Monday, 30th may 2016

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Ben Stokes

ASSENG/2015/64205

Vol. 1

Issue 351

Dibrugarh, Monday, May 30, 2016

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Chief Minister Kalikho Pul pays homage to late Havildar Hangpan Dada nation has lost a valiant soldier and selfless patriot. I salute the sacrifice that he has made in defense of our nation.”

A Staff Reportr Khonsa, May 29

Chief Minister Kalikho Pul today paid his last homage to Havildar Hangpan Dada of 35 Rashtriya Rifles who attained martyrdom on May 27 during an operation in Naugam sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

To honour the brave soldier, the Chief Minister decided to name a government institution or a public infrastructure after him so that he would be immortalized forever.

Amid a mournful atmosphere, the CM laid a floral wreath along with Education Minister Wanglin Lowangdong, Pasighat MLA Kaling Moyong and Khonsa MLA Tirong Aboh who all paid their last homage to the brave soul.

The paramilitary personnel of the 16 Assam Rifles gave the guard of honour with gun salute to late Hangpan before his mortal remains were laid to rest forever. He is survived by his wife Chasen Lowang, a health attendant in the local government hospital, including 11-year-old daughter Roukhin and six-year-old son Senwang.

The Chief Minister met the grieving family members and offered them the words of comfort and condolence.

“At this difficult time, I would like to express my own, my family’s and the government’s deepest condolences. I pray to god to give the family the strength to

ET CAPSULES

Leopard captured in Golaghat Golaghat, May 29: A leopard that has been creating terror at Betioni region in Golaghat was captured by the forest officials with the help of local people today.

According to the report the leopard had been creating terror in the region and the people living in the area were in panic. Local people reported the matter to the forest department and the forest officials put a cage in the area and finally today in the morning the tiger was caged. Local people gathered in a large number to see the captive beast. Later the forest officials took the beast to the Nambor Reserve Forest and released it.

(Correspondent)

The CM directed the district administration to erect a memorial as mark of respect to the brave soul, so that generations to come will remember his supreme sacrifice. Assuring that funds would be placed, the CM instructed the administration to use high quality marble for the work.

bear the irreparable loss and also pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul,” said the CM. As a mark of respect to Hangpan’s bravery and his actions beyond the call of duty, the Chief Minister contributed a humble ex-gratia of Rs 20 lakhs to the next of kin.

In addition, the CM announced to bear all educational expenses for Hangpan’s two children till

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they graduate from college.

Also he assured to provide a government job to a member of his immediate next of family and on promotion for Hangpan’s wife.

The Chief Minister further promised to look after the well being of the family members whenever in need.

“Through his bravery, late Hangpan has brought great respect to Arunachal and to Borduria village from where he belongs. Else Arunachal is in news only for wrong reasons,” said the CM.

“I know that these steps will never be able to compensate for the loss of a loved one and fill in for the gap that has been

Local residents demand replacement of hanging bridge A Staff Reporter Itanagar, May 29

Local residents of Economics Statistic Colony today appealed to the state government for a permanent solution to the hanging bridge located between Ward No 2 and 3 under the Itanagar Municipal Council over Senki River.

Constructed in 1992, the hanging bridge has reportedly never been repaired properly, causing several accidents involving school children.

Though precautionary measures have been taken by attaching make-shift fences on both sides of the bridge, the locals said that accidents still occur. Only a few days earlier, a small child going to school fell into the river and was seriously injured, informed the residents.

Also, the colony’s welfare committee today carried a

CM Pul inspecting Arunachal Bhawan at Kolkata

Chief Minister Kalikho Pul has promised to build facilities for student’s accommodation at Arunachal Bhawan here at Kolkata.

He said this during a visit to Arunachal Bhawan accompanied by deputy

He further added, “The passing away of late HavildarHangpan Dada who laid down his life in the line of duty, has deeply pained me. In his passing away, not only Arunachal Pradesh but also the

CM Kalikho Pul paying his homage to Havildar Hangpan Dada

Chief Minister Kalikho Pul visits Arunachal Bhawan, Kolkata

ET Bureau Kolkata, May 29

created. But I want to assure that you are not alone in this moment of grief. The whole of Arunachal and the nation stands with you today and in the future too,” said the Chief Minister consoling the bereaved family.

For according highest recognition to Hangpan’s supreme sacrifice, the Chief Minister said that he would write to Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the Army Chief. “If he (Hangpan) wanted, he could have avoided gun-fight upon sighting the terrorists. But he decided to take on catching them offguard knowing the risks for the sake of the security of the country,” said the CM.

resident commissioner, Kolkata.

The CM during his visit inspected the 6-storied building complex that houses lodging facilities for officials, conference rooms and accommodation for students.

Contd. on Page 3

5.00

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, May 29

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal held a high level meeting with Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of North bank, Central Assam and Upper Assam districts at Dibrugarh Circuit House in Dibrugarh town today. DCs and SPs of 12 districts attended the high level meet. Chief Minister Sonowal asked the DCs to expedite the process for updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and to complete the entire process within the stipulated time frame. "It's our national commitment that we would complete the NRC updation within a stipulated time frame.

Towards this end all out efforts must be made to complete the process within the stipulated time frame and there should not be any cause for delay," he said.

The Chief Minister asked the DCs to devote at least two hours every day in the NRC updation exercise apart from other duties. "I am aware that you have other responsibilities.

But take time out of your schedule and devote at least two hours for the NRC updation exercise, so that it can be completed within the set time frame," he said.

Economics Statistic Colony Welfare Committee president

G R Richo said that as residents of the area we have been repairing the bridge, but questioned on how long could they carry on shouldering the work of the government.

The is the only alternate route for two wheelers vehicles and pedestrian crossing as it serves as a shorter route. The

other longer route is connected by a smooth road but the residents demanded a permanent solution by constructing a permanent bridge or an RCC bridge.

Richo also said that the ward councilors have already been requested to process the case for consideration of the IMC and government last year.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Sonowal urged the DCs and SPs to create an awareness campaign within a week in their respective districts involving the students' organisations, NGOs, civil societies and literary organisations in the NRC updation work. "We must seek the help and cooperation from all concerned to ensure completion of the NRC updation exercise smoothly without any hiccups," he added.

The Chief Minister asked the DCs to take all possible measures to ensure a flawless NRC free from the names of foreigners. At the same time,

Sonowal asked the DCs to ensure that no genuine Indian citizens are left out during the NRC updation exercise and that they are not subjected to any harassment in the name of detection of foreigners.

Sonowal assured the DCs that the Government would provide all possible help and assistance to take the NRC updation work to its logical conclusion.

Sonowal urged the SPs to gear up the drive against illicit drugs and to take deterrent action against those involved in it.

Contd. on Page 4

NEPA imparts training to directly recruited Dy SPs and SI from eight North Eastern State of India The North Eastern Police Academy (NPA) spread over an area of 205 Acres of land, located at Umsaw village under Ri-Bhoi District of Meghalaya imparts training to directly recruited Dy SPs and Sub Inspectors from eight North Eastern States of India.

social service and repaired the hanging bridge. For the past few years, the bridge has been repaired by the local residents, with the support of councilors of ward 2 and three, Tatung Tania and Takap Tagru respectively.

PAGE 12

CM Sarbananda Sonowal holds high level meeting with DC and SP at Dibrugarh

ET Bureau Shillong, May 29

Local residents of ES Colony appeals replacement of Hanging Bridge

Pages- 12

This was informed by the NEPA, Director, D R Doley Barman, IPS, who is in the rank of IGP to Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister Home, Kameng Dolo, accompanied

by Chief Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin, IAS, who visited the police academy on Saturday last, Director further informed that this national repute training institution has been offering two types of courses com-

prising of basic training for newly recruited SIs and Dy SPs and in -Service trainings from the rank of Constables upto IGP level.

are borne by the Central Government. Subsidy is provided for food mess except bus fare, everything is free, Mrs Barman added.

While giving over view of activities of the Police Training Academy, She informed the Deputy Chief Minister, Kameng Dolo that instructors from FBI are also visiting this institution for imparting training on Anti Insurgency Encounter operations and Jungle War fare to the trainees. In Service training for police officers from various North Eastern States is mandatory, Director NEPA said expressing sadness that few states have been sending their officers for training while taking example of Maharashtra Government where this type of trainings are made compulsory for their police personnel. All the expenses

The Deputy Chief Minister, Dolo was taken around the Training Academy to provide him first hand information on infrastructure, training aids and subjects imparted by the Academy.

Informing about the visit of State Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Mrs Shakuntala Gamlin, IAS divulged that the State Government is keen to have its own “state of Art” training institution by replicating the NEPA, which is a national repute police academy in entire North Eastern States in India.

Contd. on Page 3

The final journey of the brave soldier to the unknown world ET Bureau Khonsa, May 29

Finally, after only a night's halt at his home in Borduria village amidst his loving wife and his two little children and other near and dear ones, the brave soldier Have. Hangpan Dada was laid to rest never to be seen again, today with full military honour amidst thousands of mourners. He did spend only one night at his sweet home with his loved ones but without uttering a single word. His loving wife, children and relatives asked him a thousand questions, wanting to know from him why he wanted to leave them high and dry and the beautiful world so soon but the brave soldier was already in eternal sleep and all the questions remain unanswered. They wanted to know many things from him but he did not speak

a single word. The whole night his loving wife cried, his children cried, the whole Borduria cried but the martyr was in deep slumber. Though he wanted to convey many things to his wife and his innocent children, he could not utter a word for he was indeed gone forever from this transient world never to return again.

This is the saddest moment when someone leaves this cruel world. The departed sleeps peacefully, unfazed by what is going on around him because he is gone and hears nothing but the pain and hurt in the heart and mind of the loved ones left behind by him are indescribable.

As I followed the body of the martyr carried by his comrades in arms today on his last journey, a thousand thoughts crossed my already disturbed mind. As the body was lowered

CM Pul consoling late Hangpan Dada’s wife to the dreaded grave I could see the pain and agony writ large on the faces of the martyr's wife

and his children. The little son hardly 7-8 years was not even aware of whom he was losing

forever. His innocent eyes looked lost without any clue.

When I saw his innocence my

anger and hatred for the Pakistani terrorists grew more and more and my blood boiled inside helplessly and hopelessly.

Why do they (terrorists) do this? What is the fault of the little boy whose loving father has been snatched away from him forever? As the lifeless body of the martyr Have.

Hangpan Dada wrapped in the national tricolour was lifted by the soldiers, sad and melancholic music played by the Assam Rifles band reverberated through the verdant hills and valleys of the non-descript sleepy Borduria village. Thousands of mourners followed the mortal remains of the brave martyr without a word being exchanged. The sea of mourners flowed like a silent river thinking about the uncertainties of life. The soldiers

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PAGE 6

DIBRUGARH, MONNDAY, MAY 30

PAGE 2 ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You are to look before you leap. One hasty decision may undo a lot of hard work accomplished over a long period of time. After a tense morning, you may simply want an evening with kids, helping them grow the Dahlias.

Taurus You are likely to get extra passionate and fervent today. If your logic prevails over your heart, things will probably change for better during the course of the day. It is high time that you set into motion the poignant side of your character.

Gemini You will be filled with concern and sensitivity towards others, and will bestow your blessings upon many. However, being too emotional is not advisable. Your emotions could get in the way of your progress at the work-front. You need to listen to your head over your heart when it comes to professional matters.

Cancer You may be in one of your more frivolous moods today. Gossip, fun, laughter and some harmless flirting shall make your day interesting, yet these are not the pastimes you usually enjoy. Hence, as the day rolls on, you shall find yourself to your reserved, reticent self concentrating hard on getting the work done to make way for the early evening gym/ driving class. Good going, after all finding balance is just the right thing to do.

Leo You will give importance to your work and your style of functioning to get a promotion in the office. You will also increase the amount of work you put in. While the fruits of your labour may not be immediately available to you, in a very short time you can expect to make more gains than you expected to. Nothing worthy of note is likely to occur in your personal relationships today.

Virgo You are renowned for your leadership qualities and today they will be much appreciated for the way you manage your team. You will get a long-due promotion, and will come in for some extra cash. You received all this by wisely balancing work and home, so be careful not to slip up on this front.

Libra You never let a favour go unacknowledged or let ridicule pass by unanswered. So, it's time to settle those old accounts that are so important to you.. This will increase chances of interesting developments that will continue to surprise you throughout the day.

Scorpio Socially, you enjoy being in limelight as all the eyes are focused on you. However, beware of evil eyes that may not have good intentions towards you. You are a good soul and never hurt anyone. But, at times, it's important to know your foe's weakness to be on the safer side.

Rs.1 lakh crore for road infrastructure Five arrested in Northeast: Gadkari Agencies New Delhi, May 29: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said that the government will invest Rs.one lakh crore in the northeast region to develop road infrastructure in five years.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had instructed him to put special emphasis on infrastructural development in the northeast as the region remained deprived off the progress for years.

"In next five years we will build a road network, with investment of Rs.one lakh crore, in the northeast region of the country. This will enable fast and overall develop-

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari ment of the entire region," Gadkari said from Nagpur while speaking at "Ek Nayee Subah" event to mark the Modi government's two years.

Development works estimated at Rs.40,000 crore have already started in

Petrol pump owner involves Mystery: Cement filled truck in fuel adulteration seized and released

Sagittarius Brace yourselves; the day has a lot of uncertainties today. You may have to shell out money for unexpected expenses. But, this may also teach you to be economically independent.

Always look at the brighter side.

Capricorn The day calls for making amends and undoing the damage done to relationships, so you will most likely focus on improving rapport with relatives and peers. But despite your affable approach, family feud may occur. Keeping obnoxious neighbors at bay will save you some trouble.

Aquarius You are an excellent team player and your performance reaches a new high when you are a part of a group. Be an active member of your group, express your opinions, share your knowledge and see how your team becomes the winning team. Wind up your day by hanging out with friends and family.

Pisces You will be treading new ground at work. Exciting as that sounds, it merely means you will have to do a lot of travelling today. You will also find yourself swamped with drafting new business proposals, holding meetings, or otherwise networking over the phone. On the brighter side, your travels are unlikely to involve the cramps of flying economy class.

PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz) Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 30-5-16 (MONDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-30 A.M-Bhajan From Films 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-00 A.M- Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 9-20 A.M-Seuji Chora (Children Programme)- Musical Feature-"Basanta Ritu", Written by Alpona Borbora, Presented by B.L Beria Saraswati Shishu Mandir 12-05 P.M-Surar Satsori (Request Programme of Assamese Songs) 1-10 P.M-Gharjeuti-Play-"Sparsha", Written by Lakhi Mahanta, Radio Adaptation-Prashanta Pandey,Assamese Translation-Tarun Azad Deka, ProductionUpendrajit Sharma 2-30 P.M-Western Music 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anusthan 8-00 P.M-Ekalabya 9-30 P.M-Film Songs 10-00 P.M-Classical Music Sd-/H.O.P

the region, he added.

On development of waterways, Gadkari said that water transport is the cheapest way of travelling and with India having a 7500-km-long coastline which connects 78 districts of 13 states,

the scope of water transport is immense.

"We are transforming the rivers -- which fall into the sea -- into waterways.

We have also started working on strengthening our existing five waterways," he said.

He added that multimodal hubs are being developed in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Haldia in West Bengal and Sahibganj in Jharkhand where Ganga flows. As many as 40 water ports are being made and work on developing waterways on Brahmaputra River will start soon.

“Development of waterways will be the biggest achievement of our government," he said.

ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, May 29: Gossaigaon police arrested five persons red-handed including a police and two homeguard at Srirampur interstate check gate on Sunday in Kokrajhar. According to Bhawar Lal, Gossaigaon SDPO, the police conducted operation into check gate today morning and able to redhanded a police and two homeguard including two civilian while they were collecting illegal taxes from trucks. They were identified as Dilip Kumar Roy(police), Ranendra Roy and Ranjit Barman(home guards), Dipangkar Roy and Pijush Talukdar. Cash Rs. 3780, seven mobile handsets, two motor bikes and a register book were also recovered from them. 'Search operation is on', said a senior police officer.

ET Correspondent Mangaldai, May 29: A sense of mystery surrounds over police from Panbari outpost in Darrang as on Saturday night they allegedly released a truck bearing registration no.

ASO1FC 0926 filled with 300

bags of Dalmiya brand cement after cement laden truck along with its employees had been detained from Ambachawk area in morning on charges of failure of producing valid documents and confined them to the outpost whole day long

. Meanwhile the driver of the truck confessed before the camera of media that the goods were first carried towards Rangiya from Guwahati with necessary invoice but in the midst of the journey, on the instruction of the owner he changed his decision to carry it to Amba chawk under Panbari police outpost in Darrang instead of Rangiya .

