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Vol. 1

Issue 80

Price -

Dibrugarh, Saturday, August 22, 2015

5.00

Pages- 12

Floods and erosion create havoc in Assam and Arunachal

ET CAPSULES Subedar Dies in Arunachal Rescue Op Vellore, Aug 21

Seventeenyearold Amruthavalli never imagined that the phone conversation she had with her father on Tuesday, Subedar G Annamalai, would be the very last one.

Within a few hours of that conversation, the family received the sad news that Annamalai, holding the rank

Flood situation grim in Lohit and Namsai districts

Assam CM holds state's flood situation review meeting Directs Revenue and Disaster Management Department to gear up relief and rescue operations

Contd. on Page 4

ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 21

Army called in for rescue and relief in flood-hit Assam

Namsai reels under heavy flood

ET Bureau Tezu, Aug 21

The Government of Assam has called in the army for rescue and relief efforts in the flood-hit areas of the state.

It is approximated that more than three lakh people have been affected by the floods.

A defence ministry spokesman said two

Noa-Dehing River flowing at the danger level has affected the banks on both sides.

The spur at Silatoo Khamti has been washed away due to excessive bank erosion (a stretch of 570 m) damaging cultivable land.

Contd. on Page 3

Contd. on Page 3

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reviewed the flood situation with Minister for Water Resources Basanta Das and senior officials at Chief Minister’s Secretariat here today. Chief Minister Gogoi directed the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to take all possible steps to gear up relief and rescue operations.

situation in the low lying areas in New Silatoo, Dharampur, Lekang Gohain Gaon, Dirak Miri, Ranjalibeel, Rajabeel, Philobari under Lekang Circle.

ET Bureau Namsai, Aug 21

Due to incessant rainfall since the last three days the water level of Noa Dihing and its tributaries has risen high enough to cause a flood like

Woman crossing the flood affected area on a boat at Gorudhoria village in Dibrugarh.

Pic - UB Photos

Contd. on Page 4

Flood inundates several villages in Dibrugarh

Flood inundates 20 villages of Lakhimpur Goan Panchayat

Contd. on Page 3

Massive landslide cuts off circle headquarters in Arunachal from rest of the world A massive landslide on NH153 which occurred last night has cut off the Manmao circle headquarters in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh with the rest of the world. The landslide occurred due to incessant rain in the area.

Around half kms of the road have been severely damaged due to the landslide. The NH153 is the 61 km Indian por○

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ET Correspondent Lakhimpur, Aug 21

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Once again flood has wreaked havoc in the lives of the people of upper Assam for the past few days due to incessant rain. Many low lying villages have come under the grip of flood caused devastation on crops and people.

Many hectares of crop land were destroyed due to the

Goan Panchayat of Lakhimpur Revenue circle. At present, flash flood caused by the river Subansiri has inundated No. 1 Kuhimari, Contd. on Page 4

Recurring flash flood has severely affected at least 20 villages under Lakhimpur ○

MLA, DC conduct surprise inspection in District hostpital

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Nonagenarian Naharkatia based physician Dr. Tankeswar Swargiary left for his heavenly abode today while being treated at a private nursing home, here.

Swargiary, 95 yrs, had a nasty fall in the bathroom on Tuesday and breathed his last today at around 11-30 am. He ○

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Contd. on Page 4

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A male clouded leopard cub aged between three to six months was admitted at International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) run Wildlife Transit Home in Charaikhola, Kokrajhar on 13th August, 2015.

The cub was brought to the Wildlife Transit Home from the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) zoo cam○

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Sebi bars 59 entities from stock market Market regulator Sebi recently banned 59 entities, including some high net worth individuals (HNIs) and Riddi Siddhi Bullions,

Japan-Naga Christian Revival Reconciliation Summit in November A two day 'Japan-Naga Christian and Revival Reconciliation Summit 2015' will be held on November 28 and 29

Thai authorities have tripled to $85,000 a reward for information leading to the arrest of the main suspect in the country`s worst ever

BUSINESS

REGION

NEIGHBOURS

EDITORIAL

one of the largest bullion trading companies, from the stock market for using the equity derivatives contracts on the exchanges for illegal trades to avoid taxes worth crores and also convert black money into white.

under the aegis of All Japanese Revival Mission (AJRM) and various churches in Kohima. Two delegations from AJRM, Revival Biblical Seminary, president Emeritus Asian Access, Japan Board Chairman Rev.\

bombing. The government said progress in the investigation was being made but declined t o give details or offer evidence they were closer to determining who carried out the Monday evening attack at one of Bangkok`s top tourist attractions.

mands to the management of the company. While the collective bargaining was in progress, 31 employees had been dismissed from the services and to protest against that dismissal, the union decided to strike work with effect from 1st of April, 1939.

Thailand increases reward for bombing suspect

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pus by the IFAW-WTI and Assam Forest Department staff from Kokrajhar, Assam.

According to the available information, an unknown person handed over the sick clouded leopard cub to the staff of BTC proposed zoo.

The cub was kept for more than 10-15 days at the zoo after which it was handed over to the IFAW-WTI Wildlife Transit Home for further care.

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Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi condoled the death of veteran journalist Satyanand Pathak who passed away today. In his condolence message, Gogoi termed Pathak as an upright and fearless journalist who always upheld the ethics of journalism.

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Contd. on Page 4 ○

ET Bureau Kaziranga, Aug 21

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 21

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Clouded leopard cub admitted at IFAWWTI run wildlife transit home in Assam

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Assam CM condoles passing away of veteran journalist Satyanand Pathak

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was a student of the second batch of the erstwhile Sir Berry White Medical School which is now known as the Assam Medical College and Hospitals (AMCH). After getting his diploma from the medical school, Swargiary, went to Kolkata from where he got his MBBS degree from Calcutta University in 1950.

Debojit Sonowal Naharkatia, Aug 21

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The local MLA of 55 Khonsa East Wanglam Sawin, Tirap Deputy Commissioner Ravi Jha and DMO Dr. N. Lowang conducted a surprise inspection in the lone district hospital, Khonsa today. The

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Nonagenarian Naharkatia doctor no more

Deputy Commissioner expressed his displeasure and deep concern over unpunctuality of the doctors and the staff of the district hospital and asked them to be on time always as their absence may cause difficulties to the patients.

Contd. on Page 3

ET Bureau Khonsa, Aug 21

Remembering MN Sarmah

The beginning of trade union movement in Assam was perhaps dated back to 1939 when the workers of the Assam Oil Company, Digboi put forward a charter of de-

flood in upper Assam.

Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji are mostly affected due to flood.

In Dibrugarh, Madhupur, Deori Gaon, Khalokhowa, Lezai are affected by flood water which entered the villages from the Brahmaputra river. “For the last three days flood water started rising and our village has been completely submerged.

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Aug 21

tion of the historic Stilwell Road which originates near Ledo in Assam and runs up to Yunnan Province in China traversing through the hostile terrain in Myanmar. Kento Riba, the additional deputy commissioner, Jairampur who reached the spot early this morning along with local MLA Laisem Simai said that several vehicles were stranded on both sides due to the landslide.

Contd. on Page 3

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Aug 21

Contd. on Page 4

Contd. on Page 4 ○

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Flesh trade in the premises of PWD Borpathar Division rocks the local people Sushanta Roy Diphu August 21

Reports of flesh trade by Government officials inside office chambers at night has once again rocked the people of Karbi Anglong. According to information received, Phunin Das, cashier, posted in the office of the Executive Engineer, PWD, Roads Division Borpathar, located within Borpathar police station was caught red-handed while raping a woman hailing from nearby Santipur locality last Sunday (August 2). The local people residing near the office broke into the divisional office and apprehended Das and the woman.

Das was beaten black and blue by the people, finding no other option to escape from public fury Phunin Das begged for mercy and pleaded before all to forgive him for once, ultimately he was let off the hook by his Contd. on Page 4

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SBI seeks to re-introduce teaser home loans New Delhi, Aug 21

State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya recently raised the pitch for re-introducing low-cost home loans that it had floated in 2010 in the aftermath of the global finan-

PROBABLE RETURN OF LOW-COST HOME LOANS

Ø State Bank of India (SBI) chairman recently raised the pitch for re-introducing lowcost home loans.

Ø The rate was kept fixed for

Ø These home loans carried

Ø SBI is now seeking nod to float such loans at sub-base rate.

low interest rate in the initial phase -- mostly three years.

the initial period before reverting to the floating market rates.

cial crisis, to kick start demand in the domestic economy. Popularly called 'teaser loans', these home loans carried low interest rate in the initial phase -- mostly three years, and then, Contd. on Page 4

cmyk

ANI Guwahati, Aug 21

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Every Thursday & Sunday

PAGE 2

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

RSTC workers stage demonstration

Victims to decline Rs 60 crore ordered by the Supreme Court to be paid: Uphaar case New Delhi, Aug 21: Delhi Government on Friday said it will seek legal opinion on the demand of families of Uphaar fire tragedy victims to decline the Rs 60 crore ordered by the Supreme Court to be paid to it by the Ansals.

The Delhi Government's move comes after three members of the Association of

Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here on Friday. During the 30-minute long meeting they requested the CM to decline Rs 60 crore ordered to be paid to it by Ansals and make stringent laws for punishment in manmade disaster. "The government will take legal opinion

on their demands to decline the Rs 60 crore order to be paid to Delhi govt by Ansals.

It has accepted in principle the suggestion of Uphaar fire victims families to make a law for stringent punishment for man-made disasters," a senior Delhi government official said. According to sources, the members also

List Of Phone Numbers Of Nursing Homes Tinsukia City Hospital & Research Centre Kabir Mondal Dhubri, Aug 21: All Dhubri District Residential Special Training Centre (RSTC) Workers Union staged demonstration on their five-point charter of demands defying the heavy rain in front of Dhubri District Elementary Education Office today. Demands of the union include salary on par with state government employees, regularization of workers, upgradation of workers to teachers, infrastructure development of the centres and increase in amount allotted for students from Rs. 30 to Rs 100. The union alleged that

they have been working at the centre on a fixed pay of Rs. 6,000 since 2003 but this salary is not enough to support a family now.

“Moreover, without regularization of job, it has become extremely difficult to continue their services as there is no guarantee of job and under this circumstances, we see a bleak future ahead.

So we demand the government to fulfill our five-point charter of demands or else face stronger agitation in the days to come”, union leaders said. The union informed that there are seven RSTCs in Dhubri district with 60 workers.

2 arrested for TMC factional clash Kolkata ,Aug 21:Two prime accused in connection with a clash between two factions of the ruling Trinamool Congress at Tangra area of the city were arrested, and arms and ammunition seized from their possession, the police said today. With the arrest made late last night, 16 persons have been arrested in connection with the clash in which five police personnel were injured.The duo, Prabir Sarkar alias Bapi (39) and Alok Khatua (45), both residents of Christopher Road in Tangra police station area were arrested from Pragati Maidan area by the Anti-Rowdy Section

of Kolkata Police Detective Department, Joint CP (Crime) Pallab Ghosh said today.One countrymade six-chambered firearm was recovered from Bapi while two live cartridges were seized from Alok, Ghosh said. The arrested duo is an active TMC members and close to senior leaders of the party, a senior police official said.Five police personnel were injured in the clash in which bombs were hurled and five rounds of bullets fired.

The policemen were injured in stone-pelting incident when they arrived at the spot to control the situation. (Agencies)

Category: General Hospital Hospital Address: Gnb Road Near Bujhuri-786125, Assam Pin Code :786125 Phone Number :0374-2333349 Fax :0374-2350026/2339974

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

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

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

Assembly team arrives Kabir Mondal Dhubri, Aug 21: A seven-member assembly team of departmentally standing committee led by legislator, Robin Bordoloi arrived in Dhubri today and held meeting with high officials of the district. The team would also review developmental schemes and inspect the development works on the spot from tomorrow.

Solomon Islands and Tonga, are going to be present here. It is the second Summit of the FIPIC being organized in less than a year; the first Summit was held in Fiji on 19 November 2014.

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

G M Hospital

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

AMC Road, Jalan Nagar Dibrugarh - 786 005

Archana Trauma & Orthopaedics Hospital

Brahmaputra Diagnostics & Hospital

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

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

Assam Medical College

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

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

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

Sanjivani Diagnostic & Hospital

Dr. Pawan Bajaj's Skin Clinic

Aastha Hospital

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

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

last six or seven years, where we have been dealing with such an epidemic where people died because of man's negligence. As the SC has not given any punishment, we want such a law comes where people are given at least 10-15 years of punishment. The CM has assured us that such laws will be framed". (Agencies)

ASTRO FOR YOU If you are related in any way with the media, you will taste success today. Since all the focus is on you, it is a great time to exhibit your skills. Your talents will get recognition and your short-term goals will come to fruition.

Today may be the beginning of an exciting relationship. You will feel oneness with words and actions, communicating with your colleagues with ease. The spot light at whichever party you go to will be following you as you will storm the place with your enthusiasm and charisma.

It is the time to indulge in luxury and entertainment. You will pay more attention to household matters and tend to your children’s needs. You will be concerned about your diet and other health matters in the evening, however, these worries are only of a temporary nature.

You will take advantage of your ability to influence people. At work, your power to communicate will receive widespread approval. You will enjoy social activities later in the day. Meditation will help you relieve your tension in the evening.

It is time to erase all negative vibes in your surroundings. The stars ensure that you nurture only the positive aspects of your life today. Chances are that you might find yourself perched atop the horns of dilemma at work, but that shouldn’t throw you off your game. Also, you need to be honest in your love life. Secrecy is not the way to go, and it’s about time you discussed with your partner certain matters concerning your shared future.

You will achieve the targets that you set out to achieve today. The heavy pressure of work will not affect you in any way. The secret of your success is being patient. You are bang on target.

‘Wait and watch’ is always a good policy. You have been doing the same, and today, there is every possibility that the talents you have displayed for so long finally get the deserved recognition at work. For the businessman, be patient if one wants better future prospects.

Your tolerance level is sky-high, and your optimism, boundless. Professionally, you are like Iron Man — heart of gold, nerves of steel. Academic pursuit in the arts will take you to new horizons. Remember the lessons of life by heart — they will help you to serve society better.

Today, your actions are definitely going to be louder than your words. Your focus today would be on personality development and self-improvement.

You bring perfection to the table and it impresses your colleagues to a great extent. When the deadlines are tight or situations get complicated, people look up to you for directions, and to nobody’s surprise, you live up to their expectations. Your efficiency will not go unnoticed as the bosses will acknowledge and reward you efforts. You will wind up an exhausting day on a happy note.

Normally, it is you who delegates and call the shots, but today situation will be different. You will be overloaded with work and nobody will be able to share it with you. But, don’t get disappointed, as your hard work will be paid off very well. Your commitment and performance will motivate others to put their best foot forward.

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

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

for name of the centre. "The CM has also assured that the victims that Delhi government will offer to provide counsels for legal assistance to families of Uphaar victims, in their cases," the sources said.

Neelam Krishnamurthy, convener of AVUT, who lost both her children in the tragedy said, "I am pursuing one law from

Taking a break from work and going off on a small picnic might be a good idea today. You will be irresistible to the opposite sex, and love affairs in particular are likely to be rewarding and satisfying.

PM Modi meets his Fiji counterpart Frank Bainimarama ANI Jaipur, Aug 21: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi met his counterpart from Fiji, Frank Bainimarama, on the sidelines of Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit in Jaipur on Friday. "Set for a Summit.

PM @narendramodi receives the PM of Fiji for bilateral talks in Jaipur," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swaroop tweeted. FIPIC will be taking place in a bid to expand its economic and strategic footprints in the region amid China's increasing presence. The Ministers and delegates of 14 Pacific island nations, which include Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia,

demanded that the government should not build a trauma centre for Uphaar tragedy victims using Ansal brothers' money. "Delhi government has sufficient funds to build a trauma centre from its resources and will dedicate it to victims of Uphar tragedy. The CM asked the victims for their suggestions

Paltan Bazar, Opposite Aditya Hospital Dibrugarh

Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 22-8-15 (SATURDAY)

6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha 6-15 A.M-Classical Music, Artist-Nandita Sharma 6-50 A.M-Lokageet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto 8-35 A.M-Surar Satsori 9-05 A.M-Antara 12-15P.M-Teachers' Broadcast 12-30P.M-Ghazals by Md. Rafi 2-00 P.M-Kunhipaat 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-30 P.M-Mishing Geet by Umakanta Taye and Party 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Yuvavani 7-45 P.M-Daakpakhili 8-00 P.M-Ekalabya (Sponsored Prog. of K.K.H.S.O.U) 9-30 P.M-Radio Serial-"Deuri Lokasangeet",Episode-8. ScriptPurnananda Bharali

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

Sd-/H.O.P

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

Arunachal BJP to hold Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Maha Prashikshan Abhiyan ET Bureau Itanagar, Aug 21: Bharatiya Janata Party Arunachal Pradesh State Level meeting of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Maha Prashikshan Abhiyan will be held on 22nd and 23rd August 2015 at Pasighat. The meeting will be attended by the State, District and

Mandal Office Bearers, All Heads of Morchas & Cells, Hon’ble MLAs, Senior Leaders of the Party.

Shri Bala Subramanium, Advocate Hon’ble Supreme Court and Dr Mahesh Chandra Sharma National Secretary, BJP Parliamentary Party will be attending as Central Resource Persons.

Maha Prashikshan Abhiyan is the third stage of Maha Abhiyans of observing Sadashya Parva 2015 after Maha Sadashya Abhiyan and Maha Sampark Abhiyan. This Maha Prashikshan Abhiyan will end on 31st October 2015. This state level Abhiyan will be followed by district level,

mandal level and end the Abhiyan at booth level meetings.

Shri kiren Rijiju, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Shri Ramen Deka, Hon’ble MP &National Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party and Central in charge for Arunachal Pradesh will also grace the meeting.

