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ET CAPSULES Tourist misbehaves in Guwahati hotel on the eve of New Year Dibrugarh, Jan 1: A Mumbai based customer has allegedly misbehaved at a hotel named Neptune, located near Beltola Tinali in Guwahati on the eve of New Year. As per the customer, who is a professional singer based in Mumbai said that he had gone out for some work but when he returned at the hotel, he found that the hotel was closed. When he tried to contact the hotel manager he didn’t get any assistance.

“This is my first time in Guwahati and as I don’t know much about the city. I had to stay outside for a couple of hours before managing to get accommodation in another hotel,’’ the customer alleged. The customer when contacted by the correspondent, he stated that the owner of the hotel misbehaved with him and started using abusive language against him.

“I had paid the hotel bills well in advance but still the owner misbehaved with me.

I have travelled to different parts of the country but never have I come across such treatment,’’ he sighed.

In light of such instances it’s high time that the authorities take stringent steps.

ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. II

Issue 163

Dibrugarh, Monday, January 2, 2017

5.00

Pages- 12

PAGE 10

New Year's attack on packed Istanbul club leaves 39 dead Waterfront Ortakoy district on lockdown as police search for ‘Arabic-speaking’ gunman witnesses say was dressed as Santa Claus; some revelers jump into Bosphorus to flee gunfire Istanbu, Jan 1 Thirty-nine people were killed Saturday in an armed attack on an Istanbul nightclub where locals were celebrating the New Year.

Istanbul’s governor Vasip Sahin described the rampage as a “terror attack.”

“Unfortunately, at least 35 of our citizens lost their lives. One was a police officer,” Sahin told reporters at the scene of the attack, the Reina nightclub in Istanbul’s Ortakoy district by the Bosphorus on the city’s European shore. The death toll was later raised to 39.

“Forty people are receiving treatment in hospitals,” he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Reports conflicted as to the number of gunmen. The Dogan news agency and other local media referred initially to two shooters who had entered the venue, while officials said there was just one.

Witnesses said the gunman was dressed as Santa Claus.

Two Indians killed in Istanbul terror attack: Sushma Swaraj

Many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the shooting began, and rescue efforts were in progress to save them from the waters, the private NTV television network said.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband who was wounded in the attack.

Agencies New Delhi, Jan 1

“Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me,” she said outside Istanbul’s Sisli Etfal Hospital. “I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could get out. It was frightening.” Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds.

Police in riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicle blocked the area close to the Reina club, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul, in heavy rain. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to Istanbul hospitals.

Sahin, who spoke of a single gunman, said he had used a longbarreled firearm in the attack.

“Unfortunately [he] rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year’s and have fun,” he told reporters.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said two Indian nationals were killed in the terrorist attack that took place in Istanbul, Turkey earlier in the day.

Turkish police special forces and ambulances at the site of an armed attack on a nightclub, January 1, 2017 in Istanbul. (Yasin Akgul/AFP) Dogan reported that some witnesses claimed the attacker was “speaking Arabic,” while NTV said police special forces were searching the nightclub for at least one gunman. If there was a second, there was no word as to his fate or whereabouts.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.

“Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror,” Bozdag said on Twitter.

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Turkish authorities have imposed a ban on reporting about details of the attack within Turkey.

The nightclub is one of the most selective spots in the city, and getting inside past the bouncers who seek out only the best dressed is notoriously hard.

According to Dogan, there were at least 700 revelers at the club celebrating the start of 2017 after a bloody 2016 in Turkey.

The attack came less than a month after twin blasts outside the Istanbul stadium of top Turkish team Besiktas on

December 10 killed 44 people.

That attack was claimed by Kurdish separatists.

The city suffered multiple terror attacks last year at the hands of Islamic State jihadists and Kurdish rebels, resulting in some 180 dead.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, the state news agency Anadolu reported.

“I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul,” Swaraj tweeted.

The minister said in another tweet that the victims are Abis Rizvi, the son of a former Rajya Sabha MP, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.

As many as 39 people were killed, and dozens wounded earlier on Sunday, when a gunman stormed a popular Istanbul nightclub and sprayed bullets at revellers celebrating

Sushma Swaraj the New Year.

There were reportedly as many as 700 people dancing to celebrate the New Year, which chimed in just over an hour before the attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

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Petrol price was on Saturday hiked by Rs 1.29 a litre, the third increase in a month, and diesel rate was raised by 97 paise a litre, the second hike in a fortnight.

The increase in rates announced by oil firms is excluding state levies and the actual hike will be higher. The actual hike after considering VAT would be Rs 1.66 a litre in Delhi for petrol and Rs 1.14 for diesel. The hike will be effective from midnight tonight.

This is the third increase in petrol price in one month and the second in case of diesel in one fortnight. Petrol price was on December 17 hiked by Rs 2.21 a litre and diesel by Rs 1.79 per litre, excluding local levies. The actual hike after considering VAT came to Rs 2.84 per litre in Delhi for petrol and Rs 2.11 for diesel.

After today’s hike, petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 70.60 a litre from tomorrow as compared to Rs 68.94 currently. Similarly, a litre of diesel will from tomorrow cost Rs 57.82, up from Rs 56.68.

Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) revise rates on 1st and 16th of every month based on average international price in the previous fortnight.

“The current level of international product prices of petrol and diesel and RupeeUS Dollar exchange rate warrant increase in selling price of petrol and diesel, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price revision,” IOC said in a statement.

It said the movement of prices in the international oil market and foreign exchange rate shall continue to be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes.

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DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

Aries There's a stronger connectedness to dreams and fantasies today, Aries, but you may need to adjust your thinking in order to link to it. Pick a path that includes a few steps on the sunny side of the street where you can see things in a positive light instead of focusing on the gloom in every situation. Communicate your thoughts and think about how you can promote peace in your inner circle.

Taurus There's a warm and friendly feeling to the day that you will find agreeable to your boisterous personality, Taurus. Find strength and peace with the people around you and work to make solid connections among your friends. The people around you are your greatest resource, so treat them with honor and respect. Stay in balance by recognizing the strength in others.

NEWS

Notes Ban Impact: EMIs To Fall As SBI, Other Banks Cut Lending Rates SBI has reduced marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 0.9 per cent from 8.90 per cent to 8 per cent for one-year tenure, the bank said in a statement.

Gemini

ET Correspondent Golaghat , Jan 1: Like the other parts in the world today the people of Golaghat also welcomed and enjoyed the first day of the new year . Today

Cancer

Leo Realize that to conquer new ground you may have to make some sacrifices, Leo. Things may not always go according to your perfect vision, but that's the natural way of things. Life should be simple and free flowing. The tangle of voices in your mind is usually the thing that makes issues and situations more complicated than they need to be. Maintain the peace and keep things easy.

Virgo There's a great deal of air to fuel your fire today, Virgo. Conversations will light up upon your arrival. Dreams, fantasies, and inspired wishes may come to the surface, asking you to digest them with your open, adventurous mind. Use this fuel to keep things burning red hot within you. Bring your dreams to the surface and turn them into realities by joining forces with others.

Libra Although you may want to bring things down a bit so you can better plan, organize, and rearrange, Libra, this may not be the best course of action today. You're better off keeping things light and uplifting.

Things will fall into place as you need them.

Trust in others. Realize that some of the best experiences you will have in life are spontaneous. Put your to-do list away.

ET Correspondent Teok, Jan 1 : In a road accident held near Disangmukh picnic place of Sibsagar district on today evening a 23 years girl named Mitali Baruah of Kakajan Kamer khatowal gaon under Teok police station of

Jorhat district was spot dead. According to police source the girl was unfortunately fall down from the running picnic bus (AS06D-4389) in their returning journey and the girl was spot dead due to crash by the back wheels of the

many people were seen in famous picnic spots like the banks of river Dhansiri, Jogibari Bill , Nambor, Kohora and several other such spots.

New Delhi, Jan 1 : Top PSU lenders State Bank of India, PNB and Union Bank on Sunday slashed their benchmark lending rates by up to 90 basis points, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked banks to priorities their lending towards the poor and middle class.

The country's largest lender, SBI, has reduced marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 0.9 per cent from 8.90 per cent to 8 per cent for one-year tenure, the bank said in a statement.

Flushed with funds after demonetisation, the base interest rate for other tenures, including one month, three months and six months, has been slashed by 0.9 per cent.

MCLR has been reduced by 0.9 percentage points to 8.10 per cent for two-year term and 8.15 per cent for three-year tenure.

Other public sector lenders Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Union

Bank of India (UBI) too have brought down the benchmark interest rate by up to 0.9 per cent.

PNB has cut its one-year MCLR rate by 0.7 per cent to 8.45 per cent from 9.15 per cent, effective today.

Lending rate was moderated by similar percentage points for 3 years and 5 years period to 8.60 per cent and 8.75 per cent, respectively.

Similarly, Union Bank of India has reduced its MCLR by 0.65-0.9 per cent to 8.65 per cent, effective today. The revised one-year MCLR stands at 8.65 per cent.

Welcoming rate reduction by banks, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said in a tweet, "Trend of interest rate reduction follows demonetisation. Banks have substantial quantum of low cost funds now."

"Welcome reduction of interest rates

by SBI. Loan disbursements expected to pick up. Positive for the

economy," he added.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister had asked banks to pay special attention towards the need of poor and middle class.

"While respecting the autonomy of the banks, I appeal to them to move beyond their traditional priorities, and keep the poor, the lower middle class, and the middle class at the focus of their activities," he had said.

Last week, SBI's subsidiary State Bank of Travancore had announced reduction in the lending rate, followed by another public lender IDBI which cut base interest rate by up to 0.6 per cent.

Banks have moved to MCLR as their new benchmark lending rate from June, replacing the base rate system for new borrowers. It is calculated on the marginal cost of borrowing and return on net worth for banks. It was introduced by RBI to ensure fair interest rates to borrowers as well as banks.

ET Correspondent Golaghat , Jan 1 : Along with the new year the people of Golaghat have now geared up to celebrate traditional Assamese Festival Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu. People specially in

the rural areas are now busy in preparations for this festival of harvest .

Rural women are busy making Pithas, Lados and several other traditional Assamese food items .

Mumbai, Jan 1: Starting January 1, 2017, one will be able to withdraw more from cash from banks ATMs. The Reserve Bank of India, via a circular on Friday, had announced increase in cash withdrawal limit per day per card from ATMs .

“On a review of the position, the daily limit of withdrawal from ATMs has been increased (within the overall weekly limits specified) with effect from January 01, 2017, from the existing ?

2500/- to ? 4500/- per day per card. There is no change

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Sagittarius It's time to come up for air, Sagittarius. Come out and take a deep breath. Experience the lightness and rejuvenation of the energy present in the air around you. Do some yoga or go for a jog to open up your channels and get your circulation moving. Use this exercise to clear your mind and open your consciousness to let new ideas and dreams be born from within.

Capricorn

Take a step back today, Capricorn, and sink into a light and dreamy fantasy world that is pleasing to you. You will find that beautiful objects and sweet fragrances catch your attention. Go shopping or indulge in a gourmet meal. The time is right to keep things open and social. Have fun and focus on your partnerships with others instead of your tendency to lead or dominate.

Pisces This is a terrific day for you, Pisces. You should find that the puzzle pieces naturally come together almost effortlessly. Important connections can be made today as long as you keep all the lines of communication open. Information exchange is a key part of bringing people and ideas together in a constructive manner. A burst of inspiration can lead to a rewarding journey through time and space.

However some other Golaghatians celebrated new year's day in simple manner . Fortunately there were no reports of any untoward incident in the town on this day .

Women were seen singing Bihu songs and Biya Naams while preparing traditional Assamese food items .

Now a festive mood prevails in all the areas ahead of New Year as well as Bhogali Feast .

Withdraw Rs 4,500 per day from banks ATMs from today as Reserve Bank of India increases cash withdrawal limit

Scorpio

Aquarius

Finally the Sibsagar Sador police officials investigate the matter and captured the killer bus in their custody. The incident turned sorrow at the whole situation.

People Gears Up to Celebrate Bhogali Festival

Join others for stimulating conversation and purposeful dreaming, Scorpio. You aren't alone in your thoughts and strong opinions. Now is the time to be heard. Work toward maintaining peace by exposing truth. Take the time to create fantasy in your world by diluting the fears of reality. Make decisions based on love, cooperation, and prosperity instead of neediness, trepidation, and anger.

Take a step back today, Capricorn, and sink into a light and dreamy fantasy world that is pleasing to you. You will find that beautiful objects and sweet fragrances catch your attention. Go shopping or indulge in a gourmet meal. The time is right to keep things open and social. Have fun and focus on your partnerships with others instead of your tendency to lead or dominate.

running picnic bus.

People Enjoyed the First Day of New Year in Golaghat

Don't go where you aren't invited and don't take things that aren't offered, Gemini.

Rules and manners are the cornerstones to healthy friendships and strong bonds among new acquaintances on a day like today. You will find that a cheery attitude and pleasant smile go a long way. Before you know it, you will be invited everywhere and offered all the things you desire.

Let your true personality shine, Cancer, for this is your day to radiate. There's an element of fantasy and deception working in the equation, but you will find that this may be just the thing you're looking for. The missing piece may come from a place you least expect, but be confident that it will come. Be open to new ideas and information, regardless of how odd they seem.

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in weekly withdrawal limits.Such disbursals should predominantly be in the denomination of ? 500�, said the RBI circular. RBI further added that there will be no change in weekly withdrawal limits, and disbursals from ATMs should predominantly be in the denomination of ? 500.

Earlier on Friday, the RBI had permitted White Label ATM Operators (WLAOs) to source cash from retail outlets. Most of the White Label ATMs are running dry since demonetisation as the operators were facing difficulties in sourcing cash from their sponsor bank(s).

While speaking to the news agency ANI on Sunday, Finance Minister said that increase in banks' deposits is seen as an increase in the lending ability of the banks.

"Remonetisation has progressed extremely well and I am sure in the coming days it will be completed", added FM. Daily limit for withdrawing cash from ATMs was last increased to Rs 2,500 from existing Rs 2,000 by Ministry of Finance on November 13.

Government had earlier hinted that it was planning to relax restrictions on withdrawal limit once 80 percent of the new currency is re-channelised in bank deposits.

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DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

P3

Governor visits Ziro APST bus damaged by miscreants in Assam

ITANAGAR, Jan 1: Governor of Arunachal Pradesh V. Shanmuganathan on Saturday visited the Regional High Altitude Fish Seed Farm, Tarin at Ziro and interacted with officials and fish farmers of the area.

The Governor, who is on a three-day tour to Lower Subansiri, exhorted them to go for larger production of fishes, which in turn will

ensure economic empowerment of the rural community.

He said that because of the fresh water, the quality of fish in high altitude is very good and tastier.

As the plateau is wellknown for Fish cum Paddy culture, the Governor expressed hope that the farm will give impetus to the financial empowerment of the people.

The Governor bought some fishes for his entourage as an encouragement to the farmers.

Earlier, the Governor met the officials of the Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project at Yazali 43.

Deputy General Manager (Elect) In-charge Head of Project Bijit Goswami

briefed the Governor on the project.

The Governor, who reached Ziro via Potin by road, expressed his concern on the condition of the road from Itanagar to Ziro. He emphasised that for development and economic growth the roads have to be of high quality and well maintained. PRO to Raj Bhawan

Arunachali girls to represent India in World Cosplay Summit 2017 ITANAGAR, Jan 1: Arunachali girls Juno Pinggam as Kurumi and Chiichi as Kotori from ‘Anime Date’ a live from Arunachal Pradesh have been selected to represent India in the upcoming World Cosplay Summit 2017, to be held at Nagoya, Japan from August 2017.

The preliminary competition in India was organized by Project Z.E.R.O. under the sponsorship of Air India, Anime Pop Mall India and Brother India at Aizawl yesterday.

SKYRE San and Mori San from Japan were the judges for the competition wherein more than 20 states participated.

World Cosplay summit is organized in Japan Nagoya every year since 2003 and more than 30 countries take part in this summit.

World Cosplay Summit is an annual international Cosplay event that promotes friendly international exchange through Japanese pop culture.

In 2012 the WCS was incorporated as a company and until that year was organized by the events division of TV Aichi. It is supported by city organizations, businesses and the WCS student volunteer organization Omotenashi. The

parade and championship are held in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan with several related events being held in the Kanto, Kansai and Tokai areas.

