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ASSENG/2015/64205

PAGE 7

Vol. II

Issue 90

Dibrugarh, Sunday, October 16, 2016

Price -

5.00

Pages- 12

PAGE 11

India, Russia seal big ticket defence deals

STOP COMMERCIALISATION OF EDUCATION: GOVERNOR

SPICEJET SEALS DEAL FOR OVER 100 AIRCRAFTS AT $12 BILLION

Page - 10

Page - 5

Page - 7

Petrol prices up Rs 1.34 a litre, diesel by Rs 2.37

Pema Khandu releases Rs 53 crore 24 killed in a stampede at towards SSA/RMSA teachers salaries Rajghat Bridge in Varanasi

PTI ET Bureau New Delhi: Petrol price was today Bomdila, October 15 hiked by Rs 1.34 a litre, the fifth In a breather to the SSA and RMSA increase in two months, and diesel

by Rs 2.37 a litre on back of spike in teachers, Chief Minister Pema Khandu today announced to clear all the global rates. pending salaries.

The Chief Minister made this

The hike announced by oil announcement while speaking as chief companies is excluding state levies. guest during the Silver Jubilee Chindang Celebration of Sajolang community at Nafra.

Accordingly, the finance department has been instructed to release Rs 53 crore through state government funds, he informed. The said amount as the pending liabilities for payment of salaries was released following a memorandum he received from the teachers association in Itanagar.

“By Tuesday next, the amount released will be transferred to Prior to that petrol price had been education department,” said Khandu.

He appealed the teaching community hiked on three occasions while diesel discharge their duty sincerely and price was cut by 8 paise a litre on to to take care of the students’ future.

October 1.

Observing lack of required attention "The current level of international towards teaching community, the Chief product prices of petrol and diesel Minister stressed on showing them and INR-USD exchange rate warrant more respect for the service they impart

increase in selling price of petrol and diesel, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price revision," Indian Oil Corp (IOC) said in a statement.

dropped from the Cabinet Minister to induct Tamiyo Taga as the new minister, it is clarified that Tapang Taloh has voluntarily resigned from the post of cabinet minister to pave way for a strong and fruitful alliance of PPA and BJP Government in the state under NEDA, clarified the state government today in an official communiqué from the govt spokesperson.

Islamabad : Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said Pakistan is ready for talks with India if New Delhi was serious to resolve the Kashmir issue which, he said, is the "main cause of unrest" in the region.

Pakistan had offered talks on outstandThe statement further clarified that ing issues several times but India did not Tapang Taloh was never dropped from reciprocate, he told reporters in Baku, the Cabinet Ministry. However, when Azerbaijan, where he wrapped up a three-day visit.

PAGE 8 India-US trade relationship to grow: Michael Froman Washington, Oct 15: Describing the reforms undertaken by the Indian government as "work in progress", a top Obama Administration official has linked the growth in bilateral trade between the two countries to India opening up and liberalising its economy.

"Prime Minister Modi came in with a very ambitious agenda, including improving the business environment, the Make in India initiative, the Digital India initiative," US Trade Representative Michael Froman told PTI in an exclusive interview ahead of his next week's travel to India to attend the US-India Trade Policy Forum meeting.

PAGE 8

in building the future of our children.

“Our society pays more attention towards other profession. But did we ever care about our teachers who are serving in villages and remote areas?

Did we ever bother to ask what they need?” asked Khandu.

He appealed the people of Nafra to send a good message that teachers here

are respected and that the society cares about them. “With such beginning made, we can build the morale of the whole teaching community,” said the Chief Minister.

He also appealed the CBOs to take pro-active role in providing assistance to state government to improve services in education and health sector.

Tapang Taloh not dropped but he resigned, clarified Khandu

The movement of prices in the international oil market and INRET Bureau USD exchange rate shall continue to Itanagar, Oct 15 be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected Apropos news item published in the in future price changes, it said. local dailies that Tapang Taloh was

Kashmir issue ‘main cause of unrest’ in region: Sharif

The Chief Minister made this announcement while speaking as chief guest during the Silver Jubilee Chindang Celebration of Sajolang community at Nafra.

the matter of BJP joining the Govt came up, it was Tapang Taloh who volunteered to come forward for the welfare and greater interest of the state and its people under the dynamic leadership of Pema Khandu.

In the recent past, there have been a lot of turns in the political arena of our State Arunachal Pradesh, some which were necessary and some call-of-themoment for overall welfare of the people and to maintain peace. We have now emerged as a strong regional party – PPA – in absolute majority to run the government, the statement stated.

“Our political strength has the admiration and support of BJP, which

has since decided to join hands in providing the much needed participatory governance in the State as partner. As a member of the strong North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), it is but natural for us to honour the gesture of BJP”.

At such a time when it had become difficult for the Party leadership to make a decision, it was the generosity of Tapang Taloh who graciously paved way for a strong coalition with BJP. He selflessly resigned from the his post of minister in the larger interest of the State to facilitate induction of BJP MLA, Tamiyo Taga ji as Minister in the PPA-BJP coalition government of the state, the communiqué added.

