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PAGE 12 HOW ONE DETERMINED WOMAN SINGLE-HANDEDLY ELECTRIFIED HER VILLAGE AND TOOK ON THE TIMBER MAFIA

CORRIGENDUM This is with reference to publishing of article on “Demonetization cripples militants: Deban villagers in Miao circle facing the ire of militant’s frustration” published in Eastern Today on dated 24 Nov 2016. It is to be informed to all that it was inadvertently published regarding Assam Rifles being informed about harassment of villagers by the militants and rigorous questioning of villagers being done by Assam Rifles troops, however villagers have confirmed that Assam Rifles post deployed at Miao was never approached by the villagers with any such report and no villagers were picked up by Assam Rifles troops for any questioning.

The inconvenience caused to Assam Rifle and the error in the news article is deeply regretted.

Vol. II

Issue 128

Dibrugarh, Friday, November 25, 2016

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Pages- 12

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Future of leadership-based management education

Close out the war on corruption

P9 P6 P7 Rengging villagers urge DA Guwahati High Court to re-call order, threatens to notice to 43 ex-Cong launch Chakka Bandh MLAs on merger to PPA A Staff Reporter Pasighat, Nov 24

ET Bureau Itanagar, Nov 24

The Gawahati High Court today issued a notice of motion returnable for January 4 to Arunachal Pradesh Speaker and all 43 former Congress MLAs switching sides on a petition challenging the validity of the merger of Congress' state unit with People's Party of Arunachal (PPA).

Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Padi Richo filed the writ petition in the high court bench

here.

"Let notice of motion be issued calling upon the respondents to show cause as to why a Rule should not be issued as prayed for, and/or why such further orders or other orders should not be passed as to this court may deem fit and proper. The notice is made returnable by January 4, 2017," Justice Michael Zothankhuma said.

After hearing the argument of Congress lawyers including K C Mittal, the bench issued notice to Pema Khandu (present chief minister) and other 42 MLAs who claim to have merged with PPA.

"Also issue notice on the interim prayer," the court said.

It issued notice for consideration on the interim relief for stay of the Speaker's order dated September 16 by which all the MLAs have been shown as PPA members and the bulletin dated September 16 issued by the Secretary of the Legislative Assembly notifying them as PPA's members.

The petitioner submitted that there is no merger of state unit of Congress.

He said the election law also does not permit merger of state unit of the national party to

state party, as intimated by the EC, to the president of AICC, as per the election symbol (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

The petitioner also prayed that the order of the Speaker stated has to be without jurisdiction and illegal.

Khandu, who was the chief minister of Congress, changed his party on May 16 and he along with 42 MLAs claimed to have merged with PPA. He was subsequently elected as a leader of PPA Legislative Party.

This was accepted by the Speaker and they were notified as PPA members in "Assembly Bulletin", the petition said.

Deeply upset over the recent order passed by Deputy Commissioner, Pasighat on dated17/11/2016, directing the Trans Arunachal Highway construction agency to stop collection of quarry materials from the Rengging village area which halted the ongoing work of highway construction till 30th November, the villagers from Rengging village has written to Chief Secretary for immediate intervention to recall the order.

In a letter to Chief Secretary, the villagers wrote that DC, Pasighat has passed an ex-parte

order while directing construction agency to halt the work until a local Kebang are called on 30th November 2016 through Circle Officer (Kebang) and resolve the dispute being complaint lodged by two persons from Mirku village.

The villagers said that, no persons except people from Rengging village owns land in and around Rengging village and after the coming up of road projects in the region, some unscrupulous people with malafide intention are trying their luck to claim some portion of land as their ancestral land (Morang) before establishment of Rengging Village.The villagers also said that, they have tried all best to

convince the Deputy Commissioner, Pasighat to recall his executive order so as to allow to continue the construction of Trans Arunachal Highway to carry quarry material for speedy completion of the work in our area until settlement of dispute is made in Kebang between the parties (illegal claimants and Rengging Villagers) but Deputy Commissioner paid no heed.

With no alternative left, the villagers have threatened to launch a democratic movement against the district administration from 26th November 2016 and have called for an indefinite Chakka Bandh to make their voice heard.

Royal Bengal Tiger killed in Jorhat by Villagers

Two villagers were attacked by the tiger and injured severely.

The enraged mob then killed the tiger afterward. Photo by Nekib Ahmed.

ET Correspondent Jorhat, Nov 24

Hundreds of villagers armed with sticks and machetes beat to death a full grown Royal Bengal tiger at Baghmora area, situated in the bank of river Brahmaputra and was around 25 kilometers away from Jorhat town, in front of forest officials on Thursday after it attack two villagers creates

sensation in the city.

Earlier on Thursday morning two villagers Suren Pegu and Numal Pegu were attacked by the tiger and injured severely, who were in the ICU of Jorhat medical college hospital. " The tiger attacked my cousin brother Suren when he was working in the field" said Kamala Pegu, a villager of Baghmora.

After the attack of two persons, the villager started search for the tiger and found it taking shelter in paddy fields and the uncontrollable villagers killed the tiger in front of the forest officials who were present in the spot.

"We got the news that two villagers are attacked by a tiger in the morning and so we came here to rescue the tiger.” said Deepak Dutta, Forest Ranger of Jorhat.

"We saw the tiger, but couldn't save it from the rough necking mob" added Dutta.

More than hundreds of angry villagers spent the morning looking for the tiger and when they learnt it had injured two villagers early in the morning they surrounded the area and killed the 12 year old female Tiger.

"They strung up the female tiger and beaten it to death,” said Deepak Dutta.

The killing of a Royal Bengal Tiger, which was in the verses of extinction, was condemned by people of Jorhat. "It is really shameful and complete inhuman of killing the tiger in such a way" said Pranjal Hazarika a citizen of Jorhat.

It should be mentioned that only around 2500 royal Bengal tigers are were in the country and there were only 150 numbers of the critically endangered animal found in the state.

Chalo Loku celebration reaches its crescendo; witnesses mad rush of people Chalo Loku, the agricultural harvest festival of the Noctes has entered into its third day here at Deomali.

The harvest festival has struck the right chord with the people as attendance to the event has been on the rise; especially the musical extravaganza has been a crowd puller.

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The harvest festival has unleashed wave of blossoming and unearthing of artistic local talents. It is of no surprise that the festival has become the perfect platform for raw talents to expose their singing and dancing talents. Many talented singers swayed the

ET Bureau Khonsa, Nov 24

A Nocte cultural troop at the ongoing Chalo Loku festival at Deomali crowd with their enthralling songs.As the harvest festival is approaching its crescendo, every minute detail is taken care of and supervised by the elders to ensure smooth and

grand celebrations.

In fact, lots of efforts are put in to keep everything ready for the festive occasion. It includes preparation of rice beer and

traditional dresses and arrangement of buffalos and pigs, all sine qua non for a good celebration.

Contd. on Page 2

Continuing the celebrations leading up to the main event of Chalo Loku, a beauty pageant was held on the eve of November 23, where Sara Ruttum was crowned Miss Chalo Loku 2016.

Momi Moidam was declared the 1st runner-up and Hinsen Lama was the 2nd runner up.

Sub-titles winners were Charap Lowang as ‘Nocte Essence’, Miss Catwalk title was awarded to Hinsen Lama, Miss Beautiful Figure was awarded to Gancha Arang, while Sara Ruttum also won the Miss Talent title.

Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, Nampong MLA Laisam Simai urged the young generation to preserve and protect traditional culture for posterity even after advent of different denominations, adding that culture connects every generation.

Adviser to CM cum chief patron of Nocte Chalo Loku2016, Wanglin Lowangdong and Sawin handed over the prizes to the winners.

The entire event is being organized by the Nocte Chalo Loku Celebration Committee2016.

The audience also had a glimpse of the popular rap singer K for Kekho, Blue Ink band and various other performances.

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Sara Ruttum crowned Miss Chalo Loku-2016

Lomhom Tangha Deomali, Nov 24

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

P2 CM Sarbananda Sonowal announces that history of Bir Lachit Borphukan will be introduce in schools Nirmalendu Pathok, Teok, 24 Nov: “Bir Lachit Borphukan was one of the creators of Assam. His powerful strength was the inspiration for all peoples of Assam. We must honour him hearty and all Assamese people have been always proud of him”, said Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal in the Lachit Divas program held at Lachit Borphukan Maidan in Teok today amidst five thousands audiences.

The Chief Minister has also informed that the Assam Govt has decided to introduce the life history of Bir Lachit Borphukan in educational courses. Govt has also listed the Bir Lachit

Borphukan’s Maidam situated at Teok as one of the historical place within the state” CM Sarbananda Sonowal added.

It could be that close friends or family members are in sharp disagreement regarding a certain issue, Aries.

Try not to be too distressed by divisions among the people you love. Some may want you to take sides and express yourself fully on the situation. You may feel as if you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Try your best to compromise.

Taurus

Pride might get in your way today, Taurus.

Perhaps you will be asked to do a task that you consider beneath you. Perhaps the people around you are feeling persnickety. Rise above the insults and make a special effort to do the best you can, defusing the situation before it gets out of hand. Tonight enjoy an evening at a concert or the theater.

Gemini

Your imagination might conjure stories or pictures that you want to memorialize through writing or painting, but a lack of self-confidence might discourage you. However, it's probably a good idea to do it anyway. These ideas come from deep inside you. Giving them shape could represent a release from old traumas. Keep your work hidden in a drawer if you don't like it.

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

Avik Babs Chakraborty Dibrugarh, Nov 24: In its continuous endeavour to ensure a healthy environment and care for health of people of the surrounding areas of BCPL plant, BCPL is organizing health checkup camps in the nearby villages. The main objective of this initiative is to facilitate the villagers with general and preventive health care.

The programme has been organized in three phases with a motive to extend medical services of specialists to address health related problems of people residing in the vicinity of BCPL. Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL),

HOROSCOPE Aries

BCPL to organize health check-up camp at nearby villages

Attendance at some kind of group event might seem especially appealing today. However, Cancer, worries about your family might distract you so that you don't benefit from it the way you should. You also might find some of the conversation boring. Despite your lack of enthusiasm, it might be a good idea to get out anyway. Staying home alone could make for a gloomy evening.

Let's face it, Leo. Today you're likely to find your chores and errands exceedingly boring.

You could find yourself watching the clock, feeling like an hour has gone by and then realizing it's only been ten minutes. If you can put off your tasks until tomorrow, by all means do so. Nothing is so urgent that it requires your undivided attention all day. Treat yourself to a fun afternoon.

You might be distracted by daydreams of a trip you're planning to take, Virgo. A friend could phone and want to discuss it, which doesn't help. Visions of faraway places and exciting pastimes may dance in your head, and routine tasks seem incredibly tedious and unworthy of attention. It's best to get them done if you can. Then you can fantasize about your vacation without guilt!

You might not have heard from a close friend in a long time and worry a little, Libra. Perhaps this person wasn't well the last time you talked. If you can, it might be a good idea to call. Strange and unsettling dreams could plague your sleep tonight, but don't get too agitated. They aren't prophetic in any way. The symbols probably represent nothing more than psychic detritus released through sleep.

An older visitor might come to your door today, Scorpio. You aren't likely to be too thrilled about this, but you will be able to play the good host anyway. Romance and sociability may be a bit limited by obligations to family, particularly parents, but don't let it get you down. You may be stuck at home tonight, but you will be able to let loose later.

Mundane tasks, including errands and answering correspondence, might bore you all day, Sagittarius.

You're likely to be restless and strongly tempted to chuck it all and go somewhere to enjoy yourself.

Take a good look at what you're doing and try to judge objectively how important it is to get it done now. If it isn't that important, then put it aside. You probably need to relax!

Financial issues may interfere with your selfexpression today, Capricorn. Perhaps you need a little more money before proceeding with a project that means a lot to you. You usually aren't one to let this kind of consideration stop you, though. Just a little bit of thought and planning could make whatever it is you want to do more feasible than it appears to be. Write down some ideas and go to it!

A charismatic person might visit you today and want your help with something. Emotional issues regarding family might have you feeling gloomy. Your creative side may have to lie fallow while you attend to mundane issues. Basically, you feel pretty optimistic about your life and future. You're never afraid of hard work, and you're persevering. Go for what you want and make everyone happy, including you!

Worries about relatives or friends could plague you throughout the day, Pisces. Perhaps you aren't sure what's wrong and so you feel helpless. Whatever vague worries you may have, don't try to figure out the truth without knowing the facts. You could make mountains out of molehills. This isn't a good day to run errands. Delays and obstacles could cause a lot of frustration and wasted time.

Before the program the DC in Charge of Jorhat Mr. Pranabjit Kakoti welcomed the Chief Minister

and All MLAs’ of Teok, Mariani, Sonari, Thowra and a numbers of special guests including MP Mr. Kamakhya who were

present at Divas. The function was organized by Assam Govt cultural Development and the administration of Jorhat District.

Health Ministry distributes eVIN at Jorhat

In a simple meeting held in Gar Ali of Jorhat, Kamakhya Prasad Tasa MP of Jorhat, Dijen Singh DDC of Jorhat, Aruna Dutta chairperson of Jorhat Municipality Board, Dr. Amrit Saikia additional Chief medical and health officer, Dr. Neeladri Bora UNDP along with Dr. Sashidar Phukan DIO was present.

In his addressing speech Dr Sashidar Phukan said that Vaccination is one of the most important things in Health and that eVIN aims to support the Govt. Of

India's universal Immunization Program by providing real time information on vaccine stocks and flows, and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in Assam .

Beginning in October 2015, eVIN has been rolled out in160 Districts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh In addition to these States, eVIN is being rolled out in 211 districts of Assam, Bihar, Chattishgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland and Odisa. The eVIN will support better vaccine logistics management at more than 10,000 cold chain points reaching out to nearly 60 percent of children under the age of two in the country.

As part of this programme, the first free health checkup was organized at Kalakhowa M.V. School on September 20. The second free health check-up camp was organized at Lezai Higher Secondary School on September 26. Specialists from Assam Medical College and Hospital, as well as private practitioners in the areas of Medicine,

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, May 24: The new Banipur Railway station 5 km from Dibrugarh town is growing into a den of anti-social activities. The station which was established a few years ago to strengthen the railway network of the region but the development of the station has not been done so far and of late the station has become a safe haven for criminals. Incidents of chainsnatching, robbery, harassment of passengers by drug addicts and eve-teasing have been reported of late.

Most of the time passengers fear to travel in the night time through Banipur road.

Banipur railway station.

Our manpower is less and we cannot concentrate on the whole area,’’ a police source said.

Milan Nagar police outpost to handle with less equipped manpower,’’ said Boloram Ghosh, a senior citizen.

“The station is on the city outskirts and that is why such incidents happen. Passengers as well as those living in and around the station face a lot of problems,” said a resident of of Banipur. Isolation of the place from the rest of the city is one of the main reasons behindcrimes. In the past, unidentified bodies were dumped there.

“In recent past many crimes took place in the Banipur area and the people are demanding for a police outpost because the area is vast and it not possible for

According to sources, some youths instead of going to schools and colleges passed their time taking drugs and dendrite.

Breakthrough made in Pintu Mura murder’s case The whole drive is technologically innovated and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with financial support from Gavi - The Vaccine Alliance.

"We are implementing this device to facilitate evidence based decision making by making available on line real time information on vaccine stocks and storage through the eVIN application software and temperature loggers" said Dr. Neeladri Bora of UNDP after the meeting a training session of handling the device is also conduct, where around 36 participants from four BPHE participate. In the same meeting the eVIN device had distributed to all the participants.

Cinema Galleria Cinema Dibrugarh Junction Mall

Screen-1 "DR STRANGE 3D " 1ST show at10:00 AM "SHIVAAY" 2ND show at 12:10 PM "AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL " 3RD show at 03:15 PM "DR STRANGE 3D" 4th show at 06:05 PM "SHIVAAY" 5th show at 08:15 PM

Sanjay Karmakar arrested by Margherita Police in connection with Pintu Mura murder case.

Photo by Mithun Baruah Mithun Baruah Margherita, Nov 24: Margherita Police on Tuesday arrested Sanjay Karmakar of Signal Basti, Ledo in connection with murder case of Pintu Mura a 28 years old youth who was brutally killed on 21 November evening when the deceased along with his friends went to watch cockfight at Lalgola Namdang under Margherita Police Station. During the interrogation, Sanjay Karmakar said that one Rajesh Gourh

had killed Pintu Mura with a sharp weapon which started due to heated arguments between the deceased Pintu Mura along with other friends as because of gambling.

Meanwhile Margherita Police had registered a case and had sent Sanjay Karmakar to judicial custody. In the meantime, a manhunt operation to nab Rajesh Gourh is on. The main culprit, Rajesh Gourh, is still absconding till the filling of this report.

Dibrugarh, H.S Road Screen-1

DEAR ZINDAGI 1st show at 10:00 AM

DEAR ZINDAGI 2nd show at 01:00 PM

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Chalo Loku celebration reaches its crescendo; witnesses mad rush of people Invitation to the dear and near ones and friends in the neighboring villages are sent well in advance. It is noteworthy to note that the visitors have been increasing day by day as it approaches the grand event to be due on 25th November 2016 at Deomali general ground.

Aurora Cinema

"AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL" 1ST show at 09:30 AM "PAGLI" 2ND show at 12:30 PM "GAANE KI ANNE" 3RD show at 03:10 PM "PAGLI" 4TH show at 05:50 PM "AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL" 5TH show at 08:30 PM

According to a police the railways need to set up a GRPF unit at Banipur at the earliest which will help prevent illegal activities. There are around 30 RPF personnel at Banipur station comprising three assistant subinspectors and one sub-inspector. Around four to five constables are sent on each train from Dibrugarh as escorts.

Contd. from Page 1

Cinema

Screen-2

Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Pediatrics, ENT & Orthopedics, from Dibrugarh provided medical consultation to the villagers and free medicines were also distributed to the patients having various ailments.

More than 400 villagers from nearby areas like Lezai, Baruagaon, Panigaon and Lalmati turned out and took advantage of the health check-up camp. The initiative was a great success as most of the people living in these interior villages have no access to medical facilities. Continuing this campaign BCPL is organizing the next health check-up camp at Garudharia.

Banipur railway station turns into safe haven for criminals

“During night time regular patrolling was done in

ET Correspondent Jorhat, 24 Nov: To improve vaccine coverage in the state, the ministry of health and Family welfare distributes an innovative electronic vaccine intelligence called eVIN at Jorhat on Thursday.

the prestigious and largest petrochemical complex of Assam, is under operation and in advanced stage of stabilization. All-out efforts are on to stabilize the units and resolve various issues at the earliest prior to its full capacity operation.

DEAR ZINDAGI 3rd show at 04:00 PM

DEAR ZINDAGI 4th show at 07:00 PM

The town is seen almost heavily jam packed with the commuters from all walks of life at the back drop of Chalo loku celebration. Earlier it was informed that Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Chowna Mein would not be gracing the event as Chief Guest to some unavoidable circumstances.

It is now confirmed that honourable Parliamentary Secretary for Planning, Mr. Zingnu Namchoom has been delegated to grace the grand event as Chief Guest on 25th November 2016 at Deomali, Tirap district.The music lovers from across the district are enthusiastically awaiting the release of music album called "HIN RI RI" produced and sponsored by Er. Gangtong.

The music album will be released on the concluding day of Chalo loku on 25th November 2016 in the presence of the Chief Guest.The festival has lots of delicacies to offer if you are foodie especially. One must stroll and discover the local delicacies. To name few of them would be Jumin, a finely distilled fermented rice beer, local pork, local fishes from Tirap River and local chickens both roasted and steamed. “One should have at least one thousand bucks in his or her pockets if they wish to visit a local cuisine,” was the opinion of one of the visitors.

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

P3

3rd Inter-Collegiate Youth Festival, CAU, Imphal starts at CHF, Pasighat

Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, Nov 24: The 3rd Inter-Collegiate Youth Festival 2016 of Central Agricultural University, Imphal started today at College of Horticulture & Forestry, Pasighat with overwhelming participation of students from seven constituent colleges of the CAU, Imphal.