On the other hand the officer in charge of the outpost avoided media to make any comment. However it has been learnt that the police without any official intimation to the Transport department simply realized a fine of around Rs 900 on charges of over loading under Motor Vehicles rules. The local conscious citizens have suspected a foul play among a section of officials of the police and demanded a higher level departmental inquiry.

ET Correspondent Dhemaji, May 29: The objection by the driver and vehicle owners in talking vehicle fuel, engaged in last assembly election opened the misery hidden behind. Due to no petrol pump in Jonai sub division, under Dhemaji district the administration is compelled to procure diesel and petrol from Agom Auto Agency situated in Ruksin, under East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh the bordering town. The driver of the vehicle engaged in Assam election denied to take fuel which threw the administration in trouble later however they took fuel.

Based on public complain and administration information received by Assam counterpart East Siang district, Deputy commissioner Isha kosla constituted a Committee with EAC, sadar as chairman and Deputy Director (F&CS) along with Assistant Controller (LM&CA) on 11th April last to collect the sample and enquire the matter.

According to source that the blue colour Kerosine oil under PDS System of Assam is sold to the said depot in massive quantity by the racket involved. The drivers who complained to SDO Jonai during election said the fuel smelt Kerosine oil.

PWD employee missing Blood donation camp ET Correspondent Tezpur, May 29: A PWD employee here Ram Chandra Das has been missing since last night.

According to the police the family member of the missing PWD employee filed an FIR at Tezpur PS stating the incident according to which Ram

Chandra Das (55) a resident of TezpurKumargaon went out last evening for some works while he had gone missing. “Last night we received three calls from his cell phone attended by unknown person demanding rupees four lakhs as ransom.” Niva

Das wife of Ram Chandra Das stated in the FIR adding they received sum of rupees three lakhs by selling a plot of land three days ago. She suspected that her husband has been kidnapped and someone who knew the deal might have involvement in the act.

held at Silapathar

CBSE Class ten results declared ET Correspondent Golaghat, May 29: In the recently declared class 10 CBSE results Delhi Public School Numaligarh continues it rocking academic performance as like in class 12.

CGPA 10 grade point was achieved by 26 students; 24 students were able to secure between 9 and 9.8; 13 students between 8 and 8.8; 2 students got grade point 7.6 and 7.8. The school pass percentage is 100%. The Principal Anurekha Borkakoti is happy with

the performances of the students as number of letter marks have increased tremendously.

Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya's performance is 100 percent. 14 students got 10 CGPA. 36 students got 9 to 9.8 grade point and 25 students got between 6 to 8 grade point. Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar School continues with 100 percent result unlike past years. 5 students got 10 CGPA , 4 got 9 to 9.8 , 6 got 8 to 8.8 , 19 got 7 to 7.8 , 10 got 6 to 6.8 and

5 students got 5 to 5.8 grade point . The Director of the school Apurba Borgohain is satisfied with the performance as there are letter marks in many subjects. Jawahar Navoday Vidyalay's result was too 100 percent.

5 students got 10 CGPA; 49 students got between 7 to 9.9 & 6 students got 6 to 6.9 grade point.

Kendriya Vidyalaya's pass percentage was 97.4% and 2 students got 10 CGPA Grade point said principal T.N Thakur.

ET Correspondent Dhemaji, May 29: VDP Silapathar police station committee under Dhemaji district today organised a blood donation camp at Silapathar police station complex.

Nearly twenty youths of the area donated blood to Dhemaji Civil Hospital blood Bank.

Dr. Khagen Doley headed the team of blood collection, Bhaskar Jyoti

Doley in charge of Blood Bank when contacted by Eastern Today in the camp related to the issue which arose at GMCH blood Bank, he said all the blood collected in the camp will undergo five test at Dhemaji along with grouping, and if any test shows positive result it will be disposed and care will be taken to the person from whom blood was collected.

Students of CBSE schools bring laurel

Popular Assamese Singer Zubeen Garg and nagaon sadar MLA Rupak sarma Tree plantation at ITI Nagaon. Pic - UB Photos

ET Correspondent Tezpur, May 29: Students from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Tezpur University, Tezpur Gurukul School and Gyan Bharati Academy here have brought glory to their schools achieving remarkable position in the class X examination declared on May 28. Principal of KV, Tezpur University, Dipak Kumar Debral informed that this time

second batch of school appeared in the class X examination comprising altogether 30 candidates.

“All 30 students have cleared with 100 pc result and examination and among them 4 achieved 10 CGPA. Of the 30 Students, 12 students achieved grade A1, 8 students achieved grade A2, 7 students achieved grade B1 while 3 students achieved grade B2.

The overall performance

index is 83 pc.” The Principal said. On the other hand out of 78 students of one of the private CBSE schools located at the TinmaileChotaichapori area 19 students got 10 CGPA and remaining all have secured first division with hundred pc result.

Likewise, in the CBSE, Class X Board results, out of total 41 candidates of Gyan Bharati academy here 5 students have

been able to score 10CGPA with approximately 95 pc in aggregate while 05 students have got CGPA- 9.8 with approximately 93 pc in aggregate, with lowest being able to score CGPA-6.8 with approximately 65% in aggregate. It needs mention here that for the four consecutive years, the school has been able to successfully maintain the dignity of producing

cent percent results with all First Division marks.

“Despite numerous limitations and hiccups, the school is scaling heights year after year, and has been able to establish itself as one of the sought after schools in this region. The School Management has congratulated the students, teachers and the parents on this success.” Pabitra Buyan, the principal of the school said.

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

PAGE 3

Arunachal seeks investments from East PTI Kolkata, May 29: Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday sought investments from the east for accelerating economic growth in that state.

establish various links.

"These links will be probably ready by two years".

He said Arunachal was endowed with coal, limestone, dolomite, marble and zinc, besides having a huge hydel power generation.

Food processing and horticulture were other promising areas for investment.

Arunachal Chief Minister Kalikho Pul addressing the council of Confederation of Indian Industry here today said the north-eastern state has witnessed less development due to historical isolation.

"We need investments to accelerate economic activity and also to promote entrepre neurship," Pul said.

He said that the state was keen for industrialisation for which the government would

acquire land with least hurdles, provide power subsidy and other fiscal incentives.

In order to facilitate entry of machinery for industry, Arunachal was in talks with Assam to

Pul said there was no homegrown insurgency in Arunachal Pradesh and all investments would be safe and secure.

The state was also in the process creating a brand image for itself, he added.

NEPA imparts training to directly recruited Dy SPs and SI from eight North Eastern State of India Contd. from Page 1

Chief Secretary said , our state can also have one such academy with NEPA authority’s cooperative, collaborative and sharing experiences and expertises to the Arunachal Government while assuring that there will be no constrains of funds and land availability.

Due to absence of high end police training centre, our boys are lacking

in effective and sensitive policing in the state, lamented Deputy Chief Minister, Kameng Dolo while interacting with the faculty members of NPA at its Conference Hall.

Impressed by the facilities and infrastructures available with the NPA, Shillong, Dolo expressed his desired to establish one such kind of training centre in Arunachal Pradesh.

Exhorting the faculty members, Deputy Chief Minister urged them to

impart world class trainings to trainees and equipped the police personnel to deal with the raising cyber crimes.

“We need to abreast our jawans with the new applied technologies in this world of Information Technology”, Dolo said stressing that our police personnel should be well equipped by quality trainings to deal with any kind of situations.

Referring to recent Tawang firing incidents, Deputy Chief Minister,

Dolo maintained that the police have a big role to play in maintaining peace in the region, which is a perquisite conditions for bringing in all round development in the region. Police is the backbone of a government who is like an ear and eye to keep vigil over law and order situation, Dolo added.

Extending his gratitude to Chief Secretary and NPA Director for giving him an opportunity to

tween the Laboratories, DGs and Corporate headquarters to meet the 21st century challenges of Defence R&D for protecting IPR issues of DRDO. He also emphasized the paradigm shift for inclusive User-friendly & collaborative Defence R&D with Industry & Academia to ensure a 'Productive DRDO'.

Earlier, PK Mehta, DG (ACE) welcomed the delegates, followed by the theme address by Dr. S Guruprasad, CC R&D (PC & SI). It is being attended by over 110 top Officials of DRDO including Directors General of various Technology Clusters, Chief Controllers (R&D), Directors of DRDO Laboratories, Corporate Directors of

Earlier, Dolo took impressive guard of honour at National Police Academy by contingents of NEPA Police personnel.

Dy CM also met and enquired the boys from Arunachal Pradesh, who are undergoing police trainings at the Academy.

absconding from police.

All together four people were arrested today, informed in a press release issued from AdiSU. Meanwhile, Buteng Tayeng, General Secretary of AdiSU Apex stated that, “Namsai district is under the strong grip of drugs and opium and need to take it as very serious issue by GoAP. It’s a big time to take all the necessary preventive measures

by GoAP or else soon it will be very late to realize”.

ET Correspondent Namsai, May 29: In a joint operation by AdiSU, Namsai District unit and Namsai Police have raided many shops and houses in Namsai district and seized illegal IMFL from many grocery shops.

Two people were arrested in connection with selling and consuming opium and weeds. Later on during operation two people were arrested red handed with brown sugar (drug) from the residence of Pakbo Narah and one is

AdiSU also appeal Government of Arunachal Pradesh to immediately provide fund to the district for dedication camps and other awareness activities.

This is a social evil and need to give awareness of the effects drugs abuses to coming generation.

Contd. from Page 1

Director General of DRDO Dr. S Christopher inaugurating 'DRDO Directors' Conclave 2016' at Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium DRDO headquarters and IFAs. The event will include deliberations on various issues of DRDO through six technical sessions each followed by a panel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi programmes are mostly for the benefit of farmers and poor people, besides ending the role of middlemen, including in jobs.

"My government had not completed even one week in office and some people started questioning its work. We were asked to give account. There are

AdiSU organizes 3rd Phase of Operation Clean Drive

Chief Minister Kalikho Pul visits Arunachal Bhawan, Kolkata

discussion. Few prominent topics includes Simplification of Corporate Procedures, Leveraging Industry, DPP2016 opportunities for DRDO, Cyber Security

and DRDO Knowledge Management. The conclave is scheduled to be concluded on May 30, 2016 with the award ceremony to young scientists. (ANI)

Won't let nation go on wrong path even if some things remain undone: PM D a v a n g e r e (Karnataka), May 29 : Slamming those questioning his government's performance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his two-year dispensation had initiated over 700 schemes and even if some tasks remain undone, "I will not let the nation go on the wrong path".

Addressing a public meeting here as part of 'vikas parv' (development festival) on completion of two years of his government, he asserted that he would "never go on the path of sins" as he charged that the previous government had "yielded" to pressure from various lobbies, including diesel and petrol ones.

Slamming the critics who "started questioning his work" even when he had not seen my office properly, Modi said his g o v e r n m e n t ' s

Dr Karam Ibunghan President Manipuri Sahitya Parishad Assam releasing a Book title Lotluba Chithi Written by Khetri Bira at Guwahati Press Club. Pic - UB Photos

share experiences, Dolo said we should keep this cooperation alive for sharing and inter exchanging training experiences between both the sister states.

DRDO's two-day directors' conclave begins Pune (Maharashtra), May 29 : Secretary Defence R&D and Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) Dr. S Christophertoday inaugurated 'DRDO Directors' Conclave 2016' at Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium here today.

The objective of the twoday conclave, organized

by ARDE, Pune, with the theme 'Productive DRDO' is to evolve innovative methods and procedures to synergize between DRDO Head Quarters, DG (Technology Clusters) and various DRDO laboratories across the country.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Christopher expressed the need of innovative mechanisms for better coordination be-

BOOKS RELEASE

some people in this country who talk of democracy but don't believe in the government elected by the people. They cannot digest (NDA coming to power). They wonder where from I came. I have come from this land, from among you," he said.

"Whatever I have done during the last two years has been for the welfare of the people only. Some people say Modi does not do big things," he said.

Accusing the previous government of "extending big favours" to few people, Modi asked, "Should I commit the same sin? Should I go on the wrong path? When you have blessed me, there is no need for me to go on that path of sin.

Even if one or two things remain undone, I will not let the nation go on the wrong path."

His remarks come against the backdrop of continuous criticism and questioning by Congress and some other parties over his government's performance.

He enlisted a number of programmes initiated in various fields and said a "change" can be felt in the country and that he

wanted to take the country to new heights for which he required people's support.

He mentioned various schemes for the farmers like Crop Insurance and Irrigation scheme, talked about programmes like opening of bank accounts for the poor and insurance schemes for them as well as his endeavour to give LPG connections to five crore poor people over the next three years.

He also talked about his government's effort to ensure early payment of dues by sugar mills to sugarcane farmers and launch of E-platform to enable farmers to sell their produce online anywhere in the country for a better price.

The Prime Minister also spoke about scrapping of about 1200 "obsolete" laws and doing away with the requirement of interview for Class III and IV government jobs. (PTI)

Upon finding the accommodation for students in dilapidated condition, the CM asked the DRC to refurbish the facilities. He asked to provide wooden cot, almirah, cupboards for the students.

The accommodation would facilitate staying of 15 boys and 10 girls.

During the visit, he interacted with students and and told them that the bhawan is actually not meant to accommodate students, but has been done on compassionate ground. He therefore

advised them to take care of the facilities in the building.

The Chief Minister also visited other facilities in the building.

He

inspected the rooms, suites, lounges, conference room, kitchen and toilet and appreciated the local officials for maintenance of the building.

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

PAGE 4

Trade Union forms at Margherita WELCOMED RALLY ET Correspondent Margherita, May 29: After so many decades a strong and powerful Trade Union was formed today at North Margherita Rangam ancha premises. The name of the Trade Union is Shramik Mukti Sangram Samity, Asom(SMSAA) affiliated to Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity(KMSS) and will be act a representative of KMSS. To-

day more than 200 workers from three plywood factories such as Triputi Industry, Woodply Industry and National Industry all are of Margherita were present at formation of the Trade Union name Shramik Mukti Shramik Samity, Asom. Today meeting was presided by Comrade Bikash Dasgupta CPI(ML) leader and advisor of Chatra Mukti Sangram Samity(CMSS) Tinsukia

district committee where Manash Konwar working president of CMSS of central committee, Lakhyjyoti Gogoi Tinsukia district president of CMSS, Pappu Dutta president of CMSS Margherita Regional Committee, Madhab Das circle secretary of Assam Tea Labour Union Margherita and many CMSS activists were present at the meeting.

Manash Konwar ex-

plained the aims and objectives of Shramik Mukti Sangram Samity, Asom. Comrade Bikash Dasgupta in his speech said that after 68 years of India independence no change were done to workers and peasants of our country only they are deprived, exploited and tortured by the ruling class and capitalists.

Comrade Bikash Dasgupta said workers and peasants are the

real resource of our country but today they are exploited and deprived from their basic rights. Only through struggle one could get their basic rights said Comrade Bikash Dasgupta. Manash Konwar and other activists of Chatra Mukti Sangram Samity and all present workers took oath of the constitution of Shramik Mukti Sangram Samity, Asom.

Junior College of science inaugurated CM Sarbananda in Utopion Academy Sonowal holds high

New Cabinet Minister for Water Resources, Science & Technology, Information Technology Keshab Mahanta welcomed by rally organized by his supporters in Kaliabor. Pic - UB Photos

level meeting with DC Bike lifter apprehended and SP at Dibrugarh Contd. from Page 1

ET Correspondent Dhemaji. May 29: Utopion Academy which was imparting Higher Education to the youths of the area through distant Education as centre today inaugurated full-fledged junior College of science stream, at Junakinagar in Silapathar. The inaugural function was presided

over by Gokul Saikia, retired headmaster of Betanipam High School, which was attended by Moridhal College Principal Kamal Gogoi and other eminent person of the area. Sidhartha Phukan Director of the institute said that a Silapathar development society is constituted and

Tinsukia school student commits suicide

Spl correspondent Tinsukia, May 29: In a shocking incident, a class 11 student allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence. According to sources, the de-

ceased has been identified as Biswajit Mishra, a resident of Balugoda, who is a student of Guruteg Bahadur School. However, the reason of his suicide is not yet clear.

Rally on Drug abuse organised

registered under society Act. to look after, from this year the classes will start he added. Everyone present appreciated the initiative of Phukan, as he generated his own and other unemployed youth through this path, Phukan was an AASU leader and he now stepped forward to serve the area.

"A sustained and all out drive should be made against illicit drugs and punitive action must be taken against the perpetrators, as we cannot allow the young generation to fall prey to it," he said.

