectified. ?......Dr. Amy Nethery The Asian region is host to the largest number of refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people in the world. Yet a broad absence of asylum policy at regional and domestic levels means that the region is ill-equipped to effectively respond to this problem.

This Asian asylum policy vacuum is the legacy of a long-standing antipathy towards the international refugee protection regime on the part of many Asian states, and a failure to adopt a regional approach to the issue. In early 2015, the Rohingya refugee crises challenged the region on the matter of this failure, and highlighted the devastating human effects of the absence of effective asylum policy.

The Asian asylum policy vacuum occurs on various policy levels. Asia has the fewest signatories to the Refugee Convention.

Unlike Central America, Africa, or the Middle East, it has not formed its own region-wide protection frameworks to complement international law. Asian states generally prefer bilateral solutions, yet on this matter the region has the smallest number of formal bilateral or multilateral agreements. Similarly, on the level of state policy, many

states have no policy on forced migration at all, and instead respond to refugees as an unauthorized migration issue.

The lack of support for the Refugee Convention from Asian states can be explained by the Eurocentric focus of the Convention at its time of creation. European states reeling from the Second World War, and others further afield, came together in an unprecedented way to address the problem of mass displacement. What came to be known as the Refugee Convention was drafted in a series of conferences in 1949 and 1950. Most Asian states were absent from the proceedings, however, and those who did take part expressed a sense of frustration that their contributions

were marginalized.

At the same time as the Convention was being discussed in the meeting rooms of Europe, vast displacement was occurring throughout Asia: in 1947 an estimated 14 million people were displaced by the partition of India and Pakistan; in 1948 the establishment of Israel led to an exodus of 700,000 Palestinians; in 1950, 7 million North Koreans sought sanctuary in the South.

Many Asian states felt that the Refugee Convention did not provide a solution or strategy for dealing with these situations, and worried that it placed undue burden on fledgling states barely able to provide for their own populations.

Moreover, displacement in Asia was most often the re-

In response to the Rohingya crisis,Japan pledged $3.5million, but would not offer resettlement places.

Malaysia and Indonesia has agreed to offer temporary shelter to 7,000 Rohingya refugees. But Malaysia has hosted approximately 75,000 Rohingya refugees for many years before the current crisis, yet has no refugee law that might grant them healthcare, education or work rights, and implements regular crackdowns on "unauthorized migrants" resulting in detention, caning, and expulsion. Indonesult of the social and politi- sia has traditionally been cal change triggered by tolerant of the fewer refudecolonization. In other gees in its community, but words, these forced mi- within the last decade it has grants did not fit the defi- incrementally tightened its nition of refugee status borders, including accepting Australian funding and agreed upon in Geneva.

Responses to the cur- support to open a network rent Rohingya crisis illus- of detention centers, in trates a continued ambiva- which it detains asylum lence towards refugees by seekers indefinitely. Indonemany Asian states. China, sia and Australia co-chair who accommodates ethnic the Bali Process, the most Chinese refugees but re- recent attempt at a regional stricts access to the agreement on matters inUNHCR, has declined to cluding asylum, but which intervene when it comes to sadly has been ineffective the more "politically costly" on the recent crisis.

Clearly, a region-wide Rohingyas. India has absorbed groups of refugees in coordinated response is rethe past, including quired to address the gap.

Rohingyas, but has been As the dominant intergovcareful not to be involved on ernmental organization in a political level. Japan is the Southeast Asia, ASEAN has world's fourth largest donor an important role to play. to the UNHCR, but in 2014 Established in 1967 as a foresettled only 11 refugees. rum for establishing trade

cooperation and fostering regional stability, it has slowly extended its mandate to include some social issues. For the most part, however, twin principles of "good neighborliness" and "non-interference" have been central to ASEAN's mode of operating. These principles manifest as a reluctance on the part of ASEAN members to involve themselves in what it regards as the internal sovereign matters of member states.

After many years of rejecting the notion that it had a role to play in human rights, ASEAN finally adopted aHuman Rights Declaration in 2012. On refugees, Article 16 of the Declaration states that "Every person has the right to seek and receive asylum in another State in accordance with the laws of such State and applicable international agreements." The principle of non-interference thus remains. It is still early in the lifespan of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, so we are yet to see how Article 16 might play into states responses to forced migrants in the region. In the meantime, the Rohingya and other refugees in the region face significant challenges in their search for effective and durable protection.

Why Did Bangladesh Just Launch a Raid Against Myanmar Separatists? ?........Prashanth Parameswaran Bangladesh has launched a raid against Myanmar separatists following a gun battle between local forces and the Arakan Army, local media sources reported August 27.

The remote hills on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border have been home to a range of separatist groups from neighboring Myanmar for decades. The groups including the Arakan Army which was formed in 2009 and fights for the independence of Arakan state - have long posed a problem for Bangladesh's security forces along a poorly-policed border.

This particular raid comes after an attack by the Arakan Army on Bangladesh border forces in Thanchi in Bandarban. On Wednesday (August 26) morning at around 9:30am local time, members of the Arakan Army opened fire on a team of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) when they were on patrol with

Dhaka cracks down following an attack on its forces.

army members on a vessel.

The incident came just a day after Bangladesh forces had seized 10 Arabian horses from Arakan Army men.

In response, BGB Director General Maj. Gen Aziz said that Bangladesh had immediately sent in reinforcements - including troops and a jet of the Bangladesh Air Force - in a gun battle that continued until around 3:00pm.

After the separatists retreated, Aziz said the BGB and army members had launched a combined operation against them, who he said were in remote bordering forests in Bandarban.

He said that additional BGB and army troop reinforcements would subsequently be under way.

"We are sending more force[s] there and will launch an all-out operation tomorrow [Thursday] to flush them out," Aziz told The Daily Star over the phone.

In addition, he also said

that Bangladesh had contacted the Myanmar Army through their embassy in Dhaka and requested that they seal their side of the border so the separatists would not have an opportunity to escape.

"We have requested the Myanmar army to seal the border on their side so that they [Myanmar Army] could take action against the separatists during the drive," he reportedly said, adding that Naypyidaw had assured Dhaka of what The Daily Star described as "all sorts of help."

The Army has also claimed that it has nabbed a member of the Arakan Army during a raid between Wednesday night and Thursday morning in Rangamati district. Major Taslim of the 305th Infantry Brigade told bdnews24via email that he was found with Arakan Army uniforms, laptops, digital cameras, motorcycles and two horses in his

possession. The rebels are also believed to have sustained between eight to 20 casualties, based on preliminary eyewitness reports.

The Arakan Army, for its part, has claimed that the whole situation has been a product of misunderstanding which it blames on BGB

officers. Lunn Shwe of the Arakan Army told Adil Sakhawat of Dhaka Tribune that the initial fighting took place when the BGB officers opened fire despite Arakan Army members trying to explain that they were not enemies of Bangladesh when they encountered

them.

"We do not have any policy [or] intentions to have this kind of fight with our neighbors but it was just a horrible misunderstanding and a deplorable incident. From our side we shall try to solve this through peaceful means," he said.

Agitation For Reservation Sir, As days roll by, new demands from different castes and communities either for being backward or for incorporating them into the ambit of scheduled caste/tribe keep flooding in. Perhaps, more and more demands will be witnessed in the days to come. Recently, the Gujjars of Rajasthan after a series of violent agitations that rocked the entire country had to retreat after the verdict of the apex court. Now, it is the turn of the Patels of Gujarat who are hell-bent on stamping their claims of being backward. In Assam, too, six communities are on the threshold of reaching their cherished goal of getting SC/ST status. This is seemingly a good gesture on the part of our popular government. By degrees, let the reservation cross 100% marks. We do not want further bloodshed. One can pity on those who are beyond the ambit of reservation. Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Ambedkar could never foresee that so much blood would be shed and that the period of reservation would go much beyond

10 years. Nowhere in the world, can we find this rarest of the rare specimen called, 'Reservation'. May India flourish sans those outside the ambit of reservation!