In the three-day long mega event, good numbers of participants from colleges like College of Agriculture, Imphal; College of Fisheries, Tripura; College of Home Sciences, Tura (Meghalaya), College of Post Graduate Studies,

Shillong, College of Animal Husbandry, Mizoram; College of Agricultural Engineering & Post-Harvest Technology, Sikkim; and College of Horticulture & Forestry, Pasighat will compete Prof. A.A. Dange, Vice Chancellor, Apex Professional University, Pasighat graced the occasion as Chief Guest and highlighted that only education is not enough and that students need to be actively engaged in literary and cultural activities too for an all round development. While Dr. Tayek Talom, Principal,

J.N. College, Pasighat gracing as Guest of Honour in the function, spoke on the importance of students’ participation in all activities, not just for winning, but for a fair and healthy competition. He also thanked the Central Agricultural University, Imphal for bringing the mega event at Pasighat for young students of Pasighat to get an opportunity for exposure to such extravaganza. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. S.S. Nagra,Director of Instruction, CAU & Chairman, Organizing Committee made a keynote address and highlighted the role of such

events for bringing about national integration, communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure to the young students and the nation at large. Earlier, Dr. A.K. Pandey, Dean, College of Horticulture & Forestry, Pasighat welcomed the dignitaries and participants, and everyone present for making the event a grand success.

The youth festival is being organized by the Central Agricultural University, Imphal for the students of its constituent colleges located in different part of the North-East to showcase the

rich cultural and literary tradition of the region. The seven teams would compete in 18 fine arts, cultural and literary events as per national youth festival rules.

The event started with a beautiful cultural procession from the college ground to the auditorium. It was a colorful show as each college showcased its participants in different cultural attire.

Lastly, vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Y. Bedajit Singh, Deputy DI, CAU & Organizing Secretary for making the event successful.

Biggest National Cultural Festival to be held in Tawang Meanwhile, Tzudir also had detailed discussion with the Chief Minister with regard to establishment of a regional cultural center of the NEZCC at Itanagar.

He informed that the state department of art & culture owns a plot of land (approx. 18 acres) near Jote here and has offered it for establishment of the proposed center.

ET Bureau Itanagar, Nov, 24 Calling on

Chief Minister Pema Khandu at his offices here this morning, North East Zonal Cultural Center (NEZCC) Director Lipokmar Tzudir informed that the Union Ministry of Culture has decided to hold the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav, the biggest national cultural festival in the country, at Tawang.

Tzudir, along with officials of the state Department of Art & Culture, in the brief meeting sought the opinion of the Chief Minister on finalization of the dates for the festival. It was decided that the festival, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, would be celebrated at Tawang from March 2 to 6 early next year.

Objective of the annual festival is to popularize and showcase the cultural diversity of India be it art, artisans, dance, handicrafts or flavours from cross the nation.

The NEZCC Director informed that more than 600

artistes are expected to participate in the 5-day festival from across the country.

“The event will have at least 80-90 craft stalls, pavilions representing each of the seven Zonal Cultural Centre's of India (East, West, North, South, North Central, South Central and North East) besides performances by artistes and day-long activities,” he said.

Nabam Yali appointed as new President of Sagalee Assembly Constituency

The Chief Minister, who volunteered to head the local coordination committee, assured every possible logistical support from the state government and the district administration to the event that will be organized by the NEZCC on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

“As the event would coincide with the Lossar festival, it would be an added bonus for local residents in

their celebrations,” Khandu observed.

He expressed gratitude to the Union Minister of Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma for giving Arunachal Pradesh the opportunity to host such a mega event. He also thanked Union MoS Home Kiren Rijiju, who has been influential from the conceptual level and final selection of Arunachal Pradesh for the festival.

Tzudir requested the Chief Minister to call a meeting of the state level development committee for the project soon and pave way for engaging an experienced architect to prepare a DPR, which would be then submitted to the Ministry of Culture by NEZCC for approval and sanction.

The Chief Minister assured to fast track the project and lease out the said plot of land that incidentally falls adjacent to the upcoming film and television institute to NEZCC to step up further procedures.

Once completed the center would have state-of-the-art facilities like craft stalls, open arena, auditorium, dormitory, guest house, library, canteen, etc.

A Staff Reporter Itanagar, 24 Nov: Sports and Youth Affairs Secretary Dani Salu flagged-off a 50-member exploration team ‘Lali Modi’ at the State Civil Secretariat, to rediscover the historic route Arunachalees of today took to enter into the state.

The exploration is being organized in collaboration with Gyadom Welfare Society, led by engineer Sangkoli Cheda.

used the same route to migrate into the present day Papum Pare, Kurung Kumey and East Kameng districts”.

He further added that the team will start its exploration on November 26 next (on foot) from Pipu of East Kameng district via Lasak, Wotte Cheda and culminate at Mangio in Papum Pare district.

Briefing about the team, East Kameng Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Olik Taring, who is also leading the team, informed that Everester Tapi Mara and Nima Lama are also taking part in the exploration, besides scientists from the State Forest Research Institute Kara Taj, engineer Mara Kacho and others as resource persons.

“The area is covered with thick forest, unparalleled mountains and snow, so our team has decided to walk five hours a day and camp in different locations, as we have no clear data about the distance that we would have to cover”, informed Cheda.

Extending his best wishes to the team, Salu said, “Such an exploration will definitely revive the historic importance of our almost lost ancestral route and roots along with research on medicinal plants found in forests of Arunachal.”

Sports Tadar,Shri Tani Loffa Ex-MLA,District Minority President Shri Nabam Tallang and other state leaders.

The State President extended his best wishes to the newly appointed Mandal President Minority Morcha and asked her to be an exemplary as a prominent leader of the area and the party.Nabam Yali is the former President of Sagalee BJP Mahila Morcha,former President of Sagalee Mandal and she also served as President APWWS for the area.

ET Bureau Namsai, 24 Nov: D Bhattacharya, Chief Engineer of Border Roads Organisation (P) Udayak visited 48 BRTF sector on 17 Nov 2016 to 19 Nov 2016, where he inspected various roads/ bridges infrastructures being developed in Arunachal Pradesh by the Versatile 48 Border Roads Task Force under able Command and guidance of its Commander, Col C Rajashekar in Namsai, Lohit and Anjaw District of Arunachal Pradesh under BRO Project Udayak. The important roads namely Dirak- Rupai-Chowkham, Digaru-Tezu, LohitpurShivajinagar, Tezu-DimweTohangam, Brahamkund-

Arrowa, TohagamHayuliang-ChangiwintiWalong-Namti-Kibithu on LAC with China and Hayuliang-MetengliangChanglohagam Road were inspected by Chief Engineer. He complimented the efforts of executives of BRO, who are working in inhospitable areas for their excellent work despite numerous constraints and inclement weather conditions.

On 18th Nov 2016, D Bhattacharya,Chief Engineer (P) Udayak inaugurated the permanent bridge of 45 Mtr span over Salti River at Km 29.05 on Changwinti-Walong-Namti Road and on 19th Nov 2016, he also inaugurated the Pmt Bridge Yakunti of

45 Mtr span at Km 3.825 and Logohar Bridge of 40 Mtr span at Km 17.845 respectively on NamtiKibithu road constructed by 1444 BCC/48 BRTF (P) Udayak. On the occasion he proudly stated that Project Udayak/48 BRTF has once again lived up to their motto “Achievement through Excellence”.Later, D Bhattacharya praised the troops of 48 BRTF for their indomitable spirit and commitment towards overall socio economic development of the people of Arunachal Pradesh in providing connectivity to the eastern most parts of India. BRO continues to display high standards of professionalism and commitment towards nation building.

NSS of Government College cleans Bomdila town ET Bureau BOMDILA, nOV 24 : With the motto of promoting sanitation facilities, the NSS unit of Government College Bomdila conducted a five days sanitation drive at Thrizino village under Thrizino administrative circle in the district. The village is located at a distance of 119 kilometers from the district headquarters Bomdila.

The campaign led by NSS Programme Officer Assis-

tant Professor Karma Lhadron Trangpoder and participated by a total of 35 volunteers, partook in various social activities ranging from door to door awareness campaigns towards sanitation, deforestation and multiple cropping to plantation of two hundred new saplings. The NSS team also took up cleanliness drive around the market area, hospital compound, Inspection Bunga-

low, Government Higher Secondary School and the ADC office complex.

The campaign culminated on November 23 and a valedictory function was organized to reflect on the services provided by the volunteers of the NSS unit.

The college family was overwhelmed with the sense of appreciation and cooperation given by the villagers and the gratitude shown to them for the works done.

State women Commission conducts legal awareness at Longding

Exploration to rediscover historic route in Arunachal flags off

Elaborating on the motive behind the adventurous exploration, Cheda informed that “the route has historical relations with the Nyishi community as well as with most of Arunachal communities as our ancestors

ET Bureau Itanagar, Nov 24: Nabam Yali,a renowned social worker of Sagalee Assembly Constituency was appointed as President of 15th Sagalee Mandal Minority Morcha by the District Minority Morcha President Nabam Tallang.

The letter of appointment was handed over to her by the State BJP President Tapir Gaoji in a quiet ceremony at the state BJP office on 23rd November.

The programme was attended by the senior party Vice President Adv. Dominic

Chief Engineer of BRO takes stock Of 48 BRTF Sector

Chief Minister’s Sub-Veteran and Veteran State Level Badminton Tournament kicks off A Staff Reporter Itanagar, 24 NOV : The 3rd edition of the Chief Minister’s Sub-Veteran and Veteran (Men & Women) State Level Badminton Tournament got off to a flier here at the Raj Bhawan Badminton court here on Thursday.

Organized by the Arunachal State Badminton Association (ASBA) under the aegis Badminton Association of India (BAI), in all 80 players from 12 different

districts are participating in the tournament which has been divided into four different categories according to the participants age.

In the first match played between Yane Kamsar and L Kaki (35+ Women’s Singles) the former defeated the latter in straight sets of 21-10, 21-16 while in men’s singles (40+) Tai Mama had to fight it hard to get past Namibia Danny.

The match ended 21-18, 721 and 21-16.

In men’s singles (45+)

Karmo Riram eased past Aju Khonjuju in straight sets of 21-4, 21-7.

In men’s doubles (40+) the pair of Dolong Akum and Tai Mama got the better of Bamang Tago and Tame Phassang. The score of the match when it ended read 21-7, 23-21.

Sports director Tadar Apa and SAA vice chairman Gechi Doke were present in the inaugural ceremony as chief guest and guest of honor respectively.

A Staff Reporter Longding, 24 Nov: The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW), Itanagar, headed by its Chairperson Mitali Tingkhatra conducted its maiden two days legal awareness programme at Longding district on November 22 and 23 last.

The programme covered various topics like child labour and human trafficking, Domestic Violence Act, 2005, polygamy, compulsory marriage registration, POCSO Act 2012, free legal aid and drug abuse.

The awareness programme was conducted at Chanu Village under Chubom Circle and at Ranglua village under Kanubari circle.

Highlighting that the Commission is a statutory body formed by the Government and not an NGO, APSCW Vice-Chairperson Nabam Yabang highlighted the powers and functions of the Commission and various provisions under the APSCW Act, 2002.

She also requested the gath-

ering to work in the horticulture sector instead of cultivating opium.

Highlighting on child labour and human trafficking, APSCW Member Secretary Yame Higio stressed on stopping all such activities and informed that the Commission is also in-charge of the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Protections of Child Rights, (APSCPCR).

She further shared cases related to human trafficking registered from Longding district a few years ago and explained various forms of human trafficking. She requested parents to be aware of it and to approach the district police and magistrate if such incidents occur.

APSCW Member Oter Ering Tayeng highlighted the issues of polygamy, Domestic Violence Act, 2005, various provisions implications and Compulsory Marriage Registration. She requested the participants for immediate registration of marriage and to discourage their children from practicing polygamy.

APSCW Chairperson Tingkhatra highlighted vari-

ous provisions and implications under POCSO Act, 2012 and free legal aid and stressed on learning laws related to women and children for their own benefit, and informed of the ‘Women Helpline’, ‘Child Line’ and shelter homes such as Oju Welfare Association and short stay home at Naharlagun for aggrieved victims.

Wancho Culture Society president Manhang Loham also requested the Commission to set up a women cell in Longding district to help those in need.

Kanubari CHC Medical Officer Dr Taigam Wangsu and Circle Officer Dubom Apang also spoke on the ill effects of drugs on the society.

Chief of Chanu Hatwang Wangham, ZPMs Jyai Wangsu and Wangrang Wangjen, ASM Chanu Jopha Wangsu, women leader Chanu Pisang Wangcha, Kanubari Circle Officer, Wathai Mossang also spoke on the occasion.

The programme was attended by a large number of people, including government officials, villagers, teachers and students.

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

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Lachit Divas programme

CM Sonowal urges youths to follow ideals of Lachit Barpukhan to protect and defend motherland Assam A Staff Reporter Guwahati, 24 Nov: Underling the power of the youth to bring change to the society Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said that the youth must follow the ideals of Lachit Barphukan to protect and defend the motherland Assam from the present day challenges. Speaking at the Lachit Divas programme held today at Fancy Bazaar river front of Bramhaputra where the 35 feet statue of Lachit Borphukan is installed, Chief Minister Sonowal said that Lachit Divas is the time to remember the supreme sacrifice made by the Ahom General and his valiant army to save Assam from outside aggressors and take inspiration from that spirit of patriotism. The Chief Minister also paid floral tributes at Lachit Borphukan memorial in the morning at Jalukbari in the city.

While thanking former Assam governor Late Lt Gen (Retd) S.K Sinha for his role in initiating the Lachit Medal at Na-

have to work hard to bring about positive changes to the society,” he said.

tional Defense Academy (NDA) which is bestowed on the best passing out cadet, Chief Minster Sonowal said that lot of studies need to be done to understand the indigenous warfare techniques of Ahom General who defeated the mighty Moghul army many times through sheer ingenuity and guile.

“Lachit Barphukan exempli-

fied that to protect one’s motherland one must make all sacrifices. Lachit showed his dedication towards the motherland when he beheaded his own uncle for showing negligence while constructing a rampart to prevent the entry of Mughal Army into Guwahati during the Battle of Saraighat that saved the fate of Assam.” Sonowal said.

Saying that the young generation of the state must learn to respect their own motherland Sonowal urged them to study about the glorious history of the State and thereby get inspired to make Assam one of the best states of the country.

“The very idea of the state that Lachit defended so relentlessly must never be compromised and younger generation will

Ramdev’s Mega Herbal and Food Park may land in legal soup after elephant dies in its unfenced pit Shambhu Boro, Tezpur, 24 Nov: Alarmed by the death of an elephant by falling into one of the large unfenced pits being dug to construct Patanjali’s Mega Herbal and Food Park at Ghoramari in Tezpur district State Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma paid a visit to the construction site and took stock of the situation today.

Expressing concern, the Minister instructed the forest department to file FIR against the contractor of the yoga guru Ramdev’s Mega Herbal and Food Park and AIDC, Ghoramari.

It is worth mentioning that a male, a female and her calf from a herd fell early on Wednesday into one of the large unfenced pits being dug to construct Patanjali’s unit at Ghoramari in Tezpur district. The tusker managed to get out, but the female, which suffered internal injuries and broke a leg from the fall, and her two-month-old calf, remained stuck. Efforts to pull her out and treat her proved futile and she died on Wednesday night.Reports say several pits have been dug up in the area to set up the plant, but no fence was erected to prevent animals or humans from falling into them. The Forest Minister instructed Patanjali Mega Herbal and Food Park authority to leave 200 bighas of land from their construction site for the wild elephant as the site has over the last many years been used as corridor for them. While briefing the media persons she added that the guilty must face punishment. “I have strictly ordered to the forest

BSF organizes Blood Donation Camp at Amalganj ET Correspondent Amalganj, 24 Nov: Border Security Force personnel of 67 Bn and 174 Bn organized a Blood Donation Camp, at Amalganj, Dhubrion 24 Nov 2016 from 1000hrs to 1330 hrs. The programme, organized with association of Govt Hospital Dhubri and its medical staff. BSF commanding officers, Subordinate Officers andtroopsattended the Blood D o n a t i o n camp.Commandant 174 Bn BSF addressed the audience and BSF families and thanked all volunteers for donating blood which will help to save precious lives. He exhorted all audience to come forward voluntarily for donating blood as the requirement of blood in India is enormous.

He further expressed that security personnel have other roles to play besides providing security to nation and this blood donation drive by BSF personnel is one step towards the noble cause for our society.The programme ended with great applauds by local populous and donating of blood by 70 BSF personnel.

that the authority would arrange a generator cum inverter system for protecting the wild elephants until the permanent solar system fence is installed. “The boundary wall and the solar fencing will be complete very soon. There is 450 bighas of land out of this 200 bighas have already been left for the wild elephant,” Goswami said.

department to file an FIR against the contractor engaged in the construction work because only for their indifferent attitude in taking precautionary measures like boundary wall and fencing to protect the wild elephant, the unfortunate incident has occurred,” she further added.Regarding guarding the wild elephants in the area by the forest guard she also said that it is impossible for the forest guard to keep guarding the elephants in this site as there are lots of trench dug in the construction site.

Admitting certain challenges faced by the forest department Brahma also said that the department has not sufficient staff for regular monitoring one particular area.

“The Forest Department has decided to arrange a wild life medical team for this area who can immediate response before reaching veterinary specialist.” She said. Environmentalists and wild life organizations stated that the

area known as elephant zone where elephants come from nearby areas to take rest.

“This is the trend which has been noticed in the last couple of areas. Initially the area was undisturbed as there was no activity in the industrial area where a project has now come up.” They said mentioning there was no official discussion between Patanjali and the state forest officials before starting construction work in the site.

“Had there been precautionery measures at the site covering electric fencing or boundary wall in the surrounding area the incident wouldn’t have happened. We need the industry for the development of the area along but at the same time conservation of biodiversity is also vital,” the wild life organizations opined. Expressing concern over the unwanted incident coordinator of Patanjali mega herbal and food Park, Uday Goswami, informed

Meanwhile Apurbha Kumar Bhattacharya on behalf of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee in a press meet here today alleged that the proposed construction site of Patanjali Mega herbal and Food Park was a corridor for wild elephant which was known to the Patanjali authority.

“Without any verification how the state government has allotted the area to the patanjali?,” he questioned and sought an inquiry into the entire issue. Meanwhile, the villagers have decided to submit a memorandum to the Forest Minster, seeking Forest Minister’s intervention to find a permanent solution to the issue of elephant depredation problem of the area.

Rajen Basumatary, a social worker of the area said that the elephants use to come to the area seeking fodders.

While stressing to strike a balance between development and ecological balance, Rajen Basumatary said that the concerned departments and stakeholders should deal with the issue sincerely so that the food park also come up and the elephants’ habitat is not compromised,” he opined.

Reiterating that the legacy of Lachit Barphukan must be taken to the global stage Chief Minister Sonowal said that it is through commitment to the cause of the society that young generation can immortalize the contributions of Lachit Barphukan and all citizens must lead a life of righteousness to bring change in the truest sense of the term. Emphasizing on the need to protect unity of the greater Assamese society, Sonowal said that the people must defeat the evil designs of the anti social elements that want to divide the society and only then true respect would be shown to the sacrifices made by Lachit Barphukan.