A Cosplay stage performance competition called the ‘Cosplay Championship’ was

first held at Aichi Expo in 2005 and selection of national representatives for the event comes from preliminary and regional rounds held at partnering anime/ manga events the respective countries of the participants.

Solar lamps distributed to remote border villages ITANAGAR, Jan 1: The AoL Rural Electrification Project has distributed Mobiya Solar lamps to the remote villages in Longding, Changlang and Anjaw districts recently.

In Longding district, DUDA Dy Director Bapenlu Kri along with Director, Rural Electrification project of AoL, Chaitanya Sangawar, distributed the Mobiya lamp to 119 families of Longkhaw village. The villagers appreciated the Longding Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Gupta for recommending the name of the vil-

lage for free distribution of solar lamps for the benefit of villagers.

With the cooperation extended by BDO Komnem Tungkgang, the AoL volunteers also distributed Mobiya lamps to 25 families in BubangI, 40 families of BubangII, 41 families of BubangIII and 10 families of Langchuk in Changlang district.

It was a delightful moment for the 23 families in Khulang when Gotitun Krisikro, founder patron of Anu Shiksha Seva Trust reached their area

accompanied by Basamlu Krisikro, former chairperson, 6Wakro Anchal Samiti, Sohan Krong, ASM, and Binod Subba with Mobiya solar lamps by the Schneider. The villagers thanked the Art of Living and AoL Trustee Deepak Sharma, AoL Director Chaitanya Sangawar and Ashok Harishchandra for their noble gesture. Gotitun Krisikro also reached the Pangung village of the border district of Anjaw and distributed solar lamp, gifts of the AoL for the people.

Earlier Mantaw Bellai distributed the AoL solar lamps to all the families of Glotong glat, Chirang glat and Ngilang glat.

150 Mobiya lamps were sent for the border district of Anjaw.

Deepak Sharma expressed happiness over the fact that the lamps were timely distributed well before the New year eve. He said that it was AoL’s long time wish to extend assistance to the people in remote border areas with tough terrain and hostile weather conditions.

PASIGHAT, Jan 1: An Arunachal Pradesh State Transport (APST) bus (No. ARX-0475) was damaged by some miscreants at Sisiborgaon village in Dhemaji district, Assam on December 29 for allegedly picking up passengers in Assam.

Reportedly, the miscreants charged and abused the driver and conductor of the APST bus for allegedly picking up couple of passengers enroute to Itanagar from Pasighat, before causing damage to windows of the bus by pelting stones.

“A commercial passenger vehicle (Traveler) (no.AS07AC 0107) briskly came across the way and blocked the APST bus first, and the miscreants started to abuse the driver and conductor of the APST bus, and damaged the windowpane of the bus. The incident happened after they saw two passengers getting down from the APST bus,” told a passenger, who was travelling in the APST bus and

witnessed the whole incident. According to the miscreants, no commercial vehicle or State Government bus from Arunachal Pradesh should lift passengers within Assam.

Fortunately, none of the passengers in the APST

bus were injured in the incident, “It is our moral obligation to help passengers from any area. We help those needy and who seek our assistance,” said All Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Welfare Asso-

ciation (AAPSTWA) Pasighat unit Gen. Secy.

Adul Siram. A case in this regard has been registered in Sisiborgaon, under Dhemaji district.

AAPSTWA has also demanded compensation for the damages.

CoSAAP takes exception to PPA’s statement ITANAGAR, Jan 1: Taking exception to the recent press statement of People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) wherein it mentioned the implementation of 7th CPC as reason for suspension of seven PPA legislators including Chief Minister, Pema Khandu and

Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein, the Confederation of Service Associations of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) has sought a public apology from PPA. In a press release on Saturday, the CoSAAP stated that Central Pay

Commission is a rule which has to be implemented by any political party which runs state government, as GoAP has accepted the Adaptation of Laws Act, 1989 in which it has clearly mentioned to follow Central Pay pattern.

‘It is ridiculous on the

part of PPA to oppose the implementation of Central Pay Commission for the welfare of state government employees. Is the PPA against the welfare and wellbeing of employees?’, asked CoSAAP and termed the party’s statement as unacceptable.

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

P4

Picnic parties throng various picnic spots providing Tezpur a festive look

ET Correspondent Tezpur, Jan 1: Buoyed with New Year enthusiasm a large number of people today visited various picnic spots in and around Tezpur town to take part in picnic in the midst of the aesthetic beauty of the historic Tezpur City thereby adding a festive look in the town.

However, in comparison to previous years, this year the number of people visiting Tezpur for picnic is increasing.

Tezpur ever considered as the culture capital and natural beauty, naturally planned decked out with many hillock and parks and the eternal beauty of Brahmaputra have always been attracting people. But during this season, many picnickers from various places of the district visit in and around Tezpur town for their picnic parties in the bank of various rivers or in the chaporis creating a festive-like atmosphere. It was seen that in

the picnic spots like Koliabhumura, Ganeshghat, Devishing ghat, Rudrapath etc. here on the sparkling sands of Brahmaputra banks, people of different ages have today enjoyed the nature’s aesthetic beauty. However, the picnickers, however, were not seen confined in the picnic spots, rather they were seen spending their time in visiting the historic temples here Mahbhairab, Maithan, Ganesh Temple, Hanuman

NSG website hacked; ‘Alone Injector’ group targets PM Modi

Delhi, Jan 1: The National Security Guard website was hacked on Sunday with the hacker group defacing the site and targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

temple near Maithan and Agnigarh Hill (Park), Chutrlekha Park, Samadhisthol etc. Besides this the picnic spots located in the outskirt of the Tezpur town like, Gbaharu river bank, Puthimari on the bank of the river Brahmaputra, historic suti pahar on the bank of river Brahmaputra in the Thelamara area near here too became a places of enjoyment for many a people belonging to all ages.

Representatives to decide Sabha course of action

ET Bureau GUWAHATI, Jan 1 : The crucial steering committee meeting of the Asam Sahitya Sabha today decided to convene the Pratinidhi Sabha (representative body meet) on January 8 to chart out its course of action in the wake of The group identified itself loaded on the site’s the resignation of as ‘Alone Injector’. homepage.

Sabha president Dr As per The Indian Express, Dhrubajyoti Borah yesSome objectionable images the group behind the hack- terday. relating to Jammu and ing could be based out of Kashmir were also up-

Pakistan

Indian Army won't shy away from flexing its muscles: General Bipin Rawat New Delhi, Jan 1: New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said the role of the force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not "shy away from flexing its muscles, if the need be".

muscles, if the need be," Gen Rawat said.

Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt Gen P M Hariz will continue to serve the Army and maintain the unity, he said.

Rawat, who took over as the 27th Army chief yesterday, was speaking to reporters here after inspecting the Guard of Honour at the South Block here.

"The force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not shy away from flexing its

Gen Rawat had superseded two senior most Lt Generals -- Praveen Bakshi and P M Hariz.

All units and services of the Army are together and he would always look at each one of them as one unit, he said.

Lt Gen Bakshi yesterday announced "full support" to the new chief and told theatre officers through video conferencing he will continue to lead with full professional sincerity as hitherto-fore.

Government sources had earlier said Rawat was found best suited among the Lt Generals to deal with emerging challenges, including a reorganised and restructured military force in the north, continuing terrorism and proxy war from the west, and the situation in the North-East.

Meanwhile, here in the Tezpur town amidst the merriment of the new celebration one especially abled person, Ratumoni Das who has been able to establish himself as an artist through his untiring effort celebrated the day through the presentation various art work in the street here attracting one and all. He appealed the new generation to usher upon their lives through art work. However, many visitors lamented that Tezpur which has name and fame for its natural beauty is gradually losing its attraction due to ill maintenance of the parks and Temples and mostly the most deplorable condition of the roads in the town. Amidst their enjoyment they have not forgotten to appeal the administration to give attention to deal with this issue related with the dignity of the historic town. Moreover, the conscious citizens of Tezpur and nature lovers have, however, appealed to all picnickers to put all their wastes in a hole or to keep the garbage in one place and keep the environment clean so that the picnic spots and the banks of the rivers are not polluted.

The meeting also appealed to Dr Borah to withdraw his resignation in the greater interest of the Sabha and the people of Assam.

“We have not yet received any formal resignation letter from Dr Borah even though he made the announcement before the media yesterday. We urged him to withdraw his resignation by January The representative 3,” the official said. body is the highest decision-making panel of The steering committee the Sabha. It comprises meet was chaired by members from a thou- vice president Dr Parag sand Sakha Sabhas.

Kumar Thakur and attended by treasurer “The representative Bipul Deuri, general body meet will take secretary Dr several crucial deci- P a r a m a n a n d a sions, including Rajbangshi, Dr whether the present ex- Moulina Devi Rabha, ecutive is to continue Debojit Bora, Abani till the centenary cel- Mohan Saharia and ebrations of the Sabha Samiran Bardoloi. next year. It will also There were a few spespell out the election cial invitees. process in case it dissolves the present ex- Treasurer Bipul Deuri ecutive,” a Sabha offi- also submitted his rescial told The Assam ignation in the steering Tribune. committee meet.

Minister of Environment & Forest, Pramila Rani Brahma holding a Press Meet at Assam State Zoo, Guwahati

Delhi University adopts new recruitment policy ET Bureau Guwahati, Jan 1 : On Saturday evening, Delhi University's Executive Council adopted University Grants Commission's policies that will govern how teachers are recruited and promoted and, consequently, decide the course of the institution itself. In the emergent meeting of the EC, DU adopted the fourth amendment of the UGC on the basis of which regular appointments to roughly half the posts in DU will be conducted.

As per the new recruitment policy, 50% weightage will be given to "academic record and research performance"; 30% to "assessment of domain knowledge and teaching skills"; and the remaining 20% to interview performance. This replaces the earlier one of relying entirely on the interview.

EC-member Abha Dev Habib says the new process, still far from perfect, does

introduce some measure of "transparency" to the process. In the previous system, a selection committee could pick anyone, practically for any reason, no questions asked. "Now, at least they'll have to create this table and fill in scores. This is a makeor-break situation for the university. 4,000 teachers half the university's teaching staff -- will be recruited through this process and they will be in service for 30 years," said Dev Habib.

But Academics for Action and Development argue that this distribution of weightage will mean "a majority of the long-serving ad hoc teachers will not be regularised."

But the new system only partially undercuts the potential for arbitrariness the previous one had. Dev Habib points out that 50% weightage to "academic record and research performance" without proper guidelines on how this is to be assessed means, "it will

yet again depend on the selection committee." She argued that the departments should be allowed to pick their own parameters for judging the quality of research -- making the exercise more objective -- and dissented because the selection committee was left to decide on the 50%. Academic Council member Nachiketa Singh agrees that "if the qualification criteria are not spelt out, there's no difference between the old process and the new." The high court had to intervene to get recruitment going again in DU. The issue of the reservation roster is still unresolved.

Delhi University held a meeting with liaison officers on Saturday. Dev Habib points out that DU continues to use "a faulty roster imposed through the emergency powers of the VC in September 2013." "That roster must be corrected so that posts can be advertised," she says.

Electricity to State villages by March ET Bureau GUWAHATI, Jan 1 : All the villages of the State will be electrified by March 2017, Minister of State for Power Pallab Lochan Das said today.

The State Government has submitted a proposal to the Centre for total electrification and the project would be executed in a phased manner and it would cover all revenue and forest villages.

Announcing this at a press conference, Das said that the process of electrification of the uncovered villages would start with electrification of 40 villages in 17 districts tomor-

row.

for those,” he said.

“We intend to cover all the villages by March 2017 and ensure that the entire State is electrified by then.

There are 1,076 villages that are yet to be electrified, of which 508 are on grid and the rest are offgrid villages,” he said.

Das revealed that while off-peak hour demand in the State was 1,100-1,200 MW, peak hour demand was 1,500 MW, with Guwahati accounting for 46 per cent of the total consumption.

Stating that some villages are still partially electrified, Das said 10,000 villages were being targeted for ‘intensive electrification’ by December 2017.

“The off-grid villages will be connected by solar panels and stand-alone connections will be installed

“The current power generation in the State is 228 MW, and we have to buy the deficit from outside to meet the demand. We are initiating new measures for better power distribution and reduce transmission and distribution losses by adopting best technical practices,” he said.

Assam Valley Literary Award to Arupa Patangia Kalita

Peoples celebrating New Years at Sivasagar historical Talata Ghar. Photo by Firuz Ahmed

ET Bureau GUWAHATI, Jan 1 : Renowned novelist and short-story writer Dr Arupa Patangia Kalita has been chosen for the 27th Assam Valley Literary Award for the year 2016.

“The award honours this eminent writer with a lifetime achievement award, which will be formally presented to Dr Arupa Patangia Kalita at a function in Guwahati in March 2017,” the Williamson Magor Education Trust said in a

statement.

A prolific writer, Dr Arupa Patangia Kalita has an immense body of work and has to her credit several novels, short story collections and many of her novels and short stories have been translated into English, Hindi and Bengali.

Some of her prominent novels and short story collections are Mriganabhi, Ayananta, Arunimar Swadesh (a collection of three novel-

las), Felani, Tokora Bahar Sonar Beji, Jalatarangar Sur, Moruyatra Aru Annanya, Morubhumit Menoka Aru Annanya, etc.

Meanwhile, noted artist Trailokya Dutta will be honoured with the Pranab Baruah Award 2016.

The award will be formally presented to him at a function to be held in the city on February 22, which is observed as Rong Tulikar Din, commemorating the birth an-

niversary of artist Pranab Baruah.

The award carries a citation, a plaque and Rs 25,000.

A passout from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, Dutta is also the first commercial cartoonist of Assam who has been contributing to various newspapers and journals. The 86-year-old artist had a long association with the Assam Tribune Group of Publications from where he retired in 1995.

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

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NORTHEAST

MGNREGA awareness, APO, Senden, ENPO, mandays among lowest KVC oppose civic polls in Wokha district WOKHA, Jan 1 : A recent survey on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) carried out in Wokha district as part of a European Union (EU) funded project has revealed that 80% of respondents were unaware of the processes involved in the flagship scheme. It was also revealed that less than 20% job cards were with beneficiaries themselves while more than 60% were with village authorities.

EU-funded project on ‘Improving access to information and delivery of public service schemes in remote and backward districts of North East (NE) states of India’ covering seven backward districts across five NE states, namely, Goalpara and Cachar in Assam, Ri-Bhoi in Meghalaya, Churachandpur and Chandel in Manipur, Lawngtlai in Mizoram, and Wokha in Nagaland carried out the survey in the later part of 2015 in 28 villages from two blocks of Wokha district.

The survey revealed that in most districts surveyed, respondents said their states had provided less than 35 days of work, the highest being Lawngtlai (75 days) and the lowest being Wokha (25 days) and that complaint redressal was a meagre 5% across the districts surveyed.

Survey also revealed that

less than 30% had received their Job Cards within the prescribed 15 days across the districts surveyed, while less than 25% of respondents from Chandel, Wokha, Goalpara and Churachandapur districts were partially satisfied with the timeliness of service delivery.

It was further revealed that 95% of Wokha respondents were paid in cash, while more than 60% of respondents from across the districts surveyed claimed there was no pattern in receipt of wages and that in most cases beneficiaries received MGNREGA payments as and when money was released.

EU-funded project is being implemented by Paris-based French NGO Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) along with Guwahati-based North East India Committee on Relief and Development (NEICORD) which in partnership with local NGO Team Metamorphosis (TM) is responsible for field implementation. Bangalore-based Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is tasked with the research component, and the Guwahati-based Nanda Talukdar Foundation (NTF) as its media advocacy component.

The project seeks to achieve three main results - to encourage demand for improved service delivery,

improved access to and quality of public services particularly for the most marginalized and women, and to enhance transparency of service providers for 10 central government flagship schemes: IAY, JSSK, ICDS, MDM, MGNREGA, RKVY, NBA/ TSC, RGGVY, NSAP, and TPDS. MGNREGA was launched in August 2005 through an Act of Parliament with the objective of ensuring social protection for the most vulnerable living in rural India by providing employment opportunities; strengthening decentralised, participatory planning through convergence of various antipoverty and livelihoods initiatives; deepening democracy at the grass-roots by strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions; and effecting greater transparency and accountability in governance.

Under MGNREGA, all adults (18 years of age and above) of a rural household willing to do unskilled manual work and who have Job Cards may be provided not less than 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year.