The meeting that lasted for almost two hours also discussed in detail on the need to strengthen the Foreigners' Tribunals to make the process of detection of illegal migrants speedier. It also discussed threadbare about the preparedness to meet any exigency in case of flood and other

disasters like earthquake and landslide. The Chief Minister asked the DCs to make all preparations vis-a-vis sufficient stock of food grains, medicine, clean drinking water, fodder stock and to keep country boats ready for relief and rescue operations in view of the monsoons lashing the State early. The high level meeting was attended, among others,

by Chief Secretary, VK Pipersenia, DGP, Mukesh Sahay, Home Commissioner, LS Changsan, NRC State coordinator, Prateek Hajela and other top ranking civil and police officials.

ET Correspondent Dhemaji, May 29: Simenchapori police of Dhemaji district working on the tip of caught Mintu Baruah (21) and Suneswar Saikia (37) at Simenchapori market 55 km away from Dhemaji while they were trying to

sell two super splendor motor cycles to different person in the morning today. Later on the statement of both thieves two more youth of their gang were also caught from their home nearby, they were Jan Parik and Maina Gogoi. Baruah

and Saikia remained in the jail of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam many times, they lift the bike after coming out every time, and many cases are pending against the four in both state police source added.

BJP victory in Assam vote against Congress' obstructionism: Rajyavardhan Rathore PTI New Delhi, May 29: The victory of BJP-led coalition in Assam indicates that "obstructionist" politics does not succeed, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said today while debunking Congress. Charge that the Modi government has not achieved much.

Referring to the Congress' loss in the assembly polls in Assam and other states, Rathore said it is because the youths are not appreciating its "obstructionist" role in Parliament and outside.

The youths feel that such an approach can take away the window of opportunity from India to turn into a developed nation, he told PTI. "In crop insurance, we reduced the premium and removed the cap. But we did

not work (according to opposition). For last 10 years, not a single weapon for the army was imported and whenever any attempt to import was made, Agusta scam happened there.

"We placed an order of around Rs 1 lakh crore out of which 60 to 70 per cent are going to be made in India. But we did nothing.

And what did they do?"

Rathore said hitting out at the Congress.

He claimed the change was visible in decision making, policy making and policy implementation in the last two years.

"These are happening for schemes for women, youths, infrastructure, marginalised sections, in governance, in overall economy. Through Direct Benefit Transfer, we saved crores of rupees of money

by detecting fake accounts. This was public money. It's (money) not simply going to the treasury. It's going to the right people," the minister said.

Replying to a question about what is the takeaway from the results in Assam elections, Rathore said,"People of north east have also seen the obstructionism of Parliament and therefore they see hope in NDA and the leadership of the Prime Minister."

Congress' obstructionism in Parliament is because the party has run out of ideas; Rathore said, adding but not letting the government implement its ideas cannot be a policy.

The Union Minister said with young people constituting a very big chunk of population, the country has got a window of op-

portunity for growth and people say the 21st century could be the century of India.

"Youths feel that the country can lose this window of opportunity if obstructionism happens where laws are made (Parliament) and outside," Rathore said.

He said as far as the north east was concerned, "from day one of the government, the PM was clear that the policy has to change from Look East to Act East" and every minister has made regular trips to northeastern areas to connect with the people.

Listing various schemes of the government, the minister said youths were being given opportunity to learn skills and their educational level is going up, resulting in increased selfconfidence.

Replying to a question on whether Modi's connect with youths, which was seen during the last Lok Sabha polls, still continues, the Minister said the presence of a large number of young people at Prime Minister's rally in Saharanapur on Friday reflected the enduring connect.

"The entire world looks at India from a different angle, thinks India is a fit destination for investment," he said, adding the centre's policies and their implementation played a big role in the outcome of the recent assembly polls.

"Surveys being carried out in different parts of the country say that the trust that was there in Modi government after the Lok

Sabha polls still remains," Rathore said.

He said in its first year in office, the government talked of long-term development goals, laid its foundation and, in the second year, the change has become visible.

"So far, the governments in past, only kept one way communication.

It changed when we came.

Before the 2016 Budget, every central minister spent 36 hours in two Lok Sabha constituencies.

2016 Budget was made after the feedback from there. Now, on the second anniversary of our government, which we are calling Vikas Parva, a team of 30 ministers is going to different cities in states.

Did it ever happen till date? Did you ever see any Central government doing that?” Rathore asked.

Agricultural Cabinet needed at this hour, says Dr. KM Buzarbaruah

ET Correspondent Dhemaji, May 29: Assam Kabi Samaj in coordination with Silapathar Science College organised a rally against drug peddler and abuse at Silapathar town under Dhemaji district at 11 am, nearly five hundred students and senior citizens of the area participated.

Silapathar town under the Dhemaji district is

the gate way of Arunachal Pradesh and a business hub where number of drug addict youth is increasing at very fast rate, a above this drugs is being supplied to different places from here source added. Protestor demanded administration to stop the supply and take necessary step to irradiate the addiction from the area.

ET Correspondent Jorhat, May 29: Sarbananda Sonowal government in Assam requested to form Agricultural Cabinet for food security, farmers development and security so that the Cabinet could take the decision for policy making that will help to create more importance for agricultural development, says Dr. Kamal Mallav Buzarbaruah, the Vice Chancellor of Assam Agriculture University during his speech at an awareness programme for the ‘Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme’ held at Dr. MC Das memorial auditorium

here today.

Dr. Buzarbaruah further stressed upon the state government that only through an agricultural cabinet the department of agriculture and the field of agriculture will grow and shine for food security and transparency between the related departments under the state government. He also suggest to frame time after taking 50 to 60 member farmers throughout the state in working together for lifting the agricultural scenario.

The VC during his presidential address to the gathering said in Punjab he once met a

farmer who had 2 lakh broilers in his farm and each day he sent 1 lakh to the Gulf Countries and rest he sold in the local markets. On the other hand the vice chancellor said livestock farming is an employment generation farming today.

In Assam 2000 million liters of milk is required every month but against it only 800 million liter could be produced by our farmers which is still deficit so young farmers are requested to come forward and take up livestock farming/dairy at the earliest.

Jorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa requested the farmers to take the

benefit from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojona. He also took part in the distribution of soil health card to 1500 farmers from throughout Majuli and Jorhat, and heavily flayed the State Agricultural Department for not cooperating with other related departments and further suggest not to listen to political leaders like MPs and MLAs but requested to listen to farmers and agricultural experts which will help for better agricultural drive. When krishak turns healthy only than the state will turn healthy, said Mr. Tasa.

Dr. Lakshmipriya, senior ADC Jorhat congratulated the

participating farmers and welcome them for talking part in awareness drive for the Pradhan Mantri Fassal Bima Yojona and said that with such insurance scheme the farmers will get benefitted more which is granted and they should remain sure that they will get their money back through this insurance scheme.

Assam BJP Krishi Morcha secretary Palit Bora during his speech assured the gathering that good days ahead, all farmers under the leadership of Narendra Modi, India will shine and grow and there will be no more suicide following this crop insurance scheme,

farmers need not worry as the scheme will cover all their loan liabilities.

Earlier in the morning Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Dr. KM Buzarbaruah, Tanuj Goswami-the Register AAU, Dr. GN Hazarika-director research AAU, Dr. Lakhipriya, Dr. Dipti Kumar Bora-Dean AAU and Rupam Borgohaicordinator of Krishi Vigyan KendraKVK, Jorhat inaugurated the awareness programme by lightning the traditional lamp while by the end of the days programme a beautiful and attractive exhibition was inaugurated by the chief guest Jorhat MP KP Tasa.

REGION

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

Crucial meeting of dissidents legislators postponed

Former Chief Minister S C Marak Agencies Shillong, May 29: The pace of the dissidents to effect a change of leadership has slowed down following the selection of AICC General Secretary in charge Meghalaya V Narayanasamy as the new Chief Minister of Pondicherry.

The meeting of the dissident legislators with Lapang scheduled to be held at his official residence at 7 pm on Saturday was postponed after the news about Narayanasamy’s new assignment reached here.

This was informed by former Chief Minister S C Marak after meeting Lapang at the latter’s residence on Saturday evening.

He also said that now they will have to wait for the appointment of a new AICC general secretary in charge Meghalaya to follow up the change of leadership issue with Delhi.

No new date has been fixed for the meeting of the dissidents with Lapang, who has been projected as the next leader.

Marak admitted that some Congress legislators have some grievances which need to be sorted out.

To a question on the dis-

sidents projecting Lapang as the new leader, Marak said that consultations would continue.

Asked whether he is in the race for the post of Chief Minister, Marak said, “I want to continue as an MLA”.

Though Lapang is projected as the new leader, there are varied suggestions emerging from the Congress circles that a young face like Preston Tynsong or a senior person acceptable to all like SC Marak can be chosen as alternate to Lapang.

The AICC wanted a plan of action from the dissidents before they meet the High Command in Delhi. In the recent meeting in Delhi with Lapang and Shillong MP Vincent Pala, the ACICC leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Narayanasamy wanted all the Congress legislators to come to Delhi to air their views and grievances against Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.

Pala who is currently camping in Shillong was entrusted to speak to all legislators in Shillong and fix up a meeting so that the Congress legislators can meet the AICC leaders.

Industry body urges Modi to resolve coal issue at Meghalaya Agencies Shillong, May 29: The Confederation of Industries of Meghalaya (CIM) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take expeditious steps to resolve the issue of coal availability for survival of industries in the North East.

A delegation of the Confederation of Industries of Meghalaya on Friday met Modi and submitted a memorandum demanding support for the growth of industries in Meghalaya.

The president of the confederation, Banwari Lal Bajaj in the memorandum said that due to vast availability of key raw materials such as limestone and coal, entrepreneurs from the region made investments of more than Rs 5,000 crore in the cement sector which today provides direct employment to more than 10,000 families and a sizeable population of the region indirectly.

“It is also pertinent to mention that prior to setting up of the cement industry the supplies were made from the mainland and that too in erratic manner which also resulted in high prices and spurious cement. The local cement industry set up in the North East provided the entire region with fresh and high quality BIS certified cement which has led to development and growth,” the memorandum pointed out.

The CIM said that the industries are now facing challenges in Meghalaya and one of the reason is the uncertainty in availability of key raw materials such as coal which though abundantly available cannot be mined due to abrupt imposition of the ban by NGT. According to Bajaj, the bottlenecks and uncertainties after investments were made by entrepreneurs have led to closure of significant number of industries in small and medium sector and have sent several others on the verge of closure.

The Confederation urged the PM to take expeditious steps to resolve the coal availability for survival of the industries besides taking steps to accord approval from Mining and Forest Authorities for paving way for availability of limestone, without which, the cement industry will not survive.

The group also said that railway connectivity should be established near cement clusters in East Jaintia Hills and Umiam in Ri Bhoi to reduce overall cost of production besides rationalizing power tariff and cross subsidy surcharge in the NER. They also sought financial support to certain public sector units like Hindustan Paper Corporation and CCI for clearing long overdue payments of local MSMEs.

PAGE 5

Chief Minister Ibobi does not want to share power with his own ministers: Himanta Biswa Sarma Agencies Imphal, May 29: The alliance between Naga People’s Front (NPF) and BJP is confined to Nagaland and there is no question of extending the association to Manipur, said BJP leader and finance minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma.

While speaking to some media persons at on Saturday evening, he said that recently the party formed the Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a common platform for all political parties which is against the Congress party In context of Manipur, BJP does not have any ally and the primary aim is to strengthen the party position in the future. In

the by-election held in Manipur, BJP has gone alone and performed with excellence with the election of two MLAs. He said that the condition of Congress government in Manipur is must worse than what the Assam Congress government were going through.

Chief Minister Ibobi does not want to share power with his own ministers. In the last 15 years no development has taken place and the problem of unemployment of youth has increased. Basically, people want faster development which is not happening in state, said Hemanta who is also the convener of NEDA. A new era of develop-

Himanta Biswa Sarma

ment will come to Manipur when a BJP government comes to power. Congress has no potential now, Hemanta observed, citing the de-

feat of the party in the byelection to the two Assembly constituencies.

Now the minister and MLAs of Congress called him frequently

and asked him for room to join BJP in Manipur, the former Assam minister asserted.

He said that the purpose of his visit to Manipur is to explore room for alliance in the sister states of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura and create a new relationship with BJP through NEDA. After BJP success in Assam we want to strengthen other NE states too, he said.

He said BJP has 11 political parties as alliance in NE region and five of them Assam, but till today there is no common platform to bring them together. “Through NEDA we will tie all like-minded political parties in the northeastern region and the objec-

Bomb expert along with other militants held, weapons seized PTI Imphal, May 29: Manipur police commandos apprehended one 'highly trained cadre' and two other militants belonging to different outfits were arrested from different parts of state.

On Thursday last, PREPAK (Pro) activist N Joyshanker Singh (30) was apprehended by police commandos from his residence in Lairikyengbam Leikai in Imphal West district, a Manipur police release said.

Joyshanker was stated to be a highly trained cadre in assembling bombs and planting of IEDs. Search operations at the house led to the discovery of one IED pipe bomb, eight batteries, one white-coloured battery, five EW marked batteries, one Panasonic

Bomb expert along with other militants held, weapons seized

battery, six detonators, three C 4 explosive cake, circuit board and others.

One Lethod gun along with four live shells was also seized from his residence, the officer said.

Investigations revealed that he was earlier arrested in 2013 for planting an IED at the Western gate of the Chief Minister s residence and the popular hangout for youngsters Route-39.

Joyshanker said that he and one associate K Roshan (25) had abducted one of their former cadres, Ningthiba from Pukhao locality, and shot him dead, the release said.

The weapons seized from Joyshanker s residence were meant to be used for explosion purpose in different areas in Imphal on the occasion of the outfit s Foundation Day on

June 1, 2016, the officer said.

Based on his disclosure, a combined team of commandos and troops of 45 Assam Rifles ExChingmeirong later raided the residence of one of his associates W Ramananda Singh (40) at Kontha Ahallup in Imphal West district, said the release.

Ramananda turned out to be a Self-styled General Secretary of KCP (MC) and is learnt to be providing assistance to PREPAK (Pro) activist in serving demand letters, transportation of arms and ammunition and explosives.

One pistol along with a magazine with five rounds of 9 mm were also seized from the possession of Ramananda whose outfit KCP (MC) is observing Suspension

of Operations with the state government, said the police release.

Meanwhile one selfstyled Lance Corporal of UNLF, namely, Yumnam James (26) was also arrested by police commandos from Leishangthem Khong Manung in Thoubal district.

On Friday, Manipur police commandos arrested an active cadre of the proscribed KYKL during a search operation at Heirok Part-3 in Thoubal district and identified as 27-year-old N Deny.

Elsewhere in the same district, another activist M Milan Singh (37) of the outfit KCP was nabbed from WangjingHeirok crossing.

He was involved in transporting extorted money from Imphal to Moreh, added the release.

Meghalaya beauty mesmerizes PM Modi Agencies Shillong, May 29: The mesmerizing beauty and rich culture of Meghalaya has definitely impressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited Khasi Heritage Village on Saturday to get a firsthand knowledge about the rich cultural and traditional heritage of the Khasi-Jaintia tribe.

Modi also tried his hand in beating Khasi traditional drum — Ka Bom — before winding up his two-day visit to Meghalaya.

Braving an inclement weather, Modi went ahead with his scheduled sightseeing plans to the famous tourist spots in and around the city.

Before going to Mawphlang village, adjacent to the sacred groves, the Prime Min-

ister visited the Elephant Falls, one of the major tourist destinations in Shillong.

The Prime Minister, who first went to Matilang Park, spent a good time at the tourist spot and clicked pictures there.

Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan, Union DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Zenith Sangma accompanied the Prime Minister.

“Scenic Elephant Falls… When you go to Meghalaya, this has to be on your must visit list,” Modi later tweeted .

From Elephant Falls, Modi headed towards the Khasi Heritage Village at Mawphlang and spent nearly 45 minutes there.

At the Khasi Heritage Village, Modi, who scripted history by becoming the first prime minister to visit Mawphlang, interacted with young men and women who were in traditional attire with instruments to showcase the cultural fabric of the tribal Khasi and Jaintia.

Besides beating the traditional drums, Modi also visited huts representing the traditional Khasi states and spent some time looking at the blacksmiths who were showcasing their traditional artistic skills.

The Prime Minister also tweeted pictures and videos of his visit to the heritage village in Twitter “At Mawphlang village, saw parts of the spectacular culture of Meghalaya.

The colour and the vibrancy exceptional,” Modi said in his tweet.

PM Modi at Meghalaya His visit to the sacred forest of Mawphlang, however, could not take place due to the inclement weather. But he was briefed on how the highly regarded grove was managed, controlled and administered.

It may be mentioned that Mawphlang is famous for “Sacred Groves” and community forest which

has been preserved for centuries by the local people.