SMSS CM Tarun Gogoi urges Central Furkating Govt to settle 'One Rank One Pension' issue urgently unit Correspondent frame. In a statement on implement OROP to upformed ET Guwahati, Aug 21: Wednesday, Gogoi said, hold pride, prestige and ET Correspondent Golaghat, Aug 21: The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti's youth and student wing Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS) has formed a new committee at Furkating College in Golaghat. A meeting was held at Furkating College in the presence of more than 200 students where the new Furkating unit of SMSS was formed. In the new committee Lohit Gar and Dipshika Dowerah were elected as President, Mahendra Barua as Working President, Priyabrot Chutia, Krishnali Bora and Bishnuprasad Dowerah as General Secretary.

Chief Minsiter Tarun Gogoi urged the NDA Government at the Centre to settle the issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP) expeditiously and in an urgent time

“It is shameful for the Nation that our war heroes have to resort to fastunto-death and then humiliated by the police personnel”. Gogoi also urged the Prime Minister to

morale of the war heroes.

It may be mentioned that the retired servicemen have been demanding equal pension to them retiring at the same rank regardless of when they retire.

ISIS, military may have instructed judiciary to ban 26/11-reflecting 'Phantom': Congress New Delhi, Aug 21 (ANI): The Congress Party on Friday alleged that fictional" Bollywood movie 'Phantom,' which is a reflection of 26/11 incident, has been banned in Pakistan as the judiciary there might be acting on the instructions of the

ISIS and military.

"They say it is a democracy, but the truth is that ISIS and military rule there. I think judiciary was instructed by them to ban the movie. The system is not connected to the public," Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan told ANI.

"Though the film is fictional, it is also a reflection of 26/11 incident.

They are scared that the commoners will come to know what the military authorities of Pakistan are up to. It is a matter of fear that truth will be out in the open," he added. (ANI)

Women must understand dynamics of business and industry, say elite women professionals New Delhi, Aug.21 (ANI): Women desirous of entering the boardroom of companies as independent directors must understand the dynamics of business, working of the industry, learn about industry's perspective and must be prepared to ask questions and speak their mind to add value to boardroom discussions.

This advice was proffered

by Pallavi Shroff, Managing Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Co and Ms. Deepikka Jindal, Executive Creative Director and MD, JSL Lifestyle Limited and MD, JSL Architecture Limited, both of whom serve as directors on different company boards, at a discussion on 'Women Directors: Roles and Perspectives' organized by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) under FLO Women Directors Program in collaboration with Women Corporate Directors (WCD).

Pallavi Shroff said that while deciding to be a member on a board, women must ensure that there would be scope for free exchange of ideas and

ample exposure to varied professional perspectives.

She added that one must also look at the culture of the company and consider its financials. Most importantly, one must be clear with the role and liabilities attached to a director.

Shroff said that one needs to be polite while sharing their views but must firmly stand their ground. Also when issues arise, there should be a concerted effort to resolve them amicably. Women must realize that they are adding value to the board and in the process getting a great opportunity to further their own growth, she added.

Deepikka Jindal said it is essential to be a part of a constructive board having the right mix of individuals who have expertise in diverse fields and can become a guiding force in times of crisis. Also, it is important for an individual to learn from the experience and always be prepared with the background information to effectively contribute on a board.

Jindal said that many a times the agenda and in-

formation is not received by board members on time and the board secretary misses out on recording the views of a female board member. In such scenarios, women must insist on getting timely information and the agenda and should also notify the board secretary to include the suggestions proposed by her in the minutes of the meeting.

Archana Garodia Gupta, President, FLO, said, "FLO is looking at creating a pool of prospective women directors as also enhance the effectiveness of the existing ones.

The goal of FLO Women Directors (FWD) initiative is to educate potential women executives and professionals who wish to acquire the tools required to face the challenges of corporate board positions."

Also, FLO, in a tie up with KPMG and the IIMs, is conducting across all its 15 locations training for existing women directors to increase their effectiveness, and familiarizing them with their liabilities and responsibilities. FLO was also identifying likely women and making them

Lalu mocks 'fat' Amit Shah, asks where is black money Patna, Aug. 21 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday questioned BJP president Amit Shah on the government's promise to bring back black money and also to decrease inflation.

Lalu taunted Shah, and said the former is thinking of his own development and not the

nation's.

"What does he have to do with Bihar's development? He is roaming around for his own development. What happened to the black money, inflation has increased again." Lalu told media here.

Shah was also mocked for getting trapped in the lift of the state guest house for nearly an hour in Patna.

"Amit Shah shouldn't have entered the Patna lift as Bihar lifts are not made to carry such fat people," Lalu told media here.

Shah and three other leaders were trapped in the lift for around 40 minutes late on Thursday night. He was rescued by the CRPF personnel who were part of Shah's Z+ security cover. (ANI)

board ready. This list will then be made available to corporates who might like to invite them on their boards, she added.

Giving a brief on 'Women Corporate Directors', Ms. Ranjana Agarwal, Past President, FLO and Chairperson, WCD India, said that WCD is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. WCD helps make the challenges of being a director easier, improves international knowledge and connections, and enables a person to have more impact and influence on public policy and in the boardroom. She added that as WCD provides a platform for turning ideas into action - an impact that reaches to the larger world of corporate governance and its stakeholders worldwide.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Poonam Mahajan, FLO Member & Day Chair and Ms. Fatima Karan, Consulting Editor, Bloomberg TV India, moderated the session.

Mon district in Nagaland is plagued by lack of proper government transport system. According to an estimate there should be 22 buses under Nagaland State Transport which should ply to different parts of the state and region from Mon. However, as is evident in the picture there are only 7 buses at the station here. What is more alarming is the fact that only 2 buses of the 7 buses are operational – one to Muknyakshu and Sonari in Assam. The department is supposed to have its own fuel station not depending on the private petrol pump but despite demands from various side till date it does not have its own fuel station. Text & Pic – ECN.

Flood situation grim in Lohit and Namsai districts Contd. from Page 1 The anti-erosion revetment constructed in 201213 at Silatoo under FMP has been damaged across a length of 22 m (ch. 199 m to 221 m) & 40 m (ch.

480 m to 520 m). The new Silatoo earthen embankment constructed under SPA has been damaged for about 360 m. If river overflow continues, water will enter towards new diversion threatening the new Silatoo village and Mahadevpur circle HQ and its adjoining villages.

Namsai: The river course of Noa-Dehing is diverted towards Deobeel side (right

bank) and excessive land erosion has been observed in between structure constructed under FMP during 2002-03. Existing spur and revetments are damaged due to heavy debris flow with flood water. Immediate necessary steps need to be taken in order to stop the entry of flood water towards Namsai township and adjoining areas.

As reported by JE’s of all sections, rivers like Lohit, Kamlang, Berreng, Tengapani & Jenghtu are in the grip of flood water.

Communication in between Alubari and Tezu is disrupted and also massive bank erosion on both sides of the rivers has been ob-

served.

Mahadevpur, Namsai, Piyong, Lathao,Chongkham and Wakro circle are completely affected by this flash flood.

The protective measures constructed in all rivers need rectification and extension to save the vast cultivable land like WRC field, horticultural garden, home shade area and other infrastructure, etc. under Namsai District. Some MI projects under WRSD Namsai need rectification/ renovation.

Lohit: Changliang, Shivajinagar, Khoraliang, Denning nallah, 32 mile, Duraliang, Danglat, Loiliang, Sunpura, Yealiang are badly affected

due to overflow of flood water. Wire crated guide wall (80 m) near Changliang Village has been damaged and flood water threatens to enter Changliang village; flood water is just 5 m away from the main road; protection work at MIP Tachere Denning is damaged threatening the headwork; Balijan area is submerged by flood water; MIP Balijan is damaged which exposes the neighbouring area. Apron of wing wall of MIP at Hucheliang and Pomliang has been washed out.Villages like Danglat, 32 Mile and Mepo are reeling under heavy soil erosion.

Namsai reels under heavy flood Contd. from Page 1 Heavy soil erosion caused in the river bank areas needs immediate protection to avoid further erosion and flood. Bolder spur constructed in Upper Silatoo vil-

lage and one bamboo spur constructed under MLALAD at Dharampur has been washed away due to heavy bank erosion.

Meanwhile, bank erosion continues at Upper and Lower Deobeel. One spur constructed at Upper Silatoo during 20111–12 under CRF

has been fully washed away and another spur constructed under SPA is partially damaged (nose of spur) and also the bamboo spur constructed at Bhogamur and Mengkengmiri area is also washed away. Communication in between Namsai and Tezu via Alubari as well as

Pursuramkund is disrupted due to flood water.

On the positive side, flood water of all rivers as on today receded from 0.20m to 0.30m but excessive bank erosion was observed in the banks of all rivers, while some structures are also damaged due to flood.

Massive landslide cuts off circle headquarters ...

Contd. from Page 1 “Restoration work has already begun with

assistance from the National Highway authorities deploying its men and machinery at work.

We do hope that the road

could be opened soon for vehicular traffic”, Riba said. Meanwhile, the flood scenario in Jairampur sub division

improved today with the rivers and its tributaries showing receding trend throughout the day today.

MLA, DC conduct surprise inspection....

Contd. from Page 1 During the surprise inspection, the DC asked the District Medical Officer and the Medical Superintendent to maintain cleanliness and hygienic environment in and around the hospital. The inspection team also verified the stock ledger of medicines procured over the years for the welfare of the poor patients of the district. The DC was not happy with the way the stock register was main-

tained and asked the DMO to ensure that corrective measures were taken.

The MLA and the DC while inspecting the infrastructures in the hospital including Sisters’ Duty Room, toilets and kitchen; they found that there were leakages from the roof and asked the DMO to take note of it. The Deputy Commissioner expressed his unhappiness over the condition of the lone district hospital and asked the health department to leave no stone unturned to improve it in

the interest of the people.

The MLA Sawin said that sufficient funds were sanctioned for procurement of medicines from DoTCL and other sources. He also expressed his displeasure over the patchy and unsystematic maintenance of the stock ledger. The MLA, while interacting with the indoor patients regarding their diet and healthcare facilities, distributed fruits and snacks to them. The DMO Dr. N. Lowang who took charge recently, assured the MLA and the DC

that all possible steps would be taken to bring about tangible changes in healthcare facilities in the district and appealed to the MLA and district administration to extend their willing cooperation. The PRI leaders and the public of Tirap have appreciated the MLA and the DC for taking interest in the healthcare sector and assured their unwavering support and willing cooperation. (DIPRO)

Army called in for rescue and relief in flood-hit Assam Contd. from Page 1 columns of the army have been deployed for the

relief operations in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts.

Several rivers in the

state have crossed the danger mark.

At least 620 villages in 13 districts of the state are

flood affected, and around 85,000 people are taking shelter in temporary relief camps.

First DREM Football Tournament gets off to a flying start Aalo, Aug 21: The first Dubi Rike Ete Memorial Football tournament organized by District Football Association under the banner of District Sports Association and District Administration got off to a flying start on 20th August last. Er. Tumke Bagra, MLA Aalo West inaugurated the tournament and declared it open amid thunderous applause.

Shri Bagra recalled the contribution of late Mrs. Dubi Rike Ete and her family in social causes and movements in the past and said that the tournament organized in her memory should act as a platform to foster unity and oneness among all strata of people and draw the attention of youth towards sports that carries 10% reservation in

Govt. job. The obsession for football and volleyball in this district dates back to the late 50s and today there are players of reputation in Gumpe Rime in the national scene and football prodigy young Kambu in the international arena.

Sports should be a medium to divert the attention of the derailed youth who are addicted to drugs, alcoholism and other present day vices, he said. The MLA also handed over certificates to the referees selected from West Siang by the State Football Association.

The Guest of Honour Shri Gedo Ori, Dy. Director Tourism and Special Guest and Secretary Arunachal Football Association, Shri G. Doke said that such tournaments organized at various levels will bring out more hidden talents

and appreciated the effort put in by the Organizing Committee and support of DSA and district administration. The President DFA, Shri Liduk Ete outlined the basic objective behind organizing the tournament and appealed for the cooperation of all and urged the

players to take the game of football in true sportsmanship spirit. Shri Liya Ete also spoke on behalf of late Dubi Rike Ete's family.

In the opening match of the tournament SFS Sports Club outclassed Kabu Sports Club by a margin of 5-4 in a nail

biting finish. The winner and runners up of the tournament starting on 20th August till 5th September will bag cash prizes of Rs. 1,00,000/- and Rs. 50,000/- respectively along with trophies besides other attractive individual prizes. (DIPRO)

PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

Victims of tragic Golaghat incident paid tributes ET Correspondent Golaghat, Aug 21: Two organizations of Golaghat paid homage to last year's tragic Golaghat incident victims of Uriamghat and Rungajan. BJP District Committee lighted candles at various places of the town while in Rungajan AJYCP members lighted candles at the very spot where the incident had taken place and also in the adjoining areas. The local people and the family members of the deceased were also among those who paid their tributes.

CM Gogoi condoles passing away of Sanjeeva Kumar's father ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 21: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi condoled the death of Sridhar Mukund, the father of Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Assam Sanjeeva Kumar, who passed away on Friday at GMCH. He was 88. He was admitted to GMCH due to old age related ailments. Chief Minister Gogoi today visited the official residence of Sanjeeva Kumar at Khanapara and paid floral tributes to the mortal remains of Sridhar Mukund.

AJYCP submits memorandum ET Correspondent Sonari, Aug 21: The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), Mahmora regional committee had expressed its displeasure over the repair works being carried out on the Kakotibari – Timon connecting road. The organization through a memorandum submitted to the Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Charaideo has alleged that low quality of repair works is being car-

ried out on the road. The organization has appealed before the administration to conduct a proper inquiry into the incident and take action against all those found guilty. The organization while drawing attention of the administration towards the pathetic condition of the Bhojo – Kakotibari – Mahmora – Banamali – Kachumari – Moran had urged the administration to take up immediate repair works on

the road. The organization also stated that the Kakotibari – Dadhara – Rangoli – Moran road too requires immediate attention.

Yuba Sanmelan A Yuba Sanmelan has been organized by the Sonari constituency Bharatiya Janata Yuba Morcha on Aug 23 at the public auditorium in Tiok tea estate. The programme will commence from 10 in the morning, the organizers said.

Flesh trade in the premises of PWD Borpathar Division rocks the local people Sushanta Roy Diphu August 21: Reports of flesh trade by Government officials inside office chambers at night has once again rocked the people of Karbi Anglong. According to information received, Phunin Das, cashier, posted in the office of the Executive Engineer, PWD, Roads Division Borpathar, located within Borpathar police station was caught redhanded while raping a woman hailing from nearby Santipur locality last Sunday (August 2).

The local people residing near the office broke into the divisional office and apprehended Das and the

woman.

Das was beaten black and blue by the people, finding no other option to escape from public fury Phunin Das begged for mercy and pleaded before all to forgive him for once, ultimately he was let off the hook by his neighbours; although the immoral incident came to the notice of the local police they could not initiate any action in the absence of an admitted victim and the matter was settled without the intervention of police.

Hearing about the incident, the local pressmen visited the place to verify the matter. It came to light finally that this clandestine busi-

ness has been running for some time allegedly under the patronage of none other than the SDO, P. Barman, while Das has been acting as a pimp in the entire depraved dealing.

As is learned, the people of the area made Phunin Das confess the entire unholy trade and later let him off the hook on the basis of a promissory note that such an incident will not be repeated in future.

Disgruntled denizens here are now asking what can be expected from common criminals if government officials are indulging in flesh trade using public properties.

Rajiv Gandhi Skill Development Institute would help to translate goal of 'Make in Assam' into reality: Tarun Gogoi ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 21: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the decision of the State Government to set up a Rs 1000-crore Rajiv Gandhi Skill Development Institute would help to translate the goal of ‘Make in Assam’ into a reality by upgrading

skill and boosting entrepreneurship among the youth. In a statement here today, Chief Minister Gogoi said the State Government has embarked on the ‘Make in Assam’ concept to upgrade skill and create entrepreneurship among the youth. “The Make in Assam concept

can be transformed only through skill development. We reaffirm our commitment to Skilled Assam through a single umbrella organisation known as the Assam Skill Development Mission.

This will help to co-ordinate all skill development programmes of the State

for better convergence and employability,” he said adding that skill development mission would help to solve the unemployment problem. The State has 28 ITIs and 42 more ITIs are being set up for imparting skill development training to the youth.

GMC representatives meet Assam CM regarding salary and pension ET Correspondent Guwahati, Aug 21: The workers and employees of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) represented by four unions met Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at his office cham-

ber in the Assam Secretariat here today. The unions apprised the Chief Minister of their various demands which include salary and pension.

Gogoi assured that he would sympathetically

consider the demand for pension of the workers and employees. The Chief Minister directed the GMC Commissioner to submit details of the unions’ demands for

taking necessary action. Mayor Abir Patra, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister MGVK Bhanu and Commissioner, GMC Narayan Konwar also attended the meeting.

A flood affected area in Jhanjimukh in Jorhat district. Pic - Nekib Ahmed

Assam CM holds state's flood situation review meeting Contd. from Page 1 Gogoi also asked the department to provide necessary food, medicine, drinking water, baby food to relief camp inmates. The Chief Minister instructed the department to take special care towards children and women housed in the relief camps. The Revenue and Disaster Management Department informed the Chief Minister that in the

“The animal was very weak, anaemic and potbellied at the time of admission. A suitable diet chart has been framed for its health improvement,” said Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, Regional Head and Head Veterinarian who examined the cub at the centre. The animal weighs 2.2 kg.

The zoo staffs believe that the cub was picked up from nearby Kachugaon

Reserve Forest under Manas Tiger Reserve (MTR). “This theory needs further investigation and we need to get to the bottom of the story on how the cub landed at the zoo facility,” Dr Choudhury further added.

At present the cub is under observation and care at the Wildlife Transit Home in Charaikhola, Kokrajhar.

Following the clouded leopard rehabilitation protocol, the cub will be hand raised at the centre and rehabilitated to give him a

future in the wild.

One of the main threats to the clouded leopard is habitat loss, as it is a species that does not fare well in human dominated landscapes unlike the common leopard. Occasionally, clouded leopard skins are confiscated by the enforcement authorities indicating that there is an active trade in clouded leopard pelts (for decoration and clothing) , and meat as substitute for tiger in Chinese traditional medicine.