Other entitlements include safe drinking water, rest breaks and access to a firstaid box that is adequately stocked, and free medical treatment from the state government in case of any

David Syiemlieh appointed UPSC chief Shillong, Jan 1 : Prof. David R. Syiemlieh was appointed as the chairman of the Union Public Service Commission on Saturday by the President. 63-year-old Syiemlieh is the second person from Meghalaya who achieved the feat after Rose Bathew Kharbuli, who was the first woman chairperson of the commission in the 1980s.

Prior to the fresh appointment, Syiemlieh was func-

tioning as a UPSC member from June 25, 2012, till date.

He had also held various posts in NEHU, including its Pro-Vice chancellor, Registrar, Controller of Examinations and Professor of History. It was after his appointment as Vice Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh that Syiemlieh was appointed as the new member of UPSC. When contacted, Syiemlieh expressed happiness over the appointment

as UPSC chief. “It is a big achievement. I have already completed four and a half years as member of UPSC and now only one year is left as the chairman,” said Syiemlieh, who will assume charge on January 4, 2017, and function till his retirement on January 21, 2018.

Though it is a short period, Syiemlieh hoped that the UPSC as a fine institution will continue to grow in the years to come.

When Purno made the difference Shillong, Jan 1: He was like a phoenix. Though the sudden death of the stalwart of Garo Hills, Purno A Sangma, at the age of 68 on March 4 this year had cast a gloom over the people of Meghalaya, the resurrection of his party was unexpected. After the 2013 Assembly polls, NPP, which was formed by Sangma had just two MLAs, his son James Sangma and another member Nihim D. Shira.

Later in the elections to the GHADC in 2015, NPP emerged as the single largest party thereby leading the Garo Hills Progressive Alliance. A year after, the sudden demise of the NPP leader was a setback for the party that he had nurtured.

In less than two months, the Election Commission of India announced the by-polls to Tura Lok Sabha seat scheduled for May 16. The Congress fielded Dikkanchi D. Shira, the wife of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, while the NPP’s choice was Conrad Sangma to follow in the footsteps of his father.

There were varied opinions on whether the sympathy wave will work or not and the Congress was overconfident this time to clinch the seat with the Chief Minister declaring that NPP would be wiped out from Garo Hills after the polls.

In the keenly fought bypolls that Congress saw as an opportunity to end Purno’s era, Conrad won the seat with a huge margin

of 1,92,212 votes.

The blow to the Congress was not the victory margin of nearly 2 lakh votes, but the defeat in 23 Assembly segments out of the total 24.

Only in Ampati, which is the constituency of the Chief Minister, the Congress candidate had an edge.

Several politicians had acknowledged that though invisible, Sangma’s love for the people was repaid by them in the by-election.

After the victory, Conrad dedicated his win to his late father saying the people of Garo Hills had reposed their faith unfailingly. He had reiterated that the result was the love of the people for his father.

Great expectations for a better 2017 Shillong, Jan 1 : People from all walks of life are looking forward to a change that is expected in 2017.

The Shillong Times spoke to a cross section of people to extract their opinion for the year that will be.

Politician and former KSU leader Paul Lyngdoh expressed confidence that 2017 and 2018 will be historic for Meghalaya as the Assembly will have a new set of legislators after the downfall of the UPA Government and post demonetisation.

He further said there will be a steady shift of electorate looking for change and better accountability in the State even as he added that the electorates have learnt

the importance of choosing legislators with skills.

Cabinet Minister Prestone Tynsong said his resolution for the upcoming year would be the same as it was all these years. “I will try to and continue to give best services not only to my constituency but to the entire State,” he said.

Former Cabinet Minister and MLCU VC RG Lyngdoh said 2017 will be the year when there will be hectic efforts by all to get close to the people. He also hoped that the situation will turn around in 2017 as people are suffering in the present situation.He also said that as leaders of pressure groups and people from business families are gear-

ing up to contest the 2018 Assembly elections, there should be some space for rational leaders who really want to do something for the State and its people.

KSU president Daniel Khyriem expects the State to make progress in terms of healthcare, education and other sectors in 2017. “However, strong political will is needed to bring about strong policies and to implement policies that will be beneficial for the State as a whole. We expect that in 2017, the elected representatives, be it in the District Council or the Assembly, should be more active to address issues of the people,” he added.

accident during work.

In case of hospitalization, the state government shall provide complete treatment, medicines, hospital accommodation without any charge and one will be entitled for daily allowance which shall not be less than 50% of wage rate applicable, and in case of death or permanent disability due to accident at work site, the Job Card holder will be given Rs.25,000/- or such amount to be decided by Central Government to the legal heir of the deceased or to the person in case of the later.

Other essential entitlements of MGNREGA wage seekers include the right to register and get a job card; the right to demand work, and get dated receipt and get work within fifteen days or entitlement for unemployment allowance if work is not given in time; the right to get work within a five kmradius from home or entitlement to get 10% extra; the right to select the work in the Gram Sabha; the right to minimum wages; the right to payment within fifteen days or else entitlement for compensation; the right to worksite facilities - water, shade, medical kits, and crèches; the right to transparency and proactive disclosure of all records; and the right to audit works and expenditure in social audits/ public audits.

DIMAPUR, Jan 1 : In a big blow to the decision of chief minister T.R.Zeliang and his government to conduct elections to Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) with 33% women reservation, several organisations including village councils, opposed holding of civic polls and cautioned of enforcing the boycott within their respective jurisdictions.

In the latest development , Angami Public Organisation (APO), Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), Kohima Village Council (KVC) and Ao Senden (Mokokchung) have reaffirmed their stand against holding civic polls with 33% women reservation within their respective jurisdictions.

APO: Angami Public Organisation (APO) through its president Dr.Vilhusa Seleyi and vice president K.T. Vilie, pointed that since it was the primary and moral responsibility of the state government to “maintain peace and harmony in the state” and the bounden responsibility of the “right thinking people and organisations” to make suggestions and proposals to those in power “ for the maintenance of this duty”; it (APO) therefore submitted its communication to the government.

APO accused the government of having gone ahead and announced elections to

municipal and town councils “in utter disregard of the wishes of the Naga people” and for which it (APO) “resolved to uphold the coexistence of all gender with mutual respect and love without discrimination” at a meeting on December 30, 2016.

APO has therefore, appealed to the state government to provide “ a space for the people of Nagaland” to come to an understanding “in sharing with views and suggestions.” It reiterated, that till such time the needed space was provided for amendment and necessary and clear-cut safeguard to Article 371A, the APO resolved “ not to allow the conduct of election to municipal and town councils in Angami territories (Dimapur & Kohima district)” Further, APO has appealed to “ all political parties, intending candidates and individuals to refrain from filing or nominating any candidate for the aforementioned elections”. APO has cautioned that “any action of violation of this resolution shall be viewed as a direct challenge to the APO”.

It also appealed to the people’s representatives to “listen to the voice of the people.”

KVC: Kohima Village Council (KVC) discussed the forthcoming municipal election at its general meeting on December 30,2016 and reaffirmed its previous

stand on 33% women reservation. KVC Secretary Zeneizo Rutsa disclosed, that KVC reaffirmed its earlier stand and to “boycott the election” and entrusted its youth (Kohima Village Youth Organisation) “to take care of it, in case any unwanted situation arises”.

Racting to an agency report from Kohima, KVC clarified it was not an organisation “to rely on insider” and the report appearing on December 31,2016 was “null and void and misleading”.

ENPO: Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has issued its ‘Noklak Resolution on Nagaland Municipal Act” deliberated at en emergency joint consultative meeting with six federating tribal units-- CKS, KTC, PPC, USLP, YTC on December 29, 2016 in Noklak town.

ENPO unanimously adopted the “ENPO Noklak Resolution” with regard to Nagaland Municipal & Town Council elections, according to a joint statement issued by Khoiwang Konyak president ENPO; M.P. Noksang president CKS; Mongchua, president KTC; Manlip Konyak, president KU; P. Chingan, president PPC; Y. Sangtam, president USLP and Throngso, vice president YTC. ENPO has demanded (i) clarification from the state government as to why the government had declared the date for Nagaland Mu-

nicipal & Town Council elections, without responding to ENPO-Naga Hoho joint ultimatum submitted to the Nagaland chief minister on December 10,2016(ii) demanded written assurance from the state government that the Nagaland Municipal Act (Third Amendment) Bill 2016 “does not infringe/ implicate Article 371A of the Indian constitution in any manner now and in the future and (iii) a written clarification and assurance as mentioned above, which should be submitted through the office of ENPO “on or before 2nd January 2017”.

Ao Senden: Ao Senden also reaffirmed its earlier resolution to oppose the conduct of election to ULBs in the district at a meeting with land owners (Lika board) of Mokokchung at the MMC conference hall.

Disclosing this to Nagaland Post, presidential council member of the Ao Senden Chubawati said the Senden remained firm with its earlier stand against 33% women reservation in civic bodies. He said the land owners also reaffirmed to oppose elections to ULBs in Mokokchung district.

In this regard, Chubawati disclosed, that the Senden has convened another meeting on January 2,2017 with all ward authorities within Mokokchung to “chalk out further course of action”.

The avenues of piggery enterprise Dimapur, Jan 1 : Pork is undoubtly the most preferred meat of the inhabitants of north eastern (NE) region of India. The NE region constitutes more than 1/3 of the nation’s swine population. Still then, the local supplies are inadequate and there is huge inflow of meat and meat animals from other states.

There exit a potential scope to explore this animal. With the fast expanding market and growing demand for meat and meat products, the enterprise heralds a window of opportunities for the livestock farmers of the region.

In the entrepreneurial perspective, the region holds certain definite advantages compared to Indian mainland.

Huge demand and a ready market: In spite of big potential because of large meat consuming population, the meat industry in Nagaland has not taken its due share.

Time gap between slaughter and the sale is very short.

Therefore deterioration of the quality of the meat is less and early monitory return is ensured.

Best meat-producing animals: It has a number of biological advantages over other meat producing animals owing to high prolificacy, faster growth rate, higher feed conversion efficiency, shorter generation interval and higher dressing percentage No social and cultural taboo against pork: A festival, marriage or any ceremony is incomplete without an item of meat in the menu. It is also an item of gift to the guest and relative in any celebrations. Having no religious and social taboo on eating any kinds of meat, a wide array of traditional culinary dishes are enjoyed by the people of the region. Each tribe has unique recipes of meat with a distinctive taste.

Forefathers of the land had

learnt various ways to preserve and process meat like smoking and fermenting Traditional Practice of rearing backyard pigs: The North Eastern Hill Region in particular offers ample scope for piggery development because the rural population of this region is traditionally dependent on pig and pork. The practice of backyard pig rearing exists since time immemorial.

The practice therefore, only necessitate up gradation with scientific and a commercial outlook. A steady transition from traditional backyard piggery to commercial enterprise shall enhance pig production, productivity, management and marketing prospects.

Gainful Employment Avenue: Large-scale pig husbandry shall not only meet the ever-increasing demand of meat but shall a way of solving unemployment problem. With the increasing population, recurrent floods, droughts and other natural calamities due to climate change has been creating great threat to the agriculture sector. Therefore, piggery can certainly provide an alternative means to the farmers of Nagaland.

The realization on the cost of skin, bristles, hoof, teeth, blood and other by-products has not been exploited yet.

The return from piggery enterprise is exceptionally high. It is said that when a pig is slaughtered, everything of it can be utilized

except the last squeal ‘Oink’.

This single species hold numerous avenues of earning. Enlisted are a few of the options available: 1. Setting up of the Stateof-Art-Abattoirs: Mostly pigs are slaughtered in unregistered slaughter houses in small numbers ranging from 2 –5 by the individual butcher. The pork is sold fresh on the same day. Stateof-the-art abattoirs are the need of the hour considering the human health hazard and to optimize profitability. There will also be great change with the establishment of the feedlots as a backward integration to the processing plants.

2. Private Breeder farms: A strong need has been felt to establish sufficient pig breeder farms to produce quality disease-free animals.

Unemployed youth and young entrepreneurs can take up pig breeding as full time enterprise. This will reduce the dependency on other states to cater the demand of quality piglets. Furthermore it will provide employment opportunities for many.

3. Value addition to meat: A wide variety of pork products such as pork sausages, pork kofta, pork loaves, salami, samosa, momo, petties, pickle etc are in great demand. Outlets and mobile Kiosks with graband-go pork products can be a lucrative business option in the town and cities.

4. Blood derivatives: Hae-

moglobin from pigs blood is used in some cigarette filters to create an ‘artificial lungs’ to protect the smokers. Fish food also uses pork meal and haemoglobin powder.

Apart from these, pig blood finds its application in medicines, sticking agent, leather treating agent, plywood adhesive, blood meal (protein source), fabric painting and dying.

5. Comestibles: In Ice-cream production, the gelatin derived from pig is used to regulate the crystallization and slows down the melting process. The gelatin is also used to offer texture to low fat butter. In brewery industry, pig gelatin is used to remove the cloudiness from beer and wines. It works as a clarifying agent by reacting with the tannins in the liquid and absorbing the cloudiness.

Whipped creams, Cream cheese and sweets also contain gelatin.

Some bread manufacturers use an ingredient called Lcysteine, which is a protein made from pig or other animal hair and which is used to soften the dough 6.Hygiene and beauty products: On boiling of pork bone fat at high temperature, it is used in soap as hardening agent. Fatty acids also give shampoo and conditioner a ‘shiny pearl like’ appearance. It is also used in moisturizer production.

These acids can also be found in a number of body lotions, foundations and anti-wrinkle creams. Glycerine made from pork fat is also an ingredient in many types of toothpaste.

7. Candles and crayons: In order to make candles last longer, pork bone fat is added. The fatty acid from pig bone fat makes crayons hard.

8. Paint and Paint brush: In paints, the fatty acid from pig increases the gloss properties. Pig hair can be utilized in manufacture of paint brush.

9. Pet food: Low value byproducts such as hoofs, fat, blood, tail, tongue etc. can be utilized for maximum benefit. In the recent years, the demand for pet food is gaining ground. The international market has large demand of pet foods. The slaughter houses produce large quantities of raw material for pet food, which can be commercially exploited.

10. Pharmaceutical application: More interestingly, a number of medicines also contain pig gelatin - from analgesic to multivitamins.

Gelatin is used is Capsule pills to give its hardness.

Heparin a drug used to prevent clotting of blood can be derived from of the pig intestine. Insulin can be derived from pig intestine as its chemical structure resembles to human. Pig heart valves are also utilized in treating heart ailments and in cardiac research.

11. Miscellaneous: Shoes that use bone glue from pigs to improve the quality of the leather. Bone ash is also used in production of Fine bone china. Inkjet papers used bone gelatin to provide stiffness and exact amount of absorbency. The bottle cork in made from granulated cork glue with porcine bone gelatin.

Practically everything in a pig can be processed and used. A slaughter house generate a wide range of byproducts suitable for further processing. Prospective entrepreneurs can approach Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), District and Block Level Veterinary Offices, farmer oriented NGOs and other related Institutes for detail technical information.

Commercial Pig production is certainly a lucrative venture when approached with a scientific outlook and entrepreneurial attitude.

Dr Debojyoti Borkotoky, Subject Matter Specialist (Animal Science) KVK, ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Porba, Phek, Nagaland

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

EDITORIAL

Today's quote

“

To succeed in your mission, you must have singleminded devotion to your goal.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Making climate rules at Marrakech The United Nations conference on climate change now under way in Marrakech, Morocco, has the ambitious task of drawing up the first steps on enhanced finance and technology transfer, which is vital to advance the Paris Agreement that entered into force on November 4. India's negotiating positions at the ongoing Conference of the Parties 22 (CoP 22) must ensure that on both these aspects, the basic principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities laid down by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are upheld. Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions is central to the effort to contain the rise of the global average temperature in the current century to well below 2° Celsius since pre-industrial levels. But that goal is considered impossible even if sincere action is taken on all pledges made so far, necessitating a higher ambition. Moreover, the Paris Agreement does not have a carbon budget system that gives weightage to the emerging economies taking their historical handicap into account. The imperative therefore is to demand suitably high financial flows to both mitigate emissions and prepare communities to adapt to climate change. Such a mandate should be seen as an opportunity, since CoP 22 will discuss ways and means for countries to integrate their national commitments submitted for the Paris deal into actual policies and investment plans. In India's case, new developments in sectors such as construction, transport, energy production, waste and water management, as well as agriculture, can benefit from fresh funding and technology.