Modi, who arrived here on Friday, addressed the 65th Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) attended by governors and chief ministers of the eight northeastern states except Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura.

3 Minister extends support to beleaguered CM Mukul

Agencies Shillong, May 29: Three Congress Ministers

Ampareen Lyngdoh, Roshan Warji and HDR Lyngdoh, who were part of

the dissident group, have shifted their allegiance to extend support to beleaguered Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.

The trio pledged their support to the Chief Minister during a meeting with him at his official residence on Saturday evening.

Sources, however, said that they have done so fearing that they might lose their respective places in the cabinet if a new leader is elected,

Sources within the party said that Sangma tried to reach out some dissident ministers to secure their support.

The MPCC chief DD Lapang earlier cancelled a scheduled meeting on Saturday with all the dissident legislators including the Ministers.

Though the change of AICC general secretary in charge of Meghalaya V. Narayanasamy was cited

as the reason for the cancellation of the meeting, the actual reason appears to be the sudden shift of allegiance by three Ministers. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister met Lapang to amicably settle the leadership issue.

Sources said that the Chief Minister quoting AICC wanted the issue to be settled amicably without effecting a change of leadership.

tive is basically to strengthen all the ally parties after consideration of common issues,” he said.

So, NEDA will have frequent discussions on common issues and have a vision for joint development. We will share common approach on contentious issues and put views together before the government of India.

Every issue of NE region will be taken up through NEDA but not individually. In the coming elections we have to smoothen our relationship so that BJP governments come to power in every state of the NE region, said Hemanta Biswa Sarma.

Manipur woman injured in police firing loses hearing Imphal, May 29 (IANS): A woman injured in police firing in Manipur during an agitation over what the protestors call anti-migrant bills has suffered hearing loss, officials said on Sunday.

Sources told IANS that the woman, K. Thoibi (40) of Imphal West district -- has become deaf in the right ear after sustaining the injury on Saturday. It is being feared that her hearing may be impaired permanently.

Twenty-four girl students were also hospitalised when police resorted to firing of mock bombs and tear gas shells. Most of the injured girls were later discharged.

"From the injury of the woman, it is now confirmed that rubber bullets were fired well above the waistline. It was uncalled for," a woman activist said.

Police have beefed up security measures in the Imphal East and Imphal West districts to maintain law and order.

20 student protesters injured in Imphal Agencies Imphal, May 29: Police on Saturday fired tear gas canisters and mock bombs to disperse a large number of students, mostly girls, in Imphal city, injuring over 20.

On Saturday, numerous school students marched towards Kwakeithel Bazaar, seeking implementation of the Inner Line Permit System. To thwart them from moving towards the Keishampat area close to Raj Bhawan and the chief minister's bungalow, the police took action. The injured students were rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences here.

The Manipur assembly on August 31, 2015 passed the Protection of Manipur Peoples (PMP) Bill 2015, with two others.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

PAGE 6

Rajnath condemns attack on African nationals, calls for increased police patrolling New Delhi, May 29 : With the government leaving no stone unturned to ensure the absolute security of all African nationals in the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday condemned the recent cases of assaults on the foreign citizens in the national capital and called on the Delhi Police to take strict action and increase patrolling.

"Spoke to CP Delhi regarding the incident of physical assault against certain African nationals in New Delhi. Such incidents are condemnable,"

Rajnath tweeted.

He also said that the has instructed Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma to take strict action against the attackers and increase patrolling in such areas to ensure security of everyone.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that she has directed Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) V.K. Singh and MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Amar Sinha to meet the students, who have announced a demonstration at the Jantar

Home Minister Rajnath Singh Mantar.

"I have asked Gen V.K.Singh MOS and

Secretary Amar Sinha to meet #Africanstudents who hv announced dem-

onstration at Jantar Mantar," she tweeted.

Post several attacks on the African nationals in various parts of the nation, the foreign students have decided to stage a protest at the Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

Six African nationals were attacked in south Delhi's Mehrauli area last week allegedly with cricket bats and sticks.

Earlier, a Nigerian student in Hyderabad was beaten up by the local residents during a spat over parking space.

Earlier this month, 23year-old Congolese na-

tional Masonda Ketada Olivier was beaten to death after a verbal altercation over the hiring of an auto-rickshaw in Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi.

Swaraj has also spoken with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung about the attacks.

"They assured me that the culprits will be arrested soon and sensitization campaign will be launched in areas where African nationals reside," she tweeted.

(ANI)

BJP shrugs off Japan's Abe may leave tax hike to next PM: reports Digvijaya's 'nation is burning' rant

Nalin Kohli New Delhi, May 29 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday downplayed Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh's 'country is burning' under Prime Minister Narendra Modi rant and said that he might be talking about the condition of the grand old party.

BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told ANI, "I don't know to whom is Digvijaya Singh referring in terms of that the country is burning, because a few days ago he was speaking about surgery.

So perhaps his comment about the celebration and all might be also to the congress party since he calls for a surgery with regard to the country."

"Prime Minister Modi's government is making all those attempts to change the scenario we inherited from the Congress Party

and its reflected in terms of the voting pattern we have also recently seen the votes are not going to the Congress they are either coming to BJP or other parties," he added.

Digvijaya earlier today dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Roman emperor Nero and lashed out at the BJP-led NDA Government's lavish celebration on completion of two years in office.

"Prime Minister Modi is saying the nation is changing and developing. The nation is burning and Nero (here PM Modi) is celebrating. Is this good governance of BJP and RSS," he tweeted.

The leaders of the BJP-led NDA regime, which completed its two years in office on May 26, are preaching loud and far about the development in the nation and promising good times in the future. (ANI)

Pak hints at abandoning development projects in Kabul Islamabad, May 29 : Pakistan has indicated Kabul that it could abandon work on development projects in Afghanistan in wake of the harassment of its workers in the nation.

A Pakistani official in Kabul said that the authorities in the Logar province detained earlier this week an engineer, working on a Pakistan-funded hospital, for nearly five hours.

As many as forty-five Pakistani workers, including engineers, are involved in construction of the 14 million dollars Naeb Aminullah Khan Logari Hospital in Logar province.

The Pakistani official said the police claimed that an electrical machine could be used by the workers for spreading the menace of terrorism.

"Pakistani contractors ex-

plained to the police officer that the machine is used only for electrical purposes but the police officer was adamant on his view and took the site engineer to the police station," the Express Tribune quoted a Pakistani official said.

Stating that the Afghan Government is lax on ensuring security for the Pakistani workers, he pointed out that several of them have been killed and kidnapped in the past.

Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal said that the situation should not be generalized based on one incident.

"We should not generalise [based on] one isolated incident of a worker detained and then released within a few hours to all Pakistani workers in Afghanistan," he said. (ANI)

Tokyo, May 29 : Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to push back his debt-loaded country's next tax hike for two and a half years, when he will likely have left office, reports said today.

Abe yesterday told his close aides, including Finance Minister Taro Aso, that he intends to push back a planned raise in taxes to October 2019, according to Japanese media.

Abe's premiership will end in September 2018 unless his ruling Liberal Democratic Party approves an exceptional measure to extend his leadership.

This means Abe will likely leave the tricky work of imposing heavier taxes -- a key measure which would

help pay down one of the biggest debt loads among rich nations but may also undermine Japan's frail economic recovery -- to his successor.

Tokyo already postponed raising the tax from eight to 10 percent last year to April 2017.

Abe had previously said that his government would only push back the long-planned consumption tax hike in the event of "a grave situation" -on the scale of the collapse of Lehman Brothers or a major earthquake.

At the two-day Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit, which concluded in Japan Friday, Abe argued that the global economy risked a "crisis", though Germany's Angela Merkel and International

Trains being searched at Mathura Railway Station post bomb threat call

Trains being searched at Mathura Railway Station post bomb threat call Mathura, May 29 : A bomb threat call was received at Agra Control Room of the Indian Railways following which the personnel of the Government Railway Police ( GRP) and Bomb Squad are conducting a search operation at the Mathura Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh.

All trains going from Agra to New Delhi are currently being searched by the agencies.

Two trains - Utkal Ex-

press and Firozpur Chinddwara Express have been cleared and other trains are being searched.

It is reported that the call was made from a mobile phone belonging to a person named Brahmdev Gupta, a resident of New Krishna Colony, Agra.

The police have arrested him. He has been taken to the Aitmatudualla Police Station in Agra for interrogation. (ANI)

Sushma Swaraj asks V.K. Singh to pacify agitated African students Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde reportedly said that prediction was too negative.

Tokyo's last sales tax rise in April 2014 -- the nation's first in 17 years -- was blamed for stalling a nascent economic recovery and pushing Ja-

pan into a recession from which it has barely recovered.

Japanese government coffers are deep in the red, with public debt standing at twice the size of the economy -- the worst among industrialised nations. (AFP)

3 people still missing after floods in Kansas and Texas Houston, May 29 : At least three people were still missing today after torrential rain in Texas and Kansas flooded rivers, washed out roads and left four people dead.

In Kansas, the search for a missing 11-year-old boy was suspended late yesterday because of darkness and fatigue of first responders, according to Wichita Fire Department battalion chief Scott Brown. The boy was swept away in a swollen creek on Friday night.

"We are more in body recovery mode than rescue," Brown said. Recovery efforts would resume at first light on Sunday, he said.

Near Austin in Travis

County, Texas, officials planned to resume aerial searches on Sunday for two missing people whose vehicle was swept off a flooded roadway after the area got 9 inches of rain this week, said emergency services spokeswoman Lisa Block.

The threat of severe weather had lessened in Texas over the long Memorial Day holiday weekend and the focus now is on homes that could be flooded by slowly rising waters.

Evacuation orders were issued on Saturday for parts of two Texas cities along the Brazos River near Houston.

"The skies are clear and things look good. But we want to make sure people

understand that we are not out of the woods yet. We have to keep an eye on water that's coming through our bayou system," said Francisco Sanchez, a spokesman for the Office of Emergency Management in Harris County, where Houston is located.

Other parts of the US got drenched Friday, including Kansas. And on Saturday afternoon, Tropical Storm Bonnie formed in the Atlantic Ocean and brought rain and wind to the coast of South Carolina.

In Washington County, Texas, located between Austin and Houston, County Judge John Brieden said the bodies of two missing motorists were found Saturday in

separate parts of the rural county.

The body of Pyarali Rajebhi Umatiya, 59, of College Station, was found in a submerged vehicle. The body of Darren Charles Mitchell, 21, a National Guardsman from Navasota, was found downstream from where his overturned truck had been located earlier.

That brings to four the number of people who have died in the county after more than 16.5 inches of rain fell in some places on Thursday and Friday. The downpour washed away mobile homes and flooded other structures. Authorities performed more than 50 water rescues. (AP)

ABJASS to launch state wide 'Jat Nyay rally' from June 5 New Delhi, May 29 : Following the Punjab and Haryana High Court's interim stay on the Jat reservation quota, Akhil Bharatiya Jat Aarakshan Samiti are gearing up to launch a state wide 'Jat Nyay rally' in Haryana from June 5.

Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) members and their national president Yashpal Malik said that the association will hold peaceful protest, but if the police retaliates or tries to stop them using violence, then the protesters would take a call on their own.

"We will hold 'Jat Nyay rally' in Haryana from June 5. We will be holding rally as promises on February 22 by Haryana chief minister have not been fulfilled. We were promised that the people who were arrested during the Jat Quota Stir will be released and compensation will be provided to those who were killed and in-

Yashpal Malik jured," Malik added.

With the Punjab and Haryana High Court granting interim stay on the reservation given to Jats and five other castes in the state, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier said though the matter is sub judice, the government must fulfil the promise it had made to the Jat and other communities.

"The government has said that they have fulfilled all legalities necessary for providing reservations to Jats, they should fight for it now.

The promise that the government has made to Jat and other communities must be fulfilled," said the Congress stalwart.

Hearing a petition challenging reservations for Jats and other castes on the grounds

that it is in violation to a Supreme Court order, the high court on Thursday fixed July 21 for the next hearing, when the government will file its reply.

The Haryana Cabinet had on March 28 approved the amendments in the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in Educational Institutions) Bill, which enlists Jats, Bishnois, Tyagis, and Rors in the recently sculpted Backward Classes (C) category, making them eligible for 10 per cent reservation in classes 3 and 4 posts, and six percent reservation in classes 1 and 2 jobs.

A violent Jat agitation had crippled the state in February. It ended in the death of many people and injuries to others and widespread damage to property. It was brought under control only after the army staged a flag march. (ANI)

Sushma Swaraj New Delhi, May 29 : In wake of the consecutive attacks on African nationals in the country, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said that she has directed Minister of State for External Affairs General (Retd.) V.K. Singh and MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Amar Sinha to meet the students, who have announced demonstration at the Jantar Mantar in the national capital.

"I have asked Gen V.K.Singh MOS and Secretary Amar Sinha to meet #Africanstudents who hv announced demonstration at Jantar Mantar," she tweeted.

Post several attacks on the African nationals in various parts of the nation, the foreign students have decided to stage a protest at the Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

Six African nationals were

attacked in south Delhi's Mehrauli area last week allegedly with cricket bats and sticks. Earlier, a Nigerian student in Hyderabad was beaten up by the local residents during a spat over parking space.

Earlier this month, 23-yearold Congolese national Masonda Ketada Olivier was beaten to death after a verbal altercation over the hiring of an auto-rickshaw in Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi.

Swaraj has also spoken with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung about the attacks.

"They assured me that the culprits will be arrested soon and sensitization campaign will be launched in areas where African nationals reside," she tweeted. (ANI)

People in 34 African cities join Sri Sri in peace prayer Johannesburg, May 29 : People in 34 African cities and venues in 28 other countries across the globe joined the Art of Living Foundation leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar through webcast as he led a prayer for peace in the African continent.

The annual 'I Meditate Africa' campaign of the foundation, now in its fourth year, has grown exponentially from just 10,000 at its inception, the NGO said.

This year more than 7,50,000 people participated in the campaign, it said, adding the campaign aims to promote peace across the continent, encouraging the use of meditation as part of mainstream peace building.

"At a time when headlines across the continent

are dominated by racism, violence, crime, corruption, misunderstanding and lack of human values; a focus on unity, harmony and peace building on a deeper level is the need of the hour on the continent," said Art of Living senior faculty member Vani Pavadai, who was one of the initiators of the idea.

May 25 is celebrated across the continent and in the Africa Ddiaspora as Africa Day, commemorating the establishment on May 25, 1963 of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

In one of the most unique elements of the event yesterday, Luzira prison in Uganda saw 250 inmates join the spiritual leader via the live link up for the peace campaign. (PTI)

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

PAGE 7

NEIGHBOURS

Japanese should take advantage of 'youthful Why didn't Obama mention Pearl Harbor during Japan workforce' in Bangladesh: Hasina Dhaka, May 29 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reassured the door of Bangladesh is open for the Japanese investors as she said that some recent incidents would not frustrate investment climate.

The Prime Minister also urged the Japanese entrepreneurs to invest in various sectors by taking advantages of huge youthful workforce and emerging opportunities in Bangladesh, reports

Nepal appoints Bed Prasad Bhattarai as NHRC Secy Kathmandu, May 29 : The Nepal Government has appointed Bed Prasad Bhattarai as the Secretary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Bhattarai had been serving as the Acting-Secretary at the NHRC for over two years since the NHRC Secretary retired, reports The Himalayan Times.

The constitutional rights body had around two months ago recommended Bhattarai, who joined the NHRC as the Regional Director in March 2006, for promotion.

Bhattarai had monitored the situation of human rights, especially the civil and political rights of the people in the region, according to the NHRC during the People's Movement II in 2006, Madhesh Movement, Tharuhat Movement of Nepal and the Constituent Assembly election. (ANI)

Pak Interior Minister discusses security situation with Army Chief Islamabad, May 29 : Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif held meetings with Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to discuss the national security situation and the recent US drone attack in the region.

Expressing deep concern over the U.S. drone attacks on Pakistani territory, especially the recent May 21 attack in Balochistan which killed Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Mansour, the duo during the meeting termed them a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty, reports the Express Tribune.

The Army Chief briefed the two leaders about his recent meeting with US Ambassador David Hale.

The meeting was held at general headquarters (GHQ) yesterday.

The Interior Minister said that a meeting of the Cabinet's Defence Committee will be convened to discuss important matters after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recovers from his ailment and returns home from London.

Sharif is currently in London on a personal trip and will undergo an open heart surgery on Tuesday. (ANI)

Daily Star.

Hasina said she wants that the Japanese should also take advantage of the youthful workforce and emerging opportunities in Bangladesh.

tremism.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the scopes for effective collaboration between Bangladesh and Japan in various sectors.