WTI has handled seven

cases of clouded leopards in Assam, most of them originating from the Western Assam area near Manas NP. The first batch was admitted in 2009, after two cubs were found alone in Kanthalmari village, Kokrajhar District, Bodoland. With the mother assumed dead, the cubs were brought into rehabilitation (as reunion was not possible).

This pair enabled IFAWWTI initiate the clouded leopard rehabilitation

Contd. from Page 1 No. 2 Kuhimari, Mohaijan, Mohaijan Missing, Majorchiga, Elengi, Murchiga, Patia, Badulipara, Bihdia, Chagolikota, Phesu, Checkband, Kaliyani villages, etc. including some

Contd. from Page 1

moved on to the then prevailing interest rates, under a pre-designed rate system.

The rate was kept fixed for the initial period before reverting to the floating market rates. SBI is now seeking nod to float such loans at sub-base rate. "I am told that real estate stock is at two-year high," said the chairman. The proposal came up in a tete-a tete SBI chairman had with the Re-

that the price itself has stabilised, then more people will be willing to buy." "The real estate market needs to clear their unsold stock. We need to figure out ways to do it. Some of it may be by making loans easier. But the RBI also doesn't want to create a situation where prices stay high and the demand does not pick up," said Rajan. Under the teaser home loan scheme, SBI was offering lower interest rate of 8-8.5% for the first three years. Though rival

banks scoffed at SBI's offering initially, many of them followed suit. Regulators then chided such home loan schemes saying that it may lead to a subprime kind of situation.

On Thursday, SBI chairman told RBI governor, "We, at SBI, refute that (any possibility of a subprime kind of situation in India) because the due diligence that went into giving those loans was the same as it would have been for a regular loan. Even the eligibility was like the

Rs.2,500 crore as flood assistance. The Central Government has decided to allocate Rs.414 crore.

Though the Central Government has sanctioned Rs.387 crore, it has not released any fund so far. The meeting was attended, among others, by Additional Chief Secretary Subhas Chandra Das and Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister MGVK Bhanu and senior officials of various departments.

other villages. Moreover, a vast area of paddy fields has been under water since yesterday. Flood has hit normal life of the common people as well as livestock. Significantly no officials from the Lakhimpur district administration have visited the site though the area is only a few kilometers away from the

district headquarters. It is to be noted that the area has been frequently affected by flash flood caused by the river Subansiri since the month of June this year.

Flash flood also comprehensively damaged the 'Bao' paddy along with the 'Ahu' paddy when it was about time for harvest. After flood

has dried up, the farmers planted the 'Shali' paddy on their fields forgetting the previous loss. But this time too flood has submerged those fields resulting in fresh fears of another loss in the harvesting season. In such circumstances, the farmers are now in fear of farming in future.

Flood inundates several villages in Dibrugarh Contd. from Page 1 Till now no relief has arrived from the government side and no official from the administration has come to us,’’ said Birinchi Deori, a resident of Deori Gaon.

However, Madhupur, Deori Gaon falls under

Moran Constituency and Jibon Tara Ghatowar is the sitting MLA of the constituency for the last 10 years who has not yet come to take stock of the situation. “Every year we have to face the same problem but till now the administration has not found a permanent solution,’’ alleged Deori. He said before election

Jibon Tara Ghatowar came to us asking for votes and assured us that she would take up the matter and find out a permanent problem. “We are demanding a Ring bund to solve our problem. Jibon Tara Ghatowar assured us to built a Ring bund but she seems to have forgotten all about it,’’ alleged a local villager.

Parag Dutta, BJP youth leader who visited the flood hit areas said, “Flood has inundated several houses in Madhupur, people are living dangerously because many hectares of crop land are under water. The people have been crying for help but no relief has been given from the administration side,’’.

Nonagenarian Naharkatia doctor no more Contd. from Page 1 He also rendered his services with the Allied Forces during the Second World War, but later with permission from his higher authorities he came to Naharkatia and started serving the

programme, with the objective of rehabilitating these orphans back in the wild. After almost a year of hand-raising and acclimatization, these cubs were rehabilitated back in the wild. In 2010, another pair of cubs was reported to be displaced in Silonijan area of Karbi Anglong. The team however, managed to reunite these cubs back with the mother. The last batch of two cubs came in 2012 and were rehabilitated using the protocols formulated with the first batch.

SBI seeks to re-introduce teaser home loans serve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan in the SBI Banking and Economic Conclave recently. Responding to the demand for lower home loan rates, Rajan said the apex bank would examine it, adding that there is room for a price cut in the market by real estate developers. "I do believe that if real estate developers, who are sitting on unsold stock, started bringing down prices, that would be a very big help to the sector because once there is a sense

the embankment in four places, road communication remained disrupted in various places. Due to landslide in between Silchar and Haflong and overtopping of National Highway Nos. 36 and 37 surface communication have also been affected. It may be mentioned that during the visit of a Central team to take stock of the flood situation in Assam, the State Government submitted a memorandum for release of

Flood inundates 20 villages of Lakhimpur Goan Panchayat

Clouded leopard cub admitted at IFAW-WTI run wildlife transit home in Assam Contd. from Page 1

recent flood, 15 districts have been affected. The administration has already opened 120 numbers of relief camps and presently 85,400 flood affected people have taken shelter in relief camps. The highest numbers of relief camps totaling 84 have been opened in worst-hit Kokrajhar district. Senior officials of Revenue and Disaster Management Department informed the Chief Minister that following a breach of

regular loan," She said, adding that this was one of the tipping points in the economy. SBI's base rate stands at 9.70%. Base rate is a rate below which banks are not allowed to lend to their customers.

"So, there has been no bubble built up over here.

And, maybe, we could also ask the realty players to bring down their rates equally. This is something that can be used as a kicker for getting the retail demand started," said the SBI chief. (Agencies)

people, particularly, the poor and the down trodden. Born in Sasoni, Khatowa, Swargiary soon became popular in the entire area and soon became a ‘saviour’ for the poor through his dedicated service. He was also instrumental in popularization of women education and

it was at his behest the Naharkatia Girl’s High School was established.

He was also the first ever Chairman of the Naharkatia Town Committee which was formed in 1960. Naharkatia came to a standstill today as the news of the demise of Swargiary broke out to-

day. Several organizations laid wreaths and paid floral tributes towards the dead body of the doctor. All business establishments also observed a spontaneous bandh as a mark of respect towards the doctor for two hours from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Flesh trade in the premises of PWD Borpathar Division rocks the local people Contd. from Page 1 neighbours; although the immoral incident came to the notice of the local police they could not initiate any action in the absence of an admitted victim and the matter was settled without the intervention of police.Hearing about the inci-

dent, the local pressmen visited the place to verify the matter. It came to light finally that this clandestine business has been running for some time allegedly under the patronage of none other than the SDO, P. Barman, while Das has been acting as a pimp in the entire depraved dealing. As is learned, the people of the area

made Phunin Das confess the entire unholy trade and later let him off the hook on the basis of a promissory note that such an incident will not be repeated in future. Disgruntled denizens here are now asking what can be expected from common criminals if government officials are indulging in flesh trade using public properties.

Assam CM condoles passing away....

Contd. from Page 1 “Pathak enriched journalism with his writings and his death

caused a great loss to the media fraternity. He left an indelible mark in the field of Hindi Journalism and his works will continue to be a source of inspiration to the budding jour-

nalists”, Gogoi said. The Chief Minister expressed his deepest sympathy to the bereaved family and prays to the almighty for eternal bliss of the departed soul.

Subedar Dies in Arunachal Rescue Op Contd. from Page 1 of Subedar in 201 Engineers Regiment, died while rescuing victims of a landslide in Arunachal Pradesh.

Annamalai Annamalai, in his conversation with his elder daughter told her that he was rescuing victims in a landslide and that he could not talk due to poor network there.

“He told her that he would call back once he comes down to base camp,” said Arun Kumar, nephew of Annamalai, speaking to Express. At the time of speaking to his elder daughter, Annamalai’s wife had gone to leave their other two children Sampath (13) and Arthi (10) at the boarding point of their school bus. Annamalai was to retire in six months.

“He was leading a team aiming to rescue and evacuate landslide victims. After having rescued 12 persons, he slipped and died on the spot coming under another landslide,” according to the chief minister’s press statement. The mortal remains of Subedar Annamalai, according to the press release from the Defence Office in Chennai, will arrive at Chennai Airport at about 11.45 pm. Officers from Station Headquarters, Chennai along with other officers will receive the mortal remains at Chennai Airport. The family has been informed that Annamalai’s mortal remains would reach his native Periyalambakkam village in the district around 4 am on Friday.

Funeral for the Joint Commissioned Officer will be conducted after consulting the family members with full military

honours, further said the release.

Jaya Announces Rs 10 Lakh Solatium Chennai: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh for the family members of Subedar G Annamalai who died in Arunachal Pradesh. In a statement here, she said a landslide occurred when a team of army engineers were laying cables. Annalamalai, died when he slipped and fell on a rock after rescuing all the team members from the landslide.

Annamalai, who was leading the team, belonged to Periyalambakkam village in Vellore district. Expressing condolences to the bereaved family, the Chief Minister ordered a solatium of `10 lakh for the victim’s family, an official press release said.

PAGE 5

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DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

Japan-Naga Christian Revival Reconciliation Summit in November Dimapur,Aug 21: A two day 'Japan-Naga Christian and Revival Reconciliation Summit 2015' will be held on November 28 and 29 under the aegis of All Japanese Revival Mission (AJRM) and various churches in Kohima. Two delegations from AJRM, Revival Biblical Seminary, president Emeritus Asian Access, Japan Board Chairman Rev. DD Paul K Ariga and Natural Church Development Japan, Daithao Kamei arrived in Kohima today evening to deliberate on the forthcoming JapanNaga summit.Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) hosted the two delegates and a meeting with the delegates and committee members was held at the

COLLECTIVE EFFORT ON TRIBAL STATUS DEMAND Gangtok, Aug 21: Sikkim and Darjeeling would be campaigning collectively for the common demand of tribal status for all Indian Gorkha and Nepali speaking communities. The campaign would be similar to the Nepali Bhasa Manyata Andolan wherein the Indian Gorkha and Nepali speaking people spread across the country would be asked to join the tribal status movement.This was decided during a meeting with Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung held at the Chief Minister's residence at Gangtok .(Agencies)

Ornamental leaf plant exhibition concludes in Agartala Agartala, Aug.21 : On the eve of 69th Independence Day celebration an exhibition cum competition of ornamental plants was organized .The two-day programme was organized by the Horticultural Society of Tripura at the Rabinda Kanan park here.Hundreds of ornamental leaf plants of different colours and sizes attracted large number of people.The prime aim of the show was to encourage people towards horti and floriculture which can be an extra means of income even in small land holdings in cities as there is an increasing demand for them.People gathered to get a view of the various colorful ornamental leaf plants which are mainly kept to decorate houses and work places beside use in flower bouquets.Various privately owned nurseries and government institutes participated in the show among whom prizes were distributed.A cultural programme was also organised on the occation.

(ANI)

NBCC office.Rev. D.D Paul K Ariga said coming to Nagaland for a purpose of reconciliation was like coming to visit the grandparents and said he felt so much like "at home" being in Nagaland. He said though Japan ranks top in technology in the world, Japanese are weak in spiritual aspects and said a strong based faith, powerful church between Japan and Nagaland was felt required. Ariga informed that God spoke to him, that to remove challenges, it needs to fulfil the four "Rs" which are Repentance, Reconciliation, Revival and Reformation and expressed hope that through the revival "we" will receive the blessings and keep the fire burn-

ing alive in Japan till God takes Japanese to His Kingdom.Daithao Kamei in his brief address said Japan does not even have 3% Christian of the total population and said Japanese

practically need more prayer and support from the Nagas. Kamei said the reconciliation was a long due and expressed joy that a good time has come for the Japanese and Nagas to build

God's Kingdom together.

He said the AJRM were taking serious note of the.General Secretary NBCC Rev. Dr. Zelhou Kheyo while welcoming the Japansese delegates said the

crusade would be a closing moment to heal the wounds and minds of the people what had happened in 1944 and said the November summit will be a way forth for the Japanese and Nagas to a higher level spiritually.The event was first proposed in 2014 after AJRM representatives visited Nagaland and after discussing at length, NBCC accepted the proposal, to jointly host by the protestant denominations of Nagaland in November.The meeting also discussed about the sequences of the programmes and other arrangements to be made while around 30 delegates including members from AJRM and Japanese tour group are expected to attend the summit. (Agencies)

GNLA deputy commander shot dead Shillong, Aug 21: South Garo Hills police shot dead senior GNLA deputy area commander Silbirth M Sangma in a late night operation at Sawekolgre village in remote Chokpot region of the district on Tuesday.The operation was launched after an over ground worker of the outfit was apprehended during a routine police checking of vehicles.A police team on duty at Dajiteksragre road stopped a bus coming from Mitapgre village in Chokpot and apprehended GNLA worker Tenobirth N Marak (18).The arrested youth was

coming from his village called Sawekolgre and police launched an operation that same night to flush out a group of militants holed up in that village.When police SWAT teams approached the village they were reportedly fired upon by a group of GNLA militants who were hiding in one of the houses.During the exchange of fire that lasted for about 15 minutes one of the militants was killed and the others escaped. The deceased was identified as deputy area commander of Chokpot Silbirth M Sangma who

went by the name of Pekdok. A Chinese pistol was recovered from his possession. The deceased was working under the direct command of GNLA Chokpot commander Sacheng Sangma, informed police.Meghalaya Police PRO G.H.P. Raju, in a statement, informed that Silbirth was working under GNLA commander Mathews Ch Marak of South Garo Hills.The PRO said Silbirth was involved in planting IEDs targeting Police vehicles and personnel at Raja Rongat tri-junction in January 2015 and lobbing of gre-

nade at a wine store near Abiagre in South Garo Hills, procuring of arms & ammunitions such as shot guns, rocket launchers, 2inch mortars, HK, 4 AK(s), G3, carbine, M50 rifle, ammunitions, etc., from Bangladesh through IndoBangla border and from Dimapur, Nagaland through the borders of North Garo Hills district along with other GNLA cadres namely Kamdak, Saddam and others.Silbirth was also involved in large scale extortions from businessmen in South Garo Hills, West Garo Hills and Mankachar

area, Assam, the police officials claimed.In one incident he had burnt the vehicles of traders from Mankachar, Assam at Chokpot, South Garo Hills, when they did not pay the money. Raju also claimed that Silbirth along with GNLA's West Garo Hills area commander Hedio and others was involved in the kidnapping of the South Garo Hills District Sports Officer from Kherapara, West Garo Hills, in July.

The official was kept in custody for over 28 days and was released only when ransom was paid. (Agencies)

Wanted criminals from Jharkhand Assembly adjourned Jammu held in Bengal after paying tributes Ranchi, Aug 21: Jharkhand Assembly today paid rich tributes to late former president A P J Abdul Kalam, President Pranab Mukherjee's wife Suvra Mukherjee, former Odisha Chief Minister J B Patnaik and other leaders who had recently passed away. Expressing his condolence over Kalam's death, which passed away on July 27, Speaker Dinesh Oraon said his life was full of inspiration for everyone. Recalling Suvra Mukherjee's devotion toward art, literature and music, Oraon said her death had deeply hurt the people. Ex-

Kolkata,Aug 21: Two wanted criminals from Jammu and Kashmir were arrested from Deganga area of North 24 Parganas district, police said today.Raghuveer Singh and Raj Kumar were in an MUV with a number plate of J&K, which was spotted at Kaliani Bill locality by the patrolling police yesterday, police said. The two youths told the police they were going to a relative's place at Hasnabad in the district but there were inconsistencies in their statements, police said, adding

they were taken to Deganga police station.Contacted by the local police, Jammu and Kashmir police said the two were wanted in eight to ten cases of murder, theft, kidnapping and extortion pending in several police stations of the northern state. They shot at and injured a man in Jammu and stole his MUV in which they were found in Deganga, the police said.However, it is true that Raghuveer has relatives in Hasnabad, which is close to Bangladesh border, the police said. (Agencies)

pressing deep sorrow over the death of three-time Chief Minister of Odisha J B Patnaik, the Speaker described him as intellectual of repute. He also condoles the death of three-time Congress MP Sriballav Panigrahi, who was a minister in the Nandini Satpathy and Binayak Acharya governments in the neighbouring state in the 1970s. Besides the Speaker, Chief Minister Raghubar Das, leader of opposition Hemant Soren and several other legislators paid tributes to these leaders and also to former Bihar Gov-

ernor R S Gawai, Jharkhand MLA Baldev Hazra, Jhabua MP Dilip Singh Bhuria, Sister Nirmala and some other leaders, who passed away recently. The House also expressed condolences of the death of the ten devotees who died in a stampede in Deogarh on August 10. The CPI (ML-Liberation) MLA, Raj Kumar Yadav, expressed condolences of death of the five women, who were allegedly lynched by villagers after being accused of practising witchcraft earlier this month. Later, the House was adjourned till Monday.

(Agencies)

Nagaland safest for women in India Dimapur, Aug 21: A study released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), an agency which maintains a database on crimes and criminals in the country, suggests that smaller states like Nagaland, Lakshadweep are the safest for women in India.According to the NCRB data, there have been 67 instances of crime against women in 2014 in Nagaland. In 2011, when the last census was taken, Nagaland had 1,024,649 men and 953,853 women.

In other words, the state has 931 women for every 1,000 men. Keeping into consid-

eration the female population of the state, the rate of total cognizable crimes against women is as low as 6%, making Nagaland the only state with a single digit mark in this regard.

However, the territory recorded only four instances of violence against women.