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

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

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

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DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

The allure of the iconic Banarsi brocade Manish Mishra The holy city of Varanasi has always been a cathartic crucible for spiritual seekers, poets and artists.

Sadhus at the ghats, aartis with flickering diyas and an air of mystique - all this and much more, has found resonance in epics, scriptures and art forms like fashion. Designers are always looking for that elusive reference point and the ancient city offers loads of inspiration season after season. In 2010, Louis Vuitton's India-inspired line sparkled thanks to the rich Banarasi brocade used in dresses, skirts and corsets. Vera Wangin her Spring 2013 line and Jean Paul Gaultier for his fall couture 2007 line flirted with Banarasi silks and brocades too.

Marchesa's Spring 2008 line looked at the British Raj - the melting pot of Indian and Victorian England culture.

The inspiring ghats Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla in their India Bridal Week outing referenced the ghats of Banaras. The line presented an array of bold, floral ghagras, on khadi silks paired with Banarasi dupattas. Each ghagra was generously embroidered with gota, gold beads and sequins.

Banaras goes global Designer Shruti Sancheti who's presenting a Banaras-inspired line today at LFW shares, "I have previously also worked with Benaras weaves but this time as a part of the 'Reinvent Banaras' team, I had the privilege of going there, meeting clusters of weavers and bodies, who work with this exquisite weave and get my ideas and designs executed by them. I aim to revamp the existing weave and make it more international by giving it a more contemporary

twist in terms of yarn treatment, motifs, colour palette and placements."

She adds, "The soul of the collection is still rooted in tradition, however the look is extremely relevant for today and a bit of Japanese influence is introduced in terms of motifs like ginkgo, maple leaves, Japanese flora fauna and birds."

Luxe saris Designer Swati & Sunaina at Lakme present eight distinct styles recreating the Benarasi weaves at LFW. The duo have created a line of woven heirlooms using the indigenous Pit Looms of the holy city.

The designers share, "In Benaras the craft lies in the mind of the weaver and is generally passed down the generations. There is a veritable treasure trove of talent waiting to be tapped.

More often than not, the entire family is involved in weaving a sari. The saris and dupattas are woven in pure Zari using the finest mulberry silk and engaging the rarest weaving techniques like kadhwa and dampach."

Rich kaleidoscope of Banaras Veteran designer Ritu Kumar for her LFW line has worked with an array of Banaras weavers and makes an effort to capture a by-gone era. She says, "I have been involved in the revival project since the last one year as apart of the Make In India campaign initiated by Shaina NC. The aim of this programme is to bring the fabulous tradition of gold and silver weaving in Banaras, back into the mainstream flow of fashion. The old holy city

is not only the most ancient of old cities, the weaves of Banaras are the only surviving textiles in the world, where the skills of the master weavers create handlooms which are a true statement of the bespoke garment. These weaves and textiles are the most haute couture of all with a strong aesthetic statement of made in India."

Loom tradition Delhi-based designer Rinku Sobti focuses on the loom tradition of Varanasi. Her brand 'Loom 1905' is a thought inspired by the Swadeshi movement. The designer shares, "Tassels represent "a tuft of loosely hanging threads or cords knotted at one end and attached for decoration of fashion accessories, soft furnishings or clothing."

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Another Vyapam? Why I Think U.P. Will Soon Have Only One Community Left Saumya Kumar We have heard so much about the Vyapam scam that I don't think it is important to waste space on this institutionalized system of corruption any more.

Instead let me bring you to a different avenue of corruption better known as UP's Vyapam. Very recently, the newspapers in Uttar Pradesh were splattered with the news about the recruitment of PCS exam in UP, where out of the 76 OBC castes in UP, 56 people of the same caste were selected for 86 OBC seats, for the position of SDM. This particular caste allegedly has a special association with the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh and secured more than 50% of the OBC seats while it constitutes 9% of the population in UP. I guess congratulations are in order, for the smartest community in Uttar Pradesh. Oh yes, for being the smartest community for sending the right people to the right position. I have no association with any of the exams mentioned above but being a young person, struggling in the once fertile and flourishing doabs of Ganga, I am compelled to bring up some points before this news evaporates from the public memory.

The introduction of the Mandal Commission was a great blow but a few years down the line, we accepted to the reality of reservations. We even brought back the Congress to power in 1980, with no assurance that we will ever live to see the end of reservations.

I never had any faith in the political dynamites of this country but somehow had immense faith on the Supreme Court, and was content with the fact that whatever be the political logjam, the reservation scheme in India will not be implemented in an unfair manner. Today I humbly accept my mistake in underesti-

mating the competence of the political parties of this country. The allegations against the UP Government and the UPPSC which is now popularly called UP's Vyapam is a classic act of circumventing and fooling the Supreme Court, and the numerous people belonging to the OBC category who do not belong to the particular community in question. I can say that for the first time I am simply impressed by the efficiency and brilliance of the Government in creating a cocoon for one community within the reserved seats for 76 backward communities in Uttar Pradesh.

Over a period of time, our system will digest this travesty and we will all compromise with this reservation within reservation. Till our short term memory can retain this tamasha, I would like to put in my two rupees worth opinion before the UP government. They en-

ter the public office with such impressive promises that the wisest of us get confounded sometimes.

Take your seat, enjoy your king like lifestyles, create traffic jams but do not cause misery to the life of a meritorious student to secure your vote-bank for the next election. For you it might have been a political move but for some economically weak meritorious student, it could have been the only chance for employment.

This country may have tweaked the Mandal Commission for political gains, but the reservations were implemented with the objective of social and economic upliftment of backward communities. This incident in Uttar Pradesh is just another act for political gain but with greater ramifications as it has started the debate of which caste is considered superior to others. We have moved to a phase of caste system

in our country where merit and caliber are the usual casualties.

I believe in giving credit where it's due, therefore I must say that this closed door reservation within reservation is a 'brilliant' move. You see, now even the slightly meritorious student of any caste, general, SC, ST or OBC, with no association with this preferred community will leave the State. Eventually, the working population in the State will consist of people only from the preferred community.

With similar political nudges by the government, I am sure very soon we will have the UP Government for, by and of one community. The community which will vote for only one party would be left and consequentially this government will be in power till eternity. Perfect plan to create an eternal government in UP.

The alienation of Hindi from Devanagari script Yogesh Pawar On August 13th when Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi rose to speak in Parliament, The Telegraph photographer Prem Singh is lucky to have had his tele lens handy. He captured how Rahul was carrying notes for his Hindi speech written in the Roman script.

The pictures went viral and Rahul who even otherwise had a hard time on social media, was roasted even more for his inability to read and write the Devnagri script in which Hindi is popularly written. Twitterati were particularly irate that 11 years after his debut in politics, the Nehru Gandhi family scion who represents Amethi in parliament, had trouble navigating Devnagri.

While the script-language conflation may have helped score political brownie points at a time when the Congress's stalling of Parliament was becoming a headache for the Narendra Modi government, this episode has brought into sharp focus the increasing popularity of the Roman script among those using Hindi even in popular media like cinema and television.

"The number of people who still insist on getting a Hindi script written in Devnagri can barely be counted on one's fingertips," said scriptwriter and actor Balaji Gauri who adds, "The way eye-

brows arch and faces are made when people ask for a Hindi script is enough negative reinforcement for anyone who wants to insist on Devnagri. So you adapt and survive."

A view which finds resonance with other actors like Vikrant Chaturvedi who plays Mir Khurasan in the popular fictionalised history show Chakravartin Ashok Samrat. "I have to often go with the script in Roman provided these days.