Adopting green technologies in power generation, which has a lock-in effect lasting decades, and other areas like transport with immediate impacts such as reduced air pollution has a twin advantage. The local environment is cleaned up, improving the quality of life, and carbon emissions are cut. It is imperative therefore that the national position raises pressure on rich countries for technological and funding assistance under the Paris Agreement. In parallel, India would have to update its preparedness to meet the new regime of transparency that is to be launched under the climate pact. The preparatory decisions to write the rules and modalities for such a framework, and assist developing countries with capability building will be taken at Marrakech. There is some apprehension that the U.S. could exit the climate consensus since the President-elect, Donald Trump, has vowed to cancel the Paris Agreement. Yet, business and industry today see a strong case to take a new path, as energy costs favour renewable sources over fossil fuels. States and cities are also charting their own course to curb emissions. These are encouraging trends.

Theresa May's underwhelming visit India and the U.K. have many reasons to have close relations. They are two pillars of the Commonwealth, sharing democratic values and a world view on many political issues including terrorism.

The Indian community that has settled in Britain has helped deepen ties. Today India is the third largest investor in the U.K., and the U.K. is the largest G20 investor in India. It stands to reason that for her first foreign visit outside Europe after taking over as Prime Minister, Theresa May chose India. As long as British courts don't stand in her way, she will work to engineer the U.K.'s exit from the European Union in early 2017, and her visit to India was seen as a way of exploring a trade path outside of the EU, with preliminary talk expected on reviving negotiations for a free trade agreement that were first started in 2007.

For the past few months, British ministers, including key advisers to Ms. May, have emphasised that the Brexit movement would benefit India-U.K. ties.

Given this backdrop, it remains a mystery why, in the event, Ms. May's visit turned out to be devoid of any substantial measures that would put India-U.K ties on a new trajectory.

The two MoUs signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ms. May, on improving the ease of doing business and on intellectual property rights, did little to add any shine to the lacklustre visit. Worse, Ms. May seemed more comfortable with her previous role as U.K. Home Secretary when she had announced strictures on immigration and student visas that have led to a 50 per cent drop in Indian students enrolling in British universities. Just three days before her visit to India, London announced new restrictions on overseas students, including two-tier visa rules based on the "quality of courses", and a crackdown on work visas to control migration. Quite oblivious of the impact of these measures on her hosts, Ms. May chose to announce during her first day in Delhi that not only could she not consider India's demands for relaxation, but that the U.K. could not do so unless India did more to assist in the return of "Indians with no right to remain in the U.K." The irony is that London has refused to budge on facilitating the "return" of the likes of Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi. It was odd that the Modi government chose to rejoice that Ms. May offered visas on a short notice scheme only for the extremely wealthy Indian as part of a "Grand Club", which even British newspapers have criticised as a racist, colonialist and elitist measure.

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The forgotten war The Maoists are far from diminished. While operations like the one in Malkangiri last month help, the government needs to recognise that the movement cannot be approached only from the law and order perspective M. K. Narayanan On October 24, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) lost around 30 of its cadres in a covert operation jointly organised by the Greyhounds of Andhra Pradesh and the Special Operations Group of Odisha. This occurred in the densely forested region of Malkangiri district in Odisha. Many in the establishment, including some among the security forces and the media, have since claimed that it marked the beginning of the end of the Naxalite movement in the country.

Unfortunately, this may be far from true.

Euphoria of this kind is usually the result of a lack of understanding of the true nature of the Maoist movement. The phenomenon is much more than a mere militant movement.

It partakes of an idea, pernicious though the idea might appear, which cannot be destroyed merely through a military-style setback. In the past half a century of its existence, the Naxalite (now Maoist) movement has weathered many such 'setbacks'.

Down but definitely not out In its initial stages, the movement had strong ideological moorings, receiving guidance from leaders like Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, Santosh Rana, Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, Nagabhushan Patnaik and T. Nagi Reddy, to mention just a few. This kind of grounding enabled the movement to withstand changes in methods adopted by the authorities, including techniques such as 'cordon and search' and counter-terrorist operations such as 'Operation Green Hunt'.

Over the years, the trajec-

tory of the movement, as also its character, changed and it became more brutal and sanguinary. Nevertheless, it still maintained a veneer of being true supporters of the poor and the downtrodden, especially the tribal people. It did lose some of the support it previously enjoyed among sections of the urban intelligentsia, but Maoism still resonates with some of the more ideologically oriented elements in universities and colleges. The movement consequently still has considerable depth. It would, hence, be highly invidious to liken it to movements such as the Boko Haram in Africa - as obliquely hinted recently in a submission by the Chhattisgarh government before the Supreme Court.

It is a sign of the times to be blasé about almost anything and everything. Slogans such as 'China's Chairman is our Chairman' may no longer reverberate in the country, but the Maoist movement has not entirely lost its elan. It is less visible in the urban areas, but in many pockets of the country, especially in the more remote areas in the heartland States of the country, the Maoist movement is still a force to reckon with. It is only kept in check by a large security presence.

A dip in violence levels during 2013-2014 has been followed by signs of a Maoist revival in 2015 and 2016. Apart from West Bengal, where economic and developmental measures appear to have weakened the Maoist stranglehold, elsewhere in the country there are few signs that the movement is in retreat. The entire Dandakaranya region, which includes vast areas of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, considerable parts of Chhattisgarh, es-

pecially southern Chhattisgarh, as also large spaces in Odisha and, in addition, Jharkhand and parts of Maharashtra, show signs of a Naxalite revival. The strategic importance of this entire region is quite obvious when one looks at the map of India.

Fashionable once again Recent reports further indicate that from this core, the movement is now radiating out to other parts.

This includes the crucial tri-junction of the three southernmost States of India, viz. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

Both in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, there is growing concern at the manner in which the movement seems to have resurfaced. Adilabad, Warangal, Nizamabad and Khammam are the areas in Telangana where signs of such revival are currently evident. Naxalite ideas have once again become fashionable among college and university students. In Andhra Pradesh, re-emergence of Naxalite activity in the Araku Valley after nearly two decades is causing a great deal of concern among the authorities. Charges are being raised that leaders in Andhra Pradesh are siding

with mining barons against the interests of the local tribal people. Threats to politicians and their backers are being freely held out.

In Chhattisgarh, Dantewada, Bastar, Bijapur and Sukma are the main centres of Maoist activity currently. Many areas within these districts remain out of bounds for the local administration, the police and the security forces. This is despite years of efforts devoted to 'pacifying' the belt. Ambushes of security force personnel occur at regular intervals. In March this year, seven Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed in Dantewada by a skilfully concealed Improvised Explosive Device (IED). During the same month, three members of the highly trained 'CoBRA Battalion' of the CRPF were killed in an ambush in Sukma.

Both Dantewada and Sukma also figured prominently in terrorist attacks on security forces during 2015.

The same pattern is being witnessed in Bastar. Several of the attacks take place even when anti-terrorist operations are being conducted.

Descent from high ide-

ology We are, hence, hardly at an inflection point in the battle against Maoists.

Major strides have undoubtedly been made over the years to improve the condition of the 'poorest of the poor' and the 'wretched of the Earth' (to quote Frantz Fanon).

Nevertheless, the gap still remains wide, enabling movements such as those of the Maoists to exploit the situation.

Admittedly, there is little in common between today's Maoists who indulge in unbridled and often gruesome violent acts and the erstwhile purist revolutionaries of the Charu Majumdar era who had hoped to bring about "A Spring Thunder over India". Yet, there is still more than an umbilical link between the latter and today's Maoists. This cannot be ignored.

Between the first phase of Naxalism (1967 to 1972) and today's Maoist movement, vast changes have occurred in the taxonomy of Naxalism. Till the turn of the century, the movement retained at least some of its original ideological underpinnings and intellectual effervescence. Today, it has metamorphosed into a highly rigid and militaristic movement, more intent on terrorising segments of population than on supporting people's causes.

It maintains its own small arms factories where it fashions much of its weaponry. It has a wellestablished arms trail to obtain state-of-the-art weapons from sources outside the country. It is extremely adept in the use of IEDs, and in resorting to unconventional methods to deploy them. This had led to large-scale security force casualties (in 2010 in an IED explosion

in Dantewada, 76 CRPF personnel were killed).

Over the past decade, the Maoists seemed to have had the better of the exchanges with security forces/civilians in terms of casualties - averaging a ratio of three security forces/civilians killed for every Naxalite. The jury is still out whether - in part at least - this transformation is a reaction to a shift in tactics on the part of the administration of employing a combination of counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency techniques.

Twenty-first century Maoism cannot obviously claim to be a legatee of the ideological movement launched half a century ago. At its inception, it had proper credentials to be listed as a true MarxistLeninist movement. No longer. It today suffers from a lack of tall leaders as well - the present party general secretary 'Ganapathy' can hardly measure up to the 'giants' of the past.

Nevertheless, the movement cannot be written off. It still has reservoirs of support in many rural pockets, and still more so in the more neglected and forgotten tribal regions of the country. It is still able to convey an impression that the Maoists are the 'torch bearers' of 'an idea' whose time is about to come. Central and State governments, the administration and the security establishment need to recognise that the movement cannot be approached from a purely law and order point of view. The process of improving the conditions of the poor and the tribals clearly need to be speeded up if the movement is to be effectively checked.

Show me the money Ban on Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes deals with stocks of black money. But push to a cashless economy is premature.

Ila Patnaik The sudden and dramatic announcement by the prime minister banning Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes issued by the Reserve Bank of India has a number of objectives. Among them are tackling counterfeit notes, curbing black money and restricting finance for subversive activities. While progress will be made by suddenly making the present high denomination currency illegal, we need many more steps before the desired objectives can be fully achieved.

One of the main objectives of replacing old currency notes by printing new notes is to tackle the problem of fake currency notes in circulation. In India, there is fear that counterfeit currency is being used for financing terror as well as other subversive activities.

If security features of the present notes are weak and there is rampant counterfeiting, there is a need to replace

these with new notes that have better security features. Usually, this is done gradually. So, for instance, the RBI could have started issuing new Rs 500 notes, allowed old notes to be exchanged for new ones and issued a deadline after which the old notes would not have been legal tender.

This is typically the strategy followed by most central banks, who are, in general, in a constant battle with counterfeiters. Curbing counterfeiting of internationally accepted currencies like the US dollar, which is used all over the world for legal and illegal activities is supposed to be a constant challenge.

In India, the problem of fake rupee notes has been noticed for many years. It has been difficult to estimate the size of the fake notes in circulation. It is not known whether the counterfeiting is done in India or across the border. Currency notes with better security features are certainly welcome, though it is not obvious

that such a sudden move would make a big difference to this objective. It could have been done slowly with banks not giving out old notes until the last hour.

Then, the objective of curbing black money. Black money is money that has not been declared as income to the income tax authorities.

It is not necessarily obtained from crime or corruption. It may be acquired by not showing the output of a factory and not paying excise on it. All black income is not held in cash. For instance, it may be in foreign bank accounts. Similarly, all cash is not black income. Legitimate businesses deal with large amounts of cash.

Petrol pumps, white goods dealers, textile merchants and jewelers often have large cash holdings by the end of the day with many consumers paying in cash.

Cash will either have to be exchanged by the holder at a bank himself or through someone. For some days, it will be disruptive for business. It would not be sur-

prising if, in some time, a black market pops up to exchange old notes for new notes, thereby converting black money into white.

This could be in the 50-day period in which the old notes can be exchanged with new ones. There would, no doubt, be a discount, if this happens.

But the ban will certainly hit those who are holding black money in cash. Corrupt bureaucrats, politicians and many more with piles of cash must be wondering how to handle the situation and how long to wait before they try to solve it. Since the present high denomination notes are going to be replaced by new notes, it is not that cash will no longer be used for corruption and storing black money though it is likely that dollars, gold or diamonds could become more popular for such illegal purposes due to the fear of such a ban recurring.

However, while the ban may address the problem of the stock of black money in

Helping hands A mother, wishing to encourage her son's progress at the piano, bought tickets to a performance by the great Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski.

When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on the stage. Soon the mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away.

At eight o'clock, the lights in the auditorium began to dim, the spotlights came on, and only then did they notice the boy - up on the piano

bench, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." His mother gasped in shock and embarassment but, before she could retrieve her son, the master himself appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard.

He whispered gently to the boy, "Don't quit.

Keep playing." Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right arm reached around

the other side and improvised a delightful obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized with their blended and beautiful music.

In all our lives, we receive helping hands - some we notice, some we don't.

Equally we ourselves have countless opportunites to provide helping hands - sometimes we would like our assistance to be noticed, sometimes we don't. Little of what we all achieve is without learning from others and without support from others and what we receive we should hand out.

cash, the question is: Will it encourage people to disclose all income and start paying taxes on it? Or does that require simplification and rationalisation of the tax system? As long as agricultural income can be used as a route to avoid taxes and indirect tax rates have multiple rates and exemptions, the problem of tax evasion is unlikely to go away.

On the negative side, the disruption in transactions could hit the emerging growth of consumer demand. In 1978, India denotified the 1,000 rupee note, and nothing much happened. A black market sprang up, people who had these notes took a loss while selling off these notes to people who could claim these as legitimate income.

At the time, those notes were 0.6 per cent of the cash in circulation. Things are more daunting this time as 85 per cent of the cash in circulation is in the old Rs 500 and Rs1,000 notes.

A monetary economics perspective is useful. In India,

there is one concept of money supply for the formal economy (the total money in all banks) and another concept of money supply for the informal economy (the cash in circulation). We will have an 85 per cent reduction in money supply for the informal economy for some days.

Money is the means of transacting in the informal economy - payments will be held up and purchases will be postponed.

Some see this move as a way of pushing the country forward towards a cashless economy. There are two problems with this perspective. First, it is not that high denomination currency notes will go away. The existing notes will be replaced by new notes. Second, the cashless ecosystem is not ready to support a whole range of new users; this push is premature. Those who move from the denotification of the Rs 500/1,000 notes will not take to electronic payments. Their quest could instead take them to new notes, gold, US dollars and the bitcoin.

Circulation of Syllabus Dear Sir Through the column of your daily esteemed paper, I would like to bring to the notice of Director, Economics & Statistics to kindly circulate syllabus for the optional paper for the post Field Investigator. Without any syllabus for the optional paper, how the aspiring candidates are supposed to prepare for their exam. It will be wastage of time for any candidates to randomly prepare for their competitive exams. So it’s my humble request to the Director, Economics & Statistics to do the needful action from your end.

Yours Aspiring Candidate Shri A. Menjo E-Sector, Itanagar

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

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Apple MacBook Pro announced in 3 new flavours; price Rs 1,29,900 onwards display · 2.9GHz or 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 3.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor · Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz · Up to 10 hours battery life · Up to 1TB SSD · Force Touch trackpad · and weighs 3.02 pounds

At its Special Event today, Apple announced its all-new MacBook Pro. As expected, Apple went with a complete redesign to make its new MacBook Pro lighter, thinner and more powerful than the previous ones.

The new MacBook Pro will be available in three flavours, a 13-inch new MacBook Pro with traditional function keys, a 13-inch MacBook Pro with the new Touch Bar and the bigger and more powerful 15-inch model.

All models have been marked as ‘coming soon’ on the Apple India website. But fear not!

As the price tags are official. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with traditional function keys will start from Rs 1,29,900 while the 13inch and 15-inch models with the new Touch Bar start from Rs 1,55,900 and Rs 2,05,900 respectively.

The new MacBook Pro offers Force Touch trackpads

that are 46 percent larger on the 13-inch MacBook Pro and twice as large on the 15-inch MacBook Pro. And, the secondgeneration butterfly mechanism makes typing more responsive and c o m f o r t a b l e .

Futhermore, macOS Sierra brings new features like Siri integration, Universal Clipboard, Apple Pay on the web and Photos, and more.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with traditional function keys will offer: · 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina display · 2.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor · Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz · Up to 10 hours battery life · Up to 1TB SSD · Force Touch trackpad · weighs just 3.02 pounds The 13-inch MacBook

Pro with the new Touch Bar offers: · Touch Bar and Touch ID · 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina

Coming to the most powerful MacBook Pro in the line up, the 15-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you get: · Touch Bar and Touch ID · 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina

display · 2.6GHz, 2.7GHz, or 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor · Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz · Up to 10 hours battery life · Up to 2TB SSD · Force Touch trackpad · and it weighs in at 4.02 pounds Indeed the highlight of the new MacBook Pro models, would be the Touch Bar, which basically acts like an additional layer of touchbased interaction similar to 3D Touch. Apple also showcased with thirdparty software developers like Adobe’s Photoshop, how useful

the new Touch Bar really is and how it allows for proper full screen editing also exposing hidden menus at times. The same Touch Bar also feature Touch ID hidden under the power button.