Other states/union territories considered safest for women in the country are Puducherry (10.6%); Dadra and Nagar Haveli (11.1%), Daman & Diu (14.6%), Tamil Nadu (18.4%), Manipur (26.7%), Meghalaya (28.8%), Uttarakhand (27.4%) and Bihar (31.3%). (Agencies)

Mizoram probes deaths of endangered species Aizawl, Aug 21: Mizoram's forest and environment department has initiated a probe into the deaths of endangered serows (goat-antelopes) after a large number of carcasses were found in two villages of the state, an official said today."Around 20 serows died in the forest near Serhmun village (in western Mizoram) in past two weeks. Death of eight serows was also reported

from Darlawn village (northeastern Mizoram) along Manipur border," a Mizoram forest department official said.He said forest and wildlife officials had been sent to both the areas to ascertain the cause of the deaths."After getting the reports of the visiting officials and analyzing the carcasses of the animals, next course of action would be taken," the official added. Serow is the state animal of Mizoram. (Agencies)

Lalu Prasad has an advice for Amit Shah who got stuck in a lift Patna, Aug 21: RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav appears to be at his witty best these days.After mimicking Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a speech, the Bihar strongman has now described Modi's lieutenant Amit Shah as a "fat man" .The context was Thursday night's incident wherein BJP president Amit Shah got stuck in a lift of a government guest house in Patna near Raj Bhavan ,"Itna mota aadmi ko lift mein ghusna hi nhi chahiye, Bihar ka lift chhota chhota hai (A fat man like him should not enter a lift; lifts in Bihar are very small)," said Lalu reacting to the incident.The incident happened at about 11.15 pm last night. Apart from the BJP strongman, Shah's personal secretary and several

other state BJP leaders were also inside the lift when it got stuck between the ground floor and the first floor. They were able to come out only after 30 minutes when help was called in.

As per reports, after the tollfree emergency number of the company operating the lift failed to elicit any response, CRPF personnel were called in who forced open the door.Shah had arrived in Patna yesterday for a two-day visit. (Agencies)

Tripura photojournalist organize exhibition to mark World Photography Day Agartala, Aug.21: Lenseman from across Tripura organized a photo exhibition cum sell at Agartala on the occation of World Photography Day.The three days programme was inaugurated by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar who praised the show and said: "Photographs are

historical records that links the past and the present. It is the reflection of truth; words can be changed but not photographs."Hundreds of people flocked to see the camera work of the photographers and many even bought pictures.One of the important visitors to the exhibition was Md.

Ziaul Haque Mridha, MP from Bangladesh parliament who not only took interest in the photos but also expressed that such exhibition can also play an important role in bringing Bangladesh and India closer."Some of the pictures are very attractive and has strongly influenced me. Bangladesh and

Tripura are at very closely proximity and connected.

From the point of natural beauty both are also very close and the photographic artists can produce this before the world and further deepen the relation between the two countries (Bangladesh and India)," said Bangladesh MP Mridha.The fund col-

lected from the sale of the photographs will be donated to the family of late renowned photojournalist of the state Rakesh Debnath.August 19 is observed as the World Photography Day. It is a special day for shutterbugs across the globe and for those who are fascinated by pictures. (ANI)

Five women die after boat capsizes in Bihar Huge quantities of RDX, other Rohtas, Aug 21: Five women died and four were reported missing after a boat capsized in Sone River of Rohtas district in Bihar. Fifteen women passengers were on the boat during the time of accident.

After the incident, 11 were admitted to the nearby Narayan Medi-

cal College and Hospital with injuries. The boat capsized when the women were on their way to an island in the middle of the river for agricultural purposes.

Search operation to find the missing women is underway for which divers have also been called. The villag-

brought to the hospital.

A villager even alleged that the five women died as they did not get timely treatment. The officials have assured action against the hospital authorities if the allegation of carelessness on their part is no doctors when the found to be true. rescued women were (Agencies)

Five women died and four were reported missing after a boat capsized in Sone River of Rohtas district in Bihar. Fifteen women passengers were on the boat during the time of accident ers, however, complained that there were

NRI addresses students in city Shillong, Aug 21: Tarun Bajaj, an alumnus of St Anthony's Higher Secondary School, and currently working in Melbourne, Australia delivered a lecture on entrepreneurship at his alma mater . Among others Bajaj spoke about e-

Commerce and his 10-year journey since he left Shillong for Melbourne.

Bajaj shared his personal experiences on a journey spanning a decade and hoped to inspire the young aspirants by showing them a glimpse of his own

struggles and achievements. According to Bajaj, students should be able to learn about the real life challenges outside the structured life of schools and universities. He stressed on entrepreneurial spirit in them and inspired

better decision making and leadership. Bajaj, who comes from a renowned business family in Shillong, is working as a Business Banker in Australia's largest bank. He has also launched a few initiatives in Australia including Uma

Organics. He is also being showcased in an upcoming Australian documentary film which will be released shortly. Bajaj would be visiting colleges and universities to interact with the youths on August 24.

(Agencies)

explosives recovered from train

Ranchi, Aug 21: A large quantity of explosives, including RDX, was recovered from a passenger train at Kita station near here and one person was arrested, police said today.Based on intelligence inputs, policemen conducted a raid in the Burdwan-Hatia Passenger Train at Kita and found half a kg of RDX, six countrymade bombs, six timers, 24 gelatin sticks, four kg of urea, 250 gms of sulphur and 25 mt wire last night.

One person identified as Intezar Ali, a resident of Hindpidi at Ranchi who claimed to be a doctor, was arrested in this connection, police said.Ali told his interrogators that the explosives were procured from Bangladesh, but the police

were yet to ascertain to where these explosives were being transported. Following the arrest, police conducted raids in Ali's house and other places last night and seized his computer and other articles.A letter written in coded words was also recovered and efforts were on to decipher it.Police sus-

pected that the explosive were meant to trigger blast in and around Ranchi, where activities of a sleeper cell of Indian Mujahiddin had been detected in Hindpidi and Dhurba areas and arrests were also made in the past.If required, the police said it would seek the help of NIA in this case. (Agencies)

Govt has messed up India's foreign policy, says Congress ANI New Delhi, Aug 21: The Congress Party on Friday accused the NDA Government of messing India's foreign policy. "I am deeply disappointed with Foreign Secretary Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi they have completely messed up theforeign policy," said Congress leader Sandeep

Dikshit. He also said that the government is unclear about its agenda in dealing with the Hurriyat. "In

the past also, people from Pakistan come. They met the Hurriyat leaders, and, if you are changing that tactic, it should be a well thought out system," Dikshit told. "This could have been sorted out earlier, but the problem is that PM Modi and NSA Ajit Doval believe their words are law. But, that's not how diplomacy takes place. It takes place in an environment of equality and mu-

tual dignity, but putting your point forcefully is not accepted," he added. He further said that the government has failed on all fronts, expressing his fears of nation's Pakistan diplomacy is going to become a joke all over the world. "I am deeply disappointed with Foreign Secretary Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi they have completely messed up theforeign policy,"

Amit Shah trapped in lift: Rudy questions mindset of Nitish ANI New Delhi, Aug 21 : Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Friday lashed out at the Bihar Government over Thursday's incident where BJP chief Amit Shah and other senior leaders were trapped in the lift of the state guest house in Patna, saying the response reflected the mindset of Nitish Kumar, who has now joined hands with his

Tsipras is widely tipped to win the election again Athens, Aug 21: Greece's president launched the process on Friday of asking opposition leaders to form a new government a day after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned and called an early election next month to deal with a governing party rebellion over Greece's third bailout deal.

The opposition has little chance of uniting and forming a government so quickly, meaning that after more than five years of a worsening financial crisis, Greece is headed for its fifth national election in six years. Although Tsipras is widely tipped to win the election again, if he fails to secure an outright majority he would have to seek a

complex coalition that could hamper his ability to govern. Outgoing government officials say the likeliest election date is September 20, just eight months after Tsipras' election on promises to fight creditordemanded spending cuts and tax hikes, terms he later agreed to in order to secure Greece a third bailout as its economy was on the brink of collapse. President Prokopis Pavlopoulos was meeting the head of conservative New Democracy party Friday, Evangelos Meimarakis, and ask him to try to form a government. If Meimarakis fails within the three-day limit, the next in line to try would be the head of the Nazi-inspired Golden

Authorities clamped curfew in Samba district: Jammu and Kashmir

Samba, Aug 21: Authorities clamped curfew in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday night and the Army was on standby after violent protests erupted over an alleged incident of cow slaughter.

"Curfew has been imposed and the Army was put on standby in view of violent protests triggered by some act by some miscreants in Samba this evening," Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Pawan Kotwal said.

The JammuPathankote highway is blocked due to the violent protests and official vehicle of District Magistrate Samba Sheetal Nunda was also set on fire. The DM had

rushed to the spot soon after the incident came to light. An incident of cow slaughter was reported from Muraeen village near Raya Morh in Samba district this evening, officials said, adding that a large number of people assembled at highway and blocked it amid violent incidents. Some more vehicles had been set on fire, they said adding that protesters clashed with the police, who resorted to cane charge and teargas shelling to disperse them.In view of the situation, authorities tonight ordered imposition of curfew in the district and army was put on standby to bring the situation back to normalcy, they said.(Agencies)

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

Dawn party, and potentially the centrist To Potami, who both have the same number of seats in the 300-member parliament. None are believed to have enough allies to gain Parliament's support. However, hardliners in Tsipras' radical left Syriza party said Friday they intended to split from the party and form their own separate group in Parlia-

ment. If that breakaway group numbers more than the 17 seats held by Golden Dawn and To Potami, it would become the third largest in parliament behind Syriza and New Democracy, and would be able to receive the mandate from the president to try forming a government. If no party can form a coalition government, Parliament will be dissolved and elections held within the next month. Announcing his resignation in a televised address yesterday, Tsipras said he secured the best deal possible when he agreed to a three-year, 86 billion euro ($95 billion) bailout from other eurozone countries to save Greece from a disastrous exit from

the shared euro currency.

But the deal came with strict terms for more belt-tightening. Tsipras' reversal in accepting the demands by creditors led to outrage among hardliners in his Syriza party. About one in four Syriza lawmakers refused to back the bailout's ratification in Parliament last week, which was only approved with backing from opposition parties.

Greece's European creditors did not appear dismayed by Tsipras' move, which was widely expected.

But Moody's credit rating agency warned the snap election "potentially, puts future (rescue loan) disbursements at risk." (Agencies)

former adversary Lalu Prasad Yadav. "This is the

mentality of the state government and it is not very unusual with Lalu Yadav as a friend of Nitish Kumar, such utterances which are being made by Lalu Prasad Yadav or for that matter the response of the state government is nothing very unusual for the state of Bihar," Rudy told here. "There was no one to attend to the lift.

You declare someone as a state guest then do not look after him. But this is

"Turkish forces killed 771 'PKK rebels' in past month" 430 rebels who died in air raids on PKK camps in Iraq. Another 260 were killed in ground operations in southeastern Turkey Ankara, Aug 21: Turkish forces have killed 771 militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey over the last four weeks. The agency, whose figures could not be confirmed independently, said among those killed were 430 rebels who died in air raids on PKK camps in Iraq.

Another 260 were killed in ground operations in southeastern Turkey, Anatolia said, quoting what it said were sources in military intelligence. The offensive was launched after 33 proKurdish activists were killed on July 20 in a suicide bombing on the Syrian border blamed on Islamic

State (IS) jihadists. The attack prompted a violent reaction against Turkish police and troops from Kurdish militants, who accuse Ankara's Islamicrooted government of complicity with IS. On July 24, Ankara launched its first air

strikes against IS in Syria and then also began attacking targets of the PKK in northern Iraq, in a dual "war on terror". Dozens of air strikes have been carried out, but only three have officially been targeted at IS. The PKK, for its part, has been blamed for attacks that have killed around 50 Turkish soldiers.

Eight were killed on Wednesday in a remotecontrolled roadside bomb in the southeastern province of Siirt. Analysts say the escalation could destroy chances of agreeing a settlement to end an insurgency by the PKK that has lasted more than 30 years.

(Agencies)

I&B to hold discussions with the faculty, director and agitating students: FTII Pune, Aug 21: The threemember delegation of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is at the FTII campus here on Friday to hold discussions with the faculty, director and agitating students to find a solution to the crisis triggered by the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan at its chairman. The team led by S M Khan, which reached the city on Thursday night, said they were "optimistic" of an early solution to the face-off leading to the now 71-day-old strike. "We have come with an open mind and will be talking to the

The team led by S M Khan, which reached the city on Thursday night, said they were "optimistic" of an early solution to the face-off leading to the now 71-dayold strike. faculty members, the director and the students," Khan told reporters here. Meanwhile, the Film and Television Institute of India's

(FTII) director Prashant Pathrabe denied rumours that he had proceeded on leave following the Tuesday night's police crackdown on

students who had gheraoed him and subsequent arrest of five protestors. The FTII Students' Association (FSA) had on Thursday de-

nied Pathrabe's claim that he was "tortured" during the prolonged gherao at his office on Monday evening.

Besides, over 60 visiting faculty members, in a letter to the I&B Ministry, had urged the government to shun "highhanded and confrontationist" view of the strike and adopt a pragmatic and honourable approach to find a solution. The striking students have questioned Chauhan's "credentials" to head the premiere institute.

They have also objected to the director's decision to conduct assessment of incomplete diploma film

Congress highlights rising onion price to taunt BJP's 'ache din' promise ANI Lucknow, Aug 21: Highlighting the rising prices of onion, the Congress Party on Friday sarcastically said that this was the 'ache

din', which was promised by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi before the Lok Sabha elections. "The prices of onion are going high every day and

this seems the 'ache din' which the Modi Government had promised to the people of this country," Congress leader Shobha Oza told . "The BJP govern-

ments are not strict with the hoarders and as a result the prices of essential commodities increase," she added.

Onion prices crossed the Rs. 70 per kg mark

at many places on Thursday with most people complaining that the government was not doing enough to contain the price rise. (ANI)

Farooq urges separatists not to meet Pakistan National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz Srinagar, Aug 21: National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah on Friday urged separatist leaders not to meet Pakistan National Security Advisor (NSA) Sartaj Aziz during his visit to India for talks with his Indian counterpart so that the two countries can find a way of ending hostilities along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir. "I request them (separatists) not to

not very unusual for the state government of Bihar.

And the fact that they are saying that the capacity of the lift was x and the weight was y, but the capacity of the lift was of six persons and there were only four persons, may be five persons in the lift," he added. Shah and three other senior leaders were trapped in the lift of the state guest house in Patna for around 40 minutes last night. (ANI)

meet Aziz and let the National Security Adviserlevel talks go ahead between the two countries... may be something comes out of these talks that will (deal with) cross-border shelling," the former J-K chief minister said. Abdullah was responding to the Ministry of External Affairs' 'advice' to Pakistan not to go ahead with Aziz's engagement with during his visit to India the Kashmiri separatists for talks with NSA Ajit

ing would resume, "may be, with added intensity". He, meanwhile, slammed "vested interests" in both India and Pakistan for being opposed to peace prevailing in J-K. National Conference spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu claimed that both India and Pakistan were trying to "wriggle out" of the dialogue process. "While Doval on August 23. talks are called off by terrorism is a grave conAbdullah said that if the India, cross-border shell- cern, any India-Pakistan

"I request them (separatists) not to meet Aziz and let the National Security Adviser-level talks go ahead between the two countries... may be something comes out of these talks that will (deal with) cross-border shelling," says the former J-K chief minister

talks without Kashmir on the agenda are not going to make much of headway. The two countries are trying to wriggle out of the dialogue process," said Mattu. As to the MEA's advice to Pakistan regarding that country's NSA's proposed meeting with separatists, Mattu said such interactions have been taking place in the past and there was nothing new in it.(Agencies)

projects, now put on hold.

The students had yesterday also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention into the matter. "Prime Minister should visit FTII to resolve the issues. All students in the country are feeling threatened by the government's insensitivity towards the problems being faced by them," FSA representative Vikas Urs had said. Five students, including Urs, had been arrested on rioting charges on Tuesday following the gherao. They were later released on bail by a local court. (Agencies)

Anna Hazare gets threat letter Mumbai,Aug 21: Social activist Anna Hazare has received a threat letter, after which a police complaint was filed on Thursday. "The letter mentions name of one Mahadeo Panchal from Latur district and was posted from Osmanabad," Hazare's aide Datta Awari said over phone from Parner. 10 days ago Hazare received another threat letter which stated that he would be "bumped off" if he does not dissociate himself from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A case was registered under IPC section 506 (criminal intimidation) at Parner police station in Ahmednagar district, a police official from Parner had said. "The letter was dated August 7 and is mostly written in English," the official said. The letter warned Hazare that he will meet the fate of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, who was killed in Pune two years back. The letter also asked the Gandhian to stay put in his native Ralegan Siddhi village, police said.

(Agencies)

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DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

NEIGHBOURS China Slams Japan after Shinzo Thailand increases reward Abe's Wife Visits War Shrine for bombing suspect

Beijing, Aug 21: China today hit out at Japan after the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine, saying the country should "deeply reflect" on its history of aggression.

Akie Abe on Tuesday visited the shrine in central Tokyo that honors the memory of Japan's war dead since the 19th century, including more than a dozen war criminals convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East after the war.In a one sentence reaction, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that Japan has failed to come to terms ."Japan should earnestly look squarely at its past history of aggression and deeply reflect on it, thoroughly separate itself from the militarism of the time,Make more efforts that will help enhance mutual trust and achieve reconciliation with neighboring countries in Asia," Hua Chunying

Footage of devastating drone missile test released

by Chinese military Beijing, Aug 21: The Chinese military has released video footage of one of its home-made drones conducting a livefire missile test.The footage shows the drone firing 8 different kinds of weapons at various targets.Testing itself took place last month in northern Inner Mongolia. Li Yidong, deputy Chief Engineer of the PLA's armed drone division, says the drones are useful for both recon and attack missions."Drones that can both reconnoiter and attack have to function like this. Often times we don't know what kind of targets are on the ground. You can't just use one or two types of missiles to deal with targets of various types. That's why we have different weapons for different targets."The drone, known as "Wing Loong," completed its development phase last year.