But its best to have it in the language we're shooting in. It makes everything crystal clear." He recounts a funny incident to illustrate this. "I was once auditioning for a part and kept saying garden (lawn) when it was garden (neck) in Hindi."

Like Chaturvedi, Ayesh Raza Mshra, whose Indu Chachi stood out among the ensemble DIl

Dhadakne Do cast, too says she can work with scripts written in either script. "The game's rules are not being made by us.

One has to play along," she observes and adds, "I understand that it can be more difficult for some actors who come from a Hindi background or an institution like the National School of Drama.

The idea of a script in Roman can go against the very grain of their style of working and process of getting into character. I know several actors like my husband who find that getting in the way."

Mishra is married to the critically acclaimed theatre personality Kumud Mishra who has also pulled off amazing character roles in Rockstar, Ranjhana and Flimistan.

In many ways Bollywood popularised the trend of Romanised Hindi, the

mainstay of posters and hoardings from the blackand-white, silent movie era, even if it meant trying out two different spellings for the same word in one title like the 2001 KJo-hit Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

And yet one its most popular superstars Amitabh Bachchan will not have his Hindi lines written in Roman for him. "I've always entertained Hindi language to be written in Devanagari script only. So, much so that if my Hindi dialogues are written in English, I refuse to read them out. I feel usage of language in the right mode should be practiced," he had said at media interaction two years ago. "One has to get into a different mode because of the Roman script which takes away almost 30 seconds. In the times we live in, even 30 sec-

onds is important for us.

It feels like a wastage of time. Like I prefer not to writing in Hindi, I wouldn't like Hindi being used the other way around."

Lingusitics expert Dr Ramji Tiwari should know what Big B is talking about. Not only is he Professor and Head, Department of Hindi, University of Mumbai but was also for eight years the head of the Hindi text books panel set up by the government. "It feels strange to field requests from the film and tv fraternity for help with pronouncing some words," he points out. "Only when its sent to me do I realise that the problem often stems from the lines being written in Roman. In the absence of phonetic signs (which are anyway not easy to access on most keyboards) to guide the reader, the Roman script can confound and confuse more than guide while reading."

He cites the instance of a simple word like ????? to illustrate. "Given the limitations of the Roman script this has been made into Krishna but does not mean the same thing at all! ????? means the flute playing God who gave us the Gita while Krishna was one of Draupadi's names. If one goes by the Roman script we are calling ????? Draupadi which is all wrong."

He also cites the example of a pen (the female swan). "The pen is called ???? while chuckling is

called ????. If written in Roman they will both be written as Hansi creating confusion." He underlines how believers in the Roman script insist that the reader will grasp which one to use depending on the context. "But it adds to the pressure of keeping tabs on that while reading and can impede the speed at which you both read and grasp what's written."

Others like cultural historian Mukul Joshi feel strongly that languages should stick to their script. Fearing that they will be lost to us if we continue to negate them.

When pointed out how stopping the use of Roman will be akin to putting the proverbial genie back in the bottle he says its possible. Likening it to the popularity of the

harmonium for accompaniment in Indian music he says, "Its become so omnipresent particularly in the North that many will find it difficult to believe that it is of German origin. For the sake of convenience we have willingly moved on from our own accompanist instruments like the sarangi which can match the human voice note for note."

According to him this is exactly what we are doing with the Roman script. "Already even in many languages like Kannada which predate English, text books are doing away with numerals in the Kannada script and using Roman ones instead. This is undermining what is our own and accepting the supremacy of the white man's script. The politics

of it can be deeply hurting and painful."

Dr Tiwari however cautions how most controversies over choice of script are not grammar or loveof-language driven. "The reasons for these are often petty and political," he underlines, "Langauge has and will always remain dynamic and keeps its contemporaneity alive by freely borrowing and lending from itself and others." He likens the naysayers to those who want to cut branches of a tree to keep the shade and fruit from going to the neighbours. "While they may succeed in cutting the branches, the roots find their own ways of spreading across fences and borders."

So Roman or Devanagari what should it be? The jury is still out on that...

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

BUSINESS

India as a viable investment destination Washington, Aug 28: The current Chinese crisis offers a renewed opportunity for development and economic growth to India which stands out as a viable investment destination, the CEO of a group that aims to boost Indo-US ties has said. Ron Somers, a long time India watcher who drove business community's relationship between the two countries for years, believes there is a renewed confidence arising of India and the current Chinese crisis offers an opportunity for development and economic growth.

"There is a renewed confidence arising across all of India - indeed, across the entire region - due to the commanding leadership

being projected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Somers, CEO and founder of India First Group, said.

Based in Washington DC, India First Group is a strategic advisory firm assisting US companies as they invest in India and assisting Indian companies as they invest in north America. Before establishing India First Group, Somers was president of the US-India Business Council (USIBC). Having recently returned from India from a two-week business development mission, Somers said it becomes very clear to any observer that in the next several months India's long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) legislation is likely to get

cleared, paving way for a more streamlined tax regime that will boost commerce. Building on India's recent opening of the insurance sector, this legislation will have very positive consequences. "The Union finance minister Arun Jaitley is well-seized of the issue of providing clarity on retroactive taxation. With these positive signals and legislative activities coming from India, investors are heartened," he said.

Somers said Modi's "Make in India" initiative is evolving into a new campaign: "Innovate in India", which will serve to attract Research and Development (R&D) and investment across the spectrum of technologies. (Agencies)

PSBs to be compensated for social initiatives

Mumbai, Aug 28: Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan has taken on the government for thrusting the Jan Dhan Yojana on public sector banks and has called for compensating the PSU lenders. This observation from Rajan comes in the central bank's annual report which has a new section 'Governor's overview'. "We should recognise that PSBs undertake public interest activities (like the rollout of accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana) that are not always fully compensated. Government should endeavor to keep the competitive playing field level by fully compensating banks for activities it wants undertaken in the public interest," the governor said in his review. The Jan Dhan Yojana has been trumped as a major achievement by the NDA government. The scheme allowed every

unbanked person to open a basic bank account with zero balance requirement and avail of a debit card, Rs 1 lakh accident insurance cover, Rs 30,000 life insurance and an overdraft facility after satisfactory operation of the account for six months. In FY15 public sector banks opened 16.57 crore accounts under this scheme. Over 10 crore of the accounts are in rural areas and 45% of them have zero balance in them.

The total deposits mobilized through the scheme was Rs 22647.35 crore.

PSU banks have said that zero balance accounts are a drain on their resources but express hope that direct benefit transfers would improve cash balances. Acknowledging that the JDY had given a fillip to financial inclusion Rajan said that the government needs to ensure activity in these accounts by ruling out DBT

for all payments. Also banks need to start rolling out credit products after due diligence and strengthen their business correspondent network and increase awareness through financial literacy drives. According to Rajan, psu banks are in a disadvantages position also because of skilled manpower. "Because PSBs compete in the same market place for talent as do private sector banks and foreign banks, and may skill gaps are increasing tat the middle management levels because of past hiring freezes, they will be unnecessarily hampered if they are unable to pay appropriate compensation to the middle and senior managers as well as board members," said Rajan. He added that the higher compensation should be with higher accountability and cost rationalization to bring overall costs in line with private banks. Rajan said that the central bank on its part RBI has stepped away from micromanaging the functions of public sector bank boards through regulations and allowed board to determine how they will carry out their responsibilities for strategic planning, risk management, and accounting. RBI has also liberalised the compensation of private bank Board members, while maintaining some checks, to ensure Board members are properly incentivized," he said in the review. (Agencies)

PAGE 10

Fake notes, counterfeits on the rise New Delhi, Aug 28: Fake notes are on the rise in India. In fiscal 2014-15, counterfeit notes in circulation rose 22% to 5,94,446 pieces, according to the Reserve Bank of India's annual report. These are counterfeit notes that were detected in the banking system. While 95.6% of these notes were detected by commercial banks, 4.4% were detected at RBI offices. The number of counterfeit notes detected increased for all denominations, except for Rs 2 and Rs 5, which are almost out of circulation, being replaced by metal coins. India is the largest producer and consumer of currency notes, next only to China.