Support for the new Touch Bar with these apps should be available by the end of the year.

At the end of presen-

Reliance Lyf F1 Plus with 4G VoLTE launched at Rs 13,099

tation it was easy to notice how Apple has conveniently upped the price range of its MacBooks. Tim Cook showed off the new line up: 12-inch 2016 MacBook : Rs 92,810 13-inch MacBook Pro with traditional function keys : Rs 1,29,900

13-inch new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar : Rs 1,55,900 15-inch new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar : Rs 2,05,900 Which also meant that the current and outdated Apple MacBook Air lineup could be phased out soon with the pricey 2016 MacBook taking its place.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 coming soon; spotted with 3GB RAM, Snapdragon 625 New Delhi: After the Redmi 3 launch in early January 2016,itseemsthatXiaomiisgearing up to launch the upgraded version Redmi 4.

According to the latest leak on Chinese certification site TENAA, the upgrade of the Redmi 3? or Xiaomi’s Redmi 4 was spotted.

As per the leak Redmi 4 will come with the following features: A 5-inch FullHD display.

Will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 chipset which has a 1.4GHz octacore processor.

I likely to be paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage which is expandable to

128GB. Expected to have a 13MP rear camera with dual LED flash unit and a 5MP frontfacing camera.

Will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow along with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI skin atop it.

A fingerprint scanner in the top half on the rear side.

Expected to come with a 4000mAh battery.

May have a price tag of CNY 699 (approx Rs 7000).

The is no official statement from Xiaomi on the time and date of launch, but it is being speculated that Redmi 4 may hit the market sometime in November.

10 evergreen Android games Reliance Retail has expanded its product portfolio with the launch of a new smartphone - Lyf F1 Plus. Priced at Rs 13,099 the handset is available via Snapdeal. Similar to all other Lyf-series smartphones, this one too offers 4G VoLTE support.

In terms of specifications, Lyf F1 Plus features a 5.5-inch Full HD display with a 1080x1920 pixel resolution. The display is made of a scratch-resistant coating of Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on top.

The smartphone runs the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system and is powered by a 1.6GHz octa-core processor.

It offers 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB through a microSD card.

Sporting a 16MP rear camera with LED flash, it also carries an 8MP front camera for selfies.

On the connectivity front, the smartphone offers 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS and is backed by a 3,200mAh battery.

Recently, the company had launched Lyf Water 11 smartphone at a price tag of Rs 8,199 in India.

The handset comes bundled with a Reliance Jio SIM along with the Jio Welcome offer which includes unlimited data,

calling, SMS, and access to Reliance Jio services.

It has a 5-inch HD display of 720x1280 pixel resolution, and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735A processor.

The smartphone offers a 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage expandable to 32GB with a microSD card. For imaging duties, it has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing shooter.

The smartphone packs a 2,100mAh battery and offers 4G, LTE, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and USB OTG as connectivity options.

Zen Cinemax 2+ launched in India at Rs 3,777 New Delhi: Domestic mobile manufacturer Zen mobiles on Friday launched a new smartphone Zen Cinemax 2+ at Rs 3,777. The new 3G device comes with 5.5-inches screen along with 5MP primary camera and 3.2MP front-facing camera with flash.

The smartphone is equipped with 1.3 GHz Quad Core processor powered by 1 GB RAM, 8GB storage capacity along with expandable up to 32GB. "With the launch of Zen Cinemax 2+, we are completely confident about the success of our newly

launched smartphone. Our objective is to expand our reach for Zen Mobile and cater to as many customers as," said Sanjay Kalirona, CEO, Zen Mobiles in a statement.

Zen Cinemax 2+ is exclusively available on Shopclues.

Almost every one of us likes to play some games in our free time. And it's easy today, as most modern smartphones are powerful enough to double up as really good handheld gaming devices. But due to the sheer variety of mobile gaming titles out there, deciding on the ones to play can get a little tricky.

To help in making that choice easier, we've compiled a list of ten evergreen Android games that can be played anytime and anywhere.

Angry Birds Angry Birds needs no introduction. The entire plot of this ridiculously popular game revolves around birds with different powers who take revenge against the greedy pigs who have stolen their eggs. The popularity of Angry Birds can be gauged from the fact that it was recently adapted into a live-action movie.

Candy Crush Candy Crush is another mobile game that has become insanely popular, keeping people glued to their smartphone screens for hours. Playing Candy Crush is simple. You just have to switch and match your way through hundreds of fun levels in this puzzle-based adventure. The game also has a 'Spin and Daily Booster wheel' which gives

delicious surprises. You just have to cross the 50th level to unlock the Dream world and escape reality with Odus the Owl. Temple Run The original Temple Run is one of the first games that took the smartphone gaming world by storm. It's an endless runner type game. You have to keep running while

saving yourself from falling off a cliff or getting killed by demons and traps. Given how popular it is, we might see a Temple Run movie in the near future as well.

Subway Surfers Similar to Temple Run, the Kiloo-developed Subway Surfers is also an endless runner and one of the most downloaded games on An-

droid. You have to keep running without getting caught by the cop. Along the way you collect coins and unlock goodies like jetpacks and gifts.

Where's My Water Created by Disney, Where's My Water is an addictive game that gets harder as you progress. The game involves ensuring that the cute crocodile who's trying to bathe gets enough water to finish his bath.

Clash of Clans Clash of Clans revolves around rage-filled barbarians and pyromaniac wizards.

You have to build your own army and lead your clan to victory. You can also build your own village and battle against other players across the world to make your clan the most powerful of them all. There are multiple level upgrades as well as countless combinations of troops, spells, heroes and reinforcements.

Cut The Rope Cut The Rope's primary character is a tiny frog. The motive is to cut the rope smartly so that the candy tied at the end of the rope falls directly inside the frog's mouth. It sounds easy but once the levels increase, Cut The Rope gets pretty challenging.

Fruit Ninja Want a good workout rou-

tine for your fingers? Look no further than Fruit Ninja.

You need to slice all the fruits that appear on the screen by quickly running your finger across them. But you also have to avoid slicing the explosives that appear along with them.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is an interesting and addictive card based game. You have to build decks from cards you purchase and win, in order to battle against your friends and strangers. The game requires a proper strategy.

You can also polish your skills by first playing against the computer. After practicing enough, you can enter the arena and duel with other players for winning some exciting prizes.

Asphalt 8: Airborne Any list of best mobile games can hardly be considered complete without Asphalt 8: Airborne. Among the best racing games available on Android (and other platforms) right now, Airborne's game play is similar to that of its predecessor. You are given four control options - 'Tilt to steer,' 'Tilt and icons,' 'On-screen controls' and 'Tap to steer'. However, the game consumes a lot of space on your smartphone and its frequent updates are equally massive.

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

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NATION

India again asks Pak for consular access Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Poonch to arrested citizens Jadhav, Ansari New Delhi, Jan 1 : Renewing its demand, India today asked Pakistan for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested on charges of espionage, and Hamid Nehal Ansari , who was caught for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan apparently to meet a girl he had befriended online.

India called for consular access to the two after it exchanged with Pakistan the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in each other's jails as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement.

The external affairs ministry said India remains

India again asks Pak for consular access to arrested citizens Jadhav, Ansari

committed to address on "priority" with Pakistan the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's coun-

try.

"In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for

release and repatriation.

"We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistan's custody for whom it has so far not been provided including and Kulbhushan Jadhav," the MEA said in a statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning 'subversive activities' in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied

that he has any connection with the government.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident, Ansari, a Mumbai resident, had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing.

He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.

The agreement on Consular Access, signed on 21 May 2008, provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other country's jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1.

BJP says it is TMC eyes major role in next central govt,talks of oppn unity ready to contest 37 PTI Kolkata, Jan 1 : As Mamata Banerjee virtually leads the opposition offensive against the Modi government on note ban, her party Trinamool Congress today made it clear its aim is to play a major role in formation of central government in 2019 and vowed not to stop despite the "vendetta politics", after its leaders faced renewed heat over chit fund scams.

Addressing the 19th Foundation Day programme of TMC here, its vice president Mukul Roy said the party will work to unite the opposition forces for the next general election.

"As our party and our supremo Mamata Banerjee had opposed the anti-people decision of demonetisation, vendetta politics will intensify in days to come. But that cant stop TMC from opposing anti-people decision," Roy said.

"We will not stop until and unless we play a decisive role in national politics in days to come. In 2019, TMC will play a major role in government formation by uniting opposition forces," the senior TMC leader said.

His statement came just days after Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal

was arrested by CBI for his alleged involvement in Rose Valley Chit Fund scam.

CBI has accused the ponzi firm of duping investors of Rs 17,000 crore, of which Rs 450 crore is from Odisha alone. The company was active in Odisha and had 28 branches in the state.

"He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) can arrest all of our MPs, I do not care. This is nothing but vendetta politics. We will continue with our protest (against demonetisation)," a furious Trinamool Congress supremo had said after the arrest.

TMC leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay too has been summoned by the central agency in the same case.

Party leader Madan Mitra was granted bail by a special court in September, after 21 months of his arrest for his alleged involvement in the Saradha chitfund scam.

Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh is also out on bail in cases related to the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam. Ghosh was suspended by the Trinamool Congress in September, 2013 for antiparty activities after he had started making alle-

gations of involvement of some party leaders in the scam.

Investigation into the ponzi scam, which came to light in 2013, revealed that the Saradha Group had allegedly cheated investors of Rs 1,200 crore in mainly rural areas, as per an official estimate. The CBI had taken over the investigation in June, 2014 following an order of the Supreme Court TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been opposing demonetisation and demanding its roll back since the beginning, led protests in Delhi besides holding meetings in Lucknow and Patna.

"Started on 1 January 1998 by people of Bengal, Trinamool turns 19 today.

We rededicate ourselves to be with the people, for the people, by the people," Banerjee said in a tweet today.

Banerjee, who was baptized into politics through her stint in Congress first as youth Congress leader and then as MP, floated her party Trinamool Congress in 1998 following differences with Congress.

Her party won for the second consecutive time last year in West Bengal Assembly polls.

NDA govt dedicated for welfare of poor: Rajnath New Delhi, Jan 1 : Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the NDA government is dedicated for the welfare of weaker sections of the society and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's New Year eve's announcements will benefit poor, farmers and those who live in villages.

In a statement here, Singh said the decisions announced by the Prime Minister last evening were "propeople" and "pro-development" and that he was taking the country forward with his vision and leader-

ship.

"The announcements made by the Prime Minister will benefit 'Gaon' (village), 'Gareeb' (poor) and 'Kisan' (farmers) and all other sections of the society.

"The Prime Minister has once again made it clear that the NDA government is dedicated to the welfare of poor and weaker sections of the society," he said.

Singh said the Prime Minister's announcement to launch two new housing schemes on lowering interest rates will help in realising the dream of hous-

ing-for-all by 2022.

"The country can't prosper and become strong unless there is development of weaker sections," he said.

Singh called the schemes announced for the farmers, traders, pregnant women "commendable", adding that "the Indian economy will get a boost and there will be speedy development in the country".

"The decision to give relief to farmers on interest payments and conversion of three crore Kisan Credit Cards into Rupay cards will be very helpful," he said.

NSG website hacked, defaced with abusive message against PM New Delhi, Jan 1 : Suspected Pakistan-affiliated operatives today hacked the official website of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) and defaced it with a profanity-laden message against the Prime Minister and anti-India content. Officials said the hacking attempt was noticed early today and the URL www.nsg.gov.in - was blocked soon after by the counter-terror force from its

headquarters here.

The hackers, identifying themselves as 'Alone Injector', posted the offensive content on the site's home page. Official sources said the hacking attempt could have been carried out by Pakistanaffiliated hackers, though they were still trying to ascertain exact details in this regard.

The website belonging to the 'black cat' commandos is main-

tained from the NSG headquarters here and gives out basic information about the force, its origin and operations. The matter has been brought to the notice of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and "remedial action" is in process. The elite commando force was raised in 1984 as the federal contingency unit to undertake counter-terror and counterpiracy operations.

Indian troops retaliated and there was a brief exchange of firing but there was no causality.

On December 16, Pakistan army had targeted Indian positions along the LoC in the Balakote sector of the same district.

New Delhi, Jan 1 : Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire this morning along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no casualty.

"There was firing by troops from across from 0900 hours along LoC in Poonch sector today," an

officer said. The Indian troops retaliated and there was a brief exchange of firing, he said, adding there was no causality. The firing took place in Shahpur sector of Poonch.

On December 30, a civilian was killed as Pakistan army indulged in heavy

cross-border firing targeting Indian positions and civilian areas along the LOC in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian side to give a befitting reply.

On December 16, Pakistan army had targeted Indian positions along the LoC in the Balakote sector of the same district.

The 2003 India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement has virtually become redundant with a whopping over 300 incidents of firing and shelling along LoC and IB in J&K by Pakistani troops that resulted in death of 27 people, including 14 security personnel, since the surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK on September 28-29.

Army won't shy away from of 40 seats in Goa flexing its muscles: Gen Rawat PTI They are yet to formally Panaji, Jan 1 : BJP today said it was ready to contest 37 out of 40 Assembly constituencies in Goa on its own in the elections this year. "We have held Vijay Sankalp rallies in 35 constituencies. At present we are ready to contest 37 constituencies on our own without any kind of alliance," its state general secretary Sadanand Tanawade said here.

The ruling party is currently selecting candidates. Reacting to media reports about Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) aligning with the rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkars Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), Tanawade said MGP was yet to withdraw its support to the BJP-led Goa government. "We have learnt about their alliance with GSM through media.

inform us about their pre-poll tie-up," Tanawade said. MGP leaders last month criticised the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar openly, which led to sacking of two MGP ministers from the cabinet and souring of relations between the alliance partners. "We have not snapped alliance with MGP. It is they who are talking with other parties," Tanawade said. MGP was trying to dictate terms to BJP over the leadership issue, which was unfair, he said. "As we have 21 legislators, it is upto us to choose our leader.

Partys (BJPs) central leadership and MLAs chose Parsekar as the leader. MGP should not have any say in that. In an alliance, it is not done that a partner will choose the leader for the main party," Tanawade said.

New Delhi, Jan 1 : New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said the role of the force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not "shy away from flexing its muscles, if the need be".

Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt Gen P M Hariz will continue to serve the Army and maintain the unity, he said.

"The force is to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border but it will not shy away from flexing its muscles, if the need be," Gen Rawat said.

All units and services of the Army are together and he would always look at each one of them as one unit, he said.

Rawat, who took over as the 27th Army chief yesterday, was speaking to reporters here after inspecting the Guard of Honour at the South

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat Block here.

Gen Rawat had superseded two senior most Lt Generals - Praveen Bakshi and P M Hariz.

Lt Gen Bakshi yesterday announced "full support" to the new chief and told theatre officers through video conferencing he will continue to lead with full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore.

Government sources had earlier said Rawat was found best suited among the Lt Generals to deal with emerging challenges, including a reorganised and restructured military force in the north, continuing terrorism and proxy war from the west, and the situation in the NorthEast.

PM's decisions pro-people so Cong can't digest them: Ministers New Delhi, Jan 1 : Attacking Congress for criticising Prime Minister's announcements, senior Union Ministers today alleged that the opposition party is "unable to digest" any step that benefits the poor and those living in villages.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the decisions announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last evening were propeople and pro-development and he is taking the country forward with his vision and leadership.

"The announcements made by the Prime Minister will benefit 'gaon' (village), 'gareeb' (poor) and 'kisan' (farmers) and all other sections of the society.

"The Prime Minister has once again made it clear that the NDA government is dedicated to the welfare of poor and weaker sections of the society," he said in a statement.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the "sins" of the opposition party will be "quantified" once the data on black money unearthed is made public.

Naidu also took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over reports of him being in London for New Year, saying it shows "how serious" the party was when it comes to issues of the people.

He said that PM's announcements should not be termed as "sops", and asserted that the poor, middle class, farmers and small traders were only being given their due that was denied to them by the system which was under the command and control of the those having black money.

"As usual, the Congress and some of their friends are feeling a lot of discomfort on the New Year day as Prime Minister reached out to the needy section with helping hand," he said Naidu said that since November 8, the Congress and their friends have been "shedding crocodile tears" over the hardship caused to the people.