The Chief Minister also urged the people to keep a portrait of Lachit Barphukan in all offices, schools and other educational institutions as a mark of respect to the legend and

6 children rescued from Rangia bi-weekly market Tapas Samadar Rangia, Nov 24: Six children from 8 to 15 years were rescued from Rangia bi weekly market by a team of Kamrup Child line on Thursday . The team headed

by Utpal Borah, Biplab Mazumder and Meghjyoti Hazarika from Majgaon (North Guwahati) office of the Child line. According to Utpal Borah the children were picked up with the help of Rangia police on the basis of specific information that they were working as child labor in different shops of the market. Some

of them were selling leafs and vegetables since a couple of month. After checking and making enquiry the child labours were picked up and sent to children home at Ulubari Guwahati. They will be produced before the Child welfare commission at Amingaon tomorrow as stated by the child line workers. They guardians will be allowed to bring them after producing proper documents of school if they are still students or studying regularly, Borah stated to this reporter.

ET Correspondent Silchar, 24 Nov: Along with the rest of the State, Lachit Divas was observed in a befitting manner in Hailakandi district.

Paying floral tributes at the portrait of the great Ahom General Lachit Borphukan, Deputy Commissioner Moloy Bora said the manner in which he inflicted a crushing defeat on the invading army (Mughals) during the Battle of Saraighat in 1671 AD would be engraved in the letters of gold.

Describing Lachit Borphukan as a universal hero, Bora said, “The great general defended the territorial integrity of his motherland Asom by resisting tooth and nail the formidable invaders through his military skills and personal leadership during the great Battle of Saraighat.”

A patriot to the core, Bora said the great general showed his unflinching love for his motherland when he beheaded his own uncle for showing negligence while constructing a rampart to prevent the incursion of the Mughals in Guwahati.

Bora said that the great general’s relevance is felt the more at a time when divisive forces from both within and outside are at work to tear asunder the social fabric of the society.

“Let us uphold the ideals of the great warrior and rekindle his patriotic fire in us to defeat the divisive and obscurantist forces,” he added.

Bora said the observance of Lachit Divas for the first time in Hailakandi

Massive cleanliness drive in Diphu Sushanta Roy Diphu November 24: Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) will carry out a massive cleanliness drive to make Diphu town garbage free. This has been announced by Principal Secretary of KAAC Mrs. Joyshree Daulagupu after a high level meeting of the top government officials at the secretariat yesterday.

The drive will be conducted under ‘Clean Karbi Anglong Mission’ and it was decided to make Shyam Gaon of Balipathar locality, Bokajan subdivision as the second cleanest village of the district after Shikdamakha village of Amri located in West Karbi Anglong district.

41th and 23rd Raax Mahatsova under way in Pathsala and Patacharkuchi Sasanka Talukdar Bajali, 24 Nov: Along with other parts of the state, The Ongoing 41th and 23 Raas Mahatsov of Pathsala and Patacharkuchi in Bajali Subdivision under Barpeta district is in full swing now, which starts from 14th November with a 15 days colourfull programme.The event has so far has had attracted huge number devotees from various parts of the state at both the Raas Mahatsovas.

Devotees from various parts of the state visited at Raas Mahatsov have throughout to the mega event.

An art exhibition is also being organised by Pathsala Raas Committee, with more than 300 clay arts symbolising lord Krishna. On the other hand more than 250 clay arts held in Patacharkuchi.

There are host of various cultural and religious programme which are organised on stage on day to day basis. Both the Raas committee appealed to all to visit to the Raas Mahatsov to enjoy the festive cultural programme participated by eminent singers and to cooperate the smooth functioning of all the programmes.

The Mahatsov will conclude on November 28. The cultural evening performed by many artists including guest singer Bhrigu Kashyap, at Patacharkuchi.

said that the people must take it as a duty to inform outsiders coming to the state about the role of Lachit Barphukan in Assam’s rich history.

Minister of Cultural Affairs Naba Kumar Doley, Media Adviser to the Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami, MLAs Tapan Gogoi, Bimal Bora, Rituparna Bora, Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania, Chief Secretary V.K. Pipersenia were present on the occasion.

The Chief Minister also visited Lachit Barphukan’s Moidam today at Hulungapar, Jorhat as part of the Lachit Divas celebration programme. There he laid wreath at Lachit Barphukan’s statue and offered tributes according to Tai Ahom rituals. Sonowal informed that Department of Archeology, Government of Assam has listed the Moidam for conservation and all necessary steps in this regard would be taken.

Lachit Barphukan Moidam Sangrakhyan Samiti also submitted their memorandum to the Chief Minister with various demands.

Lachit Divas observes in a befitting manner in Hailakandi District

Announcing this Mrs. Daulagupu informed that the two villages will be recognized as the cleanest villages of the district. The cleaning drive will begin on morning of November 28 from Diphu town and cover Don Bosco HS School area, Lorulangso, Dharamnala etc.

Diphu Town Committee, PWD and Land Revenue offices have been ordered to prevent grow of slum areas in Panbari and to clear the area from encroachment.

Appropriate signboards for identification of locality and lanes have been ordered to put-up. Roadsides pasting of posters by different parties and organizations have

been ordered to remove.

The roadside vendors selling meat, chicken, fish and vegetables will be relocated at suitable places to free the road to for preventing accidents. The meeting also decided that the mandatory water bottle will not be catered during meeting in KAAC secretariat hence forth during meeting to stop spread of plastic and polythene borne diseases.

The KAAC has selected a new location in Lumding Road for dumping of garbage. In the meeting it was also decided to take 80 governments recognized Gaonburhas on a tour of the two cleanest villages, i.e Shikdamakha and Shyam by the PHE department.

UGC sponsored National level seminar to be organised at United Tribal Degree College, Dhakuakhona on December 15 and 16 ET Correspondent Lakhimpur; Nov 24: The Department of Sociology and Political Science of United Tribal Degree College located at Bilmukh, Dhakuakhona in Lakhimpur District is going to organise a University Grant Commission(UGC) sponsored seminar on forthcoming 15th and 16th December.

The topic of the seminar is "Present situation of Autonomous Administration among the Tribes of North East India and and Quest for SocioEconomic Development".

The seminar is intended to form opinions of various scholars and participants on the subject specified to highlight the present picture of North East India. Papers on the brood theme related to Assam and the other States of North East India are invited from the scholars, researchers and academicians.

They can present their papers on any of these sub-themes: (a) Autonomous Administration and Socio-Economic

Development (b) The SixSchedule and the development in the North East India. (c) Self-Defence of EthnoCultural Identity and its relation to Autonomous Administration (d) Tribal Aspirations for Self-Rule (e) Evolution of the Sixth-Schedule Laws (f) Status of the ADCs in the Sixth-Schedule Area (g) Constitutional Safeguards for Tribes (h)Autonomous District Councils in North East India (i) Policy implication regarding the problems of Autonomous Administration. The last date of the submission of abstract is December 8 while the last date of the submission of the full papers is December 12. Papers can be e-mailed to arunchamuah111@gmail.com.

For further information on the seminar intending candidates may contact with Dipen Gogoi, Vice Principal cum HOD of Sociology; Ph. No: +9199575 18363 and Arun Chamuah, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Political Science; Ph. No: +9194012 64016 and +9199543 15347.

and elsewhere augurs well ‘as theState marches ahead triumphantly under a new dispensation’.

Speaking on the occasion, Superintendent of Police, Pranab Jyoti Goswami said that LachitBorphukan was no less than warriors like ChattrapatiShivaji.

“The military prowess and great leadership qualities LachitBorphukan demonstrated in the great Battle of Saraighatby defeating the irresistible Mughals with a small force is indeed unparalleled,” he said.

Recalling the contributions of late Lt. Gen SK Sinha, the former Governor of Assam, Goswami said it was due to his relentless efforts a chapter on naval warfare has been incorporated in the Indian Army curriculum. A bust of the great warrior has also come up in the National Defence Academy in Pune. Goswami said that concerted efforts must be made to give the great general his due place of honourin world history.

Assistant Commissioner, Dr. Dhrubajyoti Hatibaruah extolled the head and heart qualities of the great Ahom general and his unbounded love for his motherland that saved Assam from going into the hands of Mughal invaders.

Earlier, in her welcome address, Assistant Commissioner, Rebecca L. Changsan gave a brief account of the meteoric rise of the warrior.

Officials and employees of different departments paid floral tributes at the portrait of Bir Lachit Borphukan on the occasion.

Survey of Diphu River Sushanta Roy Diphu, Nov 24: The Diphu Town Committee (DTC) and Circle Office jointly conducted survey of 8 projects for beautification of Diphu River yesterday. The project works include cleaning of the river and boulder pitching water drainage and demarcation of land of river banks, eviction of encroachers. Revenue officers and technical personals of Diphu Town Committee conducted investigation of river bank. The project is funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, as one time assistance for Sixth Schedule area.

Tug of War over Hills Area Development Ministry Sushanta Roy Diphu November 24: Too many representations from the hills in the State Assembly has raise a quiet tussle within the ranks and files of BJP MLAs in the Assam Hills, and the suspicion is not yet over as to who will be inducted in the cabinet for assuming coveted portfolio of Hills Area Development Ministry in Sarbananda Sonowal’s cabinet. The race has become more challenging and has aroused snooping and speculation after the victory of Dr. Mansing Rongpi; whether he would be induct in the expansion of Sonowal’s cabinet discounting the others 4 elected MLA’s Sum Ronghang, Joyram Engleng , Dr. Numal Momin and BB Haczer.

After the win of 20Baithalangso seat BJP has now 5 assembly seats in Karbi Anglong and Hima Hasao Autonomous Districts.

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

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Tripura GMP delegation headed byJiten Chowdhury meet Rajnath Singh , submit memorandum Agartala, Nov 24: The union minister for home affairs, Rajnath Singh has assured a nine (9) member delegation of Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP) led

by Tripura MP Jiten Chowdhury of looking into a set of demands raised in a memorandum submitted to him by the delegation. Disclosing this highly placed sources from Delhi said that a 9(Nine) member delegation of Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad(GMP), led by Shri Jitendra Chaudhury, MP and President of the organisation had met Shri Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister on Thursday afternoon in his North Block Office and submitted a memorandum containing a 22 point charter of demands.

The delegation apprised the Union Home Minister that the Government of Tripura, GMP and all other left and democratic forces in Tripura had been pressing for these legitimate demands for long.

The delegation apprised the Union Home Minister that the Government of Tripura, GMP and all other left and democratic forces in Tripura had been pressing for these legitimate demands for long.

They further emphasised that to thwart the evil design of anti-national and secessionist forces,ma intaining the peace, tranquility and development process in the state was the most effective way.

The deputation was held in a very cordial atmosphere.

The Union Home Minister heard the delegation very patiently. Shri Rajnath Singh also admitted that he had received number of communications from the

Govt. of Tripura and Tripura MPs, very particularly from Shri Chaudhury, who had raised the issues in the Parliament on a number of occasions. Shri Singh assured the delegation that he will personally examine every aspect of the memorandum related to his Ministry and put forward the other demands to the concerned Ministries for their consideration. (Agencies)

Meeting at Delhi to finalise date for Reang repatriation Agartala, Nov 24: The repatriation of over 35 thousand Reang refugees residing in six north Tripura camps seem to be nearing as an urgent meeting of the joint monitoring committee (JMC) is being held in Delhi today.

It is learnt that the meeting will finalise the date for repatriation and the modalities.

Senior officials of the government of Mizoram and Tripura, two leaders of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum Saibunga Mesha and Laldong Dunga and representatives of several other Reang organisations are participating in the meeting in the office of the Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs Satyendra

Garg.

According to sources representatives of the Young Mizo Association of Mizoram also were invited to attend the meeting. It may be recalled that the Reangs from Mamit district of Mizoram had to cross over to Tripura following some communal dispute with the YMA and their student's wing the Mizo Zarlai Pawl.

The repatriation was scheduled to begin from November but it was deferred as the Government of Mizoram sought some time for completing identification of the refugees who are actually the resident of Mizoram. This was necessitated as the Mizoram government was alleging that some people

from Tripura and Cacher district of Assam also infiltrated into the camps and enrolled their name as refugee. So there is a necessity to screening and identification. Accordingly a team of 26 officials of the Mizoram government undertook the process of identification from November 5 to 23 and finalised the list after verifying all documents. A final list of the residents of Mizoram will be published soon.

According to earlier decision the repatriation is suppose to be started by January 15, 2017. It is expected that today's meeting will finalise a date for starting repatriation and other modalities for it.

(Agencies)

Tripura BSF jawan martyred in mine blast on Pak border in Jammu Agartala, Nov 24: Tripura BSF (107 battalion) jawan (Havildar by rank) Shambu Satmura (34) courted martyrdom along the Pak border in Jammu on Wednesday evening. He had been on patrolling duty in a snowcapped hilly area in Jammu along the border with Pakistan on yesterday evening . But while he was descending a slope a mine laid by Pakistani security forces underground blasted off and Shambu died on the spot. In the evening yesterday a phone call from the commandant of the 107 battaion had been received

by Shambhu's younger sister Mousumi (27). 'I could harly believe the terrible news and when the commandant Sir handed over the mobile phone to

Shambhu Satmura. my Dada's friends and colleauges I was convinced of the harsh truth and fainted' said a weeping Mousumi.

Shambhu Satmura (34), only son of his parents , Shivcharan and Beena Satmura, was a resident of Subhash Nagar village under Pratapgarh assembly

constituency southeast of Agartala town. Shortly after the news had spread like wildfire a large nuber of villagers thronged the Satmura household to convey condolences and console the parents and sister. 'On Tuesday night I had seen a bad dream and spoke to him in the morning yesterday; He said he was well and trying to come home on holiday but that did not happen' said a profusely weeping Beena Satmura. His mortal remains will arrive tomorrow by flight from Jammu for cremation near home. Shambhu's father Shibcharan had also been a BSF jawan but ended his career safe and sound but the son courted martyrdom. Shambhu has left his wife but no children.

(Agencies)

NUN highlights burden of TB among PLHIV Dimapur, Nov 24: Nagaland Users' Network (NUN) members highlighted the burden of Tuberculosis (TB), one of the leading killer among the people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the state with the poor response from the state government during press conference organized by NUN and supported by Treatment Action Group (TAG) held at KPC conference Kohima on Wednesday.

The press conference was attended by member Global TB Community Advisory Board (GTBCAB) Ketho Angami, member CCM Abou Mere, HIV/TB coordinator Vihaan (NNP+) Visevinuo Khrieo, president KNP+ Kohima Yhuni Kesen and other members of NUN. Ketho said during his experience with working in the field of tuberculosis in the state he had come across various issues and challenges which could defeat the whole purpose of the revised national TB program (RNTCP). He said with the growing

number of TB case findings in the state, poor response manifested by both the state and the centre through delay of funds has hampered the programme.

He said Tuensang district was identified as one of the high prevalent TB district along with Dimapur and Kohima, whereas Peren has been considered as a high drug resistance district in the state.

He said the state RNTCP need to look at involvement from the civil society organization in terms of designing and strategizing implementation of quality TB program side by side with the development of community ownership could contribute to a qualitative intervention.

Ketho also highlighted the key concern like lack of mobile TB screening, testing of sputum smearing through microscope, absence of CBNAAT in a high prevalent district like Tuensang, poor treatment adherence by patients, need to create awareness

by 129 households out of which 114 households have moved noncooperation stir against the village chief over administration failure and development shortfalls.

Subsequently, six Village Authority members out of eight strength resigned from their posts on November 17.

According to the resolution, SP Themshang and Thotngatei Jamang have been elected as development chairman and secretary for three years term and all development related activities will be executed under their leadership except customary and revenue matters which are to remain under the headman.

It alleged that the headman AS Maiyo has failed to convene

any public meeting for the last eight years since 2009, while adding that during the period gross anomalies in development works have been committed by him and his son AS Ningreishang and their hence men.

While final bills for construction of village court building and Chatric Khullen-Kashung hanging bridge with sanction amounts of Rs. 5 lakhs and Rs. 7 lakhs under Border Area Development Project (BADP) schemes have been withdrawn without completion, village guest house for which Rs. 2.5 was sanctioned has been constructed behind the community hall without serving the intended purpose, it pointed out.

The NUN members during press conference at KPC conference hall Kohima in the rural areas, develop IEC materials and others.

Visevinuo Khrieo said Vihaan's objectives of TB Implementation (Implemented since October 2015) was to increase the screening among PLHIV and early detection of TB, Immediate ART initiation of all PLHIV detected TB and improve and sustain treatment adherence of HIV-TB co-infected clients. She said in Nagaland, Vihaan CSCs operates in 5 dis-

tricts- Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung, Tuensang and Kiphire and till October 2016, number of PLHIVs registered in CSCs screened for TB are 2187 (out of total clients registered at CSCs 4709), referred for TB testing257 out of which 58 detected TB positive.

Abou Mere said in 2012, global estimate of annual incidence of TB was 8.6 million cases and 2.3 million cases were from In-

dia. He disclosed that TB prevalence per lakh population has reduced from 465 in 1990 to 230 in 2012.

He expressed the serious concern of TB disease prevailing in the state. Yhuni Kesen also shared her personal experienced using TB medicine and its side effect.

The members also highlighted the various issues taken up by the members with state and central government for TB disease.

(Agencies)

IPFT's 'Delhi Chalo' Education should enable students to be employable: Acharya campaign postponed , lier the governor declared to be undertaken later the graduation ceremony Agartala, Nov 24: The regional IPFT's 'Chalo Delhi' campaign for a pre-planned demonstration and five-day fast in Jantar Mantar area of the national capital tomorrow has been postponed till fresh announcement of dates for the exercise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation seems to have taken a toll on IPFT's movement to press for separate 'Twipraland' state out of the ADC areas for tribals.

Highly placed sources in the IPFT said that a batch of 500 of their workers were scheduled to leave for Delhi on Friday to participate in demonstration and sit-in programme in Jantar Manatar area of the national

capital. Besides, a five day fast from November 28 to December 2 was also planned . 'But the situation has changed considerably following the demonetisation declaration ; the entire political leadership in the opposition and ruling benches are preoccupied with the fallout of demonetisation ; so we consider it inadvisable to land in Delhi for our programme at such a time' sources said, adding that the programme would be organised at a suitable time later in Delhi. 'We will make appropriate formal announcement in this regard soon' said sources.

(Agencies)

P.B. Acharya and Deo Nukhu

Dimapur, Nov 24: Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya said the conventional degree acquired from various institutions were not making the students employable or entrepreneurs and that the government of India was emphasizing on establishing a stronger link between education and employment. He was speaking as the chief guest at the convocation ceremony of ICFAI University, Nagaland, campus at Sovima, Dimapur. said there was a Fund was meant for road repair, Acharya need to ensure that the declaims Ex-Council Chairman gree and certificates which Shillong, Nov 24: Former der Mawkyrwat and other a university issues should be directly linked to jobs KHADC chairman divisions.

Mansturdy Nongrem has "I empathise with the NGOs and issues of livelihood. alleged that the council as they were misled by the He enquired whether stuCEM PN Syiem, misled CEM. The allocated money dents were attending colNGOs during a meeting is now diverted to enhance leges and universities only called by the ruling PDF on the MDC scheme. The CEM to get degrees, whether August 1 by promising has cajoled the NGOs who one's knowledge and emthem Rs 20 crore from the were then prepared to start powerment was only for Rs 133-crore Special Assis- a riot," said Nongrem, add- oneself and whether stutance Scheme fund that was ing that Syiem should have dents had any responsibilcalled a meeting with the ity towards their college, earmarked for KHADC. Nongrem said the CEM had two warring groups if he village, family, friends, their divested the Rs 20 crore but wishes to withdraw the al- state and nation.

He said degree was the beblamed the State govern- located money. ment for not approving con- Nongrem stated that Syiem ginning of a person's emstruction of the road from should have deposited the powered life and that the money with the PWD de- true meaning of education Nongstoin to Wahkaji.

The Rs 20 crore is meant for partment to enable the de- was beyond individualism, repairing the existing road partment to implement the one which instils a sense for better connectivity in construction works. the area in an attempt to sat- "As an MDC of the area, I isfy both anti-road and pro- am not happy with the false assurances of the CEM to road NGOs. The repair work will start the people and the NGOs. from Nongstoin (10 km) un- As of now he is not doing der Nongstoin division and anything," he added. the remaining 33 km is un- (Agencies) Kohima, Nov 24: Central intelligence and income tax agencies are grappling with a peculiar situation with Rs 3.5 crore of cash in scrapped Rs 500 and Rs Apart from swindling wages for AS Jackson since he has 1,000 notes "vanishing" af10 days of 175 MGNREGA flouted NFSA guidelines, the ter being seized on a private job card holders in 2013-14, villagers informed alleging chartered flight at Dimapur the headman has misappropri- that even AS Ningreishang airport. ated an amount over Rs. 20, 00, has been posing himself as According to the Economic 000 through deduction of 70 pc headman without villagers Times report, the cash was and 50 pc of wages from 46 job approval. cards without furnishing any Briefing media persons after seized by Central Industrial audit accounts since 2008, the public meeting at Chatric Security Force (CISF) perstatement continued.

Khullen, villagers said that sonnel at Dimapur after a The villagers further resolved the disciplinary actions tip-off from the Intellithat since appointment of AS against the headman has been gence Bureau and the local Ningreishang and his sister JM initiated in public interest as Income Tax staff was sumKahaola as joint account hold- a last resort after repeated moned to take further acers under BADP was made warning to him has fallen on tion with regard to the unwithout public knowledge and deaf ears. accounted wealth. approval, the public have For a long time, development unanimously appointed SZ in the village has been But to the surprise of CISF Pearlson and HS Chandani in scuttled, and we believe that personnel, the report stated their place. the stringent measure is necthat the cash disappeared Further, AK Wisdom has ap- essary for bringing in peace and the local I-T officer pointed as new rationing agent and progress in the village, was understood to have for Chatric centre in place of the villagers added.

CEM accused of luring NGOs with money

Chatric Khullen villagers boycott headman overadministration failure, development deficits R Lester Makang Ukhrul, Nov 24 : Registering protest against prolonged failure in administration and development deficits in the village, public of Chatric Khullen have socially boycotted the village headman AS Maiyo to pave the way for an administration under new development chairmanship with immediate effect.

A public meeting of the Chatric Khullen village held at the village on November 20 reaffirmed the resolution to this effect which was adopted in the previous meeting held on November 16 last.

Chatric Khullen located under Kamjong subdivision about 110 kms east of Ukhrul district headquarters is inhabited

P5

NORTHEAST

of responsibility towards the society and creates wealth through knowledge.

He said infrastructures for an educational institution were important but the performance and conduct of the students and teachers and their contribution towards the academic and practical knowledge were of outmost importance.

Acharya lauded ICFAI University, Nagaland for performing well since its inception in the year 2006.

He expressed happiness that the university had taken sufficient care in tuning the curriculum and courses basing on the need of the students and for securing a good record in job placements.

He said although the universities in the country were performing well and producing world class professionals, most of the graduates leave the country in search of better jobs which had adversely affected the nation. On this note, the governor challenged the graduating students to take care of the villages and ensure that the universities become centres of development. Ear-

opened.

Guest of honour for the event, parliamentary secretary of Higher Education & Technical Education, Deo Nukhu, in his speech said getting a degree was not enough and that the graduates should prove worthy of their degree through their performance.

He expressed hope that the students were working hard to compete in the job market and that their degrees relate to appropriate jobs for them.

Nukhu said Nagaland was in need of more central universities and performing private universities in the state. He lauded the university for its constant growth and further hoped that the university will go on to be one of the best private universities in the country.

Nukhu congratulated the graduating students and wished success for the future career.

Earlier welcome address was delivered by the vice chancellor Col Dr. VRK Prasad, while ICFAI University, Nagaland, chancellor YH Bhushan delivered his message.

A total of 361 students in various disciplines including graduates, post graduates and other course were conferred degree certificates.

14 gold medallists in various subjects were awarded during the ceremony. Later, the governor declared the graduation ceremony closed.

(Agencies)

Rs 3.5 cr flown into Nagaland goes missing claimed that it had been with the security personnel all along. CISF officers who had alerted their headquarters about the seizure were shocked, but could do little as the I-T officer insisted he had nothing to do with the cash.

CISF, which does not have the power to carry out arrests, has reported the matter to IB and Central Board of Direct Taxes.

The plane's "main passenger" was one Amarjit Kumar Singh, a businessman from Bihar who was carrying the cash. The flight VTCP, which had taken off from Hisar in Haryana, was sent back to New Delhi.

A source said Singh told CISF that "someone big" in Delhi had allegedly sent the

cash for a Naga businessman. He also named another Naga businessman.

The aircraft landed in Dimapur with Singh and an unidentified woman among those on board, ET reports stated.

According to ET, Dimapur deputy commissioner of Income Tax A.K Zhimomi refused to comment on the haul. He said only the CBDT was authorized to talk to the media.

In this connection, Income Tax sleuths along with Nagaland police carried out raids at several locations in and around Dimapur on Wednesday evening.

When contacted, Police Commissioner, Liremo Lotha also confirmed that raids were carried out.

(Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

Today's quote

“

Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.

Bob Dylan

EDITORIAL

P6 Close out the war on corruption Demonetisation done, the government must now draw up a firm strategy to show the door to the corrupt and lax in higher bureaucracy R.K. Raghavan

Restore the ceasefire As the most powerful and cohesive power in the region, India needs to chart a road map to restore the ceasefire on the Line of Control. The brutal killing of three Indian soldiers, one of them beheaded, in the Machhil sector in Jammu and Kashmir must alert both India and Pakistan to the danger of the retaliatory cycle spinning out of control. After decades of hostilities, the formal ceasefire of November 2003 had come as a big boost to peace at a time when India was grappling with militancy, state-sponsored terrorism and political disaffection. Starting that winter, the guns fell silent along the International Boundary and the LoC, thousands of residents of border villages on both sides returned to their farms, and India was able to complete its fence along the LoC. Militancy in J&K declined significantly, and normalcy gradually returned to the Valley. It is a matter of debate if the ceasefire was a contributing factor in the reduction in militancy in Kashmir, but cover fire provided by Pakistani military posts along the border had been regularly used by militants to sneak into India. This is reportedly how the terrorists who killed Indian soldiers on Tuesday managed to get across the LoC. It is clear now that the ongoing, almost daily, exchange of fire has rendered the ceasefire meaningless. Ever since the terrorist attack on an Army camp in Uri in September, tensions have bubbled over. Ceasefire violations have become routine, and thousands of villagers have shifted to safer locations. Small arms, light machine guns, various kinds of mortars and artillery are being used by both sides. In the fog of hostilities, it is not easy to distinguish who is the guilty, and who started the firing.

What is clear is that this race to the bottom could get out of hand. Contributing to the uncertainty is the power struggle in Pakistan, with the civilian government of Nawaz Sharif trying to hold its own vis-Ă -visthe army.

The expected exit of Army chief Raheel Sharif may add to the confusion, as the new chief settles in. However, in New Delhi, the picture is far clearer. Given India's regional status and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unchallenged hold over political power, it is incumbent on him to initiate steps to restore the ceasefire that worked well for over a decade. It is not only that peace is an absolute requisite for his government's grand economic plans, including demonetisation, to work; India and Pakistan must guard against adventurism in an increasingly unpredictable world.

The Modi government has set the cat among pigeons by demonetising two high-value currency notes.

I am alive to the criticism that this 'surgery' could have been undertaken with greater finesse and after sustained preparation. There seems to be some merit in the argument, even after factoring for the need to keep the entire operation under wraps so as to protect its confidentiality. I am equally conscious of the assessment that the impact of the shock treatment might not last long. In such a case, the government could at best be accused of overestimating demonetisation as a weapon against black money, and not of malice or malevolence. If the objective was to shake up dishonest elements in the country - especially those ensconced in industry and the bureaucracy - I believe that it has been achieved. This flexing of muscle should more than convince the unscrupulous that the scope for dishonesty in the Government of India has considerably shrunk.

Demonetisation should go hand in hand with a merciless hounding of those who had either underpaid taxes or did not pay at all.

Here, there are neither friends nor enemies. A majority of those affected by demonetisation are people outside government, either self-employed or in organised industry, who had prospered with the help of a conniving bureaucracy.

This is why a well-coordinated post-demonetisation offensive has to tackle both the groups.

Go after the big fish Black money is definitely generated through corruption. Having said this, I would advocate that the government should not - at least for a while - fritter away its valuable energy getting distracted by the petty corruption that is part and parcel of the cutting edge of the administration.

This is somewhat of a reversal of my earlier stand that it is this phenomenon of lack of integrity at the level of a police constable or a lower division clerk at a government office that needs to be addressed first before we move up the hierarchy.

This change of perception is influenced by the rising graph of graft among Class I officers who are recruited through a stiff competitive examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and are well paid, after the last Pay Commission recommendations, even by private sector standards. Their lack of inhibition is abominable and is traceable mainly to the shameless and unforgivable greed in tune with the times in which we live. It is also due to a declining fear of the law arising from the tortuous judicial processes which take an enormous amount of time in establishing conclusive proof against the guilty. I am not pushing the case for making the existing penalties stiffer. I am only looking for plugging obvious loopholes in the procedure to discipline those who deviate from the law by making punishments certain over a reasonable period of time.

There needs to be evidence within government of an application of minds and

a resolve to weed out corrupt elements swiftly without waiting for the wheels of the justice system which are notoriously slow to grind. There was a lot of criticism during the Emergency days in the mid1970s of the misuse of the provision in the Conduct Rules for compulsory retirement of those civil servants who had either reached the age of 50 or had put in 25 years of service, and who had ceased to work effectively or whose integrity was suspect. Some complaints of arbitrariness and vindictiveness in those eminently forgettable times were unfortunately genuine.

There is now an urgent need to resort to this rather draconian scheme to send down the message that neither sloth nor dishonesty would be permitted in the superior civil services.

Purge sloth and dishonesty We have fortunately more than a handful of senior officials at the Centre who can be expected to be objective in drawing up the list of

those who should be shown the door. The margin of error in identifying those who deserve to be axed is minimal if this list is vetted by a committee of officers known for their integrity.

This should be followed by vetting by another group, before being agreed to by the Prime Minister and one or two of his senior Cabinet colleagues (such as the Home and Finance Ministers in the present dispensation). In a modified form such a drill is currently in place to make sure that there is no arbitrariness in empanelling officers to the rank of Secretary in the Government of India. Interestingly, this is being implemented with the assistance of retired officers who had earned a name for honesty and effectiveness.

Even at the risk of being considered brash, I would strongly urge that the process of purge should begin with key organisations such as Income Tax, Customs and Central Excise, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In the

wrong hands, these become instruments of harassment and torture. There have been several recent instances of officials from one or more of these organisations being hauled up by the CBI for direct receipt of bribes or accumulation of assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The most shocking of these is the reported communication from the ED giving adverse information against two former CBI chiefs. If this report is true, nothing can be more damning to the pursuit of integrity in the higher echelons of government.

While the situation has vastly improved at the Centre following the arrival of the Modi government, the scene in the States remains appalling. It is tragic that there is no hope of a change as long as the authority to enforce honesty in state apparatuses remains with the State administration. State Anti-Corruption Bureaus (ACBs) are a joke in many States. In one southern State, a lady officer who had given new dimensions to corruption was appointed to head the ACB. If foreign investment in some States has lagged behind the others, it is directly attributable to the expectation of 'speed money' at the highest levels.

Such money is invariably an astronomical figure that drives away a potential investor. There is an undeniable consensus over the need for a political will to transform this scenario. As long as political power remains in the hands of a dynasty or those who form an enduring clique, there is hardly hope for things to improve.

The need to stay the

course Who will be the change agent? These are undoubtedly crucial moments in Indian history, when faith in democracy as an effective and honest machinery to upgrade the lives of millions who live below the poverty line is under challenge. The government cannot therefore afford to lose the plot by succumbing to the machinations of those who already stand discredited for their unabashed corruption.

The Modi government is under test and scrutiny by many commentators within the country and outside. A few of them are well meaning and would like him to succeed. There are also a substantial number of those who are not so well motivated. The situation is exacerbated by the critical comments of scholars and administrators like Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, who seem convinced that there is utter chaos in India, and corruption in the country is so deep that it is irreversible. In a recent co-written piece posted on his blog, Mr. Summers said: "Without new measures to combat corruption, we doubt that these currency reforms will have lasting benefits.

Corruption will continue, albeit with slightly different arrangements." The impulse therefore of some in government will be a desire to produce quick results through half-baked measures, just to score over detractors. An ad hoc approach, however, requires to be spurned if we are to place on ground a firm strategy to combat corruption. There is enough expertise in the country for seeing through this laudable scheme.

His voice carried across barriers

A Moment In Modernity

In the demise of Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna on Tuesday, the world of Carnatic classical music has lost a multifaceted artist whose work defied neat definitions, as his popular appeal transcended barriers of geography and language. Through her captivating and meditative performances across the country and overseas, it was M.S. Subbulakshmi who had represented the southern tradition for the better part of the last century. But it was Balamuralikrishna, the child prodigy from Andhra Pradesh, who emerged as the national face of this genre over the past half century. A combination of a richly gifted voice, sheer individual brilliance and an incessant penchant for eclectic experimentation saw the maestro cut through the conventional limits of compositional form and style of presentation at a rather early age. The distinctive identity he carved out would define his formidable reputation over the subsequent decades.

When such innovations sometimes did not find particular favour with the cognoscenti, the composervocalist began to revel in the controversy they occasioned and the popular appeal that resulted from his performances. But despite all the maverick-like qualities, Balamuralikrishna remains, to date, among the few musicians to have been conferred the highest honour of The Music Academy, Madras, the Sangeetha Kalanidhi, at a relatively young age. By the time he was awarded the nation's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 1991, Balamuralikrishna's acclaim as a playback singer and music director had been reinforced.

Balamuralikrishna has no predecessor or successor. But he represents a rupture

Arguably, the great master's imprint on the panIndian stage was put irreversibly through the national integration track 'Mile sur mera tumhara' on Doordarshan in the mid-1980s. The explicit purpose behind this joint production with, among others, the doyen of the Kirana gharana, the redoubtable Bhimsen Joshi, was to foster a sense of unity and harmony in those troubled times. But the venture, perhaps unwittingly, also heralded a new era in classical duet singing, hitherto largely a characteristic of instrumental ensembles. The vocal jugalbandis between Joshi and Balamuralikrishna brought home to the lay public the fundamental commonalities inherent to the southern and northern ragas, as much as they emphasised the distinctive styles in rendition across the country. This exposure was no mean feat considering that classical music remained, and maybe still is, a pursuit of the privileged in society. The void that Balamuralikrishna leaves at the all-India level may be felt more, therefore, in sustaining interest in this larger musical canvas. But the tremendous mobility of recent years among artists, and a degree of cross-cultural appreciation, promise the continuity of this legacy.

S Gopalakrishnan Last night I listened to two tracks of the Tyagaraja composition, "Nagumomu Ganaleni", in the raga Abheri. The first rendering was by a pre-Indian independence period star vocalist who made this particular composition timeless, Musiri Subramania Iyer (1899-1975). The second one was by Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna. Some years ago, when I got an opportunity to interview Balamuralikrishna, I had asked him why he deviated from the way Musiri had sung and made the kriti immortal. A smile playing on the corner of his lips, he said: "It was Musiri who deviated; I sing the way an ailing Saint Tyagaraja most likely might have sung in the 19th century."

Such confidence that bordered on arrogance defined the modernist moment

Balamuralikrishna came to define in Carnatic music.

But he was a loner in history, with no predecessor or follower. Can a loner represent a modern moment?

Balamuralikrishna had many students, but few can claim to represent his music. Balamuralikrishna's music was unique and impossible to replicate; he could not be the beginning of a parampara or a school.

Yet, I think he signifies a departure from the tradition because he modernised the way we listen to Carnatic music. Modernity in art refers to a relationship to time, one represented by a discontinuity, opening to a new and unique aesthetic sensibility. One can see it in its ideal form in Balamuralikrishna's music.

When I met the maestro in his modest house in Chennai in the summer of 2012, he looked radiant in a yellow silk shirt and appeared to be in a buoyant

mood. I asked him: "Are you not tired of your constant rebellion with the orthodoxy?". His response was compelling: "I sympathise with them, they don't listen to music." The conservative core of the Carnatic music audience continues to have a disconnect with the maestro. As Pablo Picasso was called a show-off by many of his contemporary traditionalists, Balamuralikrishna was accused of singing for the galleries. Let me be honest, as someone who listens to both Hindustani and Carnatic classical music almost daily, Balamuralikrishna is not an any-time-musician for me, as Kesarbai Kerkar or Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer are. When people describe Kumar Gandharva's emergence as a modern moment in the Hindustani vocal tradition, seasoned listeners do not feel any discomfort. But many in the Carnatic circle disagree

The fence There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.

Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now

pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said "you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.

The fence will never be the same.

When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one." You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

when a similar observation is made about Balamuralikrishna. This is because the Carnatic maestro had moved away from the prevailing notion of classicism in the south.

Once a disciple of Kishori Amonkar, of a gharana known for its precise adherence to sruti, told me that she always asks him to listen to Balamuralikrishna's music to understand the right sruti and voice-culture.

The advice goes with Balamuralikrishna's unique acceptance among Hindustani music lovers.

No other Carnatic vocalist, perhaps with the exception of M.S. Subbulakshmi in the past and T.M. Krishna now, could attract nonCarnatic Indian music lovers. His voice culture, limited use of gamakas and the unique aalap style of ragas made it possible to bridge the two traditions.

I remember how he discouraged me from continuing my questions regarding

his views about his seniors and peers like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Madurai Mani Iyer and G.N. Balasubramaniam. He, an artiste with high self-esteem, was tenacious enough to tell me "please don't compare with me with my contemporaries‌ if you must compare me with someone, please do it with the Trinity (Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, who constitute the 18th century trinity of composermusicians)".

He shifted from Andhra Pradesh to Chennai when he was in his 30s. It was while living in Chennai that he challenged many of the foundations of musical traditions that the city's elite had been proud of for more than eight decades. I asked Balamuralikrishna whether he felt out of place in Chennai. His response was, "I live in music, geographical locations don't bother me." But a keen ear can ob-

serve an underlying Andhra school in his music that refuses to disappear in his "modern" constructs.

I remember a concert in the winter of 1998, when the maestro performed at Delhi's Nehru Park. It was part of the early morning concert series. He took on the time-theory concept in the Hindustani tradition and told the audience that he was going to sing a night raga that morning. He explained that a true artiste would be able to create the sense of night in the morning.

With Balamuralikrishna passing at the age of 86, one more "incurable romantic" has left the scene. If Ravi Shankar could be called the Pandit Nehru of sitar, considering the many aspects of his music, Balamuralikrishna could be described as the Carnatic Nehru - easily the most popular, democratic, secular aesthete.

A dose of demonetisation Nearly a fortnight has passed since the "demonetisation experiment" began; the required denominations of currency notes are still unavailable in banks and ATMs. In many instances, banks are issuing tokens and asking customers to return days later. What a terrible situation due to poor administration and faulty planning of 'a move with good intentions'! Rules for withdrawals are being changed every day and honest citizens are being made to almost beg for their own money deposited in good faith in banks. The long-term plan may be to move towards a cashless society, but it is a western concept which is impractical to implement in India. We seem to be moving backwards especially as interest rates are already low. What is the government trying to achieve?

Sudip Bhattacharaya Chowkidinghee, Assam

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

WOMEN

P7

How One Determined Woman Single-handedly Electrified Her Village and Took on the Timber Mafia Back in the 1980s, an unlettered woman from a poor family dared to take on the dangerous timber mafia in Chamoli. a border district of Uttarakhand. Nobody in her village, a fiercely male dominated society, expected her to succeed but not only did the she succeed, she also won the respect of the men. No matter the adversary, whether it was corrupt government officials or out of control alcoholics, the determined lady took them on to make life better for her fellow villagers.

This is the amazing story of Kalawati Devi Rawat, a woman who put her village on the path of progress and inspired her fellow village women to dream big.

Kalawati's story of activism began in the early 1980s, shortly after she married and moved to Bacher, a remote village in Chamoli. Power was yet to reach the remote village, a fact that made life very difficult for the villagers once it got dark in the hills. Discontent with the absence of electricity, 17-year-old Kalawati soon discovered that the lack of electricity had more to do with the lackadaisical attitude of the government officials' than the distant location of the village.

Determined to do remedy the situation, Kalawati led a a group of village women to meet government officials at the district headquarters. The group explained the difficulties they faced due to the lack of electricity and demanded that their village be electrified. However, the authorities were unmoved and soon the disappointed women began their long 25 km back to their village.

On the way back, Kalawati came across a pile of electricity poles and wire lines that had been kept at the foot of the hill. Apparently, it was meant to be used to

electric connection for an official programme. Seeing an opportunity to light up her village, Kalawati persuaded her band of women to painstakingly haul the heavy electricity poles and wires to their village.

When the officials learned what has happened, they were furious and threatened to lodge a criminal case against Kalawati. As word spread, though, more and more women came forward, asking the police to send them to jail. Taken aback by this response, the officials acceded to Kalawati's demand and connected the village to the power grid. In a few days, thanks to Kalawati's efforts, the entire village had access to electricity.

Kalawati was an ardent follower of the Chipko movement, a unique Uttarakhand movement (it began in the 1970s), in which villagers hugged trees to save them from the forest mafia's onslaught. She was deeply inspired by Chandi Prasad Bhatt who had led this pioneering movement against deforestation. This movement was also the inspiration behind Kalawati's next campaign.

The year was 1985. One

Faced by the dogged determination of the ladies, the district administration acquiesced and announced that no trees would be felled in Taantri forest.

Though an important battle had been won, the war was far from over. Realising that men under the influence of alcohol were easy targets for the forest mafia, Kalawati decided to target the menace of alcoholism affecting her village. Led by Kalawati, groups of village women demolished local illicit breweries.

morning, Kalawati and other village women set out to fetch fodder from the panchayat forest of Taantri - the only source of sustenance for the hill villages.

When they entered the forest, they were shocked to see a strange sight. Almost a thousand trees had been chalk-marked for felling.

Knowing that such a large scale of defforestation threatened the very existence of the forest, Kalawati knew that she had to do

something.

Drawing inspiration from the Chipko movement, Kalawati mobilised the women of her village. When their repeated requests to stop the cutting of trees fell on deaf ears, she asked them to hug trees to prevent them from being cut.

The furious timber mafia tried everything to browbeat the village women -from offering a bribe to threatening to kill them - but

Kalawati and her band of women stood their ground.

Soon, the ladies had formed small groups, called the Mahila Mangal Dal (Women Welfare Group), who took turns to patrol the woods on foot to check the movement of the timber mafia.

After a 25-km hilly trek to the district headquarters, Gopeshwar, Kalawati and other village women organised a 12-hour dharna protesting the cutting.

Next, to ensure the continued preservation of the forest, the women of the village decided to contest elections to the local panchayat.

In the male-dominated patriarchal village, this was not an easy thing to do.

Kalawati had to face stiff resistance from the society as well as the administration who though that the the panchayat was no place for women.

Even her husband opposed her initiative, but she stood her ground, firm in her belief that she was doing this for the benefit of her village and the environment. However, all her efforts to convince her husband failed

and the couple decided to part ways.

Continuing her campaign that women be allowed to contest in the panchayat elections, Kalawati continued to engage with the district government to make them accept her demand.

She argued that women had been legally empowered to contest the panchayat elections through the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. Finally, the officials acceded to her demand; the women of Bacher contested in the panchayat polls and won a sizeable representation in the panchayat. The hard-won victory mattered a lot for Kalawati, who knew that armed with legal power, the women would now be able to take tougher steps against the alcoholicstimber mafia nexus.

Not the one to rest on her laurels, Kalawati has continued to work for the development and empowerment of her fellow villagers.

Ever since their first win in the panchayats, the village women have always had a strong representation in the local governing body. The results are for all to see almost all the menfolk in the village have given up alco-

hol, the women are included in all village decisions, there is no trace of timber mafia, and the villagers have access to plenty of minor forest produce like fruits and spices.

For herculean efforts to empower the women of her village, Kalawati Rawat was awarded the Indira Priyadarshini Award in 1986. Over the years, she has won several other awards but the one that matters the most to her is the respect and recognition she gets from her fellow villagers. Her determination to fight for her rights have also made her a role model for many women in her village.

She may have no formal education but Kalawati Rawat is no less than a onewoman army. Its time the country gives this gritty and tenacious woman the respect and recognition she deserves.

For more information on this inspiring woman, please contact Dasholi Gram Swaraj Mandal (DGSM). This grassroots organzation works with Mahila Mangal Dals for the socio-economic, cultural, and environmental development of the region. (Source: thebetterindia.com)

5 Must-Read Stories of Young Indian Women Who Started Changing Lives While Still in Their Teens Sanchari Pal Across India, young women are increasingly leading and empowering communities through their innovative work.

From creating free organic wigs for cancer patients to educating street kids, these confident young ladies are using their courage and creativity to ensure that India sees a brighter future.

They may be young, but their passion for making a difference would inspire even the cynics!

Here are 5 stories of young Indian women taking chances and changing lives of people near and far. Get ready to be amazed and inspired by these champions of change!

Meera Sharma Off with their tresses, for cancer!

team at the club, Meera started by donating her own hair for the cause.

Next, they partnered with the salon chain, Green Trends, and a wig-maker, Raj Hair Intl. Pvt. Ltd, who agreed to make natural hair wigs for them at a price of Rs. 4,500 per wig. These wigs are then distributed for free to the underprivileged cancer patients of the Cancer Institute. The cost of wig-making is borne by the sponsors whose generous contributions make this possible. Today, Tangled is working across India to provide free, organic wigs to cancer patients and boost their self-confidence.

Meera Sharma runs Tangled, an organisation that provides organic wigs to women fighting cancer. It all started when Meera found out that real hair wigs for cancer patients were prohibitively expensive (as high as Rs. 30,000) and that synthetic wigs were itchy and extremely uncomfortable. As the chairperson of the Rotaract Club of Women's Christian College, Chennai, Meera decided to do something about this.

Along with her dedicated

Varsha Varghese For the love of words!

It was Varsha Varghese's love for books and her experience as a teaching volunteer in Make A Difference (MAD) that made her initiate the The Wordsworth Project. Along with college batchmates, Priyanka Roychowdhary and Rahul Sreekumar, Varsha decided to improve language com-

Anjali Chandrashekhar

ing level. Mindful that books alone cannot make language accessible, they have also recruited and trained volunteers who teach kids basic grammar through interactive activities. The volunteers also help map the individual progress of each child's progress to help the team analyse the outcome of their efforts and take the necessary steps.

Rashi Anand - A bet- When a brush is

ter childhood for street kids!

prize at the United Nations Poster for Peace Contest for her disarmament posters, Break Free and Cutting a Peace Deal.

Seeing the plight of children on the streets of Delhi compelled Rashi Anand to make a difference in their lives.

Worried about how vulnerable these kids were to exploitation, Rashi set up Lakshyam, an NGO working for street and underprivileged children in Delhi when she was just 18. Her next step was to set up a Toy Library programme that provided pictorial books and educational toys to street kids. Till date, this programme has donated books and toys to over two lakh underprivileged children in India.

mightier than the sword!

An aspiring industrial designer with passion for painting and sculpture, Anjali Chandrashekhar was just 16 when she raised funds for causes such as natural calamities, child abuse, and rehabilitation of underprivileged children through her artistic creations. In 2008, she used her artwork to raise around 3 lakh rupees at an International Diabetes Charity and used that money to provide insulin and medication to many poor diabetic children.

She also won the third

petency in children. The trio firmly believed that since language is the medium through which all subjects are taught, better language skills would directly lead to better learning outcomes.

The Wordsworth Project works to create interactive reading spaces in low resource schools and learning centres, by equipping them with books catering specifically to the children's read-

A firm believer in the philosophy that art transcends barriers of age, language and literacy, 22year-old Anjali has been working silently on her global social project, Picture It, for over a decade.

Through it, she has been using her art to raise funds for various health, humanitarian and environmental causes.

Today, Lakshyam has estab-

lished several schools (called Sakshyam) for street kids in the slum areas of Delhi. The organization also conducts workshops with street children under flyovers, in red light areas and at railway stations to provide basic education and create awareness about issues like drug addiction.

Thanks to Rashi's efforts, Lakshyam has also expanded its work to states

like Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Most of us nurture a passion but few translate it into action. These 5 young women didn't just dream about making a difference, they also built an effective social venture around a cause they were passionate about. Old or young, these go-getters are an inspiration to us all!

Avani Singh - A rickshaw of hope!

A Delhi girl, Avani founded Ummeed, a program that trains women from the slums of Delhi to become taxi and rickshaw (electric rickshaws) drivers, when she was just 17. She started this initiative with a single electric rickshaw, donated by the local manufacturer, Green Wheels. To find a driver, Avani collaborated with the Delhi-based NGO CEQUIN to put out a call for volunteers in the Jamia area of the city. Soon, she had her first e-rickshaw driver, Kohinoor, who was delighted by the opportunity. Today, Ummeed is giving many women a way to earn both a living and a level of physical and social mobility that was previously nearly impossible. Other than training underprivileged women to drive, it also provides and maintains the e-rickshaws.

14 Years after Being Publicly Shamed, Pakistani Gang Rape Survivor Walks the Ramp & Wins Hearts On June 22, 2002, in Muzaffargarh district, Pakistan, Mukhtar Mai was dragged into the house of a Mastoi tribesman and was brutally raped by four men.

Following this, she was paraded around the streets of her village naked. Fourteen years later, she fearlessly walked the ramp at the Fashion Pakistan Week - 2016.

The 44-year-old was dressed in light-green ensemble that was designed by Rozina Munib in the concluding event of the three-day long Fashion Pakistan Week event. The annual event began as a subversive movement in 2009, in opposition to religious fundamentalists or clerics who sought to restrict a woman's movement and enforce rigid dress codes.

She told the Associated Press, "I want to be the voice of those women who face circumstances similar to what I did. My message for my sisters is that we aren't weak. We have a heart and a brain, we also think. I ask my sisters to not lose hope in the face of injustice, as we will get justice one day for sure."

In 2002, after the gang rape and public humiliation, Mukhtar displayed a similar fighting spirit when she challenged her alleged rapists and tribal council members in Pakistan's Supreme Court. As a result of her relentless pursuit for justice, fourteen men were put on trial and six were handed the death sentence. But all of them were let out on bail later.

Out of Rs. 500,000 she was awarded by the government as compensation, she set up a school in her village, which she thought would be the best way to address gender inequality and discrimination. Her case was covered extensively by international media, which helped her receive more funding and set up two schools. In 2006, she also established the Mukhtar Mai Women's Shelter Home in Meerwala to give refuge to runaway or homeless women who were survivors of gender-based violence.

After walking the ramp, she told the Express Tribune, "All that I do, I do it for my children (at the shelter) and women. This is for them. I can't do this alone hence I found an anchor in the media to help spread my message." (Source: thebetterindia.com)

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

P8

NATION

Jaitley asks banks to promote Demonetisation organised loot, legalised plunder; digital banking in mission mode will lower GDP by 2 per cent: Manmohan Singh

New Delhi, Nov 24: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today asked banks to promote digital banking in "mission mode", saying the principal objective of the government's reform is to curtail the use of physical currency.

After a meeting with heads of banks including private sector, he said a committee under Additional Secretary in the Finance Ministry is being set up to promote digital banking.

Referring to the outcry over demonetisation in Parliament, Jaitley said the politicians need to accept that habits of the people are changing and they are frequently using cards for payments.

"Some of the banks have already had a lot of success, contrary to argument which is made within the political system that Indians are not well adapted to this mode. I think political life of India has to accept that right under our nose, people are changing as far as their habits are concerned," he said.

Giving out details of digital outlets in the country, the Finance Minister said there are 14 lakh POS machines which are there at retail level and this figure has to be expanded manifold.

These machines are not manufactured in India, they are imported, he added.

"Additionally, with regard

Describing the implementation of the demonetisation drive as monumental mismanagement and a case of organised loot and legalised plunder, former PM Manmohan Singh said it will also drag the country's GDP by 2 percentage points.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, to banks' existing customers, debit cards and prepaid cards, e-wallets as well as mobile apps, are going to be utilised by them. They are ready with their infrastructure," he said.

Noting that one startling figure that came out in the course of meeting today is that there are already 80 crore cards in circulation, of which 40 crore are being actively used by people, he said this is a change which is already happening and therefore this has to be used as a great opportunity to further catalyse this change.

"One of the principle single agenda for the meeting was to expand

digital banking itself...objective of this meeting was to appeal to the banking system and prepare them in mission mode for expediting this entire exercise," he said.

Defending the demonetisation drive, the Finance Minister said one of the principal objectives of the reform that has been undertaken by the government is that physical currency must shrink.

The economy, he added however, has to expand and the trade has to expand and therefore what shrinks has to be substituted and further expanded by the digital mode. (PTI)

New Delhi, Nov 24: After five days of confrontation, Rajya Sabha today saw resumption of debate on demonetisation briefly during which former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the opposition attack, saying the step was a "monumental management failure" which would lead to dip in GDP growth by at least 2 per cent.

Singh termed demonetisation as "a case of organised loot and legalised plunder".

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the House, the opposition and the ruling side came to an agreement to do away with the Question Hour and resume the debate, which had been left incomplete on November 16.

Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Prime Minister will also participate in the debate.

The opposition had been

demanding presence of the Prime Minister for resumption of the debate for the last five days.

Modi attended the House during Question Hour as Thursday is the day of questions listed against the PM's name.

Debate was resumed during the Question Hour, from 12 pm to 1 pm, after which the House went into lunch break. When it met again at 2 pm, the Prime Minister was not there, prompting the opposition parties to demand his presence again as they wanted him to listen to all the speakers.

Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the discussion should be carried forward as the Leader of the House has said that Prime Minister will come.

Opposition members then trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans like "bring back black money, stop making false promises".

Akhilesh meets PM, presses for more funds to cooperative banks

Sushma Swaraj not to attend HoA conference, MEA silent on bilateral talks with Pakistan on the sidelines Sushma Swaraj is undergoing treatment for kidney failure and "The External Affairs Minister will not be able to attend" the the Heart of Asia conference, said Spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

New Delhi, Nov 24: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will not attend the Heart of Asia (HoA) conference in Amritsar next week due to illness even as the government remained non-committal about a possible Indo-Pakistan bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the event.

However, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup reiterated India's stated position that though the country is for dialogue but "talks and terror cannot go hand-in-

hand", when asked if there will be a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the conference on Afghanistan which is being attended by Pakistan Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz.

"Our position on it (talks) is very very clear from the beginning. We are for a dialogue with Pakistan. But talks and terror cannot happen together. It is incumbent on Pakistan to create the necessary environment for a conducive bilateral dialogue to happen," he said and also re-

ferred to Swaraj's address at the UN recently that for talks to take place, Islamabad will have to end terrorism.

Asked whether Swaraj will attend the conference, he said "The External Affairs Minister will not be able to attend."

Swaraj is undergoing treatment for kidney failure.

On being persistently questioned about the possibility of an Indo-Pak bilateral meet, Swarup said, "The programme is still evolving. The associated events connected with the conference are in a process of evolving. At this point, I am not in a position to make any other announcement."

When pressed further, the MEA Spokesperson said the programme was in a "fluid state" and he was not in a position to rule in or rule out anything at this stage.

The conference, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, will be attended by representatives of over 40 countries.

Cross-border terror, radicalisation to figure in DGPs meet New Delhi, Nov 24 :Cross-border terrorism, infiltration and radicalisation of youth will top the agenda of the annual conference of top police officers of the country to be held in Hyderabad from tomorrow.

This will be the third time since Independence that the three-day conference will be held outside Delhi.

It was held in Guwahati in 2014 and Kutch in Gujarat in 2015.

The idea of holding the meeting of DGPs and IGPs outside Delhi was

mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he assumed power in 2014.

Issues like cross-border terrorism, radicalisation of youth and attempts to lure Indians into Middle East terrorist groups like ISIS will be discussed threadbare at the meeting, to be attended by the Prime Minister and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, official sources said.

Filling up of vacant posts in various police forces, reforms in police forces, menace of narcotics smuggling and human

trafficking will also be discussed extensively during the conference, they said.

The Prime Minister and Home Minister will interact with the top police officers and get their feedback about the internal security situation and various aspects of police personnel.

The conference will be attended by around 100 Director Generals of Police (DGPs) of states, Director Generals of Central paramilitary forces and their Inspectors General.

(PTI)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav

New Delhi, Nov 24: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today metPrime Minister Narendra Modi to press for releasing more funds to cooperative banks due to the cash-crunch they are facing due to demonetisation.

After meeting the Prime Minister at Parliament House, Yadav said he also highlighted the hardships of farmers in the state due to the cashcrunch triggered by the demonetisation decision.

He said he has asked the Centre to give a timeline of as to when would the cooperative banks receive funds from the Reserve Bank of India.

"The Prime Minister is aware of the hardships of the people. But farmers are unhappy and are facing a lot of trouble. This is the time for sowing...

There are so many co-

operative banks...When will they get the money," he said.

Sources said the meeting was a follow-up of a letter Yadav had written to Modi on the plight of the people following demonetisation.

They said since there was no fixed agenda, Yadav did not discuss anything beyond demonetisation.

Facing flak for the highhandedness of police in dealing with people standing in queues outside banks, Yadav has instructed top officials to deal sympathetically with people.

"The state government is with the people who are facing problems in the wake of demonetisation, and will provide all help possible," he had said in a statement yesterday.

(PTI)

IIMC to focus on journalism courses in regional languages Director General of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) KG Suresh said the premier institute will also have journalism course in local vernacular.

New Delhi, Nov 24: Emphasising the importance of journalism courses in regional and local languages, Director General of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) KG Suresh today said the premier institute will also have journalism course in local vernacular.

Inaugurating a two-day national seminar on "Media, Technology and Power of Politics : The Indian Conventicle," Suresh said "It is utmost important to bring back objectivity to the media in the country".

He said substitution of good old field reporting by panel discussion in the television is a great loss to the nation. Technology shift in journalism had come around as social media had become fodder for the news, he said, adding that while he does not believe in any regulation of media by the state, there should be self-regulation.

The seminar, organised by the Department of Mass Communication, Mizoram University, was attended by academicians from the Mizoram University and other states. (PTI)

HIGHLIGHTS Manmohan Singhsaid the demonetisation step was a monumental management failure.

He said it would lead to dip in GDP growth by at least 2 per cent.

He termed demonetisation as 'a case of organised loot & legalised plunder'.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Jaitley said his "apprehensions" that the opposition did not want the debate had come true as they were looking for "excuses" to run away from the discussion.

As pandemonium prevailed, the House was adjourned till 3 PM and then for the day as the same situation existed.

Earlier speaking during the debate, Singh said, "These measures convinced me

that the way the scheme has been implemented, it's a monumental management failure."

The noted economist said the decision will result in decline of GDP by 2 per cent, which was an "under-estimate and not an over-estimate".

He said he agreed with the objectives of the scheme to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 as spelt out by the

Prime Minister but he wished to highlight the problems that the common people and poor have been subjected to by the move.

"It is not my intention to pick holes what this side or other side does. But I sincerely hope that the PM even in this late hour will help find us practical and pragmatic ways to provide relief to the suffering of the people of this country," the former Prime Minister said. (Agencies)

Gujarat Govt invites Hardik Patel for talks; he accepts Ahmedabad, Nov 24 : Gujarat Government today reached out to the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) which led last year's Patel quota agitation by inviting its leader Hardik Patel for talks, to which the young leader responded positively.

Hardik said an eleven-member team of PAAS will meet the government, but stressed that the organisation will stick to its main demand of OBC quota and won't accept any "lollipop".

Assembly elections are due in Gujarat in December 2017.

Also, Hardik, directed by the High Court to live outside Gujarat for six months as a bail condition in sedition case, is slated to return to the state in January.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel today said that Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

wanted resolution of quota issue.

"For peace and unity of the state, so that every member of the state could participate in its journey of development, support of all communities is required. With this aim, the Government invites Patidar leaders for talks," he said.

The Government had in the past opened dialogue with PAAS and even succeeded in resolving the matter with Thakor community (which recently agitated demanding stringent prohibition laws and government assured amendment to the laws in the Budget session), Nitin Patel said.

"Government wants an amicable resolution at the earliest, and hopes that PAAS members will reciprocate and its leader Hardik Patel and his friends will accept the in-

vitation," he said.

Subsequently, Hardik issued a statement saying he would hold a meeting with PAAS conveners in the next two days, and an eleven-member team will meet the Government for talks.

"The primary objective of PAAS is the community gets the benefit of reservation. Apart from that, we want discussion on police atrocities (during last year's agitation)," he said.

"If there is an attempt to break the unity of community or offer a lollipop (trivial concession), there will be another round of a g i t a t i o n i n J a n u a r y, " said Hardik, currently living in Udaipur.

PAAS had recently announced it would relaunch the agitation next month. (PTI)

ATM loading staff arrested for currency conversion racket The accused swapped about Rs39 lakh for the defunct Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes at 25% commission Visakhapatnam, Nov 24: Seven employees of a company, which loads cash in 128 ATMs of several banks here, were on Thursday arrested for allegedly pilfering about Rs74 lakh in Rs100 and Rs2,000 denominations for converting black money into white at a commission.

Police also arrested three other persons and managed to recover Rs35 lakh from the gang, that had syphoned off about Rs1 crore in the past two years by short-filling the ATMs and manipulating the machines, according to probe.

The racket came to light when the Railway Protection Force (RPF) caught one of the accused, Dasari Srinivas, after finding his demeanour suspicious and seized Rs15 lakh in the new Rs2,000 denomination at Samalkot in East Godavari on Tuesday. His questioning led to discovery of the racket, police said.

DCP Navin Gulati said after the demonetisation, when demand for Rs100 and the newly

The accused pilfered about Rs74 lakh in Rs100 and Rs2,000 denominations. introduced Rs2,000 notes increased, they pilfered Rs74 lakh in Rs100 and Rs2,000, meant for loading in ATMs. About Rs39 lakh of this amount was swapped for the defunct Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes at 25% commission.

Those arrested were identified as D. Srinivas, B. Rambabu, P. V. Dora, RGV Gowtham, L. Manoj Kumar, P. Nookayyasetty and K.

Deepak Kumar, all employees of Scientific Security Management Services, which loads cash in 128 ATMs of SBI, HDFC and few other banks here. The three others arrested are S. Mahesh Babu, B. Satish Kumar and V. Kesava, who allegedly scouted for customers in need of Rs100 and Rs2,000 notes to convert the black money hoarded in defunct notes, police said. (PTI)

India non-committal on talks with Sartaj Aziz New Delhi, Nov 24: India today remained non- committal about holding talks with Pakistan Prime Minister's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz during the Heart of Asia Conference which he will attend in Amritsar next week.

Incidentally, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is ill, will not attend the twoday meet on December 3 and 4.

MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup told a weekly media briefing that the programme was in a "fluid state" and he was not in a position to "rule in or rule out anything at this stage. I can only say that as of 24th November nothing has

been decided".

When pressed on the subject, he said, "The programme is still evolving. The associated events connected with the conference are in a process of evolving. At this point, I am not in a position to make any other announcement."

Swarup reiterated India's stated position that though the country is for dialogue "talks and terror cannot go hand- inhand".

"Our position on it (talks) is very very clear from the beginning. We are for a dialogue with Pakistan. But talks and terror cannot happen together.

It is incumbent on Pakistan to

create the necessary environment for a conducive bilateral dialogue to happen," he said and also referred to Swaraj's address at the UN recently that for talks to take place, Islamabad will have to end terrorism.

Asked whether Swaraj will attend the conference, he said "The External Affairs Minister will not be able to attend."

Swaraj is undergoing treatment for kidney failure.

The conference, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, will be attended by representatives of over 40 countries. (PTI)

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

EDUCATION

P9

Top 10 sectors for engineering graduates

IT/ software The IT/ software sector currently employs engineering graduates for over 23% of its jobs. This sector has witnessed over 7% rise in the demand for software, hardware, production, manufacturing and maintenance engineers in the last six months. These profiles account for nearly 80% of the total demand across profiles in the IT and software sector.

Manufacturing The manufacturing sector accounts for nearly 18% of the total job share for engineers. The demand in the sector is high for production, manufacturing and maintenance engineers followed by IT/ software engineers. RF (radio frequency) and electrical and electronics specialisations are also in demand in the manufacturing sector.

Hardware The hardware sector accounts for nearly 9% of the total job share of engineers.

Hardware and networking engineers with operating system, routing, firewall and troubleshooting skills are in demand in the industry.

Consulting services Nearly 38% of the demand for engineers in the consulting services sector is for software engineers. Project management and site engineers account for 30% of the total demand for engineers in this sector. Design, mechanical and maintenance

skills are a must for students who wish to make a career in this field.

Software services Nearly 80% of the engineers in this sector are placed at entry level. Professionals with knowledge of the Java, HTML, C, C++ softwares can make a career in this field.

Infrastructure With numerous projects planned across cities, the infrastructure sector is looking for fresh engineering graduates. The sector accounts for 7% of the total job share for engineers. The maximum demand is for civil engineers.

Internet/ dotcom With a 7% job share, the internet/dotcom industry has a strong demand for software engineers with skills in application programming, database administration, graphic design, animation and quality assurance and testing.

Automobiles The automobile sector has a total share of 6% in the demand for engineers. Production, manufacturing and maintenance engineers are sought at the entry level.

Quality, maintenance and manufacturing engineers are also likely to see an increased demand in the near future. The sector also has a good demand for software engineers, especially in the ancillary sector since it is strong in ERP operations and needs system/software support.

Construction With a high demand for civil and site engineers, the construction sector accounts for nearly 5% of the total demand for engineers at entry level. Software and quality control engineers are also in demand in the sector.

Telecom The telecom industry accounts for 4% of the job share for engineers at the entry level. Software engineers with skills in application programming, database administration, network administration and system administration are in demand.

Hardware engineers with knowledge of network planning hardware installation/ maintenance, RF engineering and hardware design are also being hired.

Engineers in demand Hydrological engineering » What it entails: Hydrology engineering focuses on the study of the occurrence, movement, quality and properties of water that is collected from the earth.

Typically, the job of a hydrologist is to apply scientific theories to resolve water-related issues in the country. They are responsible for calculating and auditing water resource systems and analysing the quality of water and where it can be used best. » Skills needed: Students who wish to make a career in hydrology must have a keen interest in science,

must be willing to work for long hours and should have completed a course in engineering. Since this job role is multidisciplinary and technical, professionals must be patient and must have observation skills. A hydrologist must have scientific knowledge along with good problem-solving skills.

Judgement and decisionmaking skills come handy while analysing and testing water bodies. » Work opportunities: “Students who complete a course in hydrology can work with the Central Water Commission, the National Institute of Hydrology, municipal water divisions, state water resources and irrigation departments and other private hydropower companies,” shares DS Arya, head, department of hydrology, IIT, Roorkee. »Remuneration: Rs 25,00050,000 per month for freshers Civil engineering » What it entails: The quality of life of a civilisation is based on the foundation of its infrastructure. The job of a civil engineer is to build a sustainable civil system, high speed safe transport and automated infrastructure using quality material.

Civil engineers are not only required to build sustainable infrastructure, but also maintain, check, demolish and rebuild it. » Skills needed: Civil engineers require a broad skillset. Ajit Sabnis, president, Association of Consulting Civil Engineers, India says, “Professionals in this field must have keen observation skills and an interest in science and geometry. They must be innovative and hard working. A diploma or a degree in civil engineering is a must for those who wish to make a career in the field.”

Apart from this, one must also have management and communication skills, critical thinking skills and a creative bent of mind to execute the projects designated to them. » Work opportunities: Freshers can work with private and public construction firms. Typically, they will either be required to work on site or in the preconstruction phase. They

Future of leadership-based management education

Management schools are now reaching a new stage where they need to strengthen the leadership capabilities of their students. Given that more and more people with work experience are seeking these post graduate programs, the diversity within the student community has increased substantially. This is an excellent learning ground and group work followed by peer feedback can help a truly keen learner to develop significantly in a short period of time.

The challenge is to have the right kind of students joining the program. Leadership potential is difficult to measure and needs a screening tool such as Caliper, which is a world renowned tool used to measure traits in corporate leaders. Using a tool like this and combining it with a rigorous selection interview will help get the

right kind of batch profile to groom for future leadership roles.

During the program the students need 3 kinds of learning interventions beyond the regular management curriculum: industry led learning, international exposure and self leadership. Industry led learning can happen in several ways.

To begin with the classroom syllabus must be designed after discussion with people working in the relevant sectors so that they can share what the real needs are. During the program, a mentor from a field of aspiration is a wonderful way for students to enrich their understanding of themselves and the relevant field. Now several senior managers are happy to step into the classroom as guest faculty or full time faculty and this must be facilitated by the institutes. This may

require time tables to be scheduled differently but that is a small price to pay for the extent of learning and exposure that they bring with them.

International exposure can be ensured by inviting at least one foreign faculty every term. Not only do they bring with them a world view different from that of the students, but they also bring to the classroom a very interactive learning design and pedagogy. Another way of expanding the horizons for all the students is to have an exchange student as part of the program.

This too helps them broaden their thinking and takes the classroom discussions to another level. The best way of course is to increase the proportion of students travelling abroad to attend some classes in foreign universities. This kind of exposure is critical for any student who is aspiring for leadership roles because the markets have expanded and today the world is your customer. It is crucial to

look beyond your comfort zone and understand different mindsets as well.

Finally, it is important that we teach students that the essence of leadership is to lead yourself. The way one leads one's observation and listening helps to perceive both what is apparent and what is implied. The way one leads one's emotions so as to empathize and build trust and enable team work is a crucial aspect. Leading one's analytical capacity to grasp complexity of needs of multiple stakeholders and creative ability to generative the best alternatives to take the right decisions is very important. The capacity to learn from the past through introspection, from the present through reflection and from the future by developing the child like capacity to get into the flowis the foundation.

Ultimately, learning about one's true calling and gifts and the ways to leverage our strengths towards one's vision are critical to develop the ability to inspire one self.

can also work with government agencies to help maintain and check the quality of the infrastructure built.

Alternately, professionals in the field can also pursue forensic civil engineering, a profile that studies the civil accidents and building quality. » Remuneration: Rs Rs 20,000 per month for freshers Petroleum Engineering » What it entails: Petroleum engineering focuses on the detection, production and maintenance of crude oil and natural gas. They work on designing and using equipment to extract oil from reservoirs and wells. » Skills needed: Since the petroleum engineering industry is erratic, professionals in the field must be patient, competitive, and must have a background in science. The job may require professionals to work offshore as well as on shore, they must be willing to work for long hours, away from home. Basic communication skills increase the job prospects of a petroleum engineer. They are also encouraged to keep themselves abreast about new technologies since recovering hydrocarbons from oil shale, tar sands, and offshore oil and gas fields require advanced technological assistance. » Work opportunities: Petroleum engineers can work with reservoirs and stimulator firms, oil and gas companies, government agencies, etc. With experience, they can also set up their private consultation firms. » Remuneration: Rs 60,0001,00,000 per month for freshers Other specialisations Aerospace engineering Agriculture and food engineering Automobile engineering Computer engineering Electrical and electronics engineering Environmental engineering Industrial engineering Mechanical engineering Metallurgical engineering Naval architecture and ocean engineering Textile engineering Skilled for the future This year seems to be par-

ticularly promising for the IT industry in India, with its spending expected to grow to US$ 73.3 billion, up by 9.4% from the US$ 67.1 billion projected for 2014, according to an October 2014 study by Gartner, Inc. As per the information technology research and advisory company’s analysis, among the hottest skills in digital business that chief information officers of companies must look for while hiring or outsourcing talent are mobile integration, user experience design and data sciences. Three years from now, the research predicts, skills in smart machines (including the internet of things), robotics, and automated judgment ethics will shape digital businesses.

Additionally, over the next seven years, specialised roles are likely to grow; integration specialists, digital business architects, regulatory analysts and risk professionals will drive demand in the sector.

With innovations sprouting in different corners of the country, industry needs various skills to keep pace with changes in the market.

Says Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice-president, Nasscom, “Some of the skills required are in the areas of mobile app development, cloud and virtualisation, platform en-

ously drawing attention.

Sourav Chatterjee, working with a front-end team on iOS development at Xenovus Inc, Ranga Reddy (Telangana), says skilled iOS developers, with an understanding of building a product from scratch and having comprehensive training in computer science, could look forward to favourable professional growth in this industry. He adds, “As a software engineer, such professionals are part of teams developing apps for the iPhone environment. But it is much more than just an app requiring involvement of artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc. I currently work on objective-C and swift programming languages for this purpose.”

User Experience Design The growth of digital gadgets correlates to an increased demand for user experience/ interface designers whose job is to make a user’s interaction with a product or service smooth. Abhisek Das, a web/user interface designer working with Thrillophilia, an activity travel curator, in Bangalore, points out that with the number of mobile phone users going up, desktop usage in India is declining.

Thus, every website has to have a mobile interface, which is where people like him come into the picture. “The best part of being a user interface designer is that you can work

gineering, analytics and big data, and user experience design.”

App Development As more Indians root for smartphones, the mobile app development sphere is obvi-

on the design as well as implementation of your wireframes and mock-ups, from formation to the finished product.

When I design a feature for the interface, I walk the user through the feature by mak-

ing a rough sketch of the main components (buttons, lists, and text blocks) on a sheet of paper. I then simulate how the user might interact with the feature, by drawing their input and selections. The challenge has always been to design in such an alluring way that the user can benefit from the functionalities instantly,” says Das. Big Data When it comes to analytics and big data, organisations are reportedly embracing it to become more efficient and innovative. Moreover, the Department of Science And Technology, Government of India, has a Big Data Initiative to “promote and foster big data science, technology and applications in the country and to develop core generic technologies, tools and algorithms for wider applications in government,” among other goals.

“Big data and analytics on the Indian subcontinent is at a nascent stage,” says a 2013 KPMG-CII report, The SMAC Code, focusing on social media, mobility, analytics and cloud computing. “However, sectors like financial services and telecom have started adopting these technologies.

Also, other sectors including e-commerce are among the early adopters of the technology to solve the issues of storing as well as creating business advantage from the everlasting data records.”

Basic research IT industry jobs are not only about work with immediate application. There are some companies which recruit for fundamental science research as well. “When it comes to basic science research, our industry is still conservative. However, there are quite a few openings for basic science research in areas like nano-technology and biotechnology in indust r y, ” s a y s H a r j i n d e r Singh, professor, Centre for Computational Natural Science and B i o i n f o r m a t i c s , I I I T, Hyderabad. These are in IT companies which intend to develop, for example, biomedical or nano-technological products or digitised instruments, he adds.

Careers in Journalism Pen is mightier than the sword. Even today, the younger generation is attracted to journalism. Everyday, there are several events happening across the world - political, cultural, religious, educational, social and natural events, etc. We come to know about these events sitting in our houses. How is that possible? Through mass communication, providing information to a large crowd at the same time. But, for this, someone has to collect the information as well as present it. This is the main aim of journalism. Journalism includes investigating, analysing and reporting local as well as world events, trends, current affairs, and so on.

Qualification Journalism courses are offered at graduation and postgraduation levels. To become a journalism , one can complete a Bachelor's in mass communication/ mass media/journalism after +2. After completion in a related graduation field, one may complete a Master's in journalism or mass communication. A graduate (who has a flair for writing) from any other field can also opt for a postgraduate course in journalism.

Also required is command over language, confidence, enthusiasm, patience and perseverance, ability to differentiate between fact and fiction, ad-

hering to deadlines, team cohesiveness, sensitivity to different views and lifestyles, in-depth knowledge about various fields such as politics, culture, religion, social and current affairs. The most important fact is that people generally feel that journalism is all about writing. It is. However, it is also about reading and most importantly, the ability to express one's thoughts on varied topics.

Journalism is for people who are ready to explore various opportunities 24/7, without the constraints of cultural upbringing, gender, and are also ready to go beyond geographical boundaries.

Job prospects There are different categories in which the media industry can be divided print and electronic. As the name suggests, everything

that is printed comes under print media, which includes newspapers, magazines, journals, tabloids, dailies and books. On the other hand, electronic media includes content on television, radio and the internet. With changes in the society, even this field has undergone a radical change. A journalist has to cover stories/ features on various aspects of life i.e. political, financial, leisure, crime, sports, entertainment, spiritual, educational, infrastructure, technological, medical, and so on. Not to forget, along with the newspapers, there has been an increase in the number of magazines too.

Specialised magazines are available in the field of fashion, beauty, family, for youth, travel, medical, technological, lifestyle, education, sports, etc. They can be in

many languages.

Some of the work opportunities are in the areas of advertising agencies; educational institutes, magazines, news papers, portals/ websites of publications, publishing houses, radio channels as well as television channels. While there are opportunities in this field, it is a competitive field.

Therefore, one has to perform at the highest level and be able to work under difficult situations. However, if one persists with hard work and passion, a career in journalism can be a fulfilling and lucrative option.

Skills required • Inquisitive and investigative mind • Alertness • Adaptive and tolerant of changing and difficult situations • Good communication skills

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

Alarmed Pakistan reaches out to UN over LoC tension with India Pakistan Army on Wednesday said seven persons, including three of its soldiers, were killed in an exchange of fire with Indian troops on the LoC. New York, Nov 24: Alarmed by the escalation of tension with India along the LoC, Pakistan on Thursday asked the UN to act before the situation snowballs into a "fullfledged crisis". Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi met the Deputy UN Secretary General Jan Eliasson and the Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary General Edmond Mulet during which she alleged that the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) posed a "grave threat to international peace and security".

Lodhi, according to a statement issued by the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN, in her meeting with UN officials alleged that escalating tensions on the LoC "was a deliberate attempt" by India to "divert the attention of the international community from the gross human right violations being committed" by it in Kashmir.

Alleging that the attack on an ambulance trying to evacuate the injured was a particularly "abhorrent act" that was a breach of

Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi. the most fundamental legal and humanitarian laws, Lodhi urged the UN to act before the escalating tensions snowball into a fullfledged crisis.

The UN Department of Peace Keeping Operations was separately asked to mobilise United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to effectively monitor the LoC and the Working Boundary as a step to help deescalate tensions between India and Pakistan, a statement said.

Pakistan Army on Wednesday said seven persons, including three of its soldiers, were killed in an exchange of fire with Indian troops on the LoC. The clash occurred a day after India warned of retribution after losing three soldiers in Pakistan firing and after Pakistan on Wednesday rejected as "false" and "baseless" the charges that the body of an Indian soldier was mutilated by Pakistani soldiers in a cross LoC-attack.

(PTI)

Pakistan air force chief says not worried about India at all The air chief's remarks came a day after Pakistan claimed that Indian forces targeted a passenger bus in PoK killing at least nine people and wounding another nine.

Karchi, Nov 24: Pakistan is not worried at all about any threat from India and its "battle hardened" military is capable of responding to aggression, air force chief Marshal Sohail Aman said on Thursday. "We are not worried about India at all," the Air Chief said, speaking at the ninth International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS). He said it is better if India showed restraint and solved the Kashmir issue to prevent escalation of tension.

"India should show restraint and instead solve the issue of Kashmir as that would be better for them," he was quoted as

saying by the Express Tribune.

Aman said that Pakistan does not want war but cannot ignore this kind of pressure. "We are well capable of responding in the face of any aggression," he asserted.

He said Pakistan had "readied all of its (battle) plans following threats from India" after the terror attack in Uri sector.

The Air chief asserted that Pakistan, engaged in Operation Zarb-e-Azab, has a "battle hardened military" to respond to threats.

The air chief's remarks came a day after Pakistan claimed that Indian forces targeted a passenger bus in

Tension between India and Pakistan have increased after the attack on an Indian Army base in Uri on September 18 and the resultant "surgical strike" on terrorist launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by the army 10 days later. Since then, crossborder firings have increased killing soldiers and civilians on both sides.

Yesterday, 12 people, including three Pakistani soldiers, were killed in alleged Indian cross-border firings. Indias response came after the Indian Army warned of "heavy retribution" following the killing of three of its soldiers, with the body of one of them mutilated in a cross-LoC attack.

Pakistan denied as "false" and "baseless" its troops were responsible for the mutilation and deaths of Indian soldiers.

However, Aziz today said Pakistan has briefed the British delegation about increase in tension on the LoC as he stressed the need for dialogue with India "otherwise these issues would become more serious."

Talking about the "incredible" human and economic potential of the region, Johnson said "imagine what the future could be like if this was sorted out."

He said the "mutual sequestration" of the IndiaPakistan economies was holding back the region from becoming a "boomzone".

Aziz said Pakistan and the UK have been cooperating under the framework of enhanced strategic dialogue since 2011. "The two sides had already agreed to three new roadmaps on trade and investment, culture and education and security," he said.

Johnson said it was important for the UK and Pakistan to work together for security and stability of the entire region. He said there was a "vast potential" to increase the bilateral trade to the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Aziz said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has extended an invitation to his British counterpart to visit Pakistan next year.

Johnson is on a two-day visit to Pakistan. (PTI)

"India should show restraint and instead solve the issue of Kashmir as that would be better for them," Pakistan air force chief Marshal Sohail Aman was quoted as saying.

PoK killing at least nine people and wounding another nine.

It also claimed that seven Indian troops were killed in

retaliatory fire when India opened fire on the Line of Control (LoC) and killed three Pakistani soldiers.

Indian Army on Wednes-

day launched a counter offensive against Pakistan along the LoC after three Indian soldiers were killed, with body of one of them mutilated in a cross-LoC attack, even as Pakistani troops continued to shell Indian positions, injuring six jawans.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan will not tolerate "deliberate targeting" of innocent civilians particularly children and women, ambulances and civilian transport. "Pakistan has exercised maximum restraint despite continuing ceasefire violations from Indian security forces along LoC," he added. (Agencies)

Two Indians killed, Indian-Americans hail Trump for 4 injured in Oman picking Haley as US envoy to UN road accident Kerala residents Pottachole Ameer, 32, and his mother-in-law Kavumpuram Jemeela, 45, died in the accident which took place on the BarkaNakhal road, about 70 km from Muscat.

UK asks India, Pak to sort out Kashmir, end violence at LoC Islamabad, Nov 24: Britain today asked India and Pakistan to find a "lasting" solution to the Kashmir issue amid an escalation in tension, but made it clear that it was not for the UK to "prescribe a solution or act as a mediator".

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who is on his first visit to Islamabad, said "we call for an end to the violence".

"The longstanding position of the UK is that is it for India and Pakistan to find a lasting solution to the situation in Kashmir taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people," Johnson told reporters at a joint press conference with Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.

But, he added, it was not for Britain to "prescribe a solution or act as a mediator" over the "disputed" region.

Johnson said "we are concerned about recent incidents on both sides of the Line of Control" and called for a solution, taking into account the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

P10

INTERNATIONAL

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital where the condition of two children is stated to be critical.

Dubai, Nov 24: Two Indians have been killed and four others including three children injured when the car they were travelling in collided head-on with a vehicle in Oman, a media report said on Thursday.

Kerala residents Pottachole Ameer, 32, and his mother-in-law Kavumpuram Jemeela, 45, died in the accident which took place on the BarkaNakhal road, about 70 km from Muscat.

Ameer's wife and their three children have been injured in the accident which occurred when their car collided with a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction late on Tuesday, Times of Oman reported. The injured have

been admitted to a nearby hospital where the condition of two children is stated to be critical.

Ameer's father-in-law, who works in Dubai, has reached Oman to assist the family.

Ameer, who had been living in Oman for a decade, owned a hypermarket in Nakhal for the last three months. Meanwhile, Shameer, who is coordinating the efforts to repatriate the bodies of victims to India, said it would happen only on Monday.

"As the next few days are holidays here in Oman, we will not be able to process the papers required to send back the bodies," Shameer added. (PTI)

Washington, Nov 24: Cutting across party-lines, Indian-Americans in the US have hailed Presidentelect Donald Trump for nominating Nikki Haley as US envoy to the United Nations.

This would not only bring the Indian-American community closer to the Republican party, but also strengthen India-US relationship, said Sampat Shivangi, an old-time Republican leader, who holds the distinction of attending the last four Republican National Conventions.

Shivangi called Trump's decision a "masterstroke", adding that this may help India secure its rightful place in the UN Security Council, since Haley has not forgotten her roots or heritage.

Haley is a great choice for the UN Ambassador post, said M Rangaswami, a

Silicon Valley-based Indian-American entrepreneur.

"She has had prior experience in South Carolina with foreign companies and governments. Nikki has been to India and has a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

"The Indian-American community is excited that we now have someone at the cabinet level in the US government for the very first time!" he added.

"It's a proud moment for all Indian-Americans on President-elect Trump's choice of Governor Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the United Nations," said Puneet Ahluwalia, who was advisor to the Trump Campaign on Asia Pacific Islanders committee.

"Haley's appointment -her Indian and Sikh heritage -- is a clear indication

of inclusivity for the incoming administration.

The President-elect is uniting the party and getting competent leaders with proven track record to serve in his administration," Ahluwalia said.

"Trump's nomination of Nikki Haley to be our ambassador to the UN and to sit at the Horse Shoe table of the Security Council, a cabinet level position, has taken my breath away as I celebrate the highest milestone for the IndianAmerican community and the inherent trust that America has in her citizens' love of America and our cherished Constitution," said Ravi Batra, a top Indian-American attorney in New York.

Welcoming the appointment of Haley, Ashok Mago from Texas said this is just the beginning.

(Agencies)

Over 40 killed in collapse in China Beijing, Nov 24: Over40 people were killed today after a platform under construction at a power plant collapsed in east China's Jiangxi province, the latest industrial disaster in the country.

The accident occurred at about 7:00 am when a cooling tower platform plunged to the ground, trapping an unknown number of people beneath it, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 40 people have been confirmed dead after the platform of the Fengcheng power plant's cooling tower under con-

struction collapsed.

According to the city's safety department, there are workers still trapped at the scene. Paramedics and fire fighters have arrived.

Sixty-eight people were working on the platform at the time of the collapse, according to China's State Administration of Work Safety.

More than 200 firefighters were deployed, as well as search and rescue dogs.

Images from state broadcaster CCTV showed a pile of twisted metal and dozens of rescue workers searching for victims un-

der the rubble.

China has a long history of industrial accidents, from factory explosions to mine collapses and there have been growing demands for more stringent safety standards.

Last year, the Chinese port city of Tianjin was rocked by two massive blasts Wednesday night, killing at least 173 people and injuring hundereds of others.

A metal dust explosion at a car parts factory in eastern China in August 2014 killed at least 75 people and injured more than 180.

(Agencies)

Pak to retaliate if India sends submarines Donald Trump turning away intelliWTO chief says no 'indication' US again: Naval Chief gence briefings since victory: Report will quit body under Donald Trump Donald Trump has been spending his time in Cabinet formation and selecting key members of his administration.

Washington, Nov 24:US President-elect Donald Trump has received just two classified intelligence briefings, far less than that of his predecessors, since his surprise election victory more than two weeks ago, a media report has said.

"Trump has a lot of catching up to do," a senior US official told The Washington Post.

The Post reported that Trump so far has received two classified intelligence briefing, which is far less than those by previous president-elect.

However, the vice president elect Mike Pence has been receiving it almost every day, it added.

Trump supporters dismissed the issue.

"National security is Donald Trump's No.1 priority and I think he's taking it very seriously. Look how many leaders he's met with, how many phone calls he's done, positions he'sfilled. People who are being critical need to get a life," said Congressman David Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

The Trump Campaign, did not respond to questions but advised against assigning any significance to it.

Intelligence officials said they have been ready to brief the

US President-elect Donald Trump. president-elect every day.

Trump, however has been spending his time in Cabinet formation and selecting key members of his administration.

"His pace is not as frequent as most recent presidents-elect, but it is not unprecedented over the decades-long scope of these briefings," David Priess, a former CIA officer and PDB briefer during the George W Bush administration told the Post.

"The last three presidentselect used the intelligence briefings offered during the transition to literally study the national security issues that they would be facing

and the world leaders with whom they would be interacting as president," said Michael Morell, former deputy CIA director, who supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the campaign.

"The president-elect is missing out on a golden opportunity to learn about the national security threats and challenges facing our nation knowledge that would be extremely valuable to have when he takes the oath of office and when he steps into the Situation Room for the first time," Morrell told the daily. (Agencies)

Karachi, Nov 24: Pakistan naval chief Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah on Thursday termed as "unusual" the alleged effort by an Indian submarine to enter into its territorial waters and warned of retaliation if such effort was made again.

"If India does something like this again, Pakistan Navy will respond to protect our sovereignty," he said, speaking on the sidelines of

the 9th International Defence Exhibition here.

Pakistan Navy last week claimed that an Indian submarine was pushed back after being detected near its territorial waters.

India, however, strongly dismissed the charge as "blatant lies", saying the Indian Navy did not have any under water movement in the said waters as claimed by the Pakistani Navy.(PTI)

Indian found hanging from tree in UAE Dubai, Nov 24: A 46year-old Indian man was found hanging from a tree in the UAE's Sharjah city, media reports said today.

The incident came to light after a passerby spotted the body and informed police in Al Sajja area, Gulf News reported.

Sharjah Police said they were investigating to see whether the man, whose

identity was not made public, committed suicide.

The man worked in a factory in Sajjah area. Officials from the Criminal Investigation Department and forensic experts inspected the scene of the incident.

The body was transferred to the forensic laboratory for an autopsy.(PTI)

WTO chief Roberto Azevedo .

Geneva, Nov 24: The head of the World Trade Organization said Thursday he had had no indication the United Stateswould move to leave the WTO under Donald Trump's administration.

"I haven't had any indication from anybody that that could be the case," WTO chief Roberto Azevedo told reporters.

During his campaign, which repeatedly attacked global trade deals, President-elect Trump called the WTO a "disaster" and

said the US could quit the Geneva-based body.

Azevedo stressed it was premature to speculate on what Trump may do in office.

"I just don't know what the trade policies are," Azevedo said of the incoming administration.

"I haven't talked to him," he added, when asked if he had spoken to Trump directly since the November 8 US vote.

"What we have to do is be ready for a conversation" with Trump's economic

team, the Brazilian national added.

Azevedo conceded that swathes of people worldwide had come to see global trade as a job killer even though such perceptions were not supported by evidence.

He said any fixes to the broader globalisation project must not include reactionary, protectionist measures.

"If the medicine is simply protectionism, the outcome will be that you harm the patient," Azevedo said. (PTI)

DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

P11

BUSINESS

Tablet PC shipments to fall marginally this year: IDC Rupee plunges to a record low; Govt says Mumbai, Nov 24: Hit by softness in consumer demand, the tablet PC shipments are likely to be "marginally" lower in 2016 compared to 3.81 million units shipped last year.

"The tablet market is seeing a decline in consumer demand, and although the commercial and detachable segments are seeing growth, that is not enough to offset the softness in the consumer space," Karthik J, Senior Market Analyst, Client Devices, IDC India told PTI. The tablet shipments stood at 3.81 million unit in 2015, and the decline in 2016 could be in

"single digits", Karthik said but did not elaborate.

Moreover, the fourth quarter tablet shipments are expected to climb off festive season highs seen between July and September, according to IDC. "Tablet shipments are expected to drop sequentially in Q4 2016 coming off from Q3 spike for festive season...2016 total tablet shipments is likely to decline marginally over 2015," Navkendar Singh, Senior Research Manager at IDC India, said in a statement.

"Detachables are expected to continue with healthy shipments in the last quarter of this year to account for little over five per cent of total tablet shipments in

2016 against 2.7 percent last year," Singh said.

According to IDC, the shipment of tablets in India including slate and detachables clocked 1.06 million units in third quarter of calendar year 2016, remaining stagnant over the same period last year, but logging a near 8 per cent growth when compared to the three months ended June 2016. "...Total tablet shipments grew 7.8 per cent in Q3 2016 over Q2 2016 as vendors prepared the channel to cater to the consumer demand for upcoming festive month," IDC said.

Commercial segment continues to grow at a healthy pace accounting to over

Sensex snaps 2-day winning spell on Re rout Mumbai, Nov 24: Snapping its two-day rising trend, the Sensex slumped 192 points to finish below the 26,000-level due to profit-booking on the last day of November contracts and a fragile rupee, which hit record low against the dollar.

The rupee plunged to a fresh life-time low of 68.86 (intra-day) against the greenback, surpassing its previous low of 68.85 tested on August 28, 2013.

It ended the day at 68.73, down 17 paise, amid reports of the RBI selling dollars to stem the slide.

The Sensex resumed slightly lower at 26,049.14 and dropped further to 25,810.97 before ending at 25,860.17, showing a loss of 191.64 points or 0.74 per cent.

The index had gained 286.67 points or 1.11 per cent in the previous two days.

The NSE 50-share Nifty too dropped by 67.80 points or 0.84 per cent to close below the crucial 8,000-level to 7,965.50.

It had gained 104.20 points or 1.31 per cent in two days.

"Continued weakness in rupee against dollar, last hour of expiry square-off and the disruptions in Rajya Sabha debate over demonetisation dragged the market," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.

Participants offloaded their long bets in futures and options (F&O) segment instead of carrying them forward to the next series for December.

Foreign funds sold shares net Rs 1,023.12 crore on

Wednesday, as per provisional figures issued by the stock exchanges.

Investors fear that upbeat US economic data has strengthened the case for a rate hike in the US, sparking capital outflows from emerging markets.

The US stock market will remain closed on Thursday, November 24, on account of Thanksgiving holiday.

Globally, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.30 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei rose 0.94 per cent. Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.02 per cent.

European shares too were trading mixed, with London's FTSE falling 0.14 per cent, while Paris CAC30 gaining 0.15 per cent in early deals. Frankfurt's DAX was up 0.05 per cent. (PTI)

Housing prices to drop up to 30%, wiping Rs 8 lakh cr in value New Delhi, Nov 24: Housing prices in 42 major cities across India could drop by up to 30% over 6-12 months after the demonetisation of high-value notes, wiping out over Rs 8 lakh crore worth market value of residential properties sold and unsold by developers since 2008.

"In the aftermath of demonetisation impact on Indian real estate sector, the market value of the residential property of Rs 802,874 crore is expected to be wiped off in the next 6-12 months," PropEquity said in a statement.

PE Analytics owns and operates PropEquity which is an online subscription-based real estate data and analytics platform covering over 83,650 projects of 22,202 developers across over 42 cities in India.

"According to PropEquity research, residential real estate valuation in the top 42 cities in India, sold and unsold, will take a tumble and fall up to 30 per cent from Rs 39,55,044 crore by approx Rs 8,02,874 crore to Rs 31,52,170 crore," it added.

The market value is of 49,42,637 units, which are built-up ready, under construction and currently launched properties, available and sold since 2008 for 42 cities.

Maximum fall on total market valuation will be in Mumbai Rs 2,00,330 crore followed by

A labourer stands on a truck carrying construction materials at a construction site of residential buildings.

Bangalore by Rs 99,983 crore and Gurgaon Rs 79,059.

"Indian realty is now bracing for the sub-prime level crisis, which is expected to deeply impact the core of unorganised real estate and black money," PropEquity said.

"We expect a lot of secondary market transactions (resales) coming down in volume. For every five buyers out there, there is only one buyer willing to pay all-cheque. And usually, people want to take at least 20 to 30 percent of the amount of cash, but this will now go away for the time being," Samir Jasuja, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of PropEquitysaid.

"There will be almost a complete stop in resales in the coming weeks as this move will take

some time for real estate sector to absorb," he added.

PropEquity also said that there have been unprecedented transactions in last 15 days with a lot of people trying to convert their unaccounted money into real estate.

"But this will also mean that we can expect more formal and organised developers to weather this storm and will relatively be in a better position in the next 9-12 months," it said.

"In our view, there will be an acute pain in the short-term but in the mid, to long run, it will be hugely beneficial for Indian realty as it will create a lot of transparency," PropEquity said. (Agencies)

Govt slaps safeguard duty on certain steel imports New Delhi, Nov 24: Government has slapped safeguard duty on import of certain steel products to protect domestic manufacturers from cheap in-bound shipments.

The safeguard duty has been imposed on import of hot rolled flat sheets and plates (excluding hot rolled flat products in coil form) of alloy or non-alloy steel.

The effective duty rate would be calculated after deducting the value of the goods and the anti-dumping duty payable when the import price is below USD 504 per tonne, said a Revenue Departmentnotification.

The duty arrived at would be 10 per cent in the first year and will gradually reduce to 6 per cent by 2019, it said.

A 10 per cent ad valorem minus anti-dumping duty payable will be imposed on imports up to November 22, 2017. This will be lowered

to 8 per cent between November 23, 2017 and November 22, 2018.

A "six per cent ad valorem minus anti-dumping duty payable, if any, (will be imposed) when imported during the period from November 23, 2018 to May 22, 2019 (both days inclusive) at an import price below USD 504 per ton on CIF basis," it added.

The Director General (Safeguard), in his final findings on August 2, 2016, "had come to the conclusion that increased imports of subject goods into India has caused and threatened to cause serious injury to the domestic producers of subject goods, thereby necessitating the imposition of safeguard duty on imports of the subject goods into India."

Earlier this month, government had imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of steel wire rods from China for six months.

An anti-dumping duty equivalent to the difference between the landed value of steel products

and USD 499 per tonne will be imposed on products exported

by Minmetals Yingkou Medium Plate Co Ltd. In case of other producers, the antidumping duty would be the difference between the landed value and USD 538 per tonne, a government notification of November 2 had said.

The 'landed value' of imports was defined as the assessable value as determined by the customs and includes all duties of customs.

India previously slapped antidumping duty on certain coldrolled flat steel products from four nations, including China and South Korea.

Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. They are not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in cost of products.

India has initiated maximum anti-dumping cases against "below-cost" imports from China.

(Agencies)

one-fifth of total tablet shipments in Q3 of calendar year 2016, with key contributors being education, government and large enterprise segments, Karthik said.

"Commercial segment also contributed to majority of detachable shipments in Q3 2016 driving the product category's volume to almost double over previous quarter," he said.

4G tablet shipments saw a steady uptake in India, up by 55 per cent, in third quarter of 2016 over previous quarter, IDC said but did not provide the unit shipments in this category.

"4G tablets account for almost one-fourth of total tablet shipments in CY Q3

2016 relative to 15.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year. Samsung dominates the 4G tablets category this quarter with its newly launched J max," Karthik said.

Giving the vendor breakup for Q3, IDC said that Datawind continues to lead Indian tablet market with 26.1 per cent share, followed by Samsung (17.3 per cent share) and iBall in the third place (13.6 per cent).

Lenovo had a marketshare of 12 per cent, followed by Micromax (10.1 per cent). The smaller players constituted the balance 20.9 per cent of the tablet market. (PTI)

Govt extends toll exemption on NHs till Dec. 2 midnight

it is keeping a close watch on movement

HIGHLIGHTS As the rupee plunged to a record low today, Finance Ministry said it is closely monitoring the currency movement.

It also indicated that there may not be any direct intervention till it falls below a certain level.

Image for representation purpose.

New Delhi, Nov 24: As the rupee plunged to a record low today, Finance Ministry said it is closely monitoring the currency movement.

It also indicated that there may not be any direct intervention till it falls below a certain level.

The Indian currency plunged to a new low of 68.8650 to a US dollar, falling past its previous low of 68.8450 reached on August

28, 2013.

The fall was attributed to the worries around the the government's demonetisat ion of 500 and 1000 rupee notes+ earlier this month to crack down on black money.

"We are keeping a close watch. RBI will take appropriate action in case it is warranted," a top finance ministry official said.

He indicated no direct intervention in the market till

The rupee had plunged to a new low of 68.8650 to a US dollar. rupee is below 69 to a US dollar.

The rupee has fallen around 3 per cent so far this month, biggest decline in 14 months.

The previous all time low in 2013 came after the US Federal Reserve had signalled an end to its unprecedented bond purchases, spurring an exodus of capital from emerging markets. (PTI)

After Russia, India Second Most Unequal Nation In The World In Terms Of Wealth A view of a toll plaza in New Delhi.

New Delhi, Nov 24: To ensure smooth traffic flow and mitigate currency hardships, the government has further extended the date for toll exemption on national highways till the midnight of December 2.

The government said Rs 500 notes will be accepted at toll plazas on national highways from December 2 midnight to December 15.

"For smooth traffic movement across all national highways, toll collection has now been suspended till midnight of December 2," a road ministry official said.

Sufficient swipe machines will be installed at toll plazas with help from the SBI and other banks in order to make help commuters make payments and facilitate easy flow of traffic, the official said.

The government earlier announced its decision to keep the toll collection in abeyance till November 11

midnight and this was later extended to November 14, then to November 18 and later to November 24.

Instructions have been issued to all concessionaires, including BOT (build-operate-transfer), OMT (operate-maintain-transfer) operators and other fee collection agencies, about the extension of the toll suspension date.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to tackle corruption and black money, the government, on November 9, said no toll fee would be collected on national highways till November 11 midnight.

The government's earlier decision to accept the withdrawn notes at toll plazas led to chaos in the absence of adequate change, causing massive traffic snarls.(PTI)

Cash withdrawal for marriages remains a non-starter Kendrapara , Nov 24:Stiff guidelines set by the RBI for withdrawal of Rs 2.5 lakh for a marriage have made it difficult for banks to disburse the amount, making the government's move to ease cash crunch for wedding families a non-starter.

Though bankers received procedural circular in this regard on Tuesday, withdrawal for wedding purpose is yet to make headway, a bank official said.

"It's a test of patience for me. My bankers are offering lame excuses. The procedures that the bank laid before me is too complicated. I may have to postpone the marriage. The groom's family is also facing the same predicament," lamented a customer, Phakir Charan Pramanik.

The bankers quoting RBI circular said the application should be in a prescribed format and accompanied by documents on "evidence of the wedding, including the invitation cards, copies of receipts for advance payments already made, such as marriage hall booking, advance payments to caterers."

Like Pramanik, there are many for whom the department of economic affairs announcement that Rs 2.5 lakh cash per wedding could be withdrawn

has been meaningless.

"The government announced the withdrawal relaxation limit for wedding functions. I have been to the bank every day since the relaxation declaration. However, each time, I have been turned way by the bankers by stating that they are yet to receive the official communication and guidelines in this regard. Today I went to the bank again.

I do not know whether I will be allowed Rs 2.5 lakh withdrawal from my account. Time is running out for me. I have fixed my son's marriage on 26 November," said a local resident.

Everyday, we are forced to say no to such account holders, a bank official said.

The manager, Oriental bank of commerce, Kendrapara, Partha Majumdar said, "Unless the cash crisis situation improves, bank would come to a standstill if such huge withdrawal is allowed.

We are receiving about Rs 10 lakh daily and it gets exhausted in three hours. Customers are also returning home unable to withdraw money".

Following the announcement, the bankers are encountering persistent queries from anxious account holders with upcoming marriages in their families. (Agencies)

New Delhi, Nov 24: India is the second most 'unequal' nation in the world where millionaires, or those with net assets of $1 million or more, control over half of its total wealth, says a report.

According to wealth research firm New World Wealth, after Russia, India is the most unequal country as 54 per cent of its wealth is in the hands of millionaires.

India is among the 10 richest countries in the world with total individual wealth of $5,600 billion, but the average Indian is quite poor.

Globally, Russia is the most unequal country where millionaires control over 62 per cent of total wealth.

In order to determine the level of inequality in the world, New World Wealth looked at the proportion of wealth controlled by million-

aires, or high net worth individuals.

"The higher the proportion the more unequal the country is. For instance, if millionaires control over 50 per cent of a country's wealth then there is very little space for a meaningful middle class," the report said.

On the other hand, Japan is considered to be the most equal country on Earth. Millionaires in Japan control only 22 per cent of total wealth there.

Australia is also very equal - millionaires control only 28 per cent of total wealth.

Regarding the United States, the report said it is also "surprisingly" equal as millionaires control around 32 per cent of total wealth there. "This is surprising low considering all the negative press that the

US gets in terms of income inequality," it added.

The United Kingdom is slightly less equal than the US - millionaires control around 35 per cent of total wealth there.

Another interesting measure is the proportion of a country's wealth held by billionaires (with net assets of $1 billion or more). Russia again tops this list with 26 per cent of total Russian wealth held by billionaires.

Japan again is the most equal with billionaires only controlling 3 per cent of total wealth there.

Wealth refers to net assets of a person. It includes all their assets (property, cash, equities, business interests) less any liabilities, the report said adding that it excludes government funds from its figures.

(PTI)

Banks face higher risks on deteriorating profile of firms: S&P New Delhi, Nov 24 : Economic risks faced by banks in India have increased amid deteriorating credit profile of corporates, while demonetisation could hurt lenders' asset quality in the short-term, S&P Global Ratings said today.

It said while the demonetisation of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes would be positive in long-term, it will have a transitory impact on growth in the short-term and could hurt banks' asset quality. "Bank deposits would benefit due to demonetisation, though not all inflows will remain in the banking system on a permanent basis," S&P said in a report titled 'Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment: India'.

"The economic risks facing financial institutions in India have increased amid structural and cyclical challenges that Indian companies face," it added.

The global ratings agency said the credit quality of Indian companies has deteriorated sharply in the past few years amid tepid domestic industrial activity, weak commodity prices, project execution woes, subdued profitability and igh leverage in some pockets.

In particular, the metal and infrastructure sector had 34.4 per cent and 16.7 per cent stressed loans respectively till March 2016.

S&P, however, retained the ratings on all financial institutions in India because it expects these entities to remain capitalised in-line

Bank deposits would benefit due to demonetisation, S&P said on Thursday. with their existing standalone credit profiles and ratings.

Despite increased economic risks, the banking sector remains in group '5' under S&P's Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment. Other countries in the group include China, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda, Poland, Panama, Peru and United Arab Emirates.

S&P said India's low-income economy constrains its economic resilience.

"We expect GDP per capita to remain low at USD 1,703 by the end of March 2017," it added.

However, improvements in policymaking continue to boost the medium-term prospects for India's economic and fiscal performance, S&P said, adding India's growth has outperformed its peers.

It said in terms of industry risk, Indian banks ben-

efit from high levels of stable core customer deposits, which limit dependence on external borrowings. "The banking system's good franchise, extensive branch networks, and large domestic savings support the deposit base. We expect efficient banks with higher profitability, capitalisation and a focus on digital banking to gain market share over others," it added.

S&P said while improvements in policymaking have raised prospects for a stronger economic and fiscal performance, a material improvement in asset quality will require a further pick up in industrial demand, deleveraging of corporate balance sheets, resolution of problems in stressed sectors, and further passthrough of lower interest rates to borrowers.

"We expect risk from economic imbalances to be low in the next 12 months," it added. (PTI)

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DIBRUGARH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

P12 England draw up plan to contain Virat Kohli

Atlético strike late to edge closer to the semis

Virat Kohli

Atlético strike late to edge closer to the semis Fatorda, Nov 24: Atlético de Kolkata registered a last-gasp 2-1 victory over FC Goa as over 18,000 home fans looked on at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Thursday evening. Juan Belencoso’s header put the visitors ahead in the first half before Mandar Rao Dessai equalised with a cool finish 10 minutes from time. But it was Stephen Pearson who ensured all three points with a stoppage time goal to take ATK to second place on the table, leaving Goa hanging with a mathematical chance of qualifying for the semis.

ATK were strong off the blocks with Pritam Kotal putting in a cross as early as the first minute but Pearson failed to connect properly. Pearson again had a crack at the goal with

the rebound falling to Javi Lara but goalkeeper Laxmikanth Kattimani was alert enough to save it with his legs. It was replay minutes later and this time Kattimani dove to his right to palm away Lara’s attempt to keep the scores level.

The visitors settled down well passing the ball around with ease as Goa failed to produce proper chances. The pressure intensified with Kolkata winning back-to-back corners. Goa came close though soon after with Rafael Coelho’s volley flying just past the top corner. Just as it seemed that Goa were coming back into the game Kolkata struck home as Abinash Ruidas sent in the perfect ball for Belencoso to put ATK ahead in the 28th minute.

Bangladesh Appoint exEngland Physio Dean Conway Until 2019 World Cup

South Africa reaches 89-3 in 1st session, day-night Test

IANS Dhaka, Nov 24: Former England physiotherapist Dean Conway has been handed the responsibility of keeping the Bangladesh cricket team fit until the 2019 World Cup. Having worked with the England national team for nearly a decade-and-a-half, Conway has been involved with county club Glamorgan for more than 24 years, reports bdnews24.com.

Conway began work on Wednesday after reaching Dhaka the previous day.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made his appointment public in a media statement late on Wednesday night.

On his first day at work, he assessed the situation of pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who is going through rehabilitation after a surgery on his shoulder in mid-August.

Conway's arrival has marked the end of the term of Bayezidul Islam who had been available since September, 2014.

Bibhab Singh had been in charge since 2011 before Bayezidul. Although the BCB renewed the contract with the South African physio in 2013, he left on July 2014 citing personal reasons.

With Bangladesh once again turning to a foreign physio, Bayezidul will return to the BCB academy.

Conway, who was once a rugby player in Wales, took his physiotherapy lessons at Cardiff's University of Wales. He joined Glamorgan in 1989.

He was then put in charge of the national team players. Conway spent 14 years with England before being elected onto the Glamorgan committee in 2012.

AP Adelaide, Nov 24: Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood exploited the pink ball's early swing and the pitch's green tinge and combined to take three wickets in a confident start for Australia's new-loo team in the day-night third cricket Test against South Africa.

Chasing a series sweep after victories in Perth and Hobart by 177 runs and by an innings and 80 runs, South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss today and elected to bat in his country's first Test in the day-night format.

Australia was dominant in the first 15 overs before du

Kolkata kept control of the ball and shut out the hosts completely. It seemed the visitors would double their lead any moment and marquee man Helder Postiga almost delivered. Lara’s corner was well guided towards the goal but the crossbar came in the way of the Portuguese striker. The half ended with some positivity for the Gaurs with three back-to-back corners but they failed to take advantage of any of them.

Both teams were a bit cautious in the beginning of the second half before Dessai’s ball caused a flutter in the ATK box. Robert Lalthlamuana’s mistimed clearance hit the post in what could have been an embarrassing own goal for Kolkata.

Postiga had a look-in at the

Plessis (26 not out) joined opener Stephen Cook (40 not out) in an unbroken 45run stand to lift South Africa from 44-3 to 89-3 by the end of the first session.

Australia made five changes to the lineup which surrendered the series in Hobart last week, bringing in three uncapped batsmen in the top six.

But after losing the toss, it was up to the experienced new-ball pair of Starc and Hazlewood to make in roads for the hosts.

Starc trapped Cook lbw in the third over, when the opener was hit plumb in front and walked toward the pavilion, but the decision was overturned when

goal minutes later but Kattimani was once again on hand to make the save.

Frustration crept in but Goa slowly made their way back into the game with Romeo Fernandes being the driving force. His shot from distance curved inches away from the goal.

Robin Singh too made an attempt with his header going straight into Debjit Majumder’s hands. A goal was always on the cards and Dessai was the man who got the equaliser in the 80th minute, his low shot going through Kotal’s legs into the bottom right corner to set up a tense finish.

The pace picked up as both teams went for the winner.

Joffre shot it over on the counter, while Pearson produced a weak shot after Sameehg Doutie had set him up. Doutie soon al-

TV replays showed the Australian bowler had delivered a front-foot no-ball.

Cook was edgy, but faced 84 balls and survived while three of his top-order partners were each out for five. Starc (1-24) had Dean Elgar edging to Usman Khawaja at the third slip with the total at 12.

Hazlewood (2-19) broke through on either side of the first drinks break when he had Hashim Amla well caught by 20-year-old rookie Matt Renshaw, low to his right at first slip, and J P Duminy inside edging to recalled wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

Du Plessis, who was fined but avoided a suspension after being found guilty this

Match Awards: Club award: Atlético de Kolkata Fittest Player of the Match: Romeo Fernandes Winning Pass of the Match: Sameehg Doutie Swift Moment of the Match: Laxmikanth Kattimani ISL Emerging Player of the Match: Abinash Ruidas Hero of the Match: Mandar Rao Dessai most got the winner but his shot hit the crossbar as a draw seemed imminent but Pearson struck in the second minute of added time to snatch victory for the visitors.

(Agencies)

week by the International Cricket Council of ball tampering in the second test, was loudly booed as he strode to the crease but settled in quickly.

He admitted having a mint in his mouth when he licked his fingers to shine the ball in Hobart, but disputed the finding against him and said he'd been unfairly cast as a cheat for doing something that cricket teams all over the world have done for years.

South Africa is demanding clarity in the rules. The first ever day-night Test was played at the Adelaide Oval a year ago, with Australia winning a low-scoring match against New Zealand.

Mohali, Nov 24: Going into the third Test here after their loss in the previous tie, England bowlers are wary of Indian skipper Virat Kohli's form and have come up with plans to get him out early knowing well that he tends to get a big score once he is well set.

India scripted a resounding 246-run win over England in the second Test to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

While skipper Virat Kohli's aggregate of 248 runs (167 and 81) laid the cornerstone of victory, the contribution of India's premier allrounder Ashwin (52 runs and match figures of 8/ 119) was equally significant.

England all-rounder Chris Woakes, who impressed with his bowling in the opening Test, felt that it was crucial to dismiss Kohli early on.

Speaking about Kohli's performance in the previous Test, Woakes said, "Kohli scored lot of those runs, Pujara has also scored. Kohli has scored majority of runs, particularly in that second Test match. So, we are going to have plans to him to try and stop him scor-

ing... Once he gets in, it's hard to get him out."

Despite the humiliating loss, Woakes felt that all was not lost and England have a good chance to bounce back.

"I feel that the teams are fairly evenly matched," he said, at the same time acknowledging that India were playing in their home conditions.

To another question, he said, "Although we have lost that last Test match, we felt that we have played some good cricket on this tour barring a session maybe".While pointing out that toss will play a role, he also said, "We obviously do have to win here to make sure we can win the series... everyone is in good spirits (on team morale after previous loss)."

About his own form after being rested in the previous tie, he said he was "fit and raring to go".

When asked that bowlers always have niggles and if he felt disappointed to miss you given the way he bowled in the first game, Woakes said, "Yeah, I suppose you always want to play, you don't want to miss any Test match, particularly when you feel you are in decent form and

decent nick. Yeah, I suppose its one of those things which happens..."

On missing the services of their fast bowling spearhead Stuart Broad, Woakes said, "Obviously, it will be a huge loss if Stuart doesn't play...he is a world class bowler, he has been there for a long period of time. He has showed how good he is in one spell he bowled, I think it was one of the morning sessions, the last Test match."

When asked if he feels Mohali, traditionally known to favour fast bowlers, is the venue where England can boost their seam attack given, Woakes replied, saying, "potentially, may be...as you mentioned there has been history here that potentially might help the seamers a little bit better but then same time last year's Test match it was just the opposite."

Woakes fielded a volley of questions surrounding ongoing "Sweet-Gate" in context to what happened with the South African team in Australia and also in the ongoing series in India. He said he feels there were "grey areas" which need to be clarified.

Harjeet Singh to captain Indian team in Junior Hockey World Cup

Australian women cricketer Rolton inducted into ICC's Hall of Fame IANS Adelaide, Nov 24: Former Australia womens captain Karen Rolton was inducted into the International Cricket Councils (ICC) Hall of Fame

by Chief Executive David Richardson at a ceremony during the tea break on the opening day of the third Test between Australia and South Africa on Thursday.

Rolton was presented with a personalised cap by Richardson as she became the 81st player to be inducted into the elite list and the sixth woman to receive the accolade. Also present on the occasion was Cricket Australia Chairman David Peever.

Rolton represented her country in 14 Tests, scoring 1002 runs and taking 14 wickets.

She hit 4814 runs and claimed 85 wickets in 141 One-Day Internationals and managed a total of 405 runs and 3 wickets in 15 T20s.

Rolton said in an ICC release: "It's with great honour that I accept this award of being inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. To be acknowl-

Karen Rolton edged like this is something that I never expected and am truly grateful to be listed amongst some of my all-time cricketing heroes."

"Cricket has been a part of my life since I can remember. From growing up in Adelaide and playing backyard cricket with my brother to captaining my state and country. It's been a

childhood dream and one that I'm grateful for."

"I'd like to thank Cricket Australia, my team-mates over the years and most importantly my parents for supporting me playing cricket as a junior and right until the end of my career," she added.

"Finally, thank you to the ICC for inducting me into the Hall

of Fame and your ongoing support of women's cricket."

Richardson said: "Karen had a long and successful career which saw several high points, including a century in an ICC Women's World Cup final. She proved her class time and again with superb performances, particularly in big matches making her so well respected. She was a player women cricketers from around the world looked up to."

"With increased investment, women's cricket has grown rapidly over the past few years but it is through the exploits and example set by players like Karen that young women and girls are inspired to take up the game. We congratulate Karen on behalf of the ICC for her successful career and for this welldeserved award.

Rolton is first of the four legendary cricketers who will be formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame this season. The other three are Muttiah Muralidharan of Sri Lanka, Australia's Arthur Morris and England's George Lohmann.

Harjeet Singh PTI Lucknow, Nov 24: Midfielder Harjeet Singh will lead the 18-member Indian men's hockey team in the Junior World Cup to be held in Lucknow from December 8 to 18.

While the 20-year-old mid-fielder from Kurali in Punjab has been named as the captain, defender Dipsan Tirkey will shoulder the responsibilities of the vice-captain.

Harjeet has been instrumental in the junior team's success in recent times.

He also led the colts in Valencia, Spain last month where they won the fournation Invitational Tournament beating Germany in the final.

Earlier this year, Harjeet was also named as the

'Jugraj Singh Upcoming Player of the Year' at the Hockey India Annual Awards and was rewarded for his consistency with a call-up in the senior men's squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in April where the team finished second behind world champions Australia.

Harjeet was also part of the Indian senior men's team that won the silver medal at the FIH Champions Trophy in London this year where he replaced ace midfielder Sardar Singh.

Tirkey, on the other hand, is a fireball on the pitch.

The 18-year-old from Sundargarh in Odisha had led the Indian team to a splendid win at the

EurAsia Cup in Russia earlier this year followed by the England tour where they beat Scotland senior men's team, Hampstead and Westminster, and won two matches against England.

"Harjeet has special abilities in terms of keeping the team together and motivated them which is a rare thing in players of this age.

Those are the features we always look for in a captain. Dipsan too shows qualities of a leader and has done consistently well in the build up to the World Cup," stated chief coach of senior men's side Roelant Oltmans, who is helping junior coach Harendra Singh ahead of the upcoming megaevent.

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