Currency continues to be the dominant means of payment with banknotes in circulation (in value terms) placed at Rs 14.3 trillion (1 trillion is 1 lakh crore) by March-end. Despite the strong push for electronic payments, the value of banknotes in circulation increased by 11.4% to Rs 14,28,900 crore as at end-

March 2015 over the previous year. Further, the volume of banknotes in circulation increased by 8.1% to 8,360 crore pieces over the same period. Notes of denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 together accounted for approximately 85% of the total value of banknotes in circulation as at end March 2015. Notes of Rs 10 and Rs 100 together accounted for 54% of the volume as at end March 2015.

Total expenditure incurred on security printing stood at Rs37.6 billion during 201415 (July-June) as compared to Rs 32.1 billion during 2013-14. The increase was mainly on account of increased supply of banknotes by 13.1% over the previous year. During 2014-15, around 1,510 crore pieces of soiled banknotes were disposed of as against a target of around 1,710 crore pieces and 1,420 crore pieces disposed during 2013-14.

Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Pvt Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India,

which manages two presses -- one in Mysore in Karnataka and the other in Salboni in West Bengal.

This press produces 60% of the annual requirement of banknotes and had supplied 15,515.88 million banknotes to the RBI as at end-March, 2015. RBI is in the process of withdrawing the pre-2005 series of banknotes in phases.

Cipla to foray into nutritional business

Chennai, Aug 28: Drug maker Cipla recently said that the company is looking at entering nutritional business and would launch full product range in next 12-18 months. "We had a pilot with OTC nicotex and that has been successful.

We have set up a subsidiary recently. We are also looking at the area of nutrition and we would be launching full range of products in next 12-18 months," said Subhanu Saxena, MD and global CEO, Cipla, said.

Last month, Cipla decided to move its consumer healthcare business into a separate unit to sharpen its focus on the segment and push sales. The company's board has approved the divestment of its consumer healthcare business to a wholly owned subsidiary for a consideration of Rs 10.5 crore. The transaction is expected to be completed

in the third quarter of the current fiscal year. The company, which looks for 70-80% growth organically, is not under compulsion to go for mega acquisitions, Saxena said.

Mumbai-based Cipla, whose focus is on respiratory segment, will continue to have partnerships and inlicensing as a growth strategy. The company is also looking at expanding products in nasal spray and inhaler divisions. "If you see our device pipeline, we are always on lookout for better delivery systems for patients. You will see us leveraging our technologies for platform in non-respiratory diseases also. You will see expansion in nasal spray technology, inhaler technology beyond the existing space in next 2-3 years," Saxena said. In the inhaler space, the company is seeing half its growth

coming from the existing markets and feels these markets offer tremendous opportunities. In the domestic market, the company is growing in double digits in branded generics space but has discontinued some products in the pure generics. Cipla chairman Y K Hamied, during the company's annual general meeting recently, said this year the revenues will grow by 20% and profitability will be commensurate with it. The company has a presence across geographies, with India business contributing around 40% to sales.

Its US business which accounts for 8% of revenues at present is likely to go up to 20% by 2020. Europe accounts for 15%, Africa for 25% and remaining is the emerging markets. The company is increasing its US presence and said its US filings are on track. (Agencies)

Though a majority of these notes have been withdrawn from circulation through bank branches, it was decided to extend the date up to December 31, 2015, to ensure the withdrawal of the remaining pre-2005 old design banknotes with the least inconvenience to the public. During 2014-15, the goals set for the RBI in-

cluded field trial of plastic banknotes, exploring alternatives for extending the life of banknotes, introduction of new series of banknotes to leverage the latest innovations of currency note printing technology to stay ahead of counterfeiters, redesigning coins to make them user friendly and long-lasting.

(Agencies)

BARC India announces formation of new meter management company Mumbai, Aug 28: It's possibly the biggest media news of the year.

BARC India, the television rating company formed by broadcasters, advertising agencies and advertisers, and TAM India, the television audience measurement joint venture between Nielsen and Kantar Media, have announced formation of a new meter management company. The firm will run measurement meter operations and supply raw data to BARC India. With this development, the role of TAM as a composite TV audience measurement agency will end, even as it will be a stakeholder in the new enterprise. Commenting on the development, Punit Goenka, chairman of BARC India, said, "The technology and methodological prowess of BARC, combined with the extra meters and the field force will definitely help the industry progress." "This new venture represents our organisation's commitment to providing precise and stable data around the world, and draws strengths from both BARC India and TAM India," said Steve Hasker, Global President, Nielsen. "We look forward to the great coverage and representation this new partnership will deliver." Eric Salama, CEO of Kantar, said: "We are happy to cooperate with BARC India to be able to provide clarity and a large single sample for the industry and to keep India as a key market for us." The meter company will have the meter assets and panel management operations of the present BARC India and TAM India panels, which will be jointly owned

by BARC India, Nielsen and Kantar with management control resting with BARC India. To start with, the company will have 34,000 meters covering all of India (22,000 of BARC and 12,000 of TAM), and will supply raw data to BARC, which will use its own statistical processes and sampling design. (Agencies)

Reliance selected to make choppers PM Modi concerned over Mumbai, Aug 28: Reliance Defence & Aerospace (RDA), a Reliance Group company owned by billionaire businessman Anil Ambani, has been selected by the Vladimir Putin-led Russian government for a joint venture to manufacture 200 units of Kamov 226T helicopters in India, a major initiative that will boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' programme. The order for the helicopters is valued at around $1 billion. Under the three-way agreement signed between Reliance Helicopters, Russian Helicopters and Rosoboron Exports, the official agency for defence exports of the Russian defence ministry, Reliance Helicopters will be the lead integrator for a licensed production arrangement with transfer of technology from Russia. According to two sources privy to the development, Reliance Group will have a majority 51% stake in the JV while the remaining 49% will be held by the Russian government. The development comes at a time when the Maharashtra government has already identified land for the project which will house the Reliance

Group's proposed plant to manufacture the helicopters at Nagpur. Sources in the know said that Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari are expected to be present at a function later this week to hand over 290 acres for the integrated defence smart city project, being billed as one of the largest aerospace facilities globally. It may be recalled that Russian President Putin, during his summit meeting with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi in December 2014, pushed for the Ka-

226T to be made in India, and India subsequently agreed to buy 200 of these helicopters for the Indian Army as replacements for the ageing Chetak-Cheetah fleet - the lifeline for forward-deployed troops in areas such as Siachen. A final inter-government agreement between the two countries is expected to be signed to the effect when the Prime Minister visits Russia for a summit meeting by the year end. When asked for comments, a Reliance Defence spokesperson said, "We are committed to actively participating in Prime Minister

Modi's 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' programmes.

The manufacture of both military and civil helicopters to meet the needs of the country are a significant part of this commitment." Reliance Defence, meanwhile, has already applied to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) for an industrial license for a newly-raised company for the manufacture of helicopters. The Reliance Group is setting up India's first smart city for the defence sector, to be called Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park (DAAP), at a

cost of $1 billion to manufacture helicopters for both commercial and military applications. The project would be the first integrated facility in aerospace structure, engine design and manufacture, fabrication and platform integration in the country. The IAF and Indian Army have a requirement of more than 600 light utility helicopters to replace the existing fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters that are in service for more than 30 years.

RDA has also shown interest for the tenders of providing 387 Army reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters and 100 Naval utility helicopters, estimated to be valued at Rs 25,000 crore.