China has quickly become one of the world leaders in drone technology development. (Agencies)

Meeting with Kashmiri leaders a 'longstanding practice', says Pakistan Islamabad, Aug 21: Pakistan's Foreign Office has said that meetings with Kashmiri leaders in India has been a "common practice" .The Foreign Office statement came ahead of the NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan that are scheduled to take place on August 24.According to media, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said the country would also raise all issues with India during the NSAlevel talks.Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, had extended an invitation to the Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other Hurriyat leaders to meet with Pakistan NSA Sartaj Aziz on August 23.India has cautioned Pakistan not to go ahead with Sunday's meeting. Last year, India had cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan after Basit metKashmiri separatists ahead of the planned meet. (ANI)

with its past."Japan should earnestly look squarely at its past history of aggression and deeply reflect on it, thoroughly separate itself from the militarism of the time, make more efforts that will help enhance mutual trust and achieve reconciliation with neighboring countries in Asia," she said in remarks posted on the foreign ministry website.Abe posted photos on her Facebook page Tuesday following the visit to the shrine."I feel different about

Yasukuni after a visit to Chiran," she wrote, referring to a base for World War II "kamikaze", or suicide mission, pilots. Shinzo Abe stayed away from Yasukuni himself but a few members of his Cabinet visited on Saturday, the 70th anniversary of Japan's WWII surrender .A day earlier he had issued a closely watched statement on the war, which China and South Korea said did not amount to a proper apology for Tokyo's aggression.Views of the war

and its causes, as well as a maritime territorial dispute that has intensified in recent years have served as major impediments to normal relations between China and Japan - Asia's two biggest economies.Japan's first lady remains largely in the shadows of public life, but has openly disagreed with her husband on certain policy issues in the past, including his pro-nuclear energy stance after the Fukushima crisis.

(Agencies)

Sharif meets Pak army chief, discusses NSA agenda Karachi, Aug 21 : Pakistan Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif has discussed the agenda for the upcoming NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan with Army chief General Raheel Sharif.According to the media, a meeting has been held to review the progress of the National Action Plan (NAP) and the internal security situation of Pakistan.The ground offensive in North

Waziristan Agency's mountainous Shawal Valley was also discussed during the meeting, according to sources.Sharif also used the meeting to condemn the killing of Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada and discussed how to further implement the NAP in Punjab.Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, had extended an invitation to the Hurriyat

chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other Hurriyat leaders to meet with Sharif's adviser on foreign affairs and national security Sartaj Aziz on August 23.India has cautioned Pakistan not to go ahead with Sunday's meeting.Last year, India had cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan after Basit met Kashmiri separatists ahead of the planned meet. (ANI)

Jimmy Carter eager to visit Nepal despite cancer treatment

Washington, Aug 21: Former US president and Nobel laureate Jimmy Carter who is being treated for cancer on his brain, hopes that he would be able to make his scheduled trip to Nepal this November. While this would depend on advice of his doctors and his health conditions then, Carter, 90, said a visit to Nepal later this year would require a five-week postponement of his last radiation therapy. "I would still hope to go to Nepal. It would require an airplane flight from Kathmandu to the Chitwan area, which is south down toward the Indian border.

And if I do that, I understand from my schedule that it would require a five-week postponement of my last treatment. So that's what I'm going to have to consider," Carter told reporters. "But up until this morning, I was completely committed to go to Habitat. But if I don't go, the rest of my family will probably go to take my place," he said at a news conference yesterday in which he announced that he would be undergoing radiation for the cancer that has now spread to his brain. "It's in God's hands.

I'll be prepared for anything that comes," said Carter, the

39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, during which he also visited India. After leaving the White House, Carter has been active in humanitarian projects in some 80 countries. He said he would continue to do the humanitarian work subject to approval of his doctors treating on him. Carter said he does have deep religious faith, and was pleasantly surprised that he didn't go into an attitude of despair or anger or anything like that. Responding to questions, Carter said bringing peace in the Middle East would be his top foreign policy priority project. "The government of Israel has no desire for a twostate solution, which is the policy of all other nations in the world, and the United States has practically no influence compared to past years in either Israel or Palestine. So feel very discouraged, but that would be my number-one foreign-policy hope," he added. Carter was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He helped defuse nuclear tensions in the Koreas and also helped avert a US invasion of Haiti.

(Agencies)

Myanmar to send back 126 more "boat people" to Bangladesh Yangon, Aug. 21: Myanmar authorities are making arrangements to send back 126 more "boat people" who are verified as Bangladeshi nationals, to their country of origin by next Tuesday, an official report said today. The Bangladeshi nationals out of the remaining 228 waiting for repatriation are temporarily sheltered at Taung Pyo (Letwe) camp in Rakhine state. The Myanmar navy rescued over 200 "boat people" in Rakhine state's Maungtaw and over 700 in Ayeyawaddy region's Pyapon in May when patrolling in Myanmar waters. The Myanmar authori-

ties had sent back a total of 501 Bangladeshi "boat people" on four different occasions since June after citizenship verification. Investigations by the Myanmar government have found that

some of the "boat people" had fallen victim to human trafficking rings and crime syndicates after receiving work offers in Thailand and Malaysia from illegal job brokers. (Agencies)

Bangkok, Aug 21: Thai authorities have tripled to $85,000 a reward for information leading to the arrest of the main suspect in the country`s worst ever bombing. The government said progress in the investigation was being made but declined t o give details or offer evidence they were closer to determining who carried out the Monday evening attack at one of Bangkok`s top tourist attractions. Twenty people were killed in the blast at the Erawan shrine, 14 of them foreigners including seven from mainland China and Hong Kong.The only solid evidence seems to be grainy security camera footage showing an unidentified young man with shaggy hair and dressed in a yellow shirt leaving a backpack at the scene. Officials have speculated that the man, last seen on video footage disappearing into the night on the back of a motorcycle taxi, could be foreign, or a Thai man pretending to be foreign .The reward for information leading to his arrest was raised to 3 million baht ($85,000), a police spokesman said. Initial speculation that the plot could be the work of an international terror network has for now

been set aside.And on today, police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang appeared to back-track on his suggestion the previous day that the bomber was probably part of a network of at least 10 people who spent a month planning the attack."We still have no information on international terror groups and think that there is no link to international terrorism," Somyot told reporters after attending a multi-faith prayer ceremony outside a shopping centre near the shrine in central

Bangkok."What is clear is that it was intended to discredit the government, destroy confidence and make tourists scared and not travel to Thailand," he told reporters.Asked about his suggestion that 10 plotters were probably involved, Somyot said there might only have been two. The Erawan shrine, dedicated to a Hindu deity, is hugely popular with tourists from China. The government has said Chinese tourists were not believed to have been specifically targeted. Announcements about

the investigation have been broadcast in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Two men spotted at the shrine on CCTV and suspected of being the bomber`s accomplices have been cleared, but police were now suspicious of a woman dressed in black in the footage, said police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri. "Police are asking anyone who is in that CCTV footage to come forward with information and tell us what they observed that night," he said. ($1 = 35.6900 baht) (Agencies)

Sri Lankan investigators recommence corruption probe against former regime Colombo, Aug. 21: Sri Lanka's new United National Front (UNF) government today re-started a corruption probe against the former government headed

by Mahinda Rajapakse by questioning a former senior minister.Wimal Weerawansa, the previous health minister, was questioned by officers of the Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) today over the misappropriation of funds when he was in power.His wife Sashi Weerawansa was also summoned to the FCID yesterday to make a statement regarding the assets she owned.The UNF government who was temporarily sworn to power following the victory of Maithripala Sirisena in a January presidential election had begun a corruption probe against Rajapakse, his family and former senior ministers for alleged misappropriation of funds amounting to billions during their decade long tenure in office. However, the probe came to a

halt due to a parliamentary election held in the country on Monday which elected the UNF back to power as they won a majority in parliament, defeating the opposition United People's Freedom Alliance ( U P FA ) . R a j a p a k s e ' s younger brother and UPFA member Basil Rajapkse who was the economic development minister in the former cabinet and the former minister of Internal Trade Johnston Fernando were arrested by the police in April and May in the corruption probe but were later granted bail by a High Court. Rajapakse's defence secretary and brother, Gotabaya Rajapakse, the former first lady Shiranthi Rajapakse and her son are also facing a probe in the country over a series of allegations during their 10 year term in power.

Rajapakse's second son, Yoshitha Rajapakse has been allegedly connected to the death of former international rugby player, Wasim Thajudeen, whose

body was exhumed earlier this month from a Muslim burial ground as investigators launched a fresh investigation over the manner in which he

died.Thajudeen was believed to have been killed in a car crash in 2012, but later there was suspicion that he may have been murdered. (Agencies)

Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lankan prime minister Colombo, Aug 21: Ranil Wickremesinghe was today sworn in as Sri Lanka's prime minister after winning a general election, and agreed with President Maithripala Sirisena's party to form a national unity government to push ahead with reforms. Wickremesinghe, 66, took the oath of office in a Buddhist ceremony in the presence of Sirisena, cementing an alliance between the two that successfully fought off a comeback bid by ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa. His center-right United National Party (UNP), which won Monday's poll but fell seven seats short of an outright majority, will team up with Sirisena loyalists in the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP).The formation of the broad coalition will put Sirisena into a position to advance reforms begun when he quit Rajapaksa's government and in January defeated the nationalist strongman's bid to win an

unprecedented third term as president. These include changes to the constitution to make the government more open and accountable on the Indian Ocean Island of 21 million, and to simplify its complex election rules.

An unlikely veteran of the

cut-throat world of Sri Lankan politics, Wickremesinghe campaigned on a pledge to create one million new jobs in five years.The proWestern lawyer is backed by the business community but, as head of the minority government

formed in January, pursued more people-friendly policies in line with Sirisena's push to overcome the legacy of a civil war that ended in 2009.Wickremesinghe has served twice before as prime minister, in 1993-94 and from 2001-04. (Agencies)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

Irksome communal violence 24% jump in communal violence in 2015 India is predominantly known to be a land of unity in diversity and people from many religious, social and cultural backgrounds harmoniously live in India. At this stage, however, communal violence in India has registered a jump with incidents rising by 24% and related deaths too up by 65% in the first five months of 2015 as compared to the corresponding period of last year, when the UPA government was in the saddle.

As per latest data collated by the Union home ministry, 287 communal incidents were reported from across the country this year until May 31, as compared to 232 over the same period in 2014. Deaths due to communal clashes during January-May 2015 rose to 43 from 26 and the number of injured too were higher at 961 from 701 in the first five months of last year.

The states that reportedly accounted for a major portion of the increase in communal clashes were Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and West Bengal. This is for the first time that data has reflected negatively on the state of communal harmony under the Modi government. Earlier, a comparison of the annual data for the year 2014 and 2013 had shown a fall in incidents to 644 from 823 respectively. Deaths in 2014 too dipped to 95 from 133 and injured were fewer at 1961 as compared to 2,269 in 2013.

Unfortunately, even after independence, communal violence continues to be and is a matter of grave concern. The first major clash between Hindus and Muslims occurred in Madhya Pradesh in 1961. The Ahmedabad riots of 1969 claimed the lives of about thousand people. The 1984 riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi was another black spot. This was followed by the Meerut riots of 1987, Bhagalpur riots of 1989. The Mumbai riots of 1992 following demolition of Babri Masjid killed about 1788 people.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat riot in 2002 happens to be one of the worst communal carnages in India. Other than these, there were also other communal riots that have erupted in other parts of India. This includes the Varanassi bombings of 2006, Kadhamal riots in Orissa, in 2008, Mumbai Massacre on November 26th, 2008, 2012 Assam violence, and the Dharbha garti massacre in May 2013 and the latest one Muzafarnagar riots in September 2013.

Many argue that the lower incidence of communal violence in 2014 as compared to 2013 is not really a verdict on the effectiveness of Modi government in controlling riots, considering that UPA was in power until mid-May 2014. In this context, it is essential to examine the necessity of considering a Bill for preventing communal clashes in the country. Though, there have been heated debates whether new laws are essential in this respect or the existing provisions are enough. The Indian penal code however encompasses certain provisions to prevent communal clashes. Section 141 to 160 provides for various provisions against any type of communal violence. It has provisions against unlawful assembly, riot or any sort of activity which causes disharmony.

Grim flood situation in Assam There is no end to the plight of the flood affected people Assam represents a highly flood-prone region characterized by severe hazards of floods. Although occurrence of flood has been an age-old phenomenon in the riverine areas of this region, the extent of damage caused by the flood has increased significantly in recent years. The flood situation in Assam turned grim following incessant rains in the past few days which have affected nearly two lakh people in over 280 villages in the State. Almost two lakh people are affected in 282 villages across Dhemaji, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Lakhimpur, Bongaigaon, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts as reported by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA). Around 1.35 lakh people have been hit by the natural calamity in Bongaigaon district alone, followed by Dhemaji where over 20,000 people have been affected. More than 12,600 hectares of crop area are under water currently, the report said. Authorities have opened 45 relief camps in Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Chirang, where more than 17,500 persons are taking shelter.

And according to ASDMA, presently Brahmaputra is flowing above danger mark at Nematighat in Jorhat and Dibrugarh town, Jia Bharali at NT Road crossing in Sonitpur, Puthimari at NT Road crossing in Kamrup and Beki at Barpeta Road in Barpeta. The flood waters have damaged at least 11 roads in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhemaji districts, while four embankments were breached in Chirang and Dhemaji. Floods have also caused major breaches to several roads in Kokrajhar, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts. Over 12,000 hectares of standing crops have been also submerged in these districts.

The death toll in this year's flood caused damages in Assam has remained at five - two in Lakhimpur and one each in Bongaigaon, Baksa and Sonitpur. Whereas in neighbouring Meghalaya, a huge landslide at Thansen and Ratachara on National Highway 6 in the state's East Jaintia Hills district has disconnected southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Meghalaya and Manipur from the rest of the country. As a result, authorities are trying to clear the debris that has resulted from occurrence of landslides as soon as possible.

Earlier in the month of June anyone who turned on their TV or computer would have got a taste of the media's end-to-end coverage of the floods in Mumbai, where parts of the city were inundated. If the city had remained waterlogged for a few more days, that's probably what all the broadcast media would have focused on. Yet, we've heard very little about Assam, parts of which have been flooded ever since the onset of the monsoon in the state. Each year, 3.2 crore people are affected by flood damage. Around 1,653 die. Without adequate preparation, this number will continue to remain high. For Assam, this respite will last only until the next bout of rain.

Remembering MN Sarmah Sunil Sarma The beginning of trade union movement in Assam was perhaps dated back to 1939 when the workers of the Assam Oil Company, Digboi put forward a charter of demands to the management of the company.

While the collective bargaining was in progress, 31 employees had been dismissed from the services and to protest against that dismissal, the union decided to strike work with effect from 1st of April, 1939. The support and the gaining momentum of the workforce had become a headache for the management, resulted in worryingly ordered firing on a gathering on 8th April 1939. In that firing three workers lost their lives. Despite that dominating incident, the union continued their movement and its effect began to spread to the neighbouring plantations.

Around that period the 2nd world war broke out, with the pretext of the war the then British government declared Digboi and Tinsukia as protected zones and expelled some leading workers from Digboi. Subsequently the movement got fizzled out.

When the Digboi incident gained publicity in other areas through limited printing media available then, the workers in plantations began to realise how insecured they were and intended to get united. During those days in tea plantations "British Planter's Raj" was prevalent. There was no service rules/ job security, the British managers were all in one in their estates, at their discretion could dismiss an employee

on petty ground. The employees were paid monthly salary between Rs.25 to 60 with annual increment of Rs.3 to 5 depending on their grades till the Indian Tea Association vide their circular no.20 dated 24th February 1947 recommended salary scales for the first time retrospective from January 1947.

In the general elections of 1945-46, the congress party came to power in Assam. Meanwhile, when the Labour Party formed government in the UK, some people in India began to think that the independence from the British rule was forthcoming. The possibility brightened up further when the government in UK sent a "cabinet mission" to India to discuss matters pertaining to independence. At that time Assam Congress party established a labour wing under the leadership of late Bijoy Chandra Bhagabati (who later became a central minister in Pandit Nehru's cabinet). Late Robin Kakati (MP) was elected its secretary. Despite initial fund constraints, Assam Pradesh congress had organised the activities of the newly formed labour wing quite effectively.

Most workers in plantations were looking forward to a protective umbrella and when the opportunity was in sight, they readily availed it. Jorhat district ACKS and ACMS were formed in June 1946 at Mariani, Jorhat. That time around late Mohendra Nath Sarmah made his appearance in union activities and in due course became one of the tallest leaders of international repute.

Mohendra Nath Sarmah's father owned a tea estate of about 750 acres during 1920s near Sapekhati in the Sibsagar district named Ghaneshyam Tea Estate. At that time only a handful of Indians had tea estates of their own, most gardens were under large British companies. Then banking facilities,unlike present day coverage, were almost absent in remote areas. Due to British dominance and their vindictive attitude, necessary finance for managing business had increasingly become difficult and that being one of the reasons, the estate could not be retained for long.

Mohendra Nath Sarmah wanted to become an expert in Tea, to achieve that he went to South Africa in 1936,worked there for sometime but unable to tolerate the racial apartheid, returned to India under compelling circumstances. On return,he worked in Tocklai Tea Experimental station and thereafter in the Jorehat Tea Company Ltd. He felt that the oppression on the working class was somewhat similar to that prevailed in South Africa and wanted to do something to improve the quality of life of the oppressed section of the society. Therefore, when he was approached by the eminent leaders like late Bijoy Chandra Bhagabati, late Robin Kakoti and some others, he relinquished the comfortable and well paid company's job for taking up the responsibilities in the ACKS, late Bijoy Chandra Bhagaboti was elected its President. That time around he was also elected General Secretary of the INTUC and

ACMS. Little later he got actively associated with the ICFTU( International Confederation of Free Trade Union) head quartered in Brussels, became a member of the Tea Board of India and the Wage Board. He held those posts till his death at the young age of 51 years.