"When the Prime Minister announced the much desired relief and welfare measures for the farmers, middle class, senior citizens, poor and small businessmen and women, the Congress party is not able to digest it," he said.

The Information and Broadcasting Minister said that rattled by Modi's outreach, the Congress in wisdom has preferred to question the timing of the announcement of this relief.

He asked as to why the Congress says that Modi should have waited for Parliament session.

"The nefarious design of the Congress seems to be that they could have prevented the Prime Minister from helping the needy sections of the society by disrupting Parliament as they have done in the Winter Session," he said.

The Home Minister said the launching of two new housing schemes on low interest rates will help in realising the dream of housing for all by 2022.

"The country can't prosper and become strong unless there is development of weaker sections.

"The decision to give relief to farmers on interest payments and conversion of three crore Kisan Credit Cards into Rupay cards will be very helpful," he said.

Naidu also took a dig at those claiming that the PM had given a "budget speech", denying the Finance Minister his opportunity.

"I am even more surprised with the Congress worrying over what the finance minister would be doing with the budget to be presented soon.

"With so much experience in government, Congress does not seem to be knowing what the broad objectives of Budget are.

"Budget is all about bringing out the present status of the economy and the government's road map for the next year including tax

proposals," he said.

Naidu said that last month's announcement of note withdrawal was an effective "anti-corruption, anti-black money vaccine".

He said that the vaccine is enabling tracking of black money as all cash has come into the system.

He said "it will take some time but government will find out what is black and what is white".

He said that leaders of Congress party and some of their friends have been spending sleepless nights since they came to know that Modi would be addressing the nation again.

"They were probably worried about the amount of black money the Prime Minister would announce as recovered under remonetisation. This worry continues as he did not put out any figure," Naidu said.

The Minister said that the Prime Minister has made it amply clear that efforts to trace black money would continue more vigorously till the last rupee is traced.

"The amount will be announced when this exercise concludes. When this is done, the magnitude of the sins committed by the Congress in all these years will be quantified," he said.

Asked about media re-

ports that Rahul Gandhi is on a holiday to London for New Year, Naidu said, "Normally, we don't make personal comments and that too when people go on holidays. We have never questioned that."

"But it (Rahul's trip) is an indication to people how serious the Congress is towards the problems of the people. Because till yesterday they were saying problems are very serious, we will fight it out...."

He said Rahul standing in ATM queues and with traders were nothing but "political photo opportunity".

He accused Gandhi of just doing "nautankbazi and photobazi".

Asked about his accusations against Modi on the issue of Sahara and Birla diaries, Naidu said the Congress was following the "spit and run" tactic.

He also spoke about the family feud in the Samajwadi party and termed it as "pure drama".

He said the drama would eventually end in political tragedy for the party.

Singh said the schemes announced for the farmers, traders, pregnant women were commendable.

"Economy will get a boost and there will be speedy development in the country," he said.

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

BUSINESS

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Sensex feels Fed rate hike ripple, slumps 84 pts

India sees oil touching $60 a barrel before retreating

Mumbai, Jan1: A global panic rubbed off on stocks here today as the Sensex dropped 84 points to close at 26,519 trying to figure out the impact of US interest rate hike on India and other emerging markets amid feelers that more are on the cards.

This sent the rupee steeply lower by 42 paise to 67.85 (intra-day) against the dollar, which fed the nervous cycle.

The session saw strong spells of volatility amid sustained foreign funds outflows.

The quarter percentage point rate increase -- the first this year -- was a virtual certainty although investors were caught offguard after the Federal Reserve indicated that the pace of the tightening will be quicker in 2017.

The 30-share barometer started on a negative note, fell further but somewhat recovered to end at

In sync with the trend, the small-cap index rose 0.21 per cent and mid-cap ended almost flat.

26,519.07, down 83.77 points, or 0.31 per cent.

It moved between a low of 26,407.58 and a high of 26,737.86.

The gauge had lost 95 points in the previous session.

The NSE Nifty fell 28.85 points, or 0.35 per cent, at 8,153.60. Intra-day, it hovered between 8,121.95 and 8,225.90.

The benchmark indices contained the losses on the back of buying in IT stocks supported by a strong dollar against the rupee.

Sentiment took a hit as fears grew that a rate hike in the US would mean higher pace of capital outflows from emerging markets, including India, into US bonds that are consid-

ered as safer investment options, brokers said.

Major losers that dragged down the indices included Sun Pharma, NTPC, Tata Motors, ITC, Bharti Airtel, Cipla, Dr Reddy's, Asian Paints, Coal India, Hindustan Unilever and RIL, falling by up to 4.36 per cent.

But TCS, the country's leading IT exporter, continued its upward journey for yet another day and ended 2.34 per cent higher on expectations that a rising dollar against the rupee will improve its earnings.

Out of 30-share Sensex constituents, 18 ended lower, while 12 finished in the green.

Global markets also ruled mixed after the US Fed, as expected, hiked rates by 0.25 per cent.

Among other Asian markets, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.77 per cent and Shanghai Composite shed 0.73 per

cent while Japan's Nikkei was up 0.10 per cent.

London's FTSE dropped 0.07 per cent. Paris rose 0.70 per cent while Frankfurt's DAX 30 rose 0.53 per cent.

The BSE healthcare index suffered the most by falling 1.36 per cent, followed by FMCG 0.80 per cent, consumer durables 0.79 per cent and auto 0.32 per cent.

In sync with the trend, the small-cap index rose 0.21 per cent and mid-cap ended almost flat.

Shares of Gitanjali Gems climbed 6.70 per cent to close at Rs 66.85 after the company said its September quarter net profit jumped 48 per cent and its subsidiary Nakshatra World notified the decision of raising up to Rs 650 crore through an IPO. Meanwhile, foreign investors sold shares worth Rs 632.29 crore yesterday, showed provisional data.

(PTI)

The rise not only threatens fiscal maths of a nation that is 80% dependent on imports to meet its oil needs but may also spur inflation cent, to $53.90 a barrel.

"We expect oil prices will reach $60 and then it will come down," the official said.

The slump in oil prices has been a bid factor that has helped Indian economy notch up big gains by cutting its import bill and reining in inflation.

India, which depends on imports to meet 80 per cent of its oil needs, will Brent fell $1.82, or 3.3 per cent, to $53.90 a barrel. have to spend Rs 9,126 crore ($1.36 billion) more New Delhi, Jan 1: With corded in January to every year for one dollar crude oil prices more than hover at $55. per barrel increase in doubling in one year and The rise not only threat- crude oil. Besides, the posing a threat to emerg- ens the fiscal maths of a rising crude oil trajecing economies, world's nation that is 80 per cent tory impacts inflation third biggest oil consumer dependent on imports to and growth.

India sees the the rates meet its oil needs but also India spent $63.96 biltouching $60 a barrel be- may spur inflation. lion on crude oil import fore retreating.

A top official said the gov- in 2015-16, about half A deal between Opec and ernment does not see any of $112.7 billion outgo non-Opec members to cut immediate sense of alarm in the previous fiscal output for the first time as oil prices have retracted and $143 billion in 2013since 2008 has led to a 15 from the 17-month high 14. per cent surge in crude oil following the US Federal For the current fiscal, prices in last two weeks. Reserve raising interest the import bill has been Brent crude oil prices have rates for the first time this pegged at $66 billion at more than doubled from a year. an average import price low of $27.88 a barrel re- Brent fell $1.82, or 3.3 per of $48 per barrel. (PTI)

Rupee may depreciate further, Bill to allow firms to to be in range of 67-71/USD pay salaries thru fundamentals should lead the currency to fare bet- cashless mode in LS India very well cushioned to ter than most of the emerging market curren- New Delhi, Jan1: With lishments "which shall

Image for Representation purpose Mumbai, Jan1: The rupee is expected to depreciate further and be in range of 67-71 against the US dollar, but still it will fare better than most of the emerging market currencies, says a report.

According to Kotak Institutional Equities, global policy divergence would strengthen the dollar dominance against other G-4 majors in the coming months.

Moreover, market adjustment to the Fed and US

political realities, among others will likely position investors against emerging markets, the report said.

"Factoring in possible realignment of global risk appetite along with expectations of further accommodation by the RBI, we expect INR to depreciate further and be in the range of 67-71 against USD," Kotak Institutional Equities said in a research note.

However, even as the rupee weakens, its relatively strong macroeconomic

cies.

Rupee today tumbled by 42 paise to 67.85 against the dollar due to appreciation of the American currency globally as the US Fed hiked interest rate by a quarter percentage point and indicated more to come next year.

Regarding the FOMC raising the Fed funds rate by 25 bps, the report said, investor aversion for emerging market assets may continue as markets adjust to Fed moves.

The Federal Reserve has increased its key interest rate by 0.25 per cent for the first time in a year in response to a strengthening US economy.

This is only for the second time in a decade that the Fed has raised its rate.

The other one was in December 2015. (PTI)

the government focusing on cashless transactions post demonetisation, a bill seeking to allow employers of certain business and industrial establishments to pay salaries to their employees either through cheque or electronic means, was introduced in the Lok Sabha today.

Once passed by Parliament, The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2016 will amend Section 6 of the principal Act to enable employers to pay wages to their employees also by cheque or crediting it to their bank accounts.

The Bill was introduced

by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya amid din over demonetisation issue.

It will also allow state governments to specify industrial or other estab-

pay to every employed person the wages only by cheque or by crediting in his bank account."

The bill states that by adopting the new procedure, complaints regarding non-payment or less payment of minimum wages.

It will also serve the objective of "digital and less cash economy", the bill states.

By making state-level amendments to the Act, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala and Haryana have already made provisions for payment of wages through cheque and electronic transfer.

As of now, with the written authorisation of an employee, wages can be given through cheque or transferred to his or her bank account. (PTI)

Withdrawal limit to ease after 80% new notes Maruti Suzuki to re-channelised: Govt launch premium HIGHLIGHTS Govt said restrictions on cash withdrawals will ease once 80 per cent of new currency is re-channelised through bank deposits

Image for Representation purpose.

New Delhi, Jan1: The government will start easing restrictions on cash withdrawals once 80 per cent of the new currency introduced following the demonetisation is rechannelised through bank deposits, a top official said today.

Queues at banks have reduced substantially and are visibly longer only in poll bound states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, he said.

The official added that the restrictions on cash withdrawals will be first eased in case of cooperative banks and then for all the scheduled commercial banks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced junking of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, and replaced by new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes.

Along with demonetisation, restrictions were placed on bank counter as well as

ATMwithdrawals.

The official said the government is re-monetising the scrapped currency, which made up for 86 per cent of bank notes in circulation by value.

"We could not print all the currencies in one go because we wanted the money to be channelised in the system first," he said.

As of now, 50 per cent of the deposits in banks are in the new currency which shows gradually money is remonetised, he said implying that half of the new currency withdrawn has found way back into banks by way of deposits.

"When 80 per cent of new currency is rechannelised in the bank deposits then withdrawal restrictions will be eased," he said. "Withdrawal restrictions will first be relaxed for cooperative banks and then for all banks. And over time as remonetisation is

Restrictions will be first eased in cooperative banks and then for all the scheduled commercial banks completed they will be removed totally."

Before the announcement of demonetisation, the government had already arranged for the printing of 200 crore Rs 2,000 notes, or roughly about Rs 4 lakh crore in value. They were the first set of notes to be circulated.

Thereafter, a new Rs 500 note was introduced and now all the four printing presses of RBI at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, Nashik in Maharashtra, Salboni in West Bengal and Mysuru in Karnataka are working overtime to replenish the exhausted currencies.

The official said the restrictions will be withdrawn once the situation stabilises.

"Remonetisation has substantially happened and as and when it (stabilisation) happens, restrictions will be eased," he said, adding that there will be no cap on deposits made in the bank from January 2017.

(PTI)

hatchback 'Ignis' next month

New Delhi, Jan 1: The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India will launch its premium hatchback 'Ignis' in the second week of January targeting the millennial consumers.

The new model will be sold through the company's Nexa premium outlets.

"The population of millennials has grown over the years in India.

They are unique in their approach and consumption pattern. So far, nobody has designed a car for them. With the Ignis we are targeting them," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Executive Director (Marketing and sales) R S Kalsi told reporters here.

The car will be available in 1.2 litre petrol- and 1.3 litre diesel-engine options. It will also offer automatic gearshift option on both fuel options.

This will be the entry level car for the premium Nexa chain, which also sells the Baleno and S-Cross models of the company, he added.

At present MSI has 197 Nexa outlets in about 115 cities in India.

"By the end of the ongoing fiscal it will be around 250 outlets in 150 cities," Kalsi said.

The Ignis will be produced at MSI's Gurugram plant and meant mainly for the domestic market. It would be exported to South Asia and South East Asia also, he added.

The car will be launched on January 13, while online bookings on the company's website will start in the first week of January.

Initially the Ignis was planned to be launched this year but the company decided to postpone in order to meet demand for its Baleno and Vitara Brezza models.

When asked about the impact of demonetisation, Kalsi said it has had a temporary effect but trends are reversing again and "our factories are running on full capacity".

(PTI)

absorb Fed rate hike: CEA Arvind Subramanian

New Delhi, Jan1: The interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve will bring volatility and uncertainty in capital flows into emerging market economies, but India is very well cushioned to absorb the impact, Chief economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian said.

He said that the 0.25 per cent rate hike by the US Fed was on expected lines and India with strong macroeconomic fundamentals is "less anxious" than other markets.

"The US interest rates are rising and dollars are rising. Of course, there will be some reassessment and money will flow from emerging market to US at least for some time. But in that, we will be less affected than other countries," he said at an Assocham event here.

With economic growth picking up since the middle of the year, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rate yesterday - the second time in a decade.

It had last hiked rates in December 2015.

"This was anticipated and expected. The Indian economy is very well cushioned to absorb the impact of that. I think the RBI policy also took an account of this in a sensible way. I think there will be some short-term things, but we need not

Arvind Subramanian worry on that," Subramanian said.

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell 141 points in opening trade today, but later recovered and was trading 42 points higher in post noon trade.

"The RBI took the right call on this. In this period of volatility and uncertainty, we need to have a strong macro economy which we have. I am a little bit less concerned about that," he said.

Last week, the RBI maintained a status quo on interest rates, saying it wants to wait and see how the impact of demonetisation and US Fed rate hike play out.

He said that there has been a big flow of funds from emerging markets, but given that India is a bright spot, the impact will be much less.

Asked about spike in oil prices after OPEC and non-OPEC members agreed to cut production

for the first time since 2008, he said that the oil market has evolved in the last 5-7 years and there is a natural kind of ceiling on how high the price can go because of shale oil and shale gas.

"If the prices go up and down, there will be some implication, but I don't think the oil prices are going to surge to a level which is difficult for Indian economy to handle," the chief economic advisor said.

Oil prices rose to a 17month high after a deal between OPEC and nonOPEC members but tumbled after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time this year. While West Texas Intermediate oil dropped $1.94 to $51.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent fell $1.82, or 3.3 percent, to $53.90 a barrel. (PTI)

Taken various steps to boost e-payments at toll plazas:Govt New Delhi, Jan1: The Centre has taken various measures to resolve issues raised by transporters and encouraged electronic payments at various places, besides introducing coupon system and exempting tolls at plazas, Parliament was informed today.

"The Ministry has received representation from Transporters' Association attracting the attention of this Ministry towards the crisis faced by them due to demonetisation," Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Pon Radhakrishnan said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

He added that the concerns of the transporters have been appraised by the Competent Authority.

To overcome the impact of demonetisation, he said that the government is promoting the usage of digital transaction at various places, including toll plazas and petrol pumps and added that the toll tax was also exempted at toll plazas from November 9 to December 2.

"Further, coupon system has been introduced at toll plaza to overcome the difficulty of change of high denomination c u r r e n c y , " Radhakrishnan said.

In a separate reply, he

said the government has notified the use of prepaid payment instruments for collection of user fees from road users.

"This is to permit the road users to opt for available cashless modes of payment," he said.

He also added that the government has facilitated the concessionaire/ contractor to introduce the mobile wallet service at their toll plazas for efficient operation.

"NHAI...Has facilitated the concessionaire/contractor to use PoS (Point of Sale) machines for collection of user fees through credit and debit card," he added. (PTI)

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

Donald Trump again doubts US intelligence on Russian hacking AFP Washington, Jan 1 : President-elect Donald Trump has again cast doubt on a US intelligence finding that Russia meddled in the US election through computer hacking, a conclusion that led to US sanctions against Moscow.