The Narendra Modi government has redesigned its military procurement programme under the 'Make in India' initiative and has also allowed 49% FDI in defence to promote local manufacturing as well as to aid the much needed technology transfer. The buy-and-make (India) scheme, under which these tenders will be issued, requires an Indian company to bid after tying up with a technology provider. (Agencies)

steep airfare hikes

New Delhi, Aug 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over the frequent sharp hikes in airfares, especially during peak travel times and when someone has to buy a ticket on short notice to travel for an emergency. In a meeting with the aviation ministry top brass recently, the PM spoke extensively on the issue of predatory pricing and asked the officials present there to find a solution to this problem. "It (predatory pricing) is a concern of a majority of Parliamentarians, including the Prime Minister, and needs to be addressed. The PM has shown his concern over the predatory pricing issue. Airlines need to reduce fares and not hike them particularly when it comes to emergency travel like in medical emergency," minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma said at an aviation meet organized by Assocham.

"There could be three approaches to prevent predatory pricing . We will take the airlines into confidence and tell them that the practice (of predatory pricing) is giving a bad name to the industry. A mechanism can

also be there through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation or through national carrier Air India," Sharma added. So far, successive aviation ministers have been clueless about tackling the sharp hikes in airfares that take place during peak travel and holiday seasons and also the high level of spot fares. While Sharma often talks about capping fares, his senior Ashok Gajapathi Raju says that will not be possible.

The ministry had last year spoken of capping domestic economy fares at Rs 20,000 but later scrapped the idea. Earlier this year BJP MP Kirit Somaiya had

raised this issue with Competition Commission of India chairman Ashok Chawla.

Meanwhile, Sharma said consultations were held with the PM on the controversial 5/20 rule - which says an Indian carrier must be five-year-old and have 20 planes in its fleet to fly abroad. "This (5/ 20) rule will be re-addressed with a certain changes or new rules." The ministry of civil aviation has also discussed a complete "open sky policy" for India with countries within a radius of 5,000 km or above and the guidelines have been framed on that issue, Sharma said. (Agencies)

"The recommendations were given at the GC and the Working Committee will take a decision. It's all confidential and chairman Rajiv Shukla will brief the media tomorrow."

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

PAGE 11

Sourav Ganguly

Australia beat Ireland in rain affected ODI Belfast: Australia defeated Ireland by 23 runs under the Duckworth/ Lewis method for rain interrupted matches in their lone one-day international, in Belfast. An opening stand of 139 between David Warner and Joe Burns gave the Aussies, fresh from their Ashes defeat, the foundation for a big score. Ireland, set a revised target of 181 in 24 overs were dismissed for 157 in 23.4 overs, with Nathan Coulter-Nile taking three for 13 and Pat Cummins two for 19.

Warner top-scored with 84 and fellow opener Joe Burns made 69 on ODI debut in what was Steven

Best Player in Europe: Messi beats Ronaldo again!

Monaco: Barcelona's Lionel Messi beat Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo for the 'UEFA Best Player in Europe' award. Messi's role in Barcelona's treble-winning 2014/15 campaign was acknowledged as he was handed out the coveted trophy during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw. In the process the Argentine superstar beat his Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez and Ronaldo to take home the silverware. It is the second time the forward was honoured in the accolade's five-year history. To decide the winner, 54 votes from European journalists were tallied up via an electronic system.

Messi, recipient of the inaugural prize in 2011, received 49 votes, while Suarez had 3 and Ronaldo 2. The 28-yearold broke Telmo Zarra's record for Liga goals last term and ended the season with 58 in all competitions, a total swollen by a double in the Blaugrana's Copa del Rey final triumph over Athletic Club. Barcelona's No 10 was also the ten-goal joint-top scorer in the UEFA Champions League alongside club colleague Neymar and Ronaldo.

Germany striker Celia Sasic won the 'Best Women's Player' award. It was a fitting way for the 27-year-old, who announced her retirement last month, to end her career.

(Agencies)

SCORECARD

Smith's first match as fulltime Australia captain fol-

lowing the retirement of Michael Clarke. (Agencies)

Australia: J. Burns c O'Brien b Young 69, D.Warner c Joyce b Murtagh 84, S. Smith c O'Brien b Thompson 21, G. Bailey b Murtagh 1, G. Maxwell c O'Brien b McBrine 2, S. Watson not out 26, M. Marsh c Murtagh b Mooney 11, M. Wade not out 2 Extras: (b-1, lb-3, w-1, nb-1)6 Total: (6 wkts, 40.2 overs) 222 Bowling: Young 6-0-49-1, Murtagh 10-1-45-2, Mooney 60-33-1, Thompson 6-1-37-1, McBrine 9-0-40-1, Stirling 3.2-0-14-0.

Ireland (revised target 181 in 24 overs) W. Porterfield b Starc 4, P. Stirling c Wade b CoulterNile 0, E. Joyce b Maxwell 44, N. O'Brien c Burns b Maxwell 45, A. Balbirnie c Coulter-Nile b Cummins 12, G. Wilson c Wade b Cummins 1, S. Thompson c Wade b Starc 24, J. Mooney run out (Bailey) 0, A. McBrine c Cummins b Coulter-Nile 7, T. Murtagh not out 2, C. Young b Coulter-Nile 0 Extras: (b-6, lb-1, w-5, nb-1, pen-5)18 Total: (all out, 23.4 overs) 157 Bowling: Starc 5-0-34-2; Coulter-Nile 4.4-0-13-3; Cummins 5-0-19-2 ; Marsh 3-0-26-0; Maxwell 4-0-41-2; Watson 2-0-12-0

Axar spins India 'A' to innings win over SA 'A' Wayanand: Left-arm spinner Axar Patel scalped four wickets without conceding a single run as India 'A' clinched the unofficial Test series against South Africa 'A' 1-0 after an imposing innings and 81 runs victory in the second and final match in Wayanad, Kerala, on Friday. The home team declared at the overnight score of 417-8 before bundling out South Africa for a mere 76 on the fourth and final day. Patel was the wrecker-in-chief in a deadly spell during which he bowled six maidens and picked up four wickets which destroyed the visiting side. His figures in the second innings read an impressive 6-6-0-4 for match figures of nine for 92. The first match ended in a draw. Having declared on 417 for eight, with a solid first-innings lead of 157, the host

SCORECARD

bowlers simply wrecked havoc. Off-spinner Jayant Yadav claimed two wickets for 10 runs, while Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma and Baba Aparajith took a wicket each. Patel provided the breakthrough in the fourth over when he bowled Reeza Hendricks for one. The early dismissal triggered a collapse and by the 16th over, the top and middle order of the visiting side was back in the pavilion, leaving the Proteas

South Africa 'A' (1st innings): 260 India 'A' (1st innings): 417-8 decl South Africa 'A' (2nd innings): R Hendricks b Patel 1, S van Zyl b Yadav 10, G Cloete c Bains b Thakur 4, O Ramela c Shankar b Aparajith 7, T Bavuma b Patel 3 ,Q de Kock c Mukund b Yadav 20, D Vilas c Rayudu b Patel 3, D Piedt c Shankar b Patel 5, G Viljoen not out 9, L Tsotsobe lbw b Sharma 0, B Hendricks absent hurt Extras: (b-11, lb-2, nb-1) 14 Total: (all out; 31.4 overs) 76 Bowling: S Thakur 8-2-20-1, J Yadav 10-5-10-2, A Patel 6-6-0-4, K Sharma 3.4-1-16-1, B Aparajith 4-0-17-1. reeling at 33 for four. Quinton de Kock tried to steady the ship, top-scoring with 20 but the tourists kept losing wickets at the other end. There was hardly any resistance from Temba Bavuma, Omphile Ramela and Dane Vilas, all of whom fell in quick succession.