Land owner and ABSU (E) hit back, termed BBK’s resolution unfair Staff Reporter Pasighat, Oct 15

Hitting back to the resolution passed

by Bogong Banggo Kebang rejecting the claims and pleas of Rukbo family over Rukbo Morang (Greenbelt) which is being donated to state government for development of a New Market by BBK, the Rukbo family represented by one Omak Rukbo has termed the resolution as unfair, In a letter to President, BBK today, the Rukbo family has made it clear once again that the said lands were not handed over to the district administration or state government as stated by BBK. “The rejection of our

ownership right and claim and objection was also not fair, for, the land is ours and we have not handed over this mentioned area to any Banggo.

Also, we were not informed nor called to attend the meeting. So, the resolution passed by that meeting held in the private residence of Yane Dai, ASM of GTC, Tebo in our absence is defamatory against us”, said Omak Rukbo who represents his other two brothers. He also said that, in our Adi society, there has no system or local rule to reject anybody from ownership rights knowingly. “If Bogong Banggo happens to introduce or implement this system in our society,

“The rejection of our ownership right and claim and objection was also not fair, for, the land is ours and we have not handed over this mentioned area to any Banggo. Also, we were not informed nor called to attend the meeting. So, the resolution passed by that meeting held in the private residence of Yane Dai, ASM of GTC, Tebo in our absence is defamatory against us”, said Omak Rukbo Contd. on Page 4

73% sanitation coverage in Dibrugarh District A Staff Reporter Guwahati, 15 Oct

cmyk

Dibrugarh district have achieved 73% sanitation coverage. On 3rd Oct last Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal himself lauded the efforts of 48 villages and 12 tea gardens of Dibrugarh district for achieving open defecation free (ODF) status. However it is unlikely that the Government would be able to declare the whole district ODF by this year as targeted.

In fact, possibly not even a single district would be able to declare ODF. In July, The Dibrugarh district administration and the Public Health

Engineering department have planned several programmes under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and have resolved to convert the district into an open defecation free district within a year.

In a meeting held among the heads of different departments, the district administration with the cooperation of all the departments set a 100 days deadline as the first initiative to convert 100 villages open defecation free.

The Govt have targeted to declare Kamrup (Metro), Nalbari, Dibrugarh and Sivasagar districts as ODF. The status of sanitation coverage in ODF-targeted districts during 2015-16 was 77% in Nalbari, 73% in

Dibrugarh, 60% in Kamrup (Metro), and 53% in Sivasagar.

Impediments in the form of fluctuating construction costs, delay caused by heavy floods, state election and addition of new identified families/households are factors that can force the state to miss out on its target of declaring Kamrup (Metro), Nalbari, Dibrugarh and Sivasagar districts ODF. The status of sanitation coverage in Assam in 201516 (based on Baseline Survey data) was 54%.

A state government source revealed that Kamrup (Metro) district may become the first ODF district in the state by February next year.

"The state government is regularly reviewing the situation. Every Friday, there is a review meeting on the issue. We want to make the four targeted districts ODF as soon as possible," the official added.

According to the last Baseline Survey, there were 6.37 lakh defunct toilets in the state and around 3.80 lakh families have been added since then. The defunct toilets were constructed in 1999 and were meant for the poorest of the poor.

The criteria for Above Poverty Line (APL) families getting free pucca toilets include factors like families belonging to small marginalised farmers, families headed by women

and the disabled, SC families and so on.

"After the last BLS, we found that many of the new identified families were not eligible for free toilets.

Construction costs have also fluctuated. There are practical and logistical issues that need to be dealt with," the official added.

The change in sanitation coverage from 201314 to 2015-16 was 14% in Assam.

Lakwa block in Sivasagar district was officially declared ODF last December.

It became the first block in the state and in the northeast (barring Sikkim) to achieve 100% sanitation overage.

(With inputs from agencies)

Varanasi stampede: 24 killed; Bridge collapse led to chaos, claim organisers Agencies New Delhi, 15 Oct

At least 24 people were killed in a stampede at Rajghat Bridge on the border of Varanasi and Chandauli where a large number of people had

gathered for a religious event on Saturday afternoon.

The incident took place when thousands of followers of religious leader Jai Gurudev were on their way to Domri village on the banks of the Ganga to take part in the two-

day camp, police said.

About one lakh devotees took part in the procession despite the fact that permission was sought for a gathering of only 3,000 people.

Contd. on Page 4

Drug worth crores seized in Dibrugarh A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Oct 15

A large consignment of 5.2 kg of narcotic drugs was seized during a raid in Dibrugarh today morning which is probably one of the biggest drug haul in the state.

The seized drugs include 2 kg of heroin and 3.2 kg of brown sugar. Police said that they have got information and on the basis of that the raid was conducted at a rented house in Amolapatty area of the town following a tip-off by an informer.

The main accused Sirbek Ahmed is absconding while the police have detained the landlord of the house Tajuddin Ahmed, who also happens to be the general secretary of the peasant leader Akhil Gogoi-led Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) Dibrugarh unit. Two others, Arif Ali (relative of the accused) and a house maid have also been picked up for questioning.

Dibrugarh SP Gautam Borah said, “It is a huge haul, probably the biggest drug consignment seized in the state. Unfortunately we could not catch the main accused as he left the house with an accomplice just moments before the raid. We have come to know that he is carrying with him a consignment of contraband drugs for delivery. We are trying to track him down”.

Borah said that so far 15

In one of the biggest drug busts