"Well, I just want them to be sure, because it's a pretty serious charge, and I want them to be sure," Trump told reporters at his estate in Mar-a-Lago, Florida yesterday.

He noted that US intelligence had erred when it said Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction - the pretext for the US-led invasion in 2003 - calling this "a disaster, and they were wrong".

He said it was "unfair" of the United States to

UN backs Russian-Turkish Syria efforts as ceasefire wavers The resolution also calls for the 'rapid, safe and unhindered' delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria

President-elect Donald Trump accuse Russia of hacking if there was any doubt.

"And I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation," Trump said.

Asked what he knew that others did not, Trump said, "You'll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Trump was also asked how important cybersecurity would be to his administration after he takes power on January 20. Trump said: "It's very important. If you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old fashioned way because I'll tell you what, no computer is safe. I don't care what they say, no computer is safe."

New UN Chief Wants Consensus but Faces Antagonistic Trump

New UN Chief Wants Consensus but Faces Antagonistic Trump

United Nations, Jan 1 : Antonio Guterres takes the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" but facing an antagonistic incoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.

The former Portuguese prime minister and U.N. refugee chief told reporters after being sworn-in as secretary-general on Dec. 12 that he will engage all governments - "and, of course, also with the next government of the United States" - and show his willingness to cooperate on "the enormous challenges that we'll be facing together."

But Trump has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Guterres says is "the cornerstone" of the United Nations, and a great attachment to the Republicans' "America First" agenda.

So as Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, U.S. support for the United Nations remains a question mark.

And it matters because the U.S. is a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council and pays 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 25 percent of its peacekeeping budget.

Immediately after the United States allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Dec. 23 in a stunning rupture with past practice, Trump warned in a tweet: "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," the day he takes office.

Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness. "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"

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INTERNATIONAL

John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that Guterres would be well advised "especially given the incoming Trump administration" to follow the model of his predecessor, Ban Kimoon, and do what member governments want.

If he tries to follow what Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretarygeneral and try to be the world's top diplomat and what some called "a secular pope," Bolton said, "I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly."

Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.

He has said there is enormous difficulty in solving conflicts, a lack of "capacity" in the international community to prevent conflicts, and the need to develop "the diplomacy for peace," which he plans to focus on.

Guterres has said he will also strive to deal with the inequalities that globalization and technological progress have helped deepen, creating joblessness and despair especially among youth.

"Today's paradox is that despite greater connectivity, societies are becoming more fragmented. More and more people live within their own bubbles, unable to appreciate their links with the whole human family," he said after his swearing-in.

Guterres said the values enshrined in the U.N. Charter that should define the world that today's children inherit - peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity - are threatened, "most often by fear."

"Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other, trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect us," he said. "My contribution to the United Nations will be

aimed at inspiring that trust."

Guterres won the U.N.'s top job after receiving high marks from almost every diplomat for his performance in the first-ever question-and-answer sessions in the General Assembly for the 13 candidates vying to replace Ban, whose second five-year term ends at midnight on Dec. 31.

In an interview during his campaign with three journalists, Guterres said the role of secretary-general should be "an honest broker, a consensus builder" who engages as much as possible, in many circumstances discreetly.

"It's not just to have a personal agenda, because it would be regrettable or ineffective, or to appear in the limelight. No. On the contrary, it's to act with humility to try to create the conditions for member states that are the crucial actors in any process to be able to come together and to overcome their differences," he said.

Whether the Trump administration will join Guterres and U.N. efforts to tackle what he sees as "a multiplication of new conflicts" and the myriad problems on the global agenda remains to be seen.

Trump's choice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley who is the governor of South Carolina, has a reputation as a conciliator, which could be very useful especially in dealing with the Security Council and the four other permanent veto-wielding members - Russia, China, Britain and France, all of whom have their own national agendas.

But she will be taking instructions from the president.

Richard Grenell, who served as U.S. spokesman at the United Nations during President George W. Bush's administration and has been working with Trump's transition team, downplayed the prospect that Trump will withdraw from or even disregard the U.N. He said in an AP interview earlier this month that Trump is talking about reforming the U.N. and other international organizations so "they live up to their ideals."

Guterres also wants to reform the United Nations to make it "nimble, efficient and effective." He said "it must focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy," and ensure that the more than 85,000 U.N. staff working in 180 countries are being used effectively.

Beirut, Jan 1: The UN Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, as a fragile country-wide ceasefire wavered.

The resolution also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. And it anticipates a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representative in Kazakhstan's capital Astana in late January.

The resolution's final text dropped an endorsement of the Syria ceasefire agreement reached Thursday, simply taking note of it but welcoming and supporting RussianTurkish efforts to end the violence. Western mem-

bers of the council sought the last-minute changes to the draft resolution to clarify the UN's role and the meaning of the agreement brokered by Moscow and Ankara.

US deputy ambassador Michele Sison said the Obama administration strongly supports a ceasefire and "unfettered humanitarian access," but she expressed regret that additional documentation to the agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey with details about its implementation have not yet been made public.

Meanwhile on the ground in Syria, rebels warned yesterday that ceasefire violations by pro-government forces threatened to undermine the twoday-old agreement intended to pave the way for talks between the government and the op-

23 dead in Indonesia boat accident: official The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on boat transport, but safety standards are lax and fatal accidents common.

A man inspects the wreckage of a ferry that caught fire off the coast of Jakarta, at Muara Angke Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017.(AP Photo/ Dita Alangkara) AFP Jakarta, Jan 1 : At least 23 people have been killed and 17 are missing after a passenger boat caught fire on Sunday near Jakarta, according to officials. The boat was ferrying around 200 people from Jakarta to Tidung island - a tourist destination 50 kilometres from the capital - this morning when the fire broke out, according to the national disaster agency.

"194 people have been rescued. The boat's manifest says there are around 100 people on board, but obviously that's wrong, so we

are still searching," disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told AFP. A rescue team has been deployed to search for the missing passengers.

The Indonesian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is heavily dependent on boat transport, but safety standards are lax and fatal accidents common.

At least 54 people died in November when an overcrowded speedboat carrying three crew and 98 passengers - mostly Indonesian migrant workers - struck a reef and sunk on its way from Malaysia to Batam.

Western members of the council sought the last-minute changes to the draft resolution to clarify the UN's role and the meaning of the agreement brokered by Moscow and Ankara. Photo: Reuters

position in the new year.

Airstrikes pounded opposition-held villages and towns in the strategicallyimportant Barada Valley outside Damascus, activists said, prompting rebels to threaten to withdraw their compliance with a nationwide truce brokered by Rus-

sia and Turkey last week.

The airstrikes let up in the late evening, but rebels nevertheless staged retaliatory attacks against government-held areas in other parts of the country, according to the media arm of the Lebanese

militant group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the government in Syria.

Hezbollah military media reported a barrage of rebel rocket fire on the twin Shiite villages of Foua and Kfraya in northern Syria which have remained loyal to the government in the otherwise rebel-dominated Idlib province.

The government's side has rallied thousands of Shiite militia fighters from across the Middle East on the grounds of defending the sect in Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group also reported the attacks. It added that pro-government forces had advanced against rebels in the eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, in a clear violation of the ceasefire.

Pak calls Indias bid to ban Azhar politically motivated PTI Islamabad, Jan 1 : Pakistan today said Indias bid at the UN to ban Masood Azhar was "politically motivated" and "replete with frivolous information", two days after its close ally China blocked the proposal to get the JeM chief and Pathankot attack mastermind listed as a global terrorist.

Responding to reports on India failing to put Azhar on the United Nations Security Councils 1267 Sanctions Committee, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, "The 1267 Sanctions Committee related to ISIS/Al-Qaeda has rejected a politically motivated proposal by India.

Replete with frivolous information and baseless allegations, the Indian proposal had no merit and was primarily aimed at advancing its narrow national agenda.

"The dismissal of this proposal is also a rejection of the Indian attempts to politicise and undermine the work of this important Committee of the Security Council," he said.

"While claiming to denounce terrorism, India has in fact deployed terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and has itself been involved in perpetrating, sponsoring, supporting, and financing terrorism," Zakaria said in a statement.

"The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a RAW agent and serving officer of Indian navy, and his confession about involvement in terrorist activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan and killing or maiming of Pakistani citizens, is yet another proof of Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan."

"With such duplicitous behaviour and blood on its hands", India has little credibility on counter-terrorism, he claimed.

The spokesperson said that in the coming days, Pakistan will share with the United Nations and members of the international community "additional evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan".

"It is clear that Indias unfounded allegations against Pakistan are in fact aimed at masking its

own terrorist activities in Pakistan, as well as diverting the attention of the international community from the grave violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism perpetrated by the Indian occupying forces in Kashmir," the statement said.

"Pakistan has made significant contribution and rendered enormous sacrifices in the success of the international community?s counterterrorism efforts. We are deeply committed to this common cause and look forward to continuing close cooperation with the international community in this collective endeavour," the statement said.

China had blocked Indias proposal to get Pakistanbased Azhar listed as global terrorist by the UN, citing lack of "consensus" on the issue.

In last nine months, China has twice put technical hold on listing Azhar as designated terrorist that would have forced imposition of asset freeze and travel ban on him by countries including Pakistan.

Optimism in DR Congo as deal reached to end political crisis AFP Kinshasa, Jan 1 : The new year in one of Africa's most troubled countries began in a burst of optimism Sunday after rival groups agreed a deal for hauling DR Congo out of a perilous political crisis.

Under a landmark accord, the country's contested president, Joseph Kabila -- who under the constitution should have left office on December 20 -- will stay in power until elections are held at the "end of 2017".

During this 12-month period, a so-called National Transition Council will be set up, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, and a prime minister will be named from opposition ranks.

The deal was reached after talks launched by the Roman Catholic church amid escalating violence, claiming between 40 and 100 lives as Kabila's second and final mandate ended and he showed no signs of stepping down.

Several last-minute hitches nearly derailed an accord before the deal was announced late Saturday after a 13-hour marathon.

Archbishop Marcel Utembi, head of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo, described the accord as an "inclusive political compromise."

- Optimistic but cautious Foreign observers hailed the agreement, but also cautioned of the work that lay ahead.

EU foreign affairs supremo Federica Mogherini, in a statement with Neven Mimica, the European commissioner for international cooperation, said the agreement "should open the way towards a consensual and peaceful transition."

But, they warned, "during the transition period, the institutions of state will draw their legitimacy both from their inclusiveness and their ability to implement the agreement in all its respects."

The head of the UN Mission in the Congo (Monusco), Maman Sidikou, also welcomed the deal.

But, said Sidikou, "work must continue, it is necessary to safeguard political stability by implementing every point of this new political roadmap".

Resource-rich but chronically poor, sapped by corruption and politically unstable, Democratic Republic of Congo has never witnessed a democratic transfer of power following polls since independence from Belgium in 1960.

Two decades ago, the country collapsed into the deadliest conflict in modern African his-

tory.

Its two wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s dragged in at least six African armies and left more than three million dead.

Its restive east remains a battleground for rival ethnic militias.

Kabila, 45, has been in power since the 2001 assassination of his father Laurent at the height of the Second Congo War. He was confirmed as leader in 2006 during the first free elections since independence from Belgium in 1960, and re-elected for a second term in 2011 in a vote marred by fraud allegations.

- Compromises Sixteen representatives met on Saturday, comprising eight

from the opposition coalition, called Rassemblement ("Gathering"), and eight from the government and groups which had signed a deal with the regime in October.

According to a working document for the deal previously seen by AFP, Kabila gave an undertaking that he would not seek a third mandate.

In return, the opposition accepted the president would remain in office until handing over to an elected successor. It had previously demanded his immediate departure from public life.

In another gain for the opposition which had feared Kabila would seize the interim period to shore up his position, the

signatories agreed "no attempt to revise the constitution will be undertaken" during the transition.

In a nationwide TV address after the deal, Kabila said "the electoral process must be pursued tirelessly."

The bishops also promised to seek a solution for political prisoners, especially Moise Katumbi, a wealthy businessman and potential presidential candidate the opposition want to be allowed to return to the country.

Katumbi has been sentenced to a three-year term in prison in an alleged case of property fraud and faces another trial in an alleged case of mercenary recruitment.

Voters were originally to have chosen a new president in 2016.

But the authorities said the electoral register had to be overhauled -- a huge enterprise in a country almost the size of Europe.

And in a highly controversial ruling, the constitutional court had said Kabila could remain in office until an election was held.

The ruling fed opposition fears that he planned to amend the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.

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DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

P11 Somdev announces Ricky Ponting joins Australia T20I coaching team

Ravaged by injuries, India's star singles player Somdev Devvarman New Delhi, Jan 1 : Ravaged by injuries, India's star singles player Somdev Devvarman on Sunday announced his retirement from professional tennis, bringing an abrupt end to what was once a promising career.

"Starting 2017 on a new note, retiring from pro tennis. Thanks to everyone for the love and support over the years. #newyearnewbeginnings," Somdev said on his Twitter page.

The 31-year-old's career was hampered by a recur-

ring shoulder injury in 2012.

He recovered to stage a comeback but he had been missing from action without any specified reason for some time now.

There is speculation that he might take to coaching from here on.

Somdev was India's star singles player since he first broke into the scene in 2008.

A regular in India's Davis Cup squad, Somdev appeared in 14 rubbers and played a crucial role in India reaching the World

Group back in 2010.

Somdev had also made the finals of two ATP Tour events - the 2009 Chennai Open as a wildcard and the 2011 South Africa Open. He also the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

His 44-1 win-loss record in 2008 at the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship remains unmatched so far.

He was conferred the Arjuna award - the country's second highest sporting honour - in 2011.

Passion in my game was dying, so hung racquet: Somdev

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PTI Chennai, Jan 1 : Somdev Devvarman today said it was right time for him to quit international tennis since the passion with which he used to play was "dying" and he felt he will not be able to play his best tennis. At the age of 31, Somdev hung his racquet, having two runners-up finishes on the ATP World Tour as his best performances on the Tour. Known for his baseline slugfest and sheer doggedness with which he played his game, Somdev gave India many memorable wins in the Davis Cup. "I last played a match in Indian Wells in March (2015) and after that I had a chat with my people. I pretty much decided at that time that it was time to stop. I have read people saying I was injury plagued but it was not about that. I wanted to play for right reasons. Playing for me was always super fun and passion, that was dying or slowing down," Somdev told PTI in an exclusive chat on the sidelines of Chennai Open. "That is my biggest strength, my fighting spirit and that passion

and heart more than forehands and backhands. Second, I knew I would not be able to play my best tennis. I wanted to be in top-100 and started reaching a point through injuries where I felt it will be tough for me to come back to top-100. Once I realised that I decided that it was time to stop," he said elaborating on his decision. "The enjoyment in training was not the same, the enjoyment in travelling was not the same. I was not tired I have done it for so long.

It was not fresh. Playing and going for tournaments in Asia was not exciting for me," Somdev, who touched a career-high rank of number 62 in 2011, said. As he goes out of the scene, Somdev feels AITA has not been doing enough for the game since the will is not there. "We need to change the culture how sports is looked at. Professional sport is not joke. People dont understand that. We dont have right people at the top, who truly understand what it takes to be world class athlete. The people in the National federations are not right ones to make

decisions. They do not do anything, and its a decision. I have not come from Indian system but from College system in US. I dont see what AITA has done to churn out players. We dont have training centres and dont have expertise," he said. There was a players revolt led

by Somdev in 2013 when AITA was forced to bring in a few changes about how Davis Cup team was run. Changes were also made in support staff and players share in Davis Cup prize money was increased. "AITA needs to be open to taking suggestions from the players. Specially people in recent history because they know what is going on. They know what it takes to produce the players.

With all due respect to bureaucrats in AITA, I dont think they have a clue. "They (AITA) have done bare minimum.

They just justify what they have done rather than take big steps. Dont compare what other sports are doing, compare with what your sport is doing internationally. Who they hire to run programs," he said.

Ricky Ponting will work alongside Justin Langer and interim assistant coach Jason Gillespie during the three T20 internationals.

AFP Sydney, Jan 1 : Former Test skipper Ricky Ponting has been appointed as an assistant coach to the Australia Twenty20 international squad for next month's series against Sri Lanka, Cricket Australia said on Sunday.

Ponting, one of Australia's greatest batsmen, will work alongside the interim head coach Justin Langer and interim assistant coach Jason Gillespie during the three T20 internationals.

The matches will be played in Melbourne (February 17), the Victorian provincial city of Geelong (February 20) and Adelaide (February 22).

The trio have been brought in with the core of the existing Australia support team in India ahead of a four-Test series at the same time as the T20 home series with Sri Lanka.

Ponting led his country in the first-ever T20 international against New Zealand in 2005 before leading the national side in the first two

Ricky Ponting has been appointed as an assistant coach to the Australia T20I squad for next month's series vs Sri Lanka. editions of the ICC World T20 in 2007 and 2009.

He also coached the Mumbai Indians to the Indian Premier League title.

"I always said when I retired that I wanted to get back involved and what

better way to do it than alongside a couple of my best mates in cricket, Justin Langer and Jason Gillespie," Ponting said.

"We have some incredible Twenty20 talent in this country and I can't wait

to work with JL, Dizzy and those selected to have a real crack at doing special for Australia's Twenty20 international ambitions."

Ponting scored more than 27,000 international runs

during a decorated international career that included playing in three ICC Cricket World Cupwinning sides in 1999, 2003 and 2007, the last two as captain in unbeaten campaigns.

Flamengo Sumariwalla slams countries which did not settle $1.8 support IAAF reforms million debt PTI New Delhi, Jan 1 : International Athletics Federation governing council member Adille Sumariwalla has slammed countries like Jamaica and Ukraine which did not support the radical reforms aimed at cleansing the sport, saying they have done so due to "nonsensical political motive". A radical governance structure reforms package was passed by the IAAF in a Special Congress in Monaco last month, with 182 member federations voting for it out of 197 present.

The 15-point reforms package includes placing more governance power in the hands of the IAAF Executive Board, limiting the number of terms of office for President to three of four years each, among others. Jamaica, Oman, Senegal, Ukraine and Uzbekistan abstained from voting while 10 countries -- Benin, Bahrain, Chad, Gambia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand -- voted against the reforms package. "Why people are against reforms? It reflects very badly on them. When 95 per cent of people are asking for better governance, you dont want better governance, you want to remain in 1940s. It is a shame that these countries abstained or voted against the reforms," Sumariwalla, also Athletics Federation of India president, told PTI. "Usain Bolt has openly questioned his own association (Jamaica) for

not voting for the reforms. There is some nonsensical political motive which I dont know," he said. Some countries, including Jamaica, a leading athletics country, have reasoned that they were not happy as all the 15 points involving two Constitutions, one of which will come into force this year and the other in 2019, were asked to vote en-bloc and not separately.

Sumariwalla said he was disappointed that some countries would give such "lame excuses" as he said all the 15 points were interlinked and need to be voted together. "You cant pass a single-point resolution at a time. If you make a change in one point it will effect other points, another change and it will impact on other points. For example, one is about removal of treasurer.

But if you have to vote separately on that point it will have an impact on the executive board, on the elections, on the powers of new executive council. So you cant vote separately on each point. "It is a process, there is a thread going through all of the 15 points and if you cut the thread, there will be no meaning of the reforms," he said.

Sumariwalla said IAAF President Sebastian Coe went to every continent regarding these reforms and got the views of the member countries before they were put to vote. "The president went to every region.

Regarding Asia, Coe

went to Doha. He went twice to Johannesburg.

There were some changes made in the reforms after listening to everybody, then they were put to vote. "Coe said the Integrity Unit will have to start functioning (from April 2017). So, let us pass the reforms now and when we meet at IAAF Congress in London during the World Championships, anybody can put up any modifications. "He (Coe) said if there are any contentious issues, he will bring them up before the General Body and there will be voting on them. Not only the reforms but any point in the Constitution.

If there is any contentious issue, Coe said he will bring them up and let the General Body vote," said Sumariwalla.

The AFI President lauded Coe for limiting the term of the IAAF chief to three terms of four years each. "It is a good thing that the term of president is being limited to three. What is wrong with that. In the history of 103 years of the IAAF, there has been only four presidents." He said athletics will have to innovate and reach out to the youth of the world if it has to remain a leading sport. "We have to move forward, we have to go digital and find innovative ways. For example, we can make youngsters see Bolt running a race on a mobile phone.

We need mobile friendly athletics to attract youngsters. There are so many things to do and people are blocking reforms."

with Brazilian striker Romario

Flamengo settle $1.8 million debt with Brazilian striker Romario IANS Rio de Janeiro: City football giants Flamengo have settled a $1.8 million debt with Brazilgreat Romario, ending a 20-year dispute with the former star striker.

Flamengo paid the 1994 FIFA World Player of the Year in a lump sum for unpaid wages during three separate spells with the club in the 1990s, according to Globo Esporte on Saturday.

Flamengo had previously been paying off Romario in monthly instalments, which had

been set to continue until 2022, reports Xinhua.

The 50-year-old accepted a third of the total amount in an upfront payment, the report said.

Romario retired from football in 2009 after a 25-year professional career that saw him win the 1994 World Cup for Brazil and score 309 goals in 448 matches at club level.

Now a federal senator, Romario is also still receiving monthly payments from another of his former clubs, Vasco da Gama, related to unpaid salaries.

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retirement from professional tennis

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DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, JANUARY 2

P12 Australia vs Pakistan, 3rd Test: Australia Consistency is nothdouble up on spin as Misbah-ul-haq ponders ing but overcoming Pakistan could be forced to look for a new leader with Misbah admitting he was thinking about retirement, possibly even before the series concludes.

Australia wrapped up the three match series with a Test to spare in a dramatic second innings demolition of Pakistan in Melbourne. (Source: AP) AFP Sydne, Jan 1 : Australia have one eye on India and Pakistan could be contemplating life without their most successful captain Misbah-ul-Haq when the final 'dead' Test begins on Tuesday in Sydney.

Steve Smith's Australians wrapped up the threematch series with a Test to spare in a dramatic second innings demolition of Pakistan in two sessions in Melbourne on Friday to open up new selection possibilities for Sydney.

Shattered Pakistan could be forced to look for a new leader with 42-yearold Misbah admitting he was thinking about retirement, possibly even be-

fore the series concludes in Sydney.

"I always believed that if I couldn't contribute to the team then it's no point staying there. I haven't decided (about Sydney) but let's see," Misbah said after the tourists lost by an innings and 18 runs.

While the end looms for the man who has guided his country to more victories than any other Pakistan captain - 24 in 52 Tests - Australia have other considerations.

Spinners Steve O'Keefe and Ashton Agar have been included in a 13-man squad for a Sydney Cricket Ground wicket that is expected to turn.

Coach Darren Lehmann raised the prospect of playing two of his three

Red hot Priyank props up Gujarat to 283/3 vs Jharkhand Nagpur, Jan 1: Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal's dream season in first-class cricket just got better as his unbeaten 144 enabled Gujarat to reach a comfortable 283 for 3 against Jharkhand on the first day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final, in Nagpur on Sunday.

Panchal and skipper Parthiv Patel's 62 were the two significant contributions after Gujarat won the toss.

The day certainly belonged to Panchal, who again showed fantastic temperament during his 252-ball undefeated knock that had 21 boundaries.

He blended caution with occasional aggression adding 139 runs for the third wicket with Parthiv, whose 62 had six fours and a six.

Panchal now has scored five centuries in the current season and his accumulated runs in the national championship has swelled to 1264 runs already with a staggering average of 114.90.

Gujarat started cautiously with world record holder Samit Gohil once again playing his defensive game as he crawled to 18 off 52 balls before seamer Vikash Singh removed him caught by Virat Singh.

Panchal remain unfazed

as his 50 came off 72 balls. He got good support from Bharghav Merai (39). Merai hit six boundaries in 66 balls as he and Panchal added 65 runs for the second wicket.

Once Merai edged a Vikash delivery to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps, skipper Parthiv joined Panchal with a lot of positive intent.

It was the 173rd delivery and just at the stroke of tea that Panchal struck a boundary to complete his 10th hundred in firstclass cricket.

Gujarat went into the tea at 192 for 2 and scored 91 runs in the final session even though Parthiv was well set. It was Kaushal Singh delivery that trapped him leg before as the ball straightened after pitching.

Former India A and Delhi Daredevils player Manprit Juneja (12) is at the crease alongside Panchal as Gujarat would be looking at a first innings total in excess of 450 to put pressure on Jharkhand. Vikash with 2/48 in 13 overs was the most successful bowler for Jharkhand.

Brief Scores: Gujarat 283/3 in 88 overs (Priyank Panchal 144 batting, Parthiv Patel 62, Vikash Singh 2/48).

spin options - the other is Australia's most-successful off-spinner Nathan Lyon - at the expense of paceman Jackson Bird with an allrounder coming in.

Australia go to India for four Tests in February and March on likely turning pitches, putting the onus of O'Keefe and Agar to put in a good audition and stake a claim for a place on tour.

"It's more than likely that we're going to play two of those three spinners which means we'll also have to look to fit in an all-rounder," Lehmann said.

Versatile Agar "It might end up that someone like Jackson Bird could be the unlucky

one who misses out, but that will depend on the condition of the SCG pitch.

"If it looks like it's going to provide more assistance for the seamers, then we still have the option of playing all three specialist quicks and just the one spinner."

The all-rounder option could rest between Zimbabwe-born Hilton Cartwright or Agar, who Lehmann puts in the versatile category, saying "he's certainly got the talent to be a batting allrounder or a spinning allrounder".

Left-arm spinner Agar, 23, is on track to play for the first time since his only two Tests on the 2013 Ashes tour of England,

where he scored 98 on debut at Trent Bridge batting at number 11.

Agar has subsequently scored two first-class hundreds and eight fifties.

Pakistan are facing their 12th straight defeat since their last Test win in Australia in Sydney 22 years ago.

Misbah was disconsolate following the Melbourne second-innings debacle on good batting surface that had seen the teams score a total of 1,067 first-innings runs.

"After scoring 443 you should not be in that position to lose a Test match on the last day," Misbah said.

"I think we should take the blame as a batting unit because the pitch was very good on the last day."

Teams: Australia (from): Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Stephen O'Keefe, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade.

Pakistan (from): Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asghar, Sohail Khan.

Sakshi, Geeta to spearhead Indian challenge at PWL 2 PTI New Delhi, Jan 1 : With the likes of Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt opting out, all eyes will be on Rio Olympics bronzemedallist Sakshi Malik and the Phogat sisters, who are making headlines owing to a blockbuster biopic on them, when the second edition of Pro Wrestling League (PWL) starts here tomorrow. Although much of the sheen is lost due to the absence of star male Indian wrestlers, including the suspended Narsingh Yadav, the women are expected to shine during the 18-day long event to be held at the KD Jadhav Wrestling Stadium. Six franchises -- Delhi Sultans, UP Dangal, Haryana Hammers, NCR Punjab Royals, Mumbai Maharathi and Jaipur Ninjas -- will be vying for the top honours with the final being slated on January

19. The spotlight will be on Sakshi, representing Delhi Sultans, and her bout against Geeta Phogat of UP Dangal team in womens 58kg is expected to grab the maximum eyeballs. In the most anticipated bout of the tournament, Sakshi, who is finally out of the shadow of Geeta with an Olympic medal, would be carrying an immense burden of expectations on her shoulders while the eldest Phogat sister would also be under pressure. She has been in the limelight after the Aamir Khanstarrer biopic on her struggles -- Dangal -proved to be a mammoth box office success.

Besides Sakshi, the Delhi team boosts of Ukrainian Mariya Stadnik (womens 48kg), who won a bronze at the 2008 Olympics before bagging silver at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and Uzbekistans Bekzod

Abdurakhmonov (mens 70kg), who finished fifth at the Rio Games. Geeta and Babita Phogat will be at the forefront for the UP Dangal team.

Belarus Maria Mamashuk, who clinched the silver at the Rio Olympics, will be the foreign import to look out for. However, Cubas Livan Lopez Azcuy has opted out of the tournament and is being replaced by Tariel Gaprindashvili. Meanwhile, it is going to be an interesting inaugural match between Mumbai and Haryana tomorrow and the latter would be desperate to avenge the last seasons defeats.

Mumbai had beaten Haryana twice last season. Once during the league stage, the defending champs got the better of Haryana 4-3 and then bagged the trophy with a comprehensive 72 win in the final

flaws, says Kohli

New Delhi, Jan 1 : Every individual has flaws but the ones who can successfully work around their chinks, can attain high level of consistency desirable from a top quality cricketer, feels Indian Test captain Virat Kohli.

With 1215 runs in Tests and over 2500 plus runs across all formats in 2016, Virat has been a standout performer for India and he feels that it's about knowing his game better.

"It can be put down to understanding my game a lot better than I used to. Being happy with the ability I have, the sort of drawbacks that I have. I understand my flaws and strengths nicely," Kohli told ecb.Co.Uk during an interaction.

"It's also about finding the right balance. People talk about not having

flaws and it's wrong.

Everyone has flaws and consistency is nothing but overcoming those flaws and finding the ability to score runs in Test format, especially which I wanted to find within my game. I feel in happy space knowing exactly where my game is going," said the dashing batsman.

Kohli takes inspiration from Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, whose work ethic is something that he wants to emulate.

"I take a lot of inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo. The way he has stayed on top for so many years, it's nothing but down to hard work.

I have heard he is the most hardworking footballer in the world and that's why he is where he is. Messi is a

freak (genius) but this guy (Ronaldo) is giving him run for his money because of his hard work," Kohli opined.

Kohli said that pressure of performance is something that he has embraced as one can't run away from it.

"It's about how you perceive that situation. It's very similar when you go out to bat. Either you see four slips standing at the back or you see the boundaries only.

"The external pressure, I have started enjoying it rather than running away from it because if I run away from it, it may come back to hound me and catch me and put me down to a level that I can't imagine. So I have to take it along with me and find a way to deal with it.

Ranji Trophy semifinals Day 1 roundup: Mumbai fightback against TN, Priyank Panchal puts Gujarat in control Rajkot, Jan 1 : Mumbai picked up four wickets after a thirdwicket stand of 110 to keep Tamil Nadu to 261 for six on day one of their Ranji Trophy semifinal in Rajkot on Sunday.

Baba Indrajith topscored with 64 for Nadu Nadu, who opted to bat after winning the toss, and Kaushik Gandhi (50) was the other half centurion for the team.

At stumps, Vijay Shankar (41) and A Aswin Crist (9) were at the crease, and the duo will look to help Tamil Nadu go past 300 tomorrow at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Indrajith struck nine

boundaries in his 114ball knock, while Gandhi found the fence eight times and faced 137 deliveries.

Seamer Shardul Thakur and Abhishek Nayar picked up two wickets each, while there was one each for Balwinder Sandhu and Vijay Gohil.

Batting first, Tamil Nadu were off to a sedate start as openers Abhinav Mukund (38) and V Ganga Sridhar Raju (19) put on 45 runs in just under 17 overs.

It was Nayar who gave Mumbai their first breakthrough when he had Ganga Sridhar Raju, making his first-class debut, caught behind by Aditya Tare.

Skipper Mukund was

dismissed when he was looking good, again caught by Tare off Sandhu's bowling, and it was then left to the duo of Gandhi and Indrajith to steady the Tamil Nadu innings.

Mumbai staged a fightback of sorts as they took four wickets after tea, including the important ones of Indrajith, who was caught down the leg side off Shardul, and Gandhi.

Vijay Shankar and Aswin Crist ensured there was no further damage with an unbroken 30-run stand late in the day, but with Mumbai having taken the new ball they will have their task cut out on the second day.

Mohammed Kaif slams trolls for criticising his 'Surya Namaskar' images Kaif posted four pictures of his workout which inlcuded 'Surya Namaskar' New Delhi, Jan 1 : Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif found himself at the centre of a social media controversy after uploading pictures of him doing 'Surya Namaskar'.

Kaif posted four pictures of his workout which inlcuded 'Surya Namaskar' -- a yoga posture. The photographs invited snide remarks from twitter trolls with some accusing him of viloating his

religious beliefs.

"Surya Namaskar is a complete workout fr the physical system,a comprehensive exercise form without any need fr equipment. #KaifKeFitn essFunde," he had tweeted last Friday.

However the former India batsman, who has played 13 Tests and 125 ODIs hit back at the trolls saying that physical exercise has got nothing to do with religion.

"In all 4pics,I had Allah in my heart. Cant understand what doing any exercise, Surya Namaskar or Gym has to do with religion.It benefits ALL," he tweeted.

Kaif, who had played first-class cricket for Chattisgarh this season, had earlier in the week stood behind speedster Mohammed Shami who was attacked by trolls who found the evening gown of his wife as "inappropriate.

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