Even de Kock failed to sustain

till the end and lost his wicket to Jayant's bowling. Karn trapped Lonwabo Tsotsobe leg before to end South Africa A's innings in just 31.4 overs, even as the last man Beuran Hendricks could not come out to bat following an injury he sustained while bowling.

(Agencies)

Rain ruins Day 1 of third Test, India 50-2 Colombo: Rain played spoilsport on the opening day, washing out more than two sessions, after India had recovered to 50 for two in their first innings in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, on Friday. Persistent rain prevented any play after the first hour as the heavens opened up shortly in the morning session. The visitors had faced a mere 15 overs when rain destroyed any chances of play post lunch. Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli were the unbeaten batsmen for India when play was called off after a couple of inspections on a soggy ground, which had puddles owing to the showers. Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first on a re-

their sentence," he added.

The IPL governing council met in Kolkata to discuss the recommendations in the Justice Lodha Committee's report on the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal. The proposals will be put forward to the Working Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in

India which meets in Kolkata. The BCCI's last working committee meeting before the Annual General Meeting, due in September, will be held in Kolkata and the IPL Governing Council's proposals are 12th in the list of agenda which will deal with various cricketing

matters, including deliberating on the affiliation issues to Bihar and Uttarakhand. Former India captain and IPL GC member Sourav Ganguly said the Governing Council only made the proposals and it's the BCCI Working Committee that will take decisions. "The recommendations were given at the GC and the Working Committee will take a decision.

It's all confidential and chairman Rajiv Shukla will brief the media tomorrow," Ganguly said after the meeting without divulging anything. Earlier in the day, the Madras high court directed the BCCI to file its response on the merits and

St.Louis: Former world champion Viswanathan Anand's hunt for an elusive victory continued as he was held to a draw

by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France in the fifth round of Sinquefield Cup, a part of the Grand Chess tour, in St Louis.

Getting his third draw besides two losses, Anand took his tally to 1.5 points out of a possible five and with just four rounds to come, the Indian needs some big wins to recover the lost ground. World champion Magnus Carlsen meanwhile continued with his demolition act and downed Wesley So of United States to join Levon Aronian of Armenia in lead on 3.5 points. The other overnight leader Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria suffered his first loss in the tournament as last year's winner and local favourite Fabiano Caruana struck form. While Aronian was held to a draw by Alexander Grischuk of Russia, American star Hikaru Nakamura's attempt to dent

maintainability of a petition filed by Chennai Super Kings challenging the Justice Lodha Committee's order suspending it from the Indian Premier League over the 2013 betting scam. First bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice TS Sivagnanam, directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India to file its counter affidavit within two weeks. In its petition, city-based Indian Cements Ltd, owner of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has also sought a stay on the Lodha committee's order last month suspending it.

(Agencies)

Champions League draw: Group-by-group breakdown Monaco: The Champions League group stages took on a less predictable look after Thursday's draw, helped by UEFA's decision to tweak the seeding system. Only Group A, where Paris St Germain and Real Madrid should steam through, and Group F, set to be dominated by Bayern Munich and Arsenal, appeared to be foregone conclusions after the hour-long ceremony in Monaco. Other sections looked far more difficult to call, particularly Group D where anything could happen between Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla and Borussia Moenchengladbach. In past years UEFA have based their seeding system for the draw on club coefficients, a complex ranking based on results in European competition.

This time European football's governing body brought in a change, the top seeds were the champions of the eight most successful nations in club competition. Real Madrid, who lead the club coefficients but were not La

Liga winners last season, were one of the eight second seeds while Dutch league champions PSV Eindhoven, 37th in the coefficients, were one of the eight top seeds.

Whether by accident or design, the draw could pump a little more excitement into a competition that, recently in the group stages, has been short on romance and shock results. Last season all but five places in the round of 16 were taken before the final round of matches in the group stages. In addition, 11 teams have reached the round of 16 for the last two seasons in a row. This time the thrills could start in Group B featuring Manchester United, VfL Wolfsburg, CSKA Moscow and PSV. PSV will want to show Dutch club football is alive and kicking, Wolfsburg were Bundesliga runners-up last season and CSKA came through a dramatic playoff against Sporting Lisbon.

While United should go through, they will not want to depend on getting a result in their final match at

there is likely to be a fascinating battle for second place between Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma. BATE Borisov of Belarus are unlikely to qualify but could throw a spanner in the works of Leverkusen and Roma, having beaten Bayern Munich and Athletic Bilbao in recent years. Chelsea should dominate Group G although Porto are always dangerous opponents with a knack of replenishing the team after selling their top players. Porto, however, are

Wolfsburg. Atletico Madrid should progress from Group C, leaving Galatasaray and Benfica to scrap for second place with Kazakh outsiders Astana adding an exotic touch. There are no clear favourites in Group D where Serie A champions and last season's runners-up Juventus could struggle after the departures of Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo

Vidal. City's poor European record has shown that Premier League status and riches do not guarantee Champions League success. Europa League winners Sevilla are seasoned campaigners with a talented coach in Unai Emery and outsiders Moenchengladbach are capable of springing an upset.

Holders Barcelona should cruise through Group E but

with Rahul bowled off the second ball he faced. Dhammika Prasad bowled an inswinger that jagged back massively as the young opener offered no stroke only to find the ball crash into his off-stump.

Ajinkya Rahane walked out to bat at No. 3, and started off with a couple of crispy drives down the ground. But his stay didn't last long either, as he was dismissed leg before wicket by Nuwan Pradeep in the fourth over of the innings. Pujara, who made his come back to the Indian team for the first time after he was dropped during the Test series in Australia in December, started off nervously before he found his footing. At the other end, Kohli had a close shave when his edge fell short of the slips shortly before the rain intervened. (Agencies)

Sinquefield Cup: Anand draws with Vachier-Lagrave

Two new teams to replace CSK and RR? Kolkata: Having two new teams for the next two editions of Indian Premier League, in place of suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, was among the two proposals put forward by the IPL Governing Council at its meeting, in Kolkata.

"One suggestion is to have two new teams only for two years and replace them with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in 2018 when they come back," an IPL Governing Council member said. "The second suggestion is to make it 10 teams from 2018 onwards once the two suspended franchises complete

cently re-laid pitch with a sprinkling of grass. The hosts made three changes to their side, with Upul Tharanga coming in for the retired Kumar Sangakkara. Fit-again Nuwan Pradeep returned in place of Dushmantha Chameera while Jehan Mubarak was dropped and wicketkeeper Kusal Perera was handed his Test debut.

India, on the other hand, made two changes to the playing eleven, with Pujara coming in for the injured Murali Vijay, and Naman Ojha was handed his Test debut after Wriddhiman Saha's hamstring injury. Pujara walked out to open the innings with K L Rahul. It was India's fifth different opening combination in the last six Tests. And their partnership didn't last long,

by no means certain to get the better of Dynamo Kiev having recently sold Alex Sandro, Danilo and Jackson Martinez. Last season Kiev wrested the Ukrainian Premier League title from Shakhtar Donetsk. Zenit St Petersburg, who as Russian league champions avoided the likes of Barcelona and Bayern, drew Valencia, Olympique Lyonnais and Ghent in Group H where two of the first three have a realistic chance of advancing.

(Agencies)

The Champions League draw: Group A: PSG, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Malmo Group B: PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Vfl Wolfsburg Group C: Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, FC Astana Group D: Juventus, ManchesterCity, Sevilla FC, Borussia Moenchengladbach Group E: FC Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, Dinamo Zagreb Group F: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiakos, Piraeus, Group G: Chelsea, FC Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel Aviv Group H: Zenit, Valencia, Olympique Lyon, Gent

the confidence of Dutch Anish Giri also did not materialise as this one too ended in a peace treaty. With Carlsen now in front with Aronian, Topalov and Giri are sharing the third spot on three points each.