In his remarkable speech in the 6th World Congress of the ICFTU on 9th December,1959 in Brussels, he said "how fluctuations in the prices of tea were adversely affecting the already poor wages and living conditions of workers on the plantations. Foreign investors creating competitions between the tea industries of different countries by threatening to withdraw their investments from countries where they con-

tend labour cost are too high and to reinvest them where labour is cheap. This kept wages low and reacted on the economics of industrially advanced countries by limiting the purchasing power of the primary producing countries". His views were commended and its relevance established when the Britishers began to repatriate from the country from late 60s.

He was also elected to the Executive Committee of the PWIF( Plantation Workers International Federation), Geneva. In that capacity he visited African countries. In PWIF's observations it was quoted that "In 1957 M.N.Sarmah, member of our executive committee toured Africa, studying conditions in Kenya, Tanganyika and

Zanzibar. On 14th September1957 he submitted a report, which served as a basis for subsequent investigation in the African continent, and which gave a clear idea of the campaign which needed to be undertaken in this vast territory".

He also led Indian delegations to erstwhile USSR, couple of times to the ILO Geneva, west European and south east Asian countries.

Pandit Nehru had personally asked him to contest parliamentary elections on congress ticket from Dibrugarh constituency thrice to join his cabinet but he declined those offers.

The then Chief Minister of Assam late Bimala Prasad Chaliha while adopting the condolence resolution on his death on 22nd August,1963 stated in the Assam Assembly, Shillong "he as a trade union leader stuck to his post and refused political overtures in 1952, 1957 and 1962 when he was offered seat for the parliament. In his death Assam loses one of the greatest sons and the working class one of their greatest friends". His contributions to the working class are still considered to be unparallel but the disconsolating fact is that the present day leaders seem to have forgotten his selfless services, despite several commitments to do something in the memory of this noble son, nothing as yet is visible.

(Published on the occasion of late Mohendra Nath Sarmah's 52nd death anniversary today) (Sources: PWIF, ICFTU bulletins and "Bat Bandhi Jau")

Modi Makes New Strategic Inroads in the UAE In the UAE, Narendra Modi lays the foundations for a strong partnership between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.

Ankit Panda Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today. Visiting over the weekend, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to do since the 1980s. Modi's visit placed great emphasis on improved economic ties between the two countries, which share a major commercial relationship. Following the United States and China, the UAE is India's third-largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of $60 billion.

The UAE is also important for India's energy securityoil exports from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, a grouping which comprises the UAE, supply 45 percent of India's petroleum demand.

In the UAE, Modi met with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The

two leaders discussed trade, security, and strategic issues. Modi and the crown prince discussed the regional challenge posed by the Islamic State group (ISIS). In recent months, ISIS has started making forays into Afghanistan and Pakistan, raising the group's threat profile in neighbouring India. Modi discussed how the two countries could increase cooperation on countering terrorism.

The two sides also agreed to expand their cooperation on defense matters. Specifically, in the joint statement issued after Modi's meeting with Sheikh Mohamed, the two sides resolved to "Strengthen defence relations, including through regular exercises and training of naval, air, land and Special Forces, and in coastal defence." Curiously, the joint statement also included a clause stating that the UAE would "Cooperate in manufacture of defence equipment in India," in line

with the Modi government's "Make in India" initiative.

According to Indian reports, on economic issues, Modi "made it clear that he wants UAE to be India's foremost partner in countering terrorism and trade."

The two sides agreed to elevate their relationship to the level of a "comprehensive strategic partnership," a designation used by New Delhi to denote bilateral relationships of particular significance. Speaking to prominent investors and businessmen in the UAE, Modi noted that India had opportunities for "immediate investment" of around $1 trillion.

Beyond his talks with the crown prince, Modi met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the country's vice president, prime minister, and the emir of Dubai. He visited Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, where he reflected on the monument as a symbol of "peace, piety, harmony and inclusive-

ness that are inherent to the faith of Islam." The visit included a strong focus on faith and interfaith exchange. The joint statement included a clause on promoting "efforts to counter radicalization and misuse of religion by groups and countries for inciting hatred, perpetrating and justifying terrorism or pursu-

ing political aims." It adds that the "The two sides will facilitate regular exchanges of religious scholars and intellectuals and organise conferences and seminars to promote the values of peace, tolerance, inclusiveness and welfare that is inherent in all religions."

Before wrapping up his visit to the UAE, Modi addressed

the Indian community in Dubai. With a community of more than 2.5 million people, Indian immigrants and expatriates comprise a major part of the UAE's population. Indians in the UAE send home remittances worth around $6 billion per year, contributing significantly to India's economic vitality.

Diminutive Trip Sir, Come next year's HSLC result, our Chief-minister, if his tenure allows him, may declare that in addition to those passing in the 1st Division and 2nd Division, all those passing in the 3rd Division, too will get either a laptop or a computer. We will not be surprised, if in the next year the Tarun Gogoi led government announces such bonanza for those who pass under supplementary provision that is once Mr. Gogoi's dream of making it the fourth time in a row comes true. On the one hand, government's show of magnanimity dilutes the merit and on the other hand, the meritorious students are deprived of their dues, when the education department declares their inability to sponsor the 'NASA' trip for want of fund. The policy of 'Penny wise, Pound foolish' followed by Tarun Gogoi led Government costs the brilliant students (rank-holders) of their 'NASA' trip. The unending tales of corruption in the education offices notwithstanding, the ruling dispensation of the state shows little alacrity in nabbing the corrupted officials. But the same government is hell bent to curtail the cost resulting in cancellation of 'NASA' trips, but being unable to bear the brunt of the acrimonious criticism, the

same government now announces a package of a diminutive trip to be confined to India. Let us wait and see, how this diminutive trip will fructify.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

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

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

p O

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

ed

As Millions Suffer, Today's World Humanitarian Day Is More Important Than Ever

Tarak Bach Baouab On 19 August 2003, the Canal Hotel housing the United Nations (UN) office in Baghdad (Iraq) was targeted by a large truckbomb. The attack left 22 dead, including a few UN staff members involved in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Iraqis affected by the aftermath of the March 2003 US-led military invasion. On 27 October 2003, a car-bomb attack targeted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Baghdad killing 12 people, possibly providing a defining moment for changes in the security management practices of aid agencies and increased perceptions of insecurity for aid workers in areas affected by armed conflict.

In 2008, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on strengthening the coordination of the UN's emergency assistance, which included the designation of the anniversary of the Canal Hotel attack as World Humanitarian Day.Intended "to recognize humanitarian personnel and those who have lost their lives working for hu-

manitarian causes," it has come to represent an opportune time to reflect on the dilemmas and challenges related to the security of aid workers. While many debates agitate the microcosm of the humanitarian sector, there is a near-consensus on the worsening of the situation.

This is evident through the suspension or closure of life-saving medical projects or even the departure of humanitarian actors from a given context following critical security incidents such as the killing or abduction of aid workers. In turn, such decisions have devastating effects for populations in need of assistance, leaving pregnant women without access to basic surgical capacity or children going without basic vaccinations. There is an acknowledged risk-taking when providing medical assistance in a conflict area but the direct targeting of aid workers by parties to the conflict means that the requirement of basic acceptance for a neutral and independent "ambulance" inside the conflict zone is not attainable.

The underlying basis for a responsible humanitarian

intervention is that it must be led on the basis of guiding principles. The ability to treat those most in need (impartiality) without taking sides in the ongoing conflict (neutrality) while making one's own decisions on the allocation of resources based on one's own assessment of needs (independence) is a complex endeavour from its inception. For a process of negotiated humanitarian access to be obtained from a government or an armed actor to be successful, principled humanitarian action must balance out all the interests at stake: its own based on its social mission of saving lives and alleviating suffering as well as those of a conflict's other stakeholders from local levels (where its projects are implemented) to higher authority levels as required by accountability and transparency criteria enshrined in state-level regulatory frameworks or agreed-to in bilateral agreements.

But this principled view of 'humanitarianism' emanating from Western Europe 150 years ago which led to the codification of rules in the conduct of war and the birth of the ICRC is not al-

Time To Go Offline: Too Much Time On The Internet Can Literally Make You Sick!

ways felt to be universal.

Born somewhat in reaction to the institutionalized ICRC, Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) sought to extend the right to humanitarian assistance above and beyond borders, moved by an ethical imperative to save the lives of people in crisis situations even if it were to collide with the sometimes-competing concept of state sovereignty.

It is in such light for example that its decision to work inside oppositioncontrolled areas of Syria in 2011-2012 after the continued refusal by Syria's government to register MSF in Damascus should be understood: not as compromising on neutrality and supporting the rebels but as concluding that the only way to provide medical assistance to the victims of the civil war inside Syria, in cities such as Homs and Aleppo, was to cross its northern borders with its own surgical teams and increase the volume of medical supplies distributed to networks of health facilities and staff across Syria, including in Damascuscontrolled areas also affected by the conflict.

Whether in Syria or in an increasing number of substate, identity-driven conflicts such as in Myanmar or in South Sudan, the acceptance of humanitarian action, particularly from western-based organizations, is weak. But the principles carried by MSF in conflict settings across different cultures are not meant to fix disputes or impose a preferred political order over the one in place or the one that will eventually emerge from the fighting. Humanitarian assistance should be seen as a band-aid for a conflict's victims. Guided by the principles that ensure a distinct level of transparency to the warring parties, aid actors need to be judged on their actions rather than on the perception of what they are or whom they represent.

Aid agencies do need to share some of the blame for the current impasse over humanitarian access in conflict areas. A lack of embedding into local societies, previously identified and criticized parochial attitudes towards the beneficiaries of their assistance, and negative feedback on the image they project as opposed to the effectiveness and efficiency of the action they undertake are all areas that require significant improvements. In conflict areas, humanitarian principles should continue to guide the decision-making of aid agencies, away from overly conservative risk management policies and ethically questionable compromises that turn aid actors into accomplices of abuse and exclusion. Humanitarian principles and their consistent use as an ethical compass of reference remain the most honest avenue to reduce human suffering in a chaotic world in which armed conflict is increasingly being conducted without rules or rights.

About the author: Tarak Bach Baouab is a Humanitarian Advisor with Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

PAGE 9

Why Is The Pressure Of Marriage On Indian Men Never Discussed?

Digant Raj Kapoor India's respectable cultural tradition of revering elders has several shortcomings.

The most personal way in which Indians experience this is when it comes to marriage. Indians, both men and women, lack agency when it comes to making the most important decision of their life. I have nothing against marriage (arranged or otherwise).

Indeed, marriage and the scripted Indian life provide a degree of stability to an otherwise chaotic country.

But often, men are forced to accept stable, high-paying professions that they are not passionate about, such as medicine, engineering, finance and consulting, because of the job security and social status that they provide. Haven't you ever wondered why so many Indian men are doctors, engineers and increasingly lured into the IT, finance and consulting industries? The pressures on Indian youth to marry young explain the career choices men make. Unfortunately, Indian society dictates that money and stability are what men are good for.

In Indian society a good husband is measured by the expense account he affords his wife. The arts and humanities sadly do not make the cut. Entrepreneurship

is not always encouraged either and is usually pursued out of necessity. How do you feel about the fact that men have to out-earn their partners? Would you marry a man who made less than you? Even if you wanted to, chances are that your family would not approve.

Not a week (for many, not even a day) goes by in the lives of Indian youth without being bombarded with questions about marriage.

Yes, men are constantly questioned about when they are getting married, especially once they start working. These pressures have very real consequences.

This phenomenon's impact on women is often discussed, rarely is its impact on Indian men talked of. The reality is that Indian society's attitude towards marriage places huge constraints on the life choices of males as well.

Yes, a man can wait until his late 20s and early 30s before seriously looking for a life partner without having to worry about finding a desirable mate. Unlike women, a man does not have to choose between a career and a family. But the pressure of earning a higher income than his partner in order to provide for his family limits the professional choices of men.

There are certain benefits

Will Modi's Insurance Scheme Stop 25000 Farmers From Committing Suicide?

Ankita Ghosh

DTE Staff Note: This article has been republished from Down To Earth.

There have been many debates on Internet addiction.

Some scientists call it a mental disorder or Internet addiction disorder. But this addiction also seems to have consequences for physical health. According to a new study, spending too much time on the Internet can damage the immune system, making a person more prone to cold and flu. The findings show that people who are addicted to the Internet are 30 per cent more likely to catch these infections.

The researchers based their conclusion after evaluating

500 people aged 18 to 101 years old. "Those who spend a long time alone on the Internet experience reduced immune function as a result of simply not having enough contact with others and their germs," NDTV quotes Phil Reed, professor at Swansea University in Wales, who is one of the researchers, as saying.

The effect on health is not limited to flu. Researchers also found that those addicted to the Internet are more likely to suffer from stress, depression, sleep deprivation and loneliness.

The study suggests that when these people are disconnected from the Net, the cycle of stress and relief

associated with the Internet may lead to altered levels of cortisol, a hormone that impacts immune function.

Previous research also shows that people who keep sitting and working on the Internet for longer duration have unhealthy eating habits, engage in less exercise and also tend to drink and smoke more. These behaviours can increase their vulnerability to diseases, researchers explain.

"It does not seem to matter what you use Internet for; if you use it too much, you are more susceptible to illness," says professor Roberto Truzoli from Milan University in Italy, who was part of the study.

when one decides to fight the battles and become a 'career woman'. A career woman can make the difficult decision to quit her corporate job (consulting, finance) and be employed in a successful NGO. She can afford to pursue a more fulfilling career and live with a big cut in her salary because she does not have the pressure to 'be the breadwinner.' If a man were to do the same thing then he would face considerable familial pressures.

While men are afforded a few more years before being pushed to tie the knot, they too must live a scripted life, which inhibits the enrichment of individuals and society.

Even though I am an able bodied male with two foreign degrees I am (thankfully) not a hot commodity on the Indian marriage market given my choice to follow an unconventional professional path (by Indian standards).

Indian marriage, for all its merits, especially the strong support structure provided by deep familial ties, is at its core an exchange of material welfare for desirous traits. It is not romantic (but can be exciting). Perhaps that is why we need such elaborate celebrations. Making the process larger than life makes up for an Indian wedding's contractual reality.

Amid reports of Prime Minister Modi's proposal for a universal health insurance scheme on I-Day, insurancecovered India went evoking its annual quota of patriotic sentiments. The 'other' India in the meantime is caught in a perpetual financial threat making them desperate enough to appeal to the President to commit suicide.

25,000 farmers reportedlysought assent of Pranab Mukherjee to be able to take their own lives on August 15th in Mathura,- a cumulative effect of several decades of grievances and failed agrarian movements. The croppers here have awaited government compensation for 17 long years without as much as a nod of approval from the latter. Farmers there have been agitating since 1998 over government compensation for 700 acres of land that they'd lost to the construction of the Gokul Barrage.

A good 14% of all suicides in India between 1995 and 2012 have been committed by farmers, statistics reveal, with3000 farmer suicides in the last 3 years. Several states seem to have denied access to data since that which is accessible on online portals is often flawed or repeated. Is the newly constituted government hiding behind half-truths?

So are we failing to ensure food security to those that

grow our food for us? What do we make of government data that suggests a sharp 50% drop in suicide rate among farmers? Meanwhile successive governments make digs at each other, try to pass off the blames for India's collapsing agricultural sector to the opposition but keep on encroaching cultivable land for ambitious industrial projects. Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh sparked off controversy after blaming 'love affairs' and dowry disputes for agriculture failure prompting CPM leader Sitaram Yechury to attribute farmers' distress to the impotency of the government.

A recent claim identifying the introduction and subsequent proliferation of Genetically Modified Organisms in farming contributing to the spike in the number of suicides can-

not be dismissed. 2013 rallies and heated protests against use of GMO and Bt cotton seeds in cultivation, pointed at Monsanto, an American Agribusiness, as the chief culprit.

Bt cotton seeds, officially approved in 2002 has since been overwhelmingly embraced by farmers. Monsanto'sofficial website and its supporting sector in India argue that the cost-effective seeds had initially augmented production and even reduced the gross use of pesticides. The opposing opinion points at largescale crop failure from what is being called the 'suicide seeds' as the reason for increasing debt-burden of farmers. The story however is more complex than what it appears.

While GMO technology backfiring on the interests of the farmers cannot be ruled out, there is no denying that

agriculture in India is a largely undermined and failed sector.

An agrarian country with 60% of its population depending upon farming fails to contribute more than 21% to its GDP largely because of debt, high input-costs, lopsided growth, poor resource sharing, water crisis, pest attacks and diseases. Poor infrastructure of the agro-sector, policy measures driven by political rather than field outputs, disappointing institutional credit have equal shares in hampering agricultural yield and pushing farmers to consume unused vials of pesticide. Agriculture still provides for the largest share of livelihood and the hapless condition of the same should mean that Indian agriculture wasn't given enough protection against the effects of trade liberalization policies.

The proposed Universal

Health Insurance Scheme is an umbrella plan to cover health insurance of an entire family under a single cover amount. It is to offer coverage of up to 50,000 Rupees for a maximum age of 60 years, for a family of up to 5 members.

It will cover pre-existing diseases and hospital cost at subsidized premium rates and will be sold by Government and undertaking agencies as well as private insurance corporate. Privately held statistics confirm that over 20% farmers in India are without insurance making them more vulnerable to weather, accident, crop/livestock/cattle failure and breakdown of technology.

Prime Minister Modi's decision to fast track the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, amending the Land Acquisition Act 2013 and integrating the NREGA with it, starting multi-level projects with the Ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development, recycling already existing projects and monitoring the outcomes are part of his pro-farmer pro-poor initiative. While this certainly is a commendable effort on paper, we cannot overlook the fact that project implementation has always been a weak point with India's governance machinery. Success is intrinsically linked with redressal of grievances and it is time that the country outgrows its indifference towards the rights of the tillers of land.