Hasina informed she has instructed the authorities concerned to ensure the highest possible security for the Japanese individuals and installations operating in Bangladesh.

Talking of the security and safety of investors,

Hasina said that her government has planned to establish 100 Special Economic Zones and several IT Parks, adding the work on 33 of those is already in progress.

As the Japanese society moves into a 'robotic

Sheikh Hasina she added that her gov- zero tolerance for any ernment would ensure a form of terrorism or ex-

evolution', she said the Bangladesh economy will have much to collaborate in areas like ' imaginative software', 'shared cloud-based processing' and evolving generic computing architecture.

Hasina added that Japan remains one of Bangladesh's most tested friends and the people of her country hold Japanese investors in high esteem for work ethics. (ANI)

Pak's request for Nuclear Suppliers Group to be decided by consensus: US Washington, May 29 : Acknowledging Pakistan's application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the United States has said the request will be decided by consensus.

Islamabad had last week submitted a formal application in Vienna for joining the NSG. "The decision to seek participation in the export control regime reflects Pakistan's strong support for international efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery," Dawn quoted the statement issued in Islamabad as saying.

When asked to comment

on Pakistan's request, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark C. Toner said, "They have made public their interest and certainly any country can submit its application for membership. And we'll consider [it] based on a consensus decision."

The 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group founded in response to Indian nuclear test in May 1974 seeks to reduce nuke proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of nuclear materials.

Though India's nuclear tests caused the concerned nations to form this body, the country now wants to join the

Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group members will be meeting in South Korea next month and India's request for an entry could most likely be discussed amongst other issues.

Toner, however, in his Friday news briefing said this meeting had not been called to discuss India's membership, although this was one of the issues that might come up.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group member, China, has blocked India's entry.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on May 13 that several other NSG members were supporting

Pak's request for Nuclear Suppliers Group to be decided by consensus: US Beijing's move to block India.

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to China earlier this

week told the Chinese leaders that India should be allowed entry into the NSG on the basis of its own credentials.(ANI)

trip: Trump

Barack Obama Washington D.C., May 29 : Republican nominee Donald Trump questioned that why President Barack Obama did not mention the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during his trip this week to Japan.

"Does President Obama ever discuss the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor while he's in Japan?

Thousands of American lives lost. #MDW," tweeted Trump.

According to CNN, Obama did not publicly mention the surprise 1941 attack that pulled the U.S. into World War II while on his historic trip to Japan, during which he became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima.

"Why do we come to this place, to Hiroshima? We come to ponder the ter-

rible forces unleashed in the not-so-distant past.

We come to mourn the dead ... their souls speak to us and ask us to look inward. To take stock of who we are and what we might become," Obama said during his visit to the city's Peace Memorial Park.

Trump supporter Sarah Palin also criticized the trip, calling it part of the President's "apology lap."

Palin, speaking at a Trump rally in San Diego Friday night, said Obama's trip to Hiroshima was "dissing our vets."

Earlier in the week, in a joint press conference with Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he had no plans to visit Pearl Harbor.

(ANI)

Militants planning Nawaz Sharif running Pak Govt. Nine Taliban militants attacks in Kabul, from UK with help from aides killed in Afghanistan's warns US embassy

Nawaz Sharif Lahore, May 29 : Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is scheduled to undergo an open-heart surgery in United Kingdom on Tuesday, is overseeing the functioning of his government from London According to the Dawn, the media wing of Prime Minister's House assured

the nation on Saturday that Sharif was still monitoring state affairs.

"The prime minister is being informed regularly about the overall situation of the country and in this regard both the military and principal secretaries are ... regularly providing assistance to the prime minister who is also in direct contact with

his cabinet colleagues and issuing necessary orders," a statement said.

The spokesperson for the Prime Minister's House, however, conceded that Sharif, being the chief executive of the country, had to relinquish his duties during the period when he would be undergoing the surgery.

The premier is in constant contact with his ministers with no postponements or delays in matters pertaining to the routine functioning of the state, said a statement issued by the PM Office in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who wished Sharif a speedy recovery and good health.

"My best wishes to PM Nawaz Sharif Sahab for his open heart surgery on Tuesday. And for his speedy recovery & good health," he said in a tweet. (ANI)

Uruzgan

Nine Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan's Uruzgan Kabul, May 29 : At least nine Taliban militants, including its two top leaders, were killed during separate clashes with the Afghan security forces in southern Uruzgan province.

The 205th Atal Corps of the Afghan National Army in a statement said the group's shadow governor Mawlavi Jan Agha and military commission chief Asadullah were among those killed, reports the Khaama Press.

The statement also said that at least five militants were

also wounded during the operations and five Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were seized and defused.

So far, the Taliban militants group has not commented regarding the report.

The statement added that operations were conducted in Chora and Khas Uruzgan districts.

The Afghan security forces have stepped up their operations to counter militant groups and suppress their insurgency activities. (ANI)

Upset with 2016-17 budget, NC demands Paudel's resignation Kathmandu, May 29 : Demanding Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel's resignation, the Nepali Congress has said that the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 was brought by violating fiscal discipline and it could not be implemented.

A joint meeting of the NC Parliamentary Party and Central Working Committee held at the Legislature-Parliament Building in Naya Baneshwor today concluded that the budget announcement would be limited to imagination as it had no policy and

Bishnu Prasad Paudel's resignation structural arrangements for implementation.

The Nepali Congress leaders said Paudel should tender his resig-

nation on moral grounds as information regarding size of the budget and its priorities were disseminated a day before the

budget was presented at the Parliament.

They said that the budget would increase inflation and leave a negative impact on the economy.

Talking to the Rastriya Samachar Samiti after the meeting, Nepali Congress leader Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the government would face challenges in course of implementing the budget as it would fail to collect resources from the sources mentioned.

Although issues of salary increase of employees and hike in room rent allowance for parliamentarians were good, the

announcement in overall would increase general expenses and increase inflation, said the Nepali Congress leaders.

They also said that different programmes were included in the budget for cheap popularity, adding the budget lacked concrete base to control inflation and increase production.

Nepali Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak said that the ambitious budget for next fiscal could not be implemented as 20 percent budget of the current fiscal had not been spent yet. (ANI)

Militants planning attacks in Kabul, warns US embassy Kabul, May 29 : The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul has issued a security alert warning for its citizens regarding militants planning attacks in the city.

"The U.S. embassy in Kabul continues to receive reports of militants planning unspecified attacks in Kabul City and elsewhere in Afghanistan against locations and individuals with potential American connections," Khaama Press quoted the alert statement by the embassy as saying.

The statement also said the militants are looking

to attack Afghan and U.S. government facilities, foreign embassies, foreign guest houses, restaurants, hotels, airports, civilian institutes, and educational centers.

The latest security alert by the U.S. embassy comes as the anti-government armed militant groups have been planning to expand their attacks in the region, specifically following the death of Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in U.S. drone strike last Saturday.

The Afghan Government has also stepped up its preparations to counter the militants. (ANI)

Lanka's Marxist Party to protest against decision to increase taxes Colombo, May 29 : Sri Lanka's Marxist Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), will stage a protest against the government this week over the decision to increase taxes.

Taking potshots at the government, JVP general secretary Tilvin Silva has said imposing heavy taxes on the people is unfair, adding the party will stage a protest on Thursday in Colombo to pressurise the government to reduce taxes.

The government has de-

cided to further increase the vehicle taxes, which will have a huge impact on the vehicle importers.

The government has also increased the unit rate tax on motor cars and three wheelers with more than 1000cc engine capacity from midnight on Thursday.

"We see this decision by the government to increase taxes, as being one that the government has taken in order to reduce their debt burden," Lanka Page quoted Silva as saying. (ANI)

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DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

Tsai Ing-wen: A New Type of Female Leader in Asia Combating Corruption And the saga continues India is not making much progress in stamping out corruption, new figures from Transparency International show. The country's score was unchanged in 2015 from 38 (Photo: images.forbe) on a scale of 100, according the watchdog's Corruption Perceptions Index 2015. Zero on the corruption scale means "highly corrupt," while 100 means "very clean," and a number below 50 means a country has serious corruption problems, the report said.

Afghanistan and Pakistan's failure to tackle corruption feeds conflict in the region, the report said.

Pakistan's number slightly improved in 2015 from 29 in 2014 to 30, Afghanistan's worsened from 12 to 11.

Elsewhere in the region, Nepal was judged to be slightly more corrupt than the year before, its number went from 29 in 2014 to 27 in 2015.

Assam has earned the dubious distinction of being the most corrupt State in the country, on the basis of corruption in 11 vital services. Corruption level was alarming in four other States, as well. It is quite an embarrassing news for Assam, where corruption level was described as 'alarming'. The four States, which follow Assam include Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The level of corruption in Assam and Madhya Pradesh was alarming.

In Delhi and West Bengal, for example, corruption level was moderate in most services surveyed. Among smaller States of the north-east, like Nagaland and Goa, corruption level was alarming, whereas in Meghalaya and Sikkim, it was very high. In Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur the level was high, while in Tripura and Mizoram it was found to be moderate.

The total bribe amount involved in a year in BPL households availing the eleven services is estimated at Rs 8,830 crore. Based on the incidence of bribe paid by sample BPL households, an estimate is made for the total amount paid as bribe by BPL households in the country during the last one-year in the eleven services. Corruption in school education (up to class XII and government schools) stands last in the ranking meaning the level of corruption is the lowest among all. While police service stood number one.

The land records and registration and house and plot, which are specially tailored for BPL households, stand at two and three respectively in the rank. The level and extent of corruption in police service was high in all States, as if it is universal - but the ranks of other services show variations across the States. Given the nature of need-based services, which are monopolistic or involve asset creation or volume, these services ranked high on corruption as compared to basic services.

Manipur Ambush CorCom Claims Responsibility CorCom, an umbrella body of the valley's proscribed outfits, has claimed the responsibility for the ambush. Exactly a year after the biggest ambush on the military took place in Manipur, in which as many as 17 soldiers of the 6 Dogra regiment were killed and another 16 injured. Incidentally both incidents have taken place in Chandel district.

While last year's ambush, which took place on June 4, took place in Paorlon village in Chandel, while this year incident took place between Holingjang and Hensing villages killing six soldiers of 29 Assam Rifles. The Army has already said it will hit back hard on the militants who carried out the attack, which killed a junior commissioned officer and five soldiers. The Army and Assam Rifles have been running a combing operation to trace the militants.The coordinating committee (corcom) of six proscribed underground organisations has claimed responsibility for ambushing a patrol party of 29 Assam Rifles near Hengshi village in Chandel district of Manipur on May 22. In a three-page statement, Corcom media coordinator K. Yonheiba said the ambush was carried out by a combined force under the supervision of the joint military council of corcom. And the fighters who carried out the military operation, code named Yening, successfully returned to the camp.

Corcom was formed on October 5, 2012, by Kangleipak Communist Party, Kanglei Yawol Kunna Lup, People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive), Revolutionary People's Front, United National Liberation Front and United Peoples Party of Kangleipak. The last group was expelled from corcom in February 2013. The CorCom also works in close coordination of United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) formed jointly by the several militants groups including ULFA(I), NSCN(K), Due to its shared border with Myanmar, Chandel has been one of the most violent districts of Manipur, making it easy for militants to enter the country, attack and then escape across the border. It is the only district in Manipur which equally populated by the Nagas and the Kukis and strangely was for decades under the Meitei insurgent group - the UNLF which had "liberated'' parts of Chandel till the Army re-established its dominance through its "Operation Somtal -II'' in 2008, forcing the UNLF to flee to Myanmar.

Unlike other female political leaders in Asia, Tsai does not belong to a political dynasty.

In mainland China, if you her peculiar achievement: don't get married by the she is the only Asian age of 27 you are rel- woman to take the reins of egated to the "leftover power without being rewomen" bin, but in Tai- lated to a former male powan things look a little dif- litical figure or head of ferent. An unmarried state. Tsai won a demowoman with aboriginal cratic election without inroots became, on May 20, heriting a political dowry the first female president as Aung San Suu Kyi, of the Republic of China, Sheikh Hasina, or Park Geun-hye better known as Taiwan. Andreea BrĂŽnz did.

Asia's politiHer name is Tsai Ing-wen and her elec- cal dynasties are woven all tion to Taiwan's highest around the region, from office was a landmark not Pakistan to South Korea, only for Taiwanese poli- from India to the Philiptics, but also for the entire pines. These political dynasties coagulated around Asian region.

Tsai was not a new figure important male figures, on Taiwan's political transformed into modern stage, having been the versions of medieval Democratic Progressive houses: Nehru-Gandhi, Party (DPP) candidate in Aquino, Bhutto, the presidential election of Bandaranaike, Sukarno, 2012, but she was the rev- to only name a few. The elation of this year's presi- source of these families' dential race. Without in- power rests on three main heriting an important pillars: name recognition, name and without having networking, and the a political pedigree, she martyred story of a male succeeded in becoming family member. Enabled the elected leader of Tai- by these three assets, a genwan. Tsai is a single eration of female leaders in woman who thrived in a Asia has been propelled to world ruled by men and the highest level of politifilled with stereotypes, cal power, always through without belonging to a po- democratic means, by litical dynasty - in com- popular sympathy for the parison to previous female tragic death or exile of a male relative who used to leaders in Asia.

Although the popular nar- lead the state. rative about her election Aung San Suu Kyi, the emphasizes that she is a quintessential symbol of woman with aboriginal democracy and political origins and a leader who struggle in Asia, was not on will adopt a different her own in Myanmar, but stance toward China, not was elevated by her father's many voices focused on renown. Major General the most relevant aspect of Aung San, dubbed as the

'Father of the Nation of Myanmar,' was assassinated shortly before his country's independence.

Suu Kyi is not the only offspring of a great political figure who was helped by her father's prestige. Park Geun-hye, the current president of South Korea, also has political roots that lead to General Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979. Sheikh Hasina, another Iron Lady of Asia and the prime minister of Bangladesh, draws her power from her father's name as well. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the founding leader and the first president of Bangladesh and his tragic death, assassinated together with most of his family during a military coup, spawned a wave of sympathy that two decades later brought his daughter, Hasina, to power.

Asia has seen other former female leaders whose positions of power benefited from their family's recognition: Benazir Bhutto, the ex-prime minister of Pakistan; Khaleda Zia, the rival of Sheikh Hasina and a former prime minister of Bangladesh; Sirimavo Bandaranaike and her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga in Sri Lanka; Megawati Sukarnoputri, an ex-president of Indonesia; Yingluck Shinawatra, former prime minister of Thailand; and Corazon

Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of the Republic of China, better known as Taiwan. (Photo: cdn.turner) Aquino and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - both presidents of the Philippines. There is another important female political figure on the Indian political stage: Sonia Gandhi.

Sonia is the leader of the main Indian opposition party, the Indian National Congress, and the daughter-in-law of another towering woman of Asia: Indira Gandhi - former prime minister and the daughter of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Sonia Gandhi's husband, Rajiv, was assassinated while campaigning in order to regain his position as prime minister of India; Indira was also assassinated, in 1984.

All these Iron Ladies of Asia epitomize the hybridization of democracy and dynastic power rooted a family's name recognition

and its networks. Almost every Asian country has an important leading family that transmits power successively, over many decades. The formation, existence, and survival of the political dynasties are enabled by a combination of nostalgia, name recognition, and poor education.

In fact, political dynasties aren't endemic to Asia, although this region is the most representative. There are political dynasties all around the globe, including in the United States, where the political dynasty debate is timelier than ever with Hillary Clinton running for the presidency.

So, while Asia has had numerous female leaders throughout the past decades, Tsai Ing-wen is the first woman to break the pattern of dynastic lin-

eages, being elected without the benefit of a famous name.

Each election of a female leader from an Asian political dynasty has only a short-lived effect on the state of democracy and of women's rights. The elections did not stem from a woman's personal charisma and her achievements, but from a former leader's name recognition and network; as such, the election of female leaders it may be an ephemeral breakthrough for women's rights and even, in some cases, a degradation of democracy.

For all these reasons, the election and inauguration of Tsai Ing-wen must be applauded, because it engenders hope for the dawn of greater gender equality in the whole of Asia.

Courtesy: The diplomat

Ban Ki-moon Keeps Presidential Option Open The UN secretary general leaves the door open for a presidential run in 2017.

United Nations Secre- brewing, through no fault tary-General Ban Ki- of Ban's. During the moon has stirred excite- months of political turmoil ment on his ongoing visit in the lead up to South to his native Korea's South Korea Elaine Ramirez April parliaby leaving mentary the door open for a presi- elections, dismayed citidential bid next year. zens sought an image free Neither confirming nor from the political tit-fordenying an interest in run- tats that tore apart both ning for South Korea's top main parties. Ban has job, the UN chief said he emerged as a favorite in would "return as a Ko- several polls since last rean" to his home country year, most recently topon January 1, after his ping liberal Minjoo Party term ends as one of the leader Moon Jae-in 38 leaders of the free world - percent to 34.4 percent, 11 months before the De- with liberal defector cember 2017 election. turned People's Party "When I come back from leader Ahn Cheol-soo the UN, I will ponder grabbing 21.4 percent. more about my role as a For his part, Ban, formerly citizen. But right now, it a South Korean foreign would be most appropri- minister, has never conate for me to successfully firmed an interest in the take on my current calling job. While largely staying and report back to you," he out of domestic affairs, he said on the sidelines of the made the rare move of acJeju Peace Forum. knowledging the country's The rumor has long been deep divisions, declaring

that "somebody who is ready to give up everything for national integration should come for-

would be high on Ban's platform.

He met with President Park Geun-hye several

tumbled from its majority status after being stripped of 30 seats last month, has fallen out of public favor

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Photo: yimg) ward." If he were to run, observers predict that making peace with North Korea through diplomacy

times last year, leading to speculation that he would run for her ailing Saenuri Party. The party, which

due to several of the presidential office's controversial platforms, such as an anti-terrorism law, history

Ambush On Army Jawans

Image for representational purpose (Photo: images.indianexpress)

Sir, First of all, we have to be alive of the fact that our army jawans are human beings like us, they are also members of some family like ours. So, when the army jawans are killed by militants, they must have been on the job of maintaining peace of the country and the state where the killing took place. Militants ambushed an Assam Rifles convoy at Joupi in Chandel district of Manipur and killed Six Assam Rifles Jawans. The militants ambush on the Jawans is an act of cowardice, many feel. We know that Manipur remained disturbed for quite sometime past. This ambush inflicted on the security forces is one among many such ambushes. Last year only, in a similar ambush by the militants on the security forces 18 jawans had been killed. The ambush took place in June last year when militants attacked an army convoy at Parolon in Chandel district, Manipur.

Such killing spree continues all over the

north eastern states intermittently. There has been a consistent demand to withdraw the Armed Forces Act from many quarters from the north east region but given the situation, Union government is reluctant to withdraw the Act. Iron lady of Manipur Irom Sharmila has been on fast for a pretty long time insisting on withdrawal of the said Act. Union government should try to address the problem arising out of insurgency by bringing them to the negotiating table, should look into their demands barring sovereignty. Else, innocent lives will have to be lost with much blood - shed.

textbook revisions, and labor law reform. Saenuri has yet to find a fresh face to lead its revival.

The public and Saenuri Party may largely welcome the idea, but whether Ban should - or could - take on the post is the subject of growing controversy. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, another rumored potential candidate, argued that UN secretary-generals, who have accessed confidential information over their tenure, could "abuse" that information as an official of a single government.

As a globally and locally respected diplomat, Ban has the potential to unify the country in a way that has rarely been experienced during Park's term. But whether Ban would even want to enter the futile game of domestic politics will be closely watched. Courtesy: The diplomat

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

So please keep writing.

Letters to the editor and articles should be sent to : The Eastern Today Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital Mancotta Road, Dibrugarh786001 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Yours etc.

Email : Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

p O

Page 9

d e 3 Personal Experiences That Changed The

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

Way I Perceived Caste Discrimination With the shock of the rape can be powerful in buildand murder of a female Dalit ing practical comprehenlaw student reverberating sion of problems that are through the fabric of often abstracted. I find Keralan society, the issue of they provide a small, caste in Kerala has resur- helpful window into the faced. The lethargic pace of intricacies of caste in evthe initial investigation eryday life. Within these, coupled I with the have mishan- Anjana Radhakrishnan found dling of t h e evidence by police and lack truth of greater systemic of solid leads so far has problems which beg to starkly highlighted the sta- be addressed. I hope in tus of Dalits in the state. sharing that those conKerala, well-known for its versations can widen and high performance and nar- deepen as a result - that row gender gaps in socio- you too will feel empoweconomic and health indica- ered to share your lived tors, still struggles with is- experiences. sues of gender and caste. Not Under One Roof And that should come as We're all sitting at lunch, little surprise considering and my co-worker is that honest discussions talking about her about tough topics like these mother-in-law. She's tellremain outside the purview ing us about a trip they'd of the general public. taken and how they'd What I can offer are per- needed to stop at a sonal experiences of caste, household for some reaand while anecdotal, they son or other.

As she tells us what time they left to head home, the women at the table ask in surprise how they managed to drive down those windy, dark roads all the way back. Couldn't they have stayed at that house for the night? My coworker grimaces as she answers because she hates where this is going next - but it's the truth and so she continues.

"Well, you know, my husband's mother‌ well, she refuses to stay the night under the roof of a lower-caste household."

She shrugs in a way that communicates the uselessness in trying to change the prejudices of an older generation and licks the curry off her fingers.

For The Sake Of My Parents At the first Hindu wedding I attended during my research grant, I met a

young man who was bursting at the seams with happiness - he was shortly to be engaged to a beautiful girl. He proudly showed me a photo of her and with a laugh said, "When I saw her, I knew I liked her. I asked her first 'Are you a Nair?' She said yes and I knew I would marry her."

He says this so lightheartedly that it breaks my heart. He can see the disappointment flit across my face and he hurries to tell me, "Oh, I have no problem with caste. I asked for my parents. They would be devastated if I married outside of caste. I could never do that to them." I pushed him, questioning this logic: must we follow our parents even if we know they are wrong? He smiles uneasily at me and repeats one more time that he owes everything to his parents and to concede to

marry within his caste does not seem a bad compromise. Besides, wasn't she beautiful?

Old Wounds Still Hurt He's clearly emotional.

"No, I really want to say sorry. I know it happened years ago, but I want you to know it still bothers me and that I am sorry."

He looks over at me and tells me how he had invited my father to meet his parents and to eat lunch at his house. He tells me how my father had brought his brother and his cousin, wishing to introduce his friend's family to his own. He tells me how his family had laid out the food to eat and how his father had 'offhandedly' noted that in his day, people of my father's caste would not even be allowed into the house, let alone eat together. He tells me how my father, hurt and humiliated, had

Image for representational purpose (Photo: endcaste.) immediately stood and left with his brother and cousin.

He reaches out for my father's hand and says, "I'm sorry, da. Listen, my father was not even like that. He was a good man.

I know he didn't mean it in that way."

My father is looking off into the distance, a little up and to the right to avoid eye contact, because he is uncomfortable and it's very clear that this still bothers him and that he does not agree that the man was 'not even like that'. But he loves his friend so he hugs him goodbye and we leave. We get into the

elevator in silence as he soothes his old wounds and I wonder how small of a scratch at the surface of caste discrimination does this represent.

And So? Ambedkar in his wellknown and never-delivered speech likewise presents cases of caste discrimination ranging from small humiliations to inhumane violence. After very neatly presenting the ideological roots of caste, Ambedkar concludes with the not-so-popular opinion that there must be revolution - both within religion and within society as a whole.

From what I have expe-

rienced, Kerala is still waiting for that revolution. For every story I have told, there are hundreds and thousands that remain unwritten and unspoken. There is power in sharing these experiences, in knowing that we are not alone, that this is a problem of our society.

So, share your stories with us, with your peers, with your neighbours.

While caste discrimination continues to perpetuate itself in our daily lives, perhaps there is hope for the next generation to break free of the chains of caste.

Courtesy:youthkiawaaz

How Your Experience Of 'Bharat Mata' Depends A Fan Shares Why The Bizarre World Of Indian On Whether You Are Its 'Daughter' Or 'Son' Cinema Is Way More Than Entertainment 'Bharat Mata', 'German Fa- ample, we have 'fathers', therland', 'Mother Rus- 'sons', 'mothers' and sia'‌. I am sure that you 'daughters' of the nation. might be familiar with all It leads to the these terms. We come normalisation of gender across them often but tend difference as well as to ignore a clear gendered there being no talk of other genders. notion that is inscribed in them Karil Soral The discourse of nationalism or rather to them. Since the past three provides legitimacy to decades, a new interest has normative gendered conbeen drawn to this concept structions of masculinof gender and nation. As one ity and femininity. can see from the examples Continuing on our path that I have stated above, it of this gender difference is clear that the nation is a one can also show (as I gendered entity. Feminist have above) that there is scholarship along with the a difference in the nahistorians of nation both tional entities. There was tended to ignore this. It was a construction of parpresumed that history of ticular imagined 'domesmen and women was simi- tic genealogies'. From lar. But as I will examine it this, it can be argued that further, the formation of there was a difference nation and even experience between the imperialists of citizenship has not been and the colonial nations. universal and has varied for Women again played a crucial role in maintainmen and women.

Women have participated in ing this difference. For nationalist struggles, for example, the native co-

tionalism' is always heterosexual. One can think of a lot of Bollywood movies that meet this criteria and even famous patriotic songs as well. The nation is gendered as we have seen but it is also seen as a brotherhood or fraternity. This brotherhood excludes all those who are seen as deviants for example, homosexuals. This happens through novels, cinema, pamphlets etc.

Some examples may include songs like A.R. Rahman's 'Vande Mataram' and 'Ab tumhaare havaale vatan saathio', and movies like 'Mother India'etc.

I mentioned above that we must not consider women as a uniform category.

Nations shape the discourses of women in a context but they are not the only factor. Race, class, community and caste all shape the experi-

Image for representational purpose (Photo: cdn.youthkiawaaz.) example in the Indian nationalist struggle they were an important part of the Civil Disobedience movement, and in Vietnam, women played an important role in their war against the USA. The feminist historians of the 'third world' nations have taken the lead in establishing the linkages (I have deliberately used the term instead of 'comparison') between gender and nation. They have shown that women's emancipation in these countries has gone hand-in-hand with their anticolonial and nationalist struggles. However, having emphasised on the important role played by the 'third world' nations in the relation between gender and nation does not mean that we overlook the 'first world'.

lonial Indian men were shown to be effeminate and not capable of doing 'good' for the 'native family or women'. At the same time, the British saw themselves as 'protectors' of both 'white' as well as native women from these men.

A further analysis of the gender roles based on gender difference is necessary here. Men are always looked upon as fighters and protectors of the gendered entity of nation. Women, on the other hand, are looked upon as sacrificing and producing sons for the nation. This brings us to the concept of 'eroticised nationalism'. This is always, mind you, in a heterosexual manner or rather this 'eroticised na-

ences of women. Thus, the definition of feminism and for what purpose they use it to their benefit is also contextual. We cannot make the mistake of not considering these differences. But if there are differences between women themselves in that their respective experiences are varied, how can we take them all into consideration and proceed towards a comparative analysis?

Also, the fact that nations are being strengthened and are not declining further puts an obstacle in our path of analysis.

means of recognition of certain constitutional rights while some may totally disagree with the notion of nation and strive for internationalism. How can we analyse these different experiences? One way might be establishing linkages. But before we do that it has to be stated that to study nation as a monolithic bloc would be a mistake.

Since the past three decades with the coming of the age of globalisation nations as a gendered entity have not declined but only strengthened. However, what this has also meant is that there have been a flow of peoples from one nation to another that is migrations have also taken place and that too on a large scale. What about these migrants? Once they become citizens of another country do their past experiences or citizenship get erased by just the confiscation of their passports? Obviously not.

There are certain linkages with their 'past nationality'.

Thus, these migrants are in a sense transgressing the boundaries of two nations, their 'past nation', i.e., one from which they migrated from, as well as their 'new nation', i.e., one to which they migrated.

Also, the flow of capital, multinational corporations or basically the inception of the globalised economy along with these migrations have put the notion of nation as a uniform entity in a flux. But it is because of these very notions that the nations are being

strengthened as well.

Thus, in this globalised world, one can analyse the varied experiences of various feminisms and without a disregard for the contextual analysis through the model of a 'trans-national feminist' approach. This model takes into account the domestic issues of women in a particular community, caste, class, race or nation as well as tries to establish the linkages simultaneously through a panworld approach. Thus, the varied experiences are There might be some recognised but at the same women who want to be time what linkages can be identified within a national established within these context, within a particu- varied experiences are also lar community but still may looked at. strive for feminism as a Courtesy:youthkiawaaz

Though I remember atres results in salubrious Mohanlal starrer fun that's generated more Ravanaprabhu as the from the crowd than from first movie I watched in the film on display. Juxtathe theatre; I got to know pose this with the British the actual essence of the audience which featured great Indian cinema au- in the popular 'troll' culdience, ture after which I Parthiv Kidangoor n e w s am also broke of a part of, only much later. person registering a comA few years back, my plaint against another for friend and I walked into clapping during the a theatre playing Tamil movie's climax and disdemigod Ilayathalapathy turbing the film's mood.

Vijay's Vettaikaaran. I The prime reason for the didn't hear any of the FDFS trend (First Day movie dialogues nor did First Show) is not because I hear any of the songs. of the intense desire of a

paring Kerala to Somalia displays the deeply ingrained cinema culture in us. I am pretty sure that nowhere on earth will there be another place where pompous parades with posters of films precede the actual movie release.

Second Half Syndrome Like it or not, we need our interval in between a film. We need a tenminute break to look at each other, ask"First half kaisa tha?" (what did you think of the first

choly infused tunes after hearing about their girlfriend's death nor how all the guests to a wedding start dancing on the same steps the moment Kareena Kapoor breaks into a song!

The Great Indian Hypocrisy I know I am a hypocrite by discussing the hypocrisy of an entity that I belong to but sorry I cannot resist. A very quick example is the critical reception to Shahrukh Khan's full on superhero flick, Ra. One. Almost on

A group of bollywood fans with the posters of their favourite stars (Photo: stohom) The only thing that I saw and heard was an implosion of claps, whistles and howls. I was stunned to see women of my mom's age jump on their seats and dance to the tunes of the film. Conclusion garnered: "It is true, India breathes cinema."

The demigod status for movie stars and the craze which goes to the extent of enshrining temples in their names (idol in name of Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan chalisa actually exist) is evident in the recent death of a youngster by falling off a 40-meterlong flex board of an actor while conducting Palabhishekam (a popular ritual involving pouring milk onto a divine idol).

Participating Audience We howl, we cry, we dance, we swear, we laugh. A visit to the the-

class of genuine filmgoers to watch a flick before preconceived notions build up regarding the film due to critic reviews. Instead, it is only to experience the surreal theatre effect, to tear your ticket into the tiniest of pieces and throw at the screen the moment your favourite actor appears!

The fact that an upcoming Mohanlal film has its first-day seats booked six months in advance creates awe and clearly reflects the cinema culture that rules South and a lot of other regions in India.

The omnipresent and gargantuan Indian political spirits using #PoMoneModi (Po Mone Dinesha being a popular catchphrase from a Mohanlal starrer Malayalam cinema that literally translates to 'go away dear Dinesha') to ridicule the PM for com-

half?), discuss and analyse the first half while buy popcorn, go to the toilet and more. This is also touted to be one of the reasons why the first half and second half of Indian cinema often turn out at times to be completely different and at times make almost two different films. Production houses structure the film in such a way that it has a proper midway break preceded by a stunning sequence or unexpected plot twist. Such intervals and its consequences might be one of the prime reasons for India's still unquenched Oscar thirst. Not to forget the ludicrous lip sync songs at the most insipid moments which the international cinema audience most probably can't digest. I still cannot fathom how actors brew 4-minute-long melan-

the lines of Batman and Superman regarding technology, VFX, etc., the movie was criticised for having an unreal plot. No offence, but do these people actually believe that a particular Bruce Wayne is fighting against Joker in Gotham for real?

While the whole country stood up to applaud Mad Max, for its insane action sequences, crazy nobrainer story line, and the brain behind the scenes in which jeeps filled with live orchestra played in the midst of a high-octane action sequences; back home a peculiar non-linear Malayalam flick 'Double Barrel' set in an insane retro atmosphere, with idiosyncratic characters and colourful gun fires was trounced by the audience for being a no brainer. Same vision but different outcomes.

Courtesy: youthkiawaaz

BUSINESS

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

Rs 12cr earned by Wipro CEO in first year Bengaluru, May 29: Wipro CEO Abid Ali Neemuchwala took home $1.8 million (about Rs 12 crore) in annual compensation in 2015-16.

Neemuchwala was COO during most of this period.

The TCS veteran was appointed COO from April 1, 2015, and was elevated as CEO effective February 1, 2016. TCS CEO N Chandrasekaran's pay jumped 20% to Rs 25.6 crore, excluding a Rs 10 crore one-time special bonus, and Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka earned $7.45 million (about Rs 50 crore) in 2015-16. Wipro VC T K Kurien, who was CEO for most of last year, saw a sharp increase in his compensation, excluding

Ola redefines travel with luxury segment launch 'Ola Lux' in Mumbai ANI New Delhi, May 29: Taxi aggregator Ola has introduced its newest category, 'Ola Lux' in Mumbai sensing the immense potential in the luxury segment for in-city travel.

The most popular mobile app for transportation has introduced luxury sedans like Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Toyota Fortuner and Honda Accord amongst other high-end sedans and SUVs. The new chic category is available across South Mumbai to begin with, and will be introduced to other parts of the city soon. Ola Lux is available for booking at a minimum fare of Rs. 200 and just Rs. 19 per/km. A ride time charge of Rs. two per minute is also applicable.

"Lux is a brand new category from Ola that brings unmatched style and comfort for those who demand it. Ola has always focused on providing superior in-cab experience, and choices to suit the need, usage occasion and mood of its customers. Ola Lux is an offering in that direction, at the high end," said Head of Categories and Chief Marketing Officer at Ola, Raghuvesh Sarup. "With a growing number of young executives, entrepreneurs and professionals, the need for on-demand luxury sedans is growing tremendously in a city like Mumbai. Young adults like the flexibility of not having to drive in heavy traffic or having to park, while still travelling in a stylish luxury ride made available within minutes via the Ola app on their own smartphone," added Raghuvesh. Present at the event Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh said, "With Lux, Ola is taking luxury travel experience a notch higher. Given our busy schedules and lifestyle, we're often pressed for time and driving is a big No for obvious reasons. Getting elegant, luxurious cars at the tap of a button is so much simpler and convenient." "I've used Ola at several other occasions and was mighty impressed with their service. I'm confident that with a top notch experience like Ola Lux, I can give up on my car and driver very often," added Chitrangada Singh. Ola Lux is currently available only in South Mumbai and will be rolledout in other parts of the city and across the country soon.

The Lux icon appears on the Ola app when the customer is in one of the designated areas in Mumbai. Features like driver details being displayed upfront, SOS buttons, AutoConnect Wifi, live tracking and seamless payment using Ola Money will continue to be available on Ola Lux. 'Auto-Connect Wi-Fi', available on Ola Lux, is a proprietary experience from the company's 'Innovation Labs', and allows users to automatically connect to Wi-Fi in an Ola cab without having to enter credentials every single time. Also available on Ola Prime, this feature provides users with a one-time authentication on their phones, to use Ola Wi-Fi on their devices without having to key in login credentials and passwords in subsequent rides. It helps users to stay connected with Ola's secure network whenever they take a ride.

Ola's auto-connect Wi-Fi has seen tremendous response and acceptance amongst its Prime customers; Ola plans to make it available across all its other categories including Micro, Mini and Auto-rickshaws available on the Ola app.

ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY Wipro CEO Abid Ali Neemuchwala took home $1.8 million (about Rs 12 crore) in annual compensation in 2015-16.

Neemuchwala was COO during most of this period. The TCS veteran was appointed COO from April 1, 2015, and was elevated as CEO effective February 1, 2016. stocks, to $2.1 million (about Rs 14 crore), compared to $1.5 million in the year before.

The company's dollar revenues

TCS CEO N Chandrasekaran's pay jumped 20% to Rs 25.6 crore, excluding a Rs 10 crore one-time special bonus, and Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka earned $7.45 million (about Rs 50 crore) in 2015-16.

Wipro VC T K Kurien, who was CEO for most of last year, saw a sharp increase in his compensation, excluding stocks, to $2.1 million (about Rs 14 crore), compared to $1.5 million in the year before.

Wipro chairman Azim Premji received $327,993 as annual package excluding earnings from his shareholding.

Premji's son Rishad Premji, who is the company's chief strategy officer, was paid $325,462 in annual compensation.

grew by 3.7% last year (7.6% in constant currency - discounting intercurrency fluctuations), significantly lower than

the industry average of 12.3% in constant currency estimated by Nasscom. Wipro chairman Azim Premji received

$327,993 as annual package excluding earnings from his shareholding.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing showed that Premji was paid a commission at the rate of 0.3% on incremental net profits of Wipro over the previous year until July 30, 2015, and at the rate of 0.5% from July 31, 2015, as approved by the nomination and compensation committee.

Premji's son Rishad Premji, who is the company's chief strategy officer, was paid $325,462 in annual compensation. The family's 75% stake in Wipro earns them substantial amounts as dividend. (Agencies)

66% declination of SBI's Q4 net profit on higher provisioning for bad loans Kolkata, May 29: The State Bank of India (SBI) posted 66 percent decline in standalone net profit to Rs 1,264 crore for the fourth quarter (Q4) ended March 31, 2015, on account of higher provisioning for bad loans. The SBI Group had registered a net profit of Rs 3,742 crore in the JanuaryMarch quarter of the 2014-15 fiscal. The total provisioning for nonperforming assets jumped by 89.73 percent to 13,174.05 crore during the January-March quarter, up from Rs 6,943.31 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal. Its net non-

Tissot presents trendy sports watch 'Quickster' ANI New Delhi, May 29: The temperature further soared in Amritsar, when popular MTV Splitsvilla winners Anuki Tchokhonelidze and Prince Narula visited Tissot Shop in Shop (SIS) at Standard Times, Kennedy Avenue Mall Road. On this occasion they were presented Tissot Quickster, the brand's contemporary sports watch. Speaking on the occasion, Prince said, "Well I have been keen on this brand during my Splitsvilla days and then at the current season of Roadies when we had the Tissot task, I was sure that it was about time, I owned one Tissot.

My wish has come true with Quickster, its casual chic looks totally matches my character." Flaunting her new possession, Anuki said, "Since the time my co-contestant

won a Tissot at the Splitsvilla, I have been eyeing this brand. So it's quite cool to have one on my wrist today. What I love about Tissot Quickster is that I can change straps according to my wardrobe. What more can a girl ask for."

Tissot Quicksteris destined for the young and dynamic minded people, who are also looking to stand from the crowd. Its face keeps it simple with straight hands and the number twelve at its right place, adding to its sporty character. The trendy watch sports a NATO strap, on some of the models, is definitely part of those details. It offers the possibility of changing the bracelet depending on the mood or the outfit you are wearing. If you are looking for a more classical look, this collection also offers leather straps or stainless

Popular MTV Splitsvilla winners, Anuki Tchokhonelidze and Prince Narula (Photo: hindustantimes) steel bracelets. Tissot is the associate sponsor of MTV Splitsvilla. The reality show revolves around young boys and girls trying to secure a place in Splitsvilla, a villa.

It is a hunt for love show where boys and girls compete in tasks to stay in the competition and mingle with the contes-

tants to find love. In the end, one boy and one girl are crowned the winners of Splitsvilla, as a couple.

Prince and Anuki won the season 8 while the shooting for the next season is underway. The plus sign in the logo symbolizes the Swiss quality and reliability Tissot has shown since 1853. The watches, sold

in more than 160 countries, are authentic, accessible and use special materials, advanced functionalities and meticulous design. Tissot stands by its signature, Innovators by Tradition.

The high caliber of the brand has been repeatedly recognized. Tissot has been named Official Timekeeper and Partner of many disciplines, including, basketball with the NBA, FIBA and CBA; cycling with the Tour de France and the UCI World Cycling Championships; motorsports with MotoGPTM and the FIM World Superbike Championship and rugby with the RBS 6 Nations Championship, TOP14, the European Rugby Champions and Challenge Cups.

It is also the Official Timekeeper of the World Championships of fencing and ice hockey and of the AFL.

Brands and Bloggers Meet, first of its kind event in Delhi ANI New Delhi, May 29: Team Lamhe, in association with Neuz Saloon, hosted the Brands and Bloggers Meet at Ardor Lounge, Connaught place. The best of both worlds - Fashion and Lifestyle - graced the event, with 17 brands showcased in the presence of Delhi's top 30 fashion and lifestyle bloggers! Powered by Perch and sponsored by QuirkyBytes, this event was a great opportunity for bloggers to gain some valuable insights, listen to some honest reviews, get a low-down on current trends as well as solve all their queries. To add icing on the cake was hospitality partner, Ardor, Connaught Place which

provided sumptuous food of the culinary excellence.

From spotting the latest trends, to understanding the intricacies of the industry, the event gave many choices to the bloggers. With so many blogs constantly filling up the digital world, it can be a bit difficult for bloggers to make their mark. This event not only helped them in finding the right direction, but also gave them a chance to interact with other bloggers and brands across various categories which proved to be a useful medium for creating valuable and engaging content. Talking about the event, Amrapali Singh, Founder, Kamaali Couture, one of the participating brands, said, "These kind of events are

required to bridge the gap between brands and bloggers. Nowadays, word of mouth is the best source to generate sales and revenue for your business and such events are one step closer to that."

Brands that made their mark in the event included Perch by Akriti (their nightwear makes lounging around fun and comfortable), Studio Tishya (their Home Linen collection captures the brilliance of various Indian fabrics, weaves and crafts, bringing them to life with elegant design sensibilities), Ministry of Designs (known for creating ethnic silhouettes in a modern avatar), Nandeetas (handcrafted shoulder bags, sling bags, and leather bags), Daisy Behl

(a contemporary fashion brand that integrates rich fabrics with ethnic elements), Krasns Couture (whether you're in search of a classic black dress or that stunning evening gown, Krasns Couture has something for every occasion), BirdWalk (the answer to every fashion connoisseur's dream), Secret Dresser (an affordable online portal that brings together the best designers from around the world), Rekinza(India's first social marketplace that allows users to shop, sell and share pre-owned fashion items) and Kamaali Couture (focused primarily on cocktail couture, their designs are perfectly tailored, with just the right amount of colours and comfortable

fabrics). Hathi (the classic shapes and elementary designs of their clothes are super versatile), Adaah

by Ankita (a jewellery brand, is known for creating pieces that look stunning, edgy, dramatic, and very classy), Jaipur Rugs (a brand that is god sent for an handloom addict), Mod Squad (for cool footwear pieces that very few people can walk away from), QuirkyByte (an online platform that is giving many budding writers an opportunity to fulfil their dreams), Neu Salonz (with a range of international beauty products and in-house treatments) and Ardor - a popular haunt among many people for their amazing dishes and impeccable services.

29 % rise inflows of FDI New Delhi, May 29: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into India increased by 29 per cent to a record $40 billion during in the financial year ended March. If reinvested earnings ($10 billion), other capital ($4.4 billion) and equity capital of unincorporated bodies ($1 billion) are taken into account along with $40 billion worth equity inflows, the total FDI flows in FY'16 is the highest-ever at $55.4 billion. The FDI equity inflows in March 2016 went up by 16.5 per cent to $2.46 billion, according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Of the FDI in-

Commerce & Industry Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman. (Photo: cloudfront) flows (equity) in FY'16, services sector (including financial, banking, insurance, non-financial / business, outsourcing, R&D, courier, technology testing and analysis)

attracted maximum investments of $6.88 billion followed by computer hardware and software ($5.90 billion), trading business ($3.84 billion) and automobile

industry ($2.52 billion).

Maximum inflows (equity) were from Singapore ($13.69 billion), followed by Mauritius ($8.35 billion), the US ($4.19 billion), the Netherlands ($2.64 billion) and Japan ($2.61 billion). The previous highest FDI inflow was in FY12 when the country received $46.55 billion, which was a 34 per cent increase over $34.8 billion it got in FY11.

However, India recorded its largest-ever percentage increase in FDI when it received $22.8 billion in FY07, representing a 155 per cent increase over the $8.9 billion in FY06. This includes eq-

PAGE 10

uity, re-invested earnings and other capital. Though the government plays an active role in investment promotion, "the investment decisions of investors are based on the macro-economic policy framework, investment climate in the host country, investment policies of the trans-national corporations and other commercial considerations," commerce & industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said earlier. She said to boost investment environment and attract foreign investments the government had brought in FDIrelated reforms and liberalised several major sectors. (Agencies)

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: eneltec-led) performing assets (NPA) or bad loans as a percentage of net advances during the fourth quar-

ter (Q4) rose to 3.81 percent from 2.12 percent in the period a year earlier. (Agencies)

Valuation of Flipkart cut to $9.3bn Pune, May 29: A mutual fund managed by Wall Street powerhouse Morgan Stanley has marked down the value of its Flipkart shares by 15.5%, according to regulatory filings.

Morgan Stanley Mutual Fund Trust has revalued its Flipkart's shares to $87.9 apiece as of March 2016, down from $103.97 per share in December 2015, the filings said.

This second consecutive markdown by the fund, which holds about 1.5% in the company, pulls down the valuation of Flipkart to little over $9 billion. The Bengaluru basedcompany had previously raised capital in July last year at a $15.2-billion valuation.

Morgan Stanley, which had picked up shares in the online commerce major in 2013, had marked down its holding in Flipkart by 27% in December last year. The latest valuation resetting is part of a series of markdowns by Flipkart's other investors like Fidelity Investments, Valic Co and T Rowe Price. Flipkart did not respond about the markdown. In a recent interview, when asked about the markdowns, Flipkart's CEO Binny Bansal had said it was a theoretical exercise done by investors who had a very small stake in the company. "Most of these investors own less than half a per cent in Flipkart. This is not a public market company. In a private market, share prices only move up and down when the company raises money and we haven't done that," Bansal had said. Over the past two

years, mutual funds became an integral part of mid- to latestage funding rounds, specifically in the US. These funds revalue their portfolio holdings every quarter. With a global downturn in the technology space, the valuation of internet companies has been hit - both in the public and private markets. Flipkart is facing these markdowns at a time when its American rival Amazon is aggressively cornering market share from domestic players in the backdrop of a tight funding environment. Having raised more than $3 billion, Flipkart has been in the market to rack up more capital but hasn't found many takers at its current valuation. Besides financial investors, the e-tailer has also held talks with strategics like Alibaba. Bansal, however, said earlier this week that the company was not looking to raise fresh funds. "We have enough money to build the company," Bansal said. The successive markdowns by investors may force Flipkart to go for a down-round when it raises a new financing round.

A down-round is when a company raises private capital at a valuation lower than the last round. To extend its runway, Flipkart has been cutting costs in a big way, which Bansal said had started showing results. Just like Flipkart, most other wellfunded startups have, over the past six months, made all attempts to prune their business and contain their cash burn. (Agencies)

TECHNOLOGY First 4G-enabled tablet unveiled

by LAVA at Rs.8,799

A file photo of LAVA's first 4G-enabled tablet.

(Photo: media2.intoday) Indian mobile handset company LAVA unveiled its first 4G tablet "IvoryS 4G" that can be used for both work and entertainment purposes. The Rs.8,799 device packs 7-inch HD display, 1 GHz quad-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM to provide lag-free experience to the consumers. "As per industry reports, India will have over 300 million 3G and 4G subscribers by 2018. With our vision to empower people, we are committed to drive the 4G adoption in India and `IvoryS 4G` is a step further in that direction," said Raman Sharma, vice president and head of tablets and IT, LAVA Inter-

national Ltd, in a statement.

The device supports bands GSM 900 and 1800 MHz, HSPA, offers dual SIM (4G+3G/2G) connectivity and houses 3,000 mAh battery.

"IvoryS 4G" has 16GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The tablet runs on Android Lollipop 5.1 operating system. It is equipped with 5MP autofocus rear camera with a flash along with 3.2MP front camera. Additionally, the device features full HD (1080p) video playback and recording. It will soon be available at retail stores, multi-brand outlets and online platforms. (Agencies)

FIRST OF ITS KIND Indian mobile handset company LAVA unveiled its first 4G tablet "IvoryS 4G" that can be used for both work and entertainment purposes.

The Rs.8,799 device packs 7-inch HD display, 1 GHz quad-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM to provide lag-free experience to the consumers.

The device supports bands GSM 900 and 1800 MHz, HSPA, offers dual SIM (4G+3G/2G) connectivity and houses 3,000 mAh battery.

DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

Features

PAGE 11

ENVIRONMENT Eastern Swamp Deer numbers on New findings to boost the rise in Assam's Kaziranga space weather forecast In news that might cheer wildlife lovers and conservationists, the number of Eastern Swamp Deer is on the rise in Assam's Kaziranga National Park.

A recent counting of the species carried out by the park authorities in association with some wildlife NGOs have found a total of 1,148 in the park, indicating an increase of 19 individuals from the last year's estimation.

Expressing happiness over the increasing in number of the deer, park authorities said that low flood levels in the park in last two years have reduced the mortality rate and resulted in the gradual increase of the population.

"The 1,148 includes 284 adult males, 605 adult females, 83 yearlings and 176 fawns," park officials said.

The Kaziranga National Park is believed to harbour the last viable population of the Eastern

A Herd Of Swamp Deer (Photo:zoochat) Swamp Deer and monitoring the sub-species' population status is considered crucial in forming conservation and management strategies.

Records of swamp deer population estimation date since 1966 when statistics of their sighting

were collected during estimation of other animals such as rhinoceros and elephants. Such records are available for 1966, 1972, 1978, 1984 and 1993. However, a dedicated swamp deer estimation was conducted by the forest department in

Kaziranga for the first time in 1998 and subsequently in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

The park authorities conducted the population estimation following the "Block count" method, dividing the total area

into smaller units or block based on habitat feature or other distinct terrain feature. "Twenty such areas or blocks have been selected in four different ranges of the park," said park officials while adding that multiple observers engaged in the exercise simultaneously counted the species from elephant backs, watch towers and vehicles.

"Only direct observations were considered.

Sex and age of each swamp deer are visually assigned based on their body size and antler characteristics (for males only). The swamp deer are grouped into four agesex classes such as adult males, adult females, yearling and fawns. GPS and binoculars are used during the exercise to locate and record the deer in different parts of the park," the officials said.

Courtesy: business-standard

Amazon India takes down animal specimens, snares

Photo for representational purpose (Photo: business-standard) Snares, traps and specimens like alligators, snakes, bats, butterflies, spiders, ladybugs, beetles, scorpions, frogs and several aquatic animals including seahorse, starfish, octopus, crab and shark teeth among others were on sale on Amazon Following a petition and moving wildlife crime stories like a sloth bear

losing its limb to snares, Amazon India has dropped over 400 animal specimen and hunting equipment from its 'for sale' list.

However, the sale continues on its international website, but the products were removed from sale at Amazon Indian website after the Delhi based animal welfare organisation Wild-

life SOS last week urged the US based online retailers to stop selling such products.

"We had taken down over 400 products that could be used by the poachers. We wanted to ensure that our platform is not misused," Rakesh Bakshi, legal head of Amazon India, told IANS. When asked if those

products were taken down from the international website, Bakshi said: "Laws are different in different countries."

"I can't speak for the international website, but from India we have taken it down."

Snares, traps and specimens like alligators, snakes, bats, butterflies, spiders, ladybugs, beetles, scorpions, frogs and several aquatic animals including seahorse, starfish, octopus, crab and shark teeth among others were on sale on Amazon.

Some products like "the Wild Gator head" had their genuineness guaranteed and customers were assured that the specimens were taken from the wild.

The Amazon website had them listed under the 'Toys and Games' section and the products are still listed in the same section at the international website.

However, from the Indian website Amazon has pulled down 296 items that were listed in the 'animal specimen' cat-

egory and 104 items under the 'snares or traps' category.

Bakshi appreciated the Wildlife SOS initiative and shared the case of 'Rose', a six-month-old sloth bear rescued by the wildlife organisation after it lost its limb due to such a snare being offered at Amazon.

"The bear's case was moving. Amazon India will work closely with Wildlife SOS to ensure this is prevented now and in the future," he said.

"Our efforts eventually paid off when two senior legal representatives from Amazon came to meet us at our headquarters in New Delhi and were shown the harsh truth about what snares and traps can do to maim, handicap and kill wild animals," said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS. "We gave a brief presentation to Amazon officials about wildlife crime in the country and the devastating effect it has on our natural heritage," said Satyanarayan.

Courtesy: business-standard

Saving Nemo: Bleaching threatens clownfish Study reveals clownfish, the star Disney fish, and their sea anemone homes are at risk Found exclusively in the IndoPacific, clownfish are symbiotic animals that only live in sea anemones, a close relative of corals that don't have a hard outer shell. The anemone provides a home and protection for the clownfish, while the clownfish provides food for the anemone.

As global concern grows for Australia's Great Barrier Reef - which is experiencing the worst bleaching event in its history due to sustained high ocean temperatures amid a strong El Nino weather pattern -- University of Delaware researcher Danielle Dixson has coauthored a paper demonstrating how vulnerable clownfish are to the increased frequency of bleaching events.

Published today in Proceedings

of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciencesand co-authored with Anna Scott, a researcher at Southern Cross University in Australia, the paper illustrates that while clownfish can identify -- through smell alone -- if their potential home is bleached or healthy, they are inflexible in selecting a habitat.

"Unfortunately, our research has shown that bleaching does not break the symbiotic relationship between the anemone and clownfish. Clownfish are so behaviorally linked to one or a few particular anemone species for a home, that it limits their ability to acclimate if an entire reef bleaches," explained Dixson, an assistant professor of marine science and policy in UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment.

"This means that clownfish are setting them up for bigger risk because we know that fish that

go to bleached coral or anemones have an increased predation risk."

A quick history There are 28 species of clownfish and 10 species of host anemones. Each clownfish species uses the host anemone species to varying degrees.

"Clownfish are all habitat specialists in that they live exclusively in anemones, but some are more specialized than others. We wanted to see if the chemical cues coming from a bleached anemone were different than a nonbleached host and, if clownfish can recognize that a host is bleached, how hardwired are they to select a host versus a healthy non-host species?" explained Dixson.

In their study, the researchers tested five species of clownfish and three host sea anemones to determine whether the fish had the olfactory capability to dis-

tinguish between bleached and unbleached hosts, and how this may affect settlement decisions.

The fish were individually placed in a small vessel called a choice flume containing two streams of water flowing parallel at identical rates but containing different chemical cues.

Dixson, an expert in understanding chemical cue use in fish, recorded the fish's location every 5 seconds over a two minute period; then switched the water source and repeated the test with the chemical cues on the opposite side of the flume to validate the data.

The researcher's results revealed that all clownfish were able to distinguish between bleached and unbleached anemones. Given the option of a healthy or bleached anemone of their host species, all clownfish chose the healthy option. But given the choice be-

tween a bleached anemone of their preferred host and another anemone species that was healthy, the clownfish chose the bleached host.

These findings highlight the potentially harmful indirect effects declining habitat quality can have on species like clownfish, who are very specific about their habitat.

"Broadly, if bleaching incidents continue to increase in frequency there is a risk to species survival," Dixson said.

For clownfish species that have a broader geographic range, if temperatures get too hot and the anemones bleach in one region, Dixson said, theoretically on a species level, the clownfish could potentially shift their distribution to cooler waters.

"The exception to this idea is A. latezonatus, which are already at the lower limit of their habitat; they can't really move

The polar ionosphere is subject to a constant electrical current, produced by pressure changes in the solar wind.

A team of US researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) has discovered new evidence about, how the Earth's magnetic field interacts with solar wind? A finding that can improve forecasts about space weather.

Space weather can have serious, detrimental effects on modern technological infrastructure, including telecommunications, navigation and electrical power systems.

The researchers for the first time observed that regardless of the hemisphere or the season, the polar ionosphere is subject to a constant electrical current, produced by pressure changes in the solar wind.

"It's a bit of a surprise because when you have a current, you usually expect a voltage relationship, where resistance and current are inversely related - high resistance equals small current; low resistance equals large current," explained Robert Clauer, professor in Virginia Tech's Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

"The finding is a new part of the physics that we need

Photo for representational purpose (Photo:newsx) to understand and work with," he added.

The space weather observations allow researchers to watch how the behaviour of the Sun and the solar wind an unbroken supersonic flow of charged particles from the sun - changes over time and how the Earth's magnetic field responds to solar wind variations.

The observations help build a detailed, reliable model of space weather.

They hope that eventually, space weather forecasting will become as reliable as today's winter storm warnings.

Clauer and his team, designed and hand-built six autonomous data-collection stations and installed them piece-by-piece near the geographic South Pole for ini-

tial testing.

Following successful testing, the autonomous datacollection stations were placed deep in the southern polar cap areas under the auroras.

"The solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetic field in a manner similar to a fluid, but an electrically conducting fluid," Clauer noted.

Clauer's team will continue collecting information from data stations. They hope to operate throughout the 11year solar activity cycle, depending on snow accumulation.

The Virginia Tech team research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Courtesy: business-standard

No junk-food diet: Even in cities, bees find flowers and avoid processed sugars New research from North Carolina State University finds that bees in urban areas stick to a flower-nectar diet, steering clear of processed sugars found in soda and other junk food.

"Urban habitats are growing, as is urban beekeeping, and we wanted to see if bee diets in cities are different from those in rural areas," says Clint Penick, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State and lead author of a paper on the study. "For example, we wanted to know if there are even enough flowers in urban areas to support bee populations, or if bees are turning to human sugar sources, like old soda."

To find out, the researchers collected worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) from 39 colonies across rural and urban areas within 30 miles of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Twenty-four of the colonies were managed by beekeepers; the remaining 15 colonies were feral.

The researchers then analyzed the carbon isotopes in the bee samples to determine what proportion of their diet came from processed sugars -- like table sugar and corn

syrup -- as opposed to flower nectar.

Animals, including bees, incorporate the carbon from food into their bodies. One type of carbon, carbon-13, is associated with grasses such as corn and sugar cane. Researchers can tell how much processed sugar bees consume by measuring each bee's carbon-13 levels. The researchers took a similar approach in a previous study that evaluated the diet of ants in New York City.

Because beekeepers often supplement their bees' diet with sugar water, researchers anticipated that domesticated bees would show that a significant proportion of their diet came from processed sugar -- especially in urban areas, where the bees would have easy access to soda cans, garbage and other sources of processed sugar.

The researchers also predicted that feral bees in rural areas would show virtually no processed sugar in their diet, but that feral bees in urban areas would show evidence of consuming processed sugars.

To their surprise, the researchers found that there

was no evidence that urban bees consumed more processed sugar than their rural counterparts. However, domesticated bees did show evidence of consuming significantly more processed sugar than feral bees in both urban and rural environments, which is likely due to beekeepers supplementing their bees' diet with sugar.

"Basically, bees are relying on flowers in cities and are not turning to human foods to supplement their diet," Penick says. "This is good news for urban beekeepers.

The honey in their hives is mostly coming from flower nectar and not old soda, which is what we originally guessed."

However, it's not clear if this would hold true for the biggest cities.

"Our findings are based on research in a mid-sized city," Penick says. "Even the most urban areas of Raleigh have more than 50 percent open green space. By comparison, the average site in New York City has only 10 percent green space. So, more work needs to be done to evaluate bee diets in our largest cities."

Courtesy: Sciencedaily

further south unless the anemones migrate, too," Dixson said.

"And then there is P. biaculeatus, which only lives in a specific anemone, the bubbletip anemone, and won't use an alternative, even when its home is unhealthy."

An uncertain future As moviegoers with young children anxiously await Disney's follow up film, "Finding Dory," scheduled for release next month, Dixson remains apprehensive about the fate of anemone and clownfish and other reef species that call Australia's Great Barrier Reef home.

"Some of the corals must be over a hundred years old and now they are completely white. It's devastating," Dixson said. "If, on Lizard Island where I did my doctoral work, 80 percent of the reef bleaches, the remaining 20 percent cannot support all of the species."

Equally concerning is the

clownfish's inflexibility when it comes to house hunting.

This can prove problematic, because once established, clownfish cannot relocate easily due to the species' innate hierarchy. They are sequential hermaphrodites, which means that all clownfish are born male and the largest on a particular anemone becomes the female. The next largest male is the reproductive male, while the others queue up behind waiting for their chance to reproduce.

"It's not like if your anemone bleaches an adult clownfish can go to the next anemone and be accepted. Clownfish can live decades. Just think if you waited 20 years for your chance to be reproductive, it's a big deal if someone jumps the line and breaks the order.

So they are aggressive when it comes to protecting their place," Dixson said.

Chemical camouflage In related research, Rohan

Brooker, a UD post-doctoral fellow working with Dixson, is investigating the way marine animals use chemistry to hide from predators, a process known as chemical crypsis.

Brooker recently received a grant from National Geographic to explore the behavioral and biochemical processes that drive chemical crypsis.

On coral reefs, chemical crypsis has the potential to affect how predators and prey interact and so could influence many important ecological processes, including how clownfish or other fish will hide in an increasingly bleached environment. With this new funding, Brooker will work to determine how this mechanism influences predator-prey dynamics and to identify how it will be affected by degrading coral reef environments.

Courtesy: sciencedaily

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DIBRUGARH, MONDAY, MAY 30

PAGE 12

Saina hopes to grab first title of season at Indonesia Open Sunrisers post 208/7 in PTI Jakarta, May 29 : Saina Nehwal will continue her quest for a maiden title this season to boost her confidence ahead of the Rio Olympics when she begins her campaign at the USD 900,000 Indonesia Open Super Series Premier starting with the qualifiers here tomorrow.

After missing a few tournaments due to a nagging ankle injury, Saina recovered well to notch up a consistent run of form, reaching the semifinals in a slew of events, including the India Open, Malaysia Open and Asian Championship.

En route to Indian

women's team's bronze medal winning feat at the Uber Cup, Saina won all the matches in the league stage but lost to Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon and China's Li Xuerui in the knockouts.

Saina, who had won the Indonesia Open title in 2009, 2010 and 2012, will hope to come up with a better show against the top shuttlers and grab her fourth crown when she opens her campaign against Chinese Taipei's Pai Yu Po on Tuesday.

However, P V Sindhu, has decided to give it a miss as she will be training after a hectic schedule last month.

Saina Nehwal In men's singles too, K Srikanth and Ajay Jayaram decided to skip the event, while P Kashyap is undergoing physiotherapy after being

operated for an injury.

H S Prannoy too will miss the event as he is still recovering from a toe injury.

In qualifiers, B Sai

Zika virus: Concerned Serena to go `super protected` in Rio

Serena Williams ANI Johannesburg, May 29 : World number one Serena Williams has voiced her concern over the rapid spread of Zika virus in Brazil and vowed to head

into the Rio Olympics with super protection.

Brazil has been most affected by the mosquitoborne virus that has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Carib-

bean. It is known to cause the head-shrinking microcephaly and other birth defects.

In an open letter to the WHO, a total of 150 health experts had said the current plans for the prestigious event need to be revised while citing growing scientific studies that revealed the adverse effects of the virus.

The WHO, however, turned down calls to move the Olympics venue, saying that moving the games would not have a major impact on the spread of Zika.

Reflecting on the health dangers posed by the Zika virus, the 34-year-old insisted it is something that has been on her mind and said that she will keep herself fully protected in the

country,Sport24 reported.

Serena's comments came after her hard-fought fight against French opponent Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 7-6 (12-10) to reach the last 16.

Earlier this month, the WHO had advised pregnant women to avoid travelling to Rio and urged athletes and visitors to wear body-covering clothing along with a slew of other precautionary measures.

The tennis event in upcoming Rio Games has already been hit by number of withdrawals with 17th-ranked John Isner, Austrian Dominic Thiem, Bernard Tomic and Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez all announcing their withdrawal from Olympics.

Praneeth and RMV Gurusaidutt too will miss out and national champion Sameer Verma will be the only Indian competing in men's singles after he was promoted to the main draw.

Rio-bound shuttlers, including 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa will be up against the Indonesian pair of Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Ribka Sugiarto, while Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will face Philippines' Peter Gabriel Magnaye and Alvin Morada in men's doubles.

IPL final against RCB PTI Bengaluru, May 29 : Sunrisers Hyderbad scored 208 for 7 in the IPL summit clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore here today.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyder abad: 208 for 7 in 20 overs (David Warner 69, Ben Cutting 39 not out, Yuvraj Singh 38; Chris Jordan 3/45).

David Warner

Indian discus thrower Seema Punia secures Rio Olympics berth ANI New Delhi, May 29 : Indian discus thrower Seema Antil Punia has qualified for the upcoming Rio Olympics after winning gold at the Young Thrower's Classic in California on Sunday.

The 32-year-old registered a throw of 62.62 metres to surpass the Olympic qualification mark of 61 metres.

The attempt was also enough to outclass 2008 women's Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton, who bagged silver with a throw of 60.50 metres in the event.

Punia, who won gold at the Asian Games in 2014 and silver at Glasgow

Seema Antil Punia Commonwealth Games in the same year, had earlier represented the

country in the 2004 and 2012 Olympics.

The 2016 Rio Olympics

is slated to be held from August 5 to August 21.

Saqlain Mushtaq to guide England spinners against Pak

Saqlain Mushtaq ANI Karachi, May 29 : Former Pakistan Test cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq has agreed to a 10-day spell with England as their spinbowling consultant for the upcoming series against Pakistan.

Confirming the news, Saqlain said he is extremely excited to work with the England players even if it is a shortterm deal.

He further revealed that he would travel to England ahead of the sec-

ond Test against Pakistan in Manchester to work with the players, the Express Tribune reported.

The 39-year-old informed that he was earlier approached by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to work with them for a tour to South Africa, but had to refuse the offer due to prior commitments.

The two sides will play a four-match Test series and five-match ODI series starting July 14 at the Lord's.

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