Nakamura and VachierLagrave are next in the standing list a half point behind while the duo of Caruana and Grischuk share the seventh spot on two points each. Anand and Wesley so now occupy the bottom of the tables with 1.5 points each. Anand came up with a surprise choice in the Sicilian Najdorf against Vachier-Lagrave. The quite approach led to quick exchange of pieces in the ensuing middle game and Anand had an extra pawn to his credit when the dust subsided. VachierLagrave, to his credit, however was not perturbed as his active pieces ensured enough counter-play despite the pawn deficit. Anand reached a rook and pawns endgame where he still retained the extra pawn

but the nature of the position was closer to a draw always.

The peace was signed after 42 moves. Carlsen outplayed Wesley So out of an English attack with white pieces. The Filipino-turned American got a tenable position out of the opening but once Carlsen's queen invaded the eighth rank the writing was already on the wall. In the endgame Carlsen's technique was immaculate as he wrapped up the game in 56 moves.

Topalov suffered his first defeat missing on a slightly better position against Caruana.

It was a Ruy Lopez wherein Topalov thought he was better and spurned down an opportunity to repeat moves.

However, the Bulgarian made some unforced errors leading to wild complexities and eventually lost in 53 moves. The games will now resume after the lone rest day slated on Friday. Anand will meet Giri in the sixth round.

(Agencies)

Assam Rifles, Shillong enters final of 45th Motiram Bora Football Tournament Dalim Phukan Morigaon, Aug 28: Assam Rifles, Shillong entered the final of the 45th Motiram Bora football tournament beating Morigaon District Sports Association 2-0 in an exciting semi final match played at the Khirode Boruah stadium here today.

Though the host team launched attack after attack in the first 10 minute yet it

could not score any goal owing to poor finishing. The Riflemen however exerted steady pressure and netted the first goal in the 35th minute through Ajit Kumar Sing. Akum Ao of Assam Rifles scored the second goal in the 47th minute. The 2nd semi final will be played between ASEB, Guwahati and Barhungkha Football Club, Kokrajhar on August 30.

Mandeep sails into pre-quarters of Asian Boxing C'ships Bangkok: Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Mandeep Jangra took just over a minute to force his rival out of the contest with a bloodied face and book a prequarterfinal berth in the Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok. Mandeep, competing in the welterweight 69kg category, took down Vietnam's Vien Ngoc Huynh 3-0 in the bout which had to be abandoned quite early. The silver-medallist from the previous edition landed a powerful right hook which left a deep cut just below the left eye of Huynh, forcing the discontinuation of the bout. "Mandeep dominated from the word go. The injury to the other guy was accidental and unfortunate.

He couldn't manage himself due the cut and the judges gave it to Mandeep on points," national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said.

Mandeep will next fight it out against Japan's Ysauhiro Suzuki in pre-quarters on August 30. On Saturday, former Asian Games silvermedallist Manpreet Singh (91kg) will start his campaign against Sri Lanka's Nuvan Sugeewa Sampath in the first round. Should he win, Manpreet has a tough bout at hand as he would be squaring off against second seed Rustam Tulagnov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals. Satish Kumar (+91kg) will fight it out against Hyok Ri Jin of Korea,

while Manish Kaushik (60kg) will take on China's Chin Long on August 29.

Among those who got byes and won't be taking the ring before August 30 were Shiva, Vikas, previous edition's silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg), Madan Lal (52kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Kuldeep Singh (81kg).

Depending on the size of the draw in each category, only the medallists or the winners of probable box-offs would make the cut for the October World Championships in Doha – the first qualifying event for next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Asian continent has got 66 quota places to the Doha event which is the second highest after the European continent. From 49kg up to the 81kg categories, Asia has got seven quotas including the host nation, Qatar, of the AIBA World Championships.

Five boxers will be getting the quotas in the 91 kg and +91 kg here. A total of 188 boxers from 28 nations are in the tournament, which is the biggest ever in terms of participation. (Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

Features

Chocolates for this Raksha Bandhan

Aries: Aries belong to the first house of the Zodiac circle. Given the impatient nature of Aries, they like any kind of chocolate candy that is convenient. A candy bar, especially something that is crunchy like a Kit Kat or a Crispy Bar would please them.

Taurus: Exquisite liquor chocolates will make the best gift for a Taurean who have a strong liking towards fine things in the life.

If the Taurean is a female, she will surely adore a big slab of dark chocolate cake.

Gemini: The chocolate bars with multiple pieces, like a Cadbury Dairy Milk, or the small handmade or Belgian chocolate nuggets suit the best for the bearers of this sign.

Cancer: The chocolates that suit them the best are those that melt in the mouth slowly, pleasuring their taste buds through the end.

This is why, Belgian chocolates fit the bill when it comes to befriending a Cancerian.

Leo: Strong, enticing flavor of dark chocolates that slowly melts in the mouth is personal favourite of Leos. Leos love anything with beautiful presentation especially when they are gifted with a pack of handmade chocolates decorated aesthetically.

Virgo: Virgos love any chocolate that is pure. A slab of white chocolate or homemade dark chocolates provide the perfectionists, a sense of purity.

Libra: When it comes to chocolates, Libras love a combination of intense and soft flavor and that is why Éclairs is their preferred chocolate. They find happiness in little things which others don't notice.

Scorpio: Big-hearted, committed, and truly passionate scorpions are known to be 'bitter and sweet', both at the same times. This is why, chocolate with coffee content or dark chocolates work best if you have a scorpion to flatter.

Sagittarius: Known to

bring a whiff of fresh air with their presence, Sagittarians tend to find freshness in everything in their surroundings. Nutty and fruity flavors suit Sagittarians the best.

Capricorn: In terms of their choice of chocolate, they enjoy exotic, expensive, and visually appealing chocolates. Imported Swiss chocolates or Belgian chocolates are the most suitable chocolates.

Aquarius: An Aquarian can be charmed with a gift of purity or originality.

Whereas milk chocolates symbolize purity and become an excellent choice, a pack of handmade chocolates can intrigue their 'original' side of character.

Pisces: For the dreamy creatures Pisceans are, sweetness, elegance, and floweriness are an instant turn-ons.

Chocolate mousse, beautiful Belgian chocolates, extra creamy chocolates, or a box of Ferrero Rocher are few of the recommendations for Pisceans.

appearance of your arches.

Top Tip: Try and opt for a brown tone, even if you have dark brows, as it is better to go lighter first, and then add more colour until you get to the shade of your brow.

2. Easy Eyeliner Whether you want a swift and sharp line, or that hazier smoky eye look, eyeshadow is your go-to item! It is especially handy when you don't have your good old eye liner hanging around, or maybe it broke?

For a stronger look, dip a damp, fine-pointed brush in a dark shadow, and apply as close to the lash line as possible. Feel free to get creative and go for the winged tip look - make your line as thick or as thin as you like.

Top Tip: Using a wet soft applicator tool, dab a cream coloured eyeshadow into the waterline to make your eyes appear brighter and

bigger!

3. The Ultimate Concealer If, like us, your dark circles are such a problem for you and just don't seem to ever disappear no matter how much or which concealer you use, eyeshadow is the answer! It's strange, but: if you think back to mixing colours, orange is opposite shade of blue on the colour wheel, which means that mixed together, the two will cancel each other out so it's perfect for those pesky under eye circles!

Just use the orange hues on your palette (cream formulas work better) and conceal as you would with your regular concealer. Then, apply foundation to hide any traces of the orangey colour.

Top Tip: This little trick works well for covering up tattoos and blemishes as well. For redness, use a green shadow and then ap-

RNIASSENG00425/TC

Deal with the 7 skin problems What a woman needs and her concerns for her skin changes with each passing year beginning with her twenties. No matter how old a woman is - early twenties or late fifties - she deserves to always have beautiful, healthy-looking skin! In the world that we will live in, many factors accelerate our skin's natural ageing process. Here are a few signs of ageing and how to deal with them!