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DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

Sebi bars 59 entities from stock market Mumbai, Aug 21: Market regulator Sebi recently banned 59 entities, including some high net worth individuals (HNIs) and Riddi Siddhi Bullions, one of the largest bullion trading companies, from the stock market for using the equity derivatives contracts on the exchanges for illegal trades to avoid taxes worth crores and also convert black money into white. Sebi's investigations found that, through a series of synchronized trades, sev-

eral related entities notched up trading losses and gains, most of which happened during the last quarter of the financial year. The suspicion is that these trades were done to avoid paying taxes on trading profits these entities had earned through the financial year that ended in March 2015.

This is how the trades were executed: In the first leg, through synchronized trades, an investor will sell some put options contracts to another at a price which

SEBI INVESTIGATION

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Sebi's investigations found that, through a series of synchronized trades, several related entities notched up trading losses and gains.

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123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 Sebi found that the loss-making entities were deliberately making repeated loss in stock options 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212 which do not make any economic sense.

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Banks declare 2nd, 4th Saturdays as holidays

New Delhi, Aug 21: Bringing cheer to lakhs of bank employees, the government has accepted the long-pending demand of workers to declare second and fourth Saturdays holidays, with effect from September 1. At present, all PSU and private sector banks work half-day on Saturdays. "This is a welcome move. This will be a big relief to employees and I hope that this will improve the productivity," AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatachalam said.

In case of a month having five Saturdays, banks will be closed only on second and fourth Saturdays.

(Agencies)

is totally out of sync with the market. The buyer will buy the contracts at prices much lower than the value of the contracts. This then will be reversed between the same set of entities that will lead to loss for one and profit for the other, the loss being settled against trading profits made earlier to avoid paying taxes. Sebi found that "the loss-making entities were deliberately

making repeated loss through their reversal trades in stock options which do not make any economic sense, and the profitmaking entities were facilitating them by becoming their counterparties and were acting in concert with a common object of intended execution of these suspicious and non-genuine trades". "Be as it may, it is amply clear to me that

the rationale for such transactions is not genuine and legitimate as the behaviour exhibited by these entities defies logic and basic economic sense. No reasonable and rational investor will keep making repeated loss and still continue its trading endeavors," Rajeev Kumar Agrawal, whole time member, Sebi, said in the report. (Agencies)

Iran asks India to clear oil dues New Delhi, Aug 21: Iran has asked India to pay within two months $6.5 billion in past oil dues, partly in rupees and rest in dollars or euros, a top official said. "The payment will be in at least three installments. The modalities of installments and the route are being worked out," he said. The dues to Iran on crude oil that refiners buy have accumulated as Western sanctions blocked payment routes since 2013.

About 45% of the oil import bill is paid in rupees in a Uco Bank branch and the rest has accumulated.

The official said the payment to Iran can be either through Reserve Bank of India (RBI) - in that case refiners will hand over the money to the central bank which will then do the onward transmission to Iran, or through a gateway notified by the government.

Iran will open a new account with one of the Indian banks for receipt of the rupee payment. Iran will use

the rupee payments to settle bills for goods and commodities it imports from India. The official said the new account will be different from the Uco Bank account which is a non-interest bearing account. "They want the payments to be made to an interest-bearing

account." Since February 2013, refiners like Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals (MRPL) and Essar Oil have been paying 45% of payment due on purchase of crude oil from Iran in rupees through Uco Bank, Kolkata. The remaining has been accumulating, pending

finalization of a payment route and mechanism. They had last year paid nearly $3 billion in six installments through a limited payment channel following start of nuclear talks between the West and Iran. The outstanding has since climbed to over $6.5 billion. (Agencies)

No tax terror: Govt tells industry New Delhi, Aug 21: The government recently strongly rejected industry's claims that the taxman was hounding businessmen and asserted that it was trying to promote growth through a series of measures, besides making the administration friendly for taxpayers. It also addressed concerns over the possible misuse of information related to the compliance window for black money, saying data was adequately protected and those coming clean would not be hounded. "Is there any atmosphere of fear today? Is there a raid raj or terror raj prevailing today in the country? I would sincerely and strongly believe there is none... If there has been any case of down the line complaint of harassment or improper application of

law... whenever problems have been brought to our notice, these problems have been addressed, not only for businesses but for individuals too," revenue secretary Shaktikanta Das told. He said the government is striving to have a transparent and taxpayer-friendly administration. "While implementing the law, your perception cannot match with our perception and the law has to be implemented.

So, there could be areas of conflict. So, whenever there are areas of conflict, we have a strong judicial system which provides relief," he said, seeking suggestions on areas where improvements could be made.

The comments came amid several industry captains voicing concern over things not changing on the ground despite the

Renault-Nissan lays off 800 employees Chennai, Aug 21: RenaultNissan Automotive India has laid off around 700-800 temporary employees at its Oragadam plant near Chennai following a decline in sales. The downsizing began months ago and comes in the wake of a similar action involving trainees earlier, which prompted nearly 30 trainees to file a case at a labour court here last month seeking reinstatement, sources said. S Kannan, CITU secretary for Kancheepuram district said, "The ousted trainees had asked for my help then and I assisted them in filing the case."

Alliance representatives say the downsizing of temporary employees this time round is part of "normal business adaptation".

Speaking to TOI, Guillaume Sicard, president, Nissan India Opera-

tions, said, "We face a certain amount of volatility in the business cycle so we have to adapt the number of employees to the market condition on a short-term basis. So yes, we have had some slight reduction (in employee strength) but it is part of the normal business adaptation that we do on a 2-3 month basis."

While declining to confirm the exact number of temps laid off, he added, "We are extremely careful with decisions like this

Bengaluru, Aug 21: Infosys, country's secondlargest software services firm, recently announced new service -- Aikido -that will focus on design thinking, platforms and knowledge-based IT as part of its efforts to return to industry-leading growth numbers. These services are aimed at helping clients address three key aspects of their business: a non-disruptive re-

newal and simplification of their existing landscapes, introduction of new offerings and business models in a dynamic business environment, and creating a culture of innovation in their organizations. Announcing new services at the Infosys town hall here, CEO and MD Vishal Sikka said, "... three steps forward Ki, Do and Ai; each of these by themselves help enter-

prises along a great new path, each of these helps bring together and tie together a lot of Infosys services we offer to clients today and together the three of these become even more powerful than the three individually by themselves." He added: "In case you haven't noticed, the three add up to Aikido, which is an East Asian martial art with its deep rooted origin in

clients. "Ai- is combining; Ki- the energy, the knowledge; and Do- the path- together will help us and our clients combine our energy and knowledge along our path," Sikka said. "All of our service offerings, all of our service clients we have been renewing those, we have been renewing those with the help of automation, we have been renewing those on the basis of innovation. We have been working on amazing new areas like zero distance," he added. Projecting a "tremendous" potential for Infosys to grow and lead, Sikka had earlier said that the management's mission is to prepare the company for realising the aspirational goal of achieving $20 billion revenue by 2020. Citing opportunities in the wake of global digital transformation, he had said Infosys has the potential to become a leading IT services company in the world and a bellwether once again. The company, which was facing laggard performance compared to peers like TCS and HCL Technologies, has embarked on a new path under its CEO Vishal Sikka to turn things around. Sikka has said the management's mission is to prepare the company for realising the aspirational goal of achieving $20 billion revenue by 2020. (Agencies)

and we always take into account the business cycle to follow six months later and plan production accordingly. But when we have business constraints, we have to take a decision and we take them," he said. On the Nissan side, he said, there are two assembly lines - "one is close to peak to prepare for our new launch in the first half of next year but we are decreasing the second line to adapt to the market". (Agencies)

LIC re-launches ULIP plan

Infosys announces new service 'Aikido' Kerala. Aikido is all about transforming, converting, and leveraging the chaotic energy of an opponent into a great focused direction." The first of these services is "Ki" which is a large scale modular service to help renew enterprise landscapes. Services in this space will include knowledge-based IT strategy, which will involve KBIT assessments, knowledge curation services focused on helping enterprises consolidate and transition business, operations and workforce, among others. Second is "Do" which refers to the service offering on design thinking and design-led initiatives that will provide Infosys the framework for finding, understanding and defining the problems that are most important to clients and their businesses. Third is "Ai" which refers to platforms as a service to build intelligent solutions. This includes Infosys Information Platform, an open source data analytics platform that enables businesses to operationalise their data assets and uncover new opportunities for rapid innovation and growth. "Ki" and "Do" services will be offered by Infosys Consulting, the company said, adding that it plans to offer platforms to address the Internet of Things (IoT) and Application Programming Interface (API) requirements of its

government's assurance.

Das also rebutted fears over the new black money law. "Black money law has to be strong and stringent so that it acts as a strong deterrent. But, in the implementation of the law, we have provided adequate safeguards to ensure that its implementation is as benign as possible and it does not result in unnecessary harassment or unnecessary exercise of power by anybody." The revenue secretary said data available during the compliance window would be closely held and it would not be used to chase people. On GST, Das said the tax rate would be moderate, although a final decision would be taken by the GST Council. He suggested that 25% or 27% rate was not feasible. (Agencies)

Nagpur, Aug 21: PSU insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched its first ULIP after the new product regulations were issued in 2013 on Wednesday. All the existing products had to be withdrawn in 2013 after the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) is-

sued new regulations two years ago. LIC, which had re-launched most of the conventional products after that, had put its plans for the unit-linked insurance product (ULIP) on hold, waiting for the right time in the markets. ULIPs are like mutual funds having an insurance cover as the

money is invested in the stock markets. The new plan, Endowment Plus, will be formally launched on August 19, said a senior official at a press conference. LIC is banking on the feature that the insured can continue keeping the money with the corporation even after the maturity date to cash on a growing market. This can happen under the settlement option by cashing the units in halfyearly or yearly basis, said the officer. The plan also has option for switching between various investment patterns up to four times during the tenure free of cost. The plan is available in growth, balanced, secured and bond investment patterns. The Nagpur division is expecting to sell at least 500 plans on the first day, said the official. (Agencies)

Railway man to be Air India CMD New Delhi, Aug 21: A railway engineer credited with restoring the world's oldest working steam locomotive for running the Fairy Queen between Delhi and Alwar now has the unenviable task of reviving Air India. The government recently chose Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation chief Ashwani Lohani to be the next AI chairman and managing director. The appointments committee of Cabinet gave 57-year-old Lohani, a 1980 batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers officer, a tenure of three years at AI. "He is going to take over very soon. A lot of thought has gone into selecting the AI chief," aviation secretary R N Choubey, who was among those who chose Lohani, said. Lohani will succeed senior IAS officer Rohit Nandan, who

completed four years as AI chairman recently and is now empanelled as secretary. Nandan has got a month's extension to enable the change of guard. "Turnaround specialist" Lohani will be working in close coordination with Choubey, who was recently brought

in by the PMO to speed up things at the aviation ministry, which has had an extremely lack lustre performance in the NDA rule.

Lohani's name figures in the Limca Book of Records' 2007 edition for earning four engineering degrees at a young age of 21 in 1979. (Agencies)

"I would like to congratulate Saina for making the nation proud by winning historic silver medal in the World Championship and regaining the world number 1 spot. We are pleased to welcome another top women sportsperson of the world into the IOS family."

DIBRUGARH, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

Neerav Tomar MD & CEO IOS Sports & Entertainment

PAGE 11

Bowlers keep Sri Lanka in check after Saha swells India's total Colombo:Retiring legend Kumar Sangakkara was unable to get a big knock in his swansong Test appearance but Sri Lanka overcame an early jolt to post 140 for 3, after dismissing India for 393 in the first innings, on Day 2 of the second Test in Colombo. Resuming at the overnight score of 319 for 6, India were bowled out shortly after the lunch break. The hosts then treaded cautiously to keep the match on even keel. Opener Kaushal Silva played a watchful innings to ensure that the early loss of fellow-opener Dimuth Karunaratne did not trigger a top-order collapse.

His dismissal towards the fag end of the day, however, put the side slightly on the backfoot given that the home team is still 253 runs behind.

Sangakkara was given a guard of honour by the Indians as he walked in to bat when the hosts lost their first wicket in Umesh Yadav's first over with just one run on the board.

However, it did not quite turn out to be a fairytale ending for the veteran batsman. Dropped

by Ajinkya Rahane at slip off Ravichandran Ashwin in the 14th over, he was dismissed by off-spinner for 32 after facing 87 deliveries. After Sangakkara's departure,

Lahiru Thirimanne and Silva added 39 runs for the third wicket before India took the slight edge by snaring the latter. When stumps were drawn for the day, Thirimanne and skipper Angelo Mathews were holding fort for the Lankans. Earlier, India were dismissed three overs after lunch as Rangana Herath claimed four wickets for 81 runs. Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha, who scored a 60 in the first Test,

played a 56-run knock to take India past the 350 figure. The Indians scored at a slow pace in the morning session as Saha shepherded the lower order to avoid a below-par first innings total. The visiting side could put just up 67 runs in this first session in 23.4 overs. The Indians were lucky to survive on more than one occasion. Saha, on his overnight score of 19, was fortunate not to be bowled off the seventh ball of the morning.

Smith, Lyon give Australia upper hand at Tea on Day 2

London: With an aggressive partnership of 91 between Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc, and the wicket of Alastair Cook at the stroke of Tea, Australia have completed a productive post-lunch session on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval. England’s bowlers took four quick wickets to hurt Australia

after a one-sided first day, in the second half of the opening session, but Smith and Starc took them close to 500, before both departed within an over of each other. Australia were eventually bowled out for 481, and despite facing attack from England’s openers, took the upper hand as off-spinner Nathan Lyon got flight

and turn to breach the defences of Cook, and get his stumps disturbed. (Agencies) Brief Scores: Australia 481 ( Steven Smith 143, David Warner 85, Mitchell Starc 58; Steven Finn 3/90, Moeen Ali 3/ 102); England 30/1 (Alastair Cook 22, Adam Lyth 8*; Nathan Lyon 1/ 4)

Bopanna-Mergea, Sania-Hingis scrape through in Cincinnati Cincinnati: Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea saved a match-point before emerging winners, while Sania Mirza and Martin Hingis were also tested en route to the quarterfinals of the ATP/WTA Western and Southern Open, in Cincinnati. Fifth seeds Bopanna-Mergea rallied to a 1-6, 7-6(5), 13-11 victory over the French pair of PierreHugues-Herbert Nicolas Mahut to reach the last-eight stage of the US $4,457,065 ATP Masters event. They next face Ivan Dodig-Marcelo Melo, who prevailed over Steve Johnson-Sam Querrey 76(4), 7-6(4). In the women's event, running simultaneously, top seeds Sania-Hingis scored a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over Germany's Julia Goerges and Klaudia Jans-Ignacik from Poland. They are now up against the American wild card pair of Christina Mchale- CoCo Vandeweghe. (Agencies)

Table Tennis Championship began today A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Aug 21: The three day 21st All Assam Ranking Table Tennis Championship was today inaugurated at DDSA indoor stadium

by Rana Bhuyan, SP

Dibrugarh. On the first day, the qualifying round was played where sub-junior boys’ and sub juniors girls’ category matches were held. Cadets’ boys and girls category matches were also held. To-

morrow, the main rounds will be held. The tournament was organized by Milan Jyoti Sangha in association with Dibrugarh District Sports Association under the aegis of Assam Table Tennis Association.

Dhammika Prasad was the unlucky bowler as the ball kissed the off-stump but didn't dislodge the bail. Six balls later, Lanka did get their first wicket of the morning, with Ravichandran Ashwin hitting Angelo Mathews straight to short extra cover. Saha survived another close call in the 91st over, Prasad again the unlucky bowler, as his loose shot didn't quite carry enough to the ‘keeper. Television replays proved sufficient doubt

to rule the batsman, who still hadn't added a single run to his overnight. He finally got going on the 14th ball he faced while Amit Mishra joined him at the other end. The latter too was lucky to survive, when in the 94th over, umpire Bruce Oxenford failed to detect a faint edge to the keeper with Mathews the one to miss out on a wicket this time. With these many lives given, it was no surprise that the batsmen chose to first settle down and curb their shots. Run-scoring was very slow as a result.

Saha and Mishra built a sluggish partnership of 46 runs for the eighth wicket and it helped India cross the 350mark in the 101st over of the innings. Just as Mishra looked to open up a bit, he was dismissed caught behind, with Dushmantha Chameera getting the breakthrough in the 106th over. Saha then reached his second Test fifty off 106 balls and, with Ishant for company, avoided further loss until lunch. After folding up rather quickly in the postlunch session, the Indians struck early with the ball but Silva thwarted their visiting bowlers' attempts to run away with the advantage. After tea, Silva and Sangakkara looked to continue their partnership

for the second wicket, while cutting down on the hiccups.

But they were only able to add 10 runs to their teatime total before Ashwin dismissed the left-hander for the third successive time in this series.

Rahane held a dipping catch to his left and Sangakkara walked off to a standing ovation. Silva then put on 39 runs for the third wicket with Thirimanne as India bowled with pacers from one end, while Ashwin continued from the other. Surprisingly, the offspinner was already into this 12thover while Amit Mishra had only been given one over before the tea break. Meanwhile, the right-handed opener moved along slowly and scored his ninth Test fifty off 92 balls as the Lankan 100-mark came up in the 36th over. He could do no more though as Mishra came on to bowl, and dismissed him soon after, the batsman caught at short fine leg as he tried to go for a sweep. Skipper Mathews then joined in and put on an unbeaten 26 runs for the fourth wicket with Thirimanne. India rotated their bowlers till the very end, but were unable to get a breakthrough even as nine overs were lost in the day's play. (Agencies)

Saina signs up with IOS Sports Management Group

New Delhi: Star India shuttler Saina Nehwal has signed a two-year deal with leading sports management group, IOS Sports & Entertainment.

IOS will now manage Saina's endorsements, appearances, brand profiling, patents, licensing and digital rights, images and visibility on social networking sites. The London Olympic bronze medallist had recently won a silver at the Badminton World Championship in Jakarta and once again regained World No.1 spot. IOS will target around 25 crore over the two years. "I have been performing well in the international circuit but at the same time I was looking for a sports management group that could manage my overall brand portfolio and logistics plus commercial activities in the best professional way. I am confident that IOS, a company that is in the best possible

position to help me achieve my business goals and maximize the value of my brand," said the 25-year-old shuttler, who has 23 international titles to her credit and is a promising prospect for India at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

IOS also manages other elite sportspersons such as cricketer Suresh Raina, Olympic medallist boxers Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom, and two-time Olympic medal winning wrestler Sushil Kumar. Commenting on the deal, Neerav Tomar, MD & CEO IOS Sports & Entertainment said, "I would like to congratulate Saina for making the nation proud by winning historic silver medal in the World Championship and regaining the world number 1 spot. We are pleased to welcome another top women sportsperson of the world into the IOS family." (Agencies)

Cincinnati Open round-up: Former champion Nadal ousted; Serena in quarters Cincinnati: Defending champion Roger Federer cruised into the quarter-finals of the Western & Southern Open with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of South African Kevin Anderson on an otherwise tough day for the top seeds that saw Rafael Nadal eliminated. Swiss second seed Federer needed just 55 minutes to register his easy win but top seed Novak Djokovic, third seed Andy Murray and fifth seed Stan Wawrinka were all taken the distance in their matches at the US Open warm-up event in Cincinnati. Playing in his first tournament since losing the Wimbledon final to Djokovic last month, Federer looks fresh and rested and advanced to a last eight encounter against Spain's Feliciano Lopez, who upset 2013 Cincinnati champion Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3). Djokovic looked in danger when he dropped the opening three games of the final set against 13th-seeded Belgian David Goffin, but roared back for a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win to set up a French Open final rematch against Stanislas Wawrinka. The Swiss beat

Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(5) to book a showdown against the top seed. The Serbian world number one ran into trouble when his 24-yearold opponent broke in the first game of the second set, which resulted in a frustrated Djokovic destroying his racket with three smashes against the hard court. Goffin went on to win eight of the next 10 games to put himself in position for a massive upset but Djokovic found his groove in time to prevail. "Credit to him for playing some solid, consistent tennis, always making me play

Woods back in rhythm, cards lowest score in two years Wyndham: Tiger Woods fed off an "electric" atmosphere to card his lowest score in two years on the PGA Tour, a six-under 64 that put him within two shots of the early first round lead at the Wyndham Championship.

Erik Compton wonders if he should start drinking more often after firing an eight-under-par 62 to grab a threeway share of the first round lead at the Wyndham Championship. The two-time hearttransplant recipient, who tied for second at last year's U.S. Open, took advantage of ideal scoring conditions on a soggy Sedgefield course to join fellow Americans William McGirt and Tom Hoge atop the leaderboard. Woods, making his first appearance at one of the PGA Tour's oldest tournaments as part of a last-ditch effort to make the FedExCup playoffs, was greeted like a rock star by hundreds of fans when he arrived on his first tee under gloomy skies at Sedgefield Country Club. And he did not disappoint the droves that turned up at the crack of dawn, promptly chipping in from 55 feet for birdie at his first hole, the par-four 10th.

Despite a bogey at the very next hole, Woods finally got his putter working to roll in six more birdies for his low-

est round on tour since firing a 61 in the second round of the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational. "It was electric, especially early," Woods said after draining a 10footer to save par at his final hole. Woods, who missed the cut in a major for the third time running last week, trailed clubhouse pacesetters William McGirt and Erik Compton by two strokes. The 39-year-old only recently committed to the Wyndham, the final event of the regular season on the US circuit, as part of a bid to earn extra FedExCup points. The 14times major winner is 187th in the FedExCup standings and needs a victory to guarantee a berth in the lucrative four-event playoff series that starts in New Jersey next week with The Barclays. (Agencies)

an extra shot, luckily for me, I managed to bounce back, dig myself out of this hole I was in," Djokovic said. Wawrinka was also forced to dig deep in his third round clash where big-serving Karlovic fired 35 aces to his opponent's eight, but the Croatian's biggest weapon faltered when he needed it most as he double faulted while serving to save match point. Murray, who won the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Sunday, looked a little jaded after a tough two weeks but the Briton somehow recovered to beat Grigor Dimitrov 4-6,

7-6(3), 7-5 in a little under three hours after twice looking to be headed for defeat.

Trailing 5-2 in the deciding set after also being 4-1 down in the second, Murray, who rose to number two in the world rankings on Monday, dug deep into his resources to rally for a victory that sets up a quarter-final against Richard Gasquet. Sixth seed Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic breezed by unseeded Tommy Robredo of Spain 60, 6-1. He will meet Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarter-finals after the Ukrainian qualifier dispatched Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

In the womens' section, defending champion Serena Williams cruised into the quarter-finals with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Italy's Karin Knapp while Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic's remarkable run came to an end. Williams, who was upset by Bencic last week in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, needed 54 minutes to get by Knapp and set up a showdown with Serbian Ana Ivanovic in what

will be a rematch of last year's final. Sixth seed Ivanovic advanced after beating American Sloane 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. The Serb has beaten Williams only once in nine meetings with the only win coming at in a last-16 clash at the 2014 Australian Open. Unseeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova also advanced to the quarter-finals when Azarenka retired despite leading the match 6-1 03. Serbian Jelena Jankovic and Slovak qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova also advanced to the quarter-finals. Rogers Cup champion Bencic took an eight-match winning streak into her last16 clash with Lucie Safarova but the 18-year-old Swiss was forced to retire with a muscle strain after her seventh-seed opponents took the first set 62. Bencic began her match against Safarova by breaking her opponent, but Safarova broke right back to win with ease and will next face either Ukrainian 14th seed Elina Svitolina or Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals. (Agencies)

HC issues notice to BCCI after CSK challenges IPL suspension Chennai: The Madras high court on Friday issued a notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India on a petition by Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings challenging the order of Justice Lodha Committee suspending it from the IPL over the betting and match-fixing scandal in 2013 involving its top official Gurunath Meiyappan. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and

a stay on the Lodha committee's order. It contended that the committee's order was against fundamental principles of natural justice and a fair hearing.

Dhoni-led CSK and Rajasthan Royals were on July 14 suspended for two years from the League following the 2013 betting scam involving their officials Meiyappan and Raj Kundra.

Son-in-law of the then BCCI chief Narayanswami Srinivasan,

Lodha which was asked by the Supreme Court to decide the quantum of punishments after finding them guilty of betting. It said refusal of Justice Lodha committee to enter into the dispute of whether India Cements was guilty of violating clause 4.1.1.of IPL operation rules had led to "grave miscarriage of justice". While referring to the Supreme Court order in January last, the petition said "Gurunath Meiyappan had

Justice T S Sivagnanam, also allowed Cricket Association of Bihar, on whose plea the Supreme Court had directed probe in IPL-6 betting and spot fixing scandal, to implead in the case.

In its petition, city-based Indian Cements Ltd, owner of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), also sought

Meiyappan, a former team principal of CSK, and Kundra, co-owner of Jaipur IPL that runs Rajasthan Royals (RR), were suspended for life from any matches conducted by the BCCI. The punishments were handed down by a threemember panel headed by former chief justice of India Rajendra Mal

been (found) guilty of betting but not spot fixing, match fixing or misuse of inside information...

Meiyappaan never had shares in India Cements nor was he is in the management of the company."

The judges adjourned the case for further hearing to August 27.

(Agencies)

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7 Habits That Are Causing Body Odour Have you caught the stink bug lately? If so, then you have got to change your lifestyle habits! Everyday things can have a huge impact on your body odour.

That's why you need to put an end to them ASAP! Here are 8 surprising habits that are causing body odour.

1. Eating What You Should not!

Did you know that the food you eat has a major impact on your body's odour?

Foods that have a surfeit of sulfate-containing organic compounds and sulfides usually are the culprits for this. When they are con-

sumed in excess, these compounds are broken down by the body and give rise to pungent odour that are released through the skin and sweat. Cut down on eating foods like egg yolk, red meat, onions, cabbage, seafood and garlic because they're rich in these compounds.

2. You Stress Out Pretty Often You would be surprised to know that stress sweat is the stinkiest! When the body is in on alert mode, it activates the apocrine glands. They produce sweat with a lesser amount of water and with a higher

percentage of fat and protein compounds that attract bacteria, ultimately resulting on increased body odour.

3. Your Drinking Habits When you drink, you do sweat. It is your body's way of throwing some of the alcohol out. When you take a big gulp of alcohol, it runs through the veins, blood and some of it even comes out through your pores in the form of sweat. This not only leads to body odour, it leads to bad breath as well!

4. You Only Use A Deodorant Did you know that deodor-

ants only temporarily mask your body odour? Yes, that is right! What you need is an antiperspirant. What it does is remarkable - it actually reduces the amount of sweat your skin produces! If you want longerlasting results, apply it before you go to bed, and wash it off in the morning - this reduces sweat production at night-time too.

5. You Do not Wash Your Hair Too Often When you do not wash your scalp too often, it collects dry, oil and sweat. It then turns into a breeding ground for bacteria and odour is produced. This

then makes your scalp itchy and smelling. Try washing your hair twice or thrice a week to prevent dandruff, oil, and dirt. Use a shampoo that has anti-bacterial agents in it and can degerm your scalp and reduce odour.

6. You are Not Showering Enough This one is pretty basic, but needs to be re-emphasized.

Even if you have been sitting in the AC all day long (or have been sleeping in an air-conditioned room), those morning and end-ofthe-day showers are absolutely essential, because

your body has been digesting and purging chemicals from your body all day and all night long. Not maintaining basic hygiene would most definitely cause body odour.

7. You Wear Too Much Synthetic Fabric Synthetic fabrics and formfitting outfits are one of the reasons for body odour. The materials not only traps sweat, it also causes skin irritation. Instead of wearing super-tight outfits, opt for cotton and other natural fabrics, and also looser cuts that allow your skin to breathe and your sweat to dry naturally.

Get Rid Of Whiteheads Are whiteheads ruining your pretty face? Well it is not just you, almost every woman faces this! They are usually caused when your sebaceous glands produce extra oil (called sebum).

This causes dead skin cells and dirt to get trapped in your pores, giving rise to whiteheads. So now that you know about them ladies, you might want to know how to deal with them. Here is how!

1. Before You Touch Your Face, Wash Your Hands Whatever you do, do not touch your face - and your whiteheads - without washing your hands first! Since your fingers are more prone to picking up bacteria and dirt from everything you handle all day long, you do not want to touch your face and transfer them further on your skin. If you do, it could not only aggravate the whiteheads you already have, but also give rise to even more. That is why you need to wash your hands with an antibacterial soap to keep the germs away.

2. Wash Your Face Twice Daily If you want to avoid getting whiteheads, you have to keep your face clean. By clean we mean, wash your face twice a day without fail! Once in the morning and once in the night. This will help minimize the chance of oil and germ buildup. When you're

choosing a face wash, always make sure that you are buying one that contains salicylic and alpha hydroxyl acids in it. These face washes are made specially to tackle oil, unclog pores and deep cleanse skin debris.

3. Apply A Face Mask Once A Week Want to remove dead cells and bacteria at one go? A facemask will do the perfect job! You could buy a pack from a local chemist or make an organic one at home yourself! Baking soda, water and a dash of lemon juice should do the trick. Use a thick brush and gently apply the paste all

over your face. Keep the mask on for 15-20 minutes till it hardens and wash it off with lukewarm water.

4. Use A Face Scrub If you love your skin, you have to pamper it! Give it that scrub it deserves. At least once a week, you should exfoliate your skin using a facial scrub. This will help you get rid of your whiteheads, prevent oil buildup and remove dead skin cells that are currently clogging up your pores. If you have a facial steamer lying around at home, use it! If you do not, steaming water will work just fine.

When you're ready to take the steam in, place a towel/ cloth over your head. Take as much as steam as you can for 5-10 minutes. This will open up your pores.

After that, pat dry and use your face scrub. To close your pores, apply a skin toner at the end. Do this on a weekly basis, and you will soon feel the difference!

5. Moisturize Your Face After Giving It A Wash Did you know that dry skin is also a cause for getting whiteheads? Well, it abso-

lutely is! Dry skin is vulnerable to breakouts, bacteria and dirt. That is why you need to moisturize your face after exfoliating and washing it. It keeps your skin moist, healthy and baby soft. Keep in mind that moisturizing your face daily is a must, so invest in a good moisturizing lotion.

6. Do not Forget To Remove That Makeup!

Before you hit the sack, you must remove your makeup.

You see, if you do not, it will clog your pores and give rise to not just whiteheads, but to blackheads and acne as well. To remove it, you can use baby oil, coconut or a makeup remover. Give your skin the chance to breathe and, in return, it will save itself from those pesky whiteheads.

7. Keep A Tab On Your Diet You want your skin to be healthy? Then you have got to start eating healthy. Junk food or aerated drinks will not do. Replace these artificial sugary drinks with water and fresh fruit juice instead. Water will flush toxins away and keep your

skin hydrated. As far as food is concerned, include more veggies and fruits in your diet. They contain vitamins A and E that keep both your skin and system healthy. If you have not been doing this yet, it is never too late to start!

8. Give Benzoyl Peroxide A Shot If all these methods are yet not working out for you, you should give a product that contains benzoyl peroxide a shot! Use a coinsized amount of it before you moisturize your face.

Leave it on for 5-10 minutes and wash it off with cold water. This acne cleanser is known to absorb oil and effectively do away with unwanted bacteria.

9. Consult A Dermatologist Sometimes, the problem can be so persistent that you simply cannot deal with it at home. In that case, set up an appointment with a dermatologist.

The doctor will either help you get them professionally removed, or prescribe medication that can help with the problem.

Homemade Face packs For Clear, Young Skin!

We all want younger, forever-fresh looking skin that lights up the room the second we walk in! We are sure you already know that everyday factors like your routine, diet and a good night's sleep contribute heavily to the texture and quality of your skin. But did you know that you could also boost collagen production for your skin with some easy-peasy steps, leading to fresher, tauter and more fabulous skin altogether? Enter, these 8 fabulous face packs that you can make at home!

With ingredients you already have lying around, you can combine them specifically to target your skin woes and ensure that it looks fresh, dewy and vibrant - always!

1. For Tightened & Toned Skin What you will need: Buttermilk, Oatmeal, Almond Oil, Olive Oil Take one cup buttermilk and four tablespoons of boiled oatmeal. Leave the oatmeal until it comes to room temperature. Add one

tablespoon of olive oil and almond oil to the above two ingredients and form a fine paste. Avoiding your eyes and lips, apply this pack to the face and neck and let it hold for 20 minutes. Rinse off with cool water and pat your skin dry with a towel.

2. For Getting Rid Of Blemishes What you will need: Turmeric and Curd Take one tablespoonful of curd and mix it with a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi). Apply the mixture to your face and leave it to dry for 15 minutes. Then rinse it off with cool water, and pat your skin dry with a face towel. This face pack is also good for even the slightest appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

3. For That Burst of Hydration What you will need: Cucumber and Coconut Oil Take the milk from a fresh coconut - do this by grating the coconut with water and then pressing it for milk - and mix it with the pulp of half a cucumber.

Allow this to become a

paste. Apply generously over your face using a cotton ball and let it stay for 10-15 minutes. It should provide an instant feeling of hydration and cooling to your face, leaving you with skin that feels soothed. The oil from the coconut is especially good for extra-dry skin and the cucumber helps to soothe those who have highly sensitive skin.

Both of these are mild and shouldn't aggravate the skin.

4. Perfect For Tightening Those Pesky Pores!

What you will need: Masoor Daal and Besan (Gram Flour) Boil the daal in plain water until it becomes pulpy.

Mix this with besan to form a paste - use two spoonfuls of besan for every cup full of daal. Take the paste and apply it directly to the face and neck and almost massage it in. Leave this for 15 minutes and then wash your face with cold water.

You should be left with visibly smaller pores!

5. Boosting Collagen Production!

What you will need: Potato and Carrot Carrots are a rich source of Vitamin A, which helps in boosting the collagen production of skin. Potato is also considered to be a great anti-ageing ingredient that smoothens the skin while reducing wrinkles.

Peel and boil both of these and make a paste from the two products. Apply this to your face and massage it in gently. Wash your face with warm water.

Tip: Be sure to keep the (unboiled) skin of the potato and use it on your face after you have used the pack, as it will leave your skin feeling smooth and soothed!

6. To Keep Your Skin Soft & Supple What you will need: Yoghurt and Olive Oil In a small container, take 2 spoons of yogurt and add around 4-6 drops of olive oil. Mix and make the olive oil dissolve in the yoghurt. Now apply the mask over your face, especially in areas that you have identified as problem zones. Now

keep this mask for approximately 20 minutes and then remove it by using cold water. This is a good mask to use daily, and will keep your skin looking fresh and young - and your skin will thank you for keeping wrinkles at bay!

7. For Glowing Radiance What you will need: Avocado, Papaya and Kiwi Avocado contains a lot of natural oil and is full of skin-enriching vitamins like A, B, C, and potassium - it really helps to give you a young and fresh look.

Papaya contains a special enzyme called papain that can remove dead cells and cure skin impurities. It also helps in regenerating new cells and provides elasticity to our skin. Kiwi is rich in vitamin C, E, and vitamin A. The black seeds of kiwi contain Omega 3 fatty acids that keeps the skin healthy and soft.

To make this pack, take 1 avocado and 1 kiwi fruit, remove the skin, and get the pulp out of both. Mash the pulp from the fruits to get a smooth paste. You

now add the papaya and mix it into the pulp. Mash it all up, then apply on the face and neck and keep on for half an hour. Gently rinse off using warm water.

8. To Reduce That PuffyEyed Appearance What you will need: Rose Water and Coffee Rose water has regenerat-

ing properties and also has a calming effect on the skin. It increases the blood circulation in the capillaries and thus reduces thread veins. It also reduces blemishes and puffiness under the eyes. Caffeine, as we know, helps to combat the effects of feeling tired! So it works as a beauty prod-

uct too! Make a paste out of the two products and use it as a mask on your skin!

Keep the mask on for 10 minutes and then wash it off with warm water. Using cotton balls, dab more rose water on your face as it will leave your skin with a pinkish, youthful appearance!

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