1. Rough texture Exposure to the sun, dust, pollution and other environmental factors can take a toll on our skin, showing up in the form of rough and uneven skin texture. Facial skin is more delicate and therefore more prone to damage than the skin on the rest of our body. However, rough texture is not something that cannot be reversed. Cleansing, exfoliating and thorough moisturizing can help revitalize your complexion. Add to that plenty of water and a healthy diet, and you will have smooth and soft skin in no time!

2. Fine lines and wrinkles Women in India experience wrinkles that are deeper and also start appearing sooner, according to a research. The real reasons behind this have not been completely understood, but it goes without saying that wrinkles and fine lines are issues that need prevention and treatment. After all, who doesn't want ever glowing and fresh-looking

skin? Using products that have Niacinamide and Vitaniacin helps in rejuvenating skin and fighting signs of ageing.

3. The appearance of prominent pores Pores are more prominent when they are enlarged or clogged with oil. While permanently shrinking large pores is not always possible, there are a number of ways to make them less visible. As we grow older, damage caused by the sun and reduced skin elasticity

7 New Ways To Use Your Eyeshadow!

While you may already know that lipstick is the all too versatile of all makeup products, you may be surprised to learn that eyeshadow has its own share of superpowers to add to your makeup game! It adds that touch of shimmer, glamour and colour to your eyes, but did you know that it can also work wonders for the rest of your face?!

Read on to discover 7 amazing ways to use your eyeshadow!

1. Bold Those Brows Eyeshadow actually works better as a brow enhancing tool than most pencils or gels out there, if you ask us!

The effect you can create is much more natural and gives your brows a great boost! Fill in your arches using a stiff, angled brush and a matte shadow that matches the colour of your brows to make short hairlike strokes. Blend out with a spoolie brush to soften the

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ply foundation. Yellow works for any purple/ dark patches. Also, be sure to use a matte powder rather than a shimmery one!

4. Simply Bronzer Using the yellow, orangish and red undertones of your eye shadow palette work really well for adding that bronze sun-kissed touch to your look! It has the same effect as using body shimmer. Bronzers are usually pretty expensive as well, so it makes perfect sense to use what you already have in your makeup bag. Using bronzer on your face is great for amping up your makeup and avoiding looking like your base has washed out the colour from your face.

Top Tip: For a powder shadow, apply with a big, fluffy brush and buff out any excess sparkle with your regular loose base powder. If you are using a cream formula then add some moisturizer to it to dilute the colour, so it looks more natural and gives less of a cakey appearance.

5. Light Up Your Life Using eyeshadow to highlight your cheekbones works really well! The shimmery, luminous appearance adds a radiant glow to your face! Apply to the high points of your face - including your brow bones and the bridge of your nose - as well as your cheek bones. Use a shimmery pink or neutral (skin) coloured shadow, and then blend away!

Top Tip: Try to pick a colour two shades lighter than your natural skin tone for that illuminating effect.

6. Contour Queen Before actual contouring palettes were introduced into the market, eyeshadows were the perfect substitutes! To enhance the shadow under your cheekbones, and ultimately make them more defined and lend your face some structure. Take a contour or blending brush and sweep a brown shade of eyeshadow up to the temples and into the cheek line. While it may seem very unnatural, once you blend it in it will leave you with a beautifully defined shadow!

Top Tip: Use a colour two shades darker than your natural skin tone, and blend away.

7. Blushing Beauty There are those colours that come in an eyeshadow palette that we're not always sure how to use! You know, those corally pinkish tones‌ While they may not work for you in everyday life, they do come in handy as great blush colours! Just dab some eyeshadow on the apple of your cheeks and blend as you would with blush!

Top Tip: Use the lighter and darker shades eyeshadow to contour and highlight your cheekbones, and then use a matte pinkish shade to finish the look off for an extra defined face!

can cause our pores to appear larger. Regular exfoliation, gentle scrubbing and cleansing is the only way forward if you want to get rid of prominent or enlarged pores.

4. Uneven skin tone As we women move into our late 20s and 30s, and our lives only begin to get more hectic with the balancing of home and work, our skin begins to give way too. UV-rays exposure and pollution along with our already stressful schedules

don't help our cause. These factors contribute towards our skin becoming dull and less radiant and often lead to dark spots and uneven skin tone. These are the very first visible signs of our skin ageing. However, dark spots and uneven skin tone are not something one cannot deal with. If handled with care and caution, the radiance of your skin can be brought back!

5. Age spots Dark spots, age spots or pigmentation can occur due to many reasons. Sun damage, dietary or nutritional deficiencies and lack of antioxidants are a few of them.

Pigmentation is one of the first signs of ageing, followed by dryness and deep lines later in life. There are ways to deal with age spots. One of the easiest and most effective ways is to use skin products that gradually lighten these spots.

6. Surface dullness Surface dullness is one of the many signs of ageing as well. Many modern day stresses along with environmental factors cause dullness. A healthy diet, good skin care prod-

ucts, regular facials, plenty of water, ample sleep and regular exercise are some ways to deal with dullness.

A good quality foam cleanser is a great option to use. It gently works on the skin to remove dirt, makeup and excess oil without drying out one's skin and works actively to lift away dull surface skin.

7. Dryness Owing to the environment and weather conditions that we live in, retaining moisture becomes much harder for our skin. Our skin barrier is fragile and can only take so much. Essential moisture that is integral for maintaining healthy skin is lost every day, making the skin more sensitive to the environment. This leads to our skin becoming dry and often losing its glow. External ageing factors, such as UV exposure and pollution, have higher chances of creeping in sooner when we let our skin barrier or the very top layer of our skin become weak and dry. While drinking plenty of water is essential to keep your skin hydrated, it is also important to treat your skin to the right products to maintain its health and ensure that it does not lose its luminosity. We would suggest you try using a hydrating night cream that nourishes and also progressively reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for younger looking skin while you sleep.

Balushahi Ingredients Refined flour (maida) 1 1/ 2 cups Pure ghee 6 tbsps + for deep-frying Baking soda 1/4 teaspoon Yogurt whisked 4 tablespoons Sugar 2 cups Milk 2 tablespoons Pistachios finely chopped4-5 Method Step 1 Sift the flour and baking soda together into a large bowl. Add six tablespoons ghee and rub it into the flour mixture till it resembles breadcrumbs.

Step 2 Meanwhile cook the sugar with one cup water, stirring occasionally, till all the sugar dissolves. Add the milk so that the scum rises to the surface.

Step 3 Carefully remove this

scum and discard. Continue to cook till the syrup reaches a two string consistency. Add the yogurt to the flour and knead into a soft dough.

Step 4 Take care not to overwork the dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth let it stand for forty five minutes. Divide the dough into twelve equal portions and shape into smooth balls. If you wish you can make them smaller.

Step 5 Make a slight dent in the center of each ball with your thumb. Keep the balls covered.

Step 6 Heat the remaining ghee in a kadai on medium heat.

Gently slide in the dough balls, a few at a time, and deep fry on low heat.

Step 7 If necessary you may place

a tawa below the kadai so that the ghee does not get too hot. Gradually the balushahis will start floating to the top. Turn gently and cook on the other side till golden.

Step 8 The entire process may take around half an hour to forty five minutes. Drain on absorbent paper. Set aside to cool for forty five minutes or till they reach room temperature.

Step 9 Soak the cooled balushahis in warm syrup for two hours. Gently remove the balushahis from the sugar syrup and place on a serving plate.

Step 10 Garnish with chopped pistachios. Let it remain thus for two to three hours when the sugar syrup will form a thin white layer over the balushahis and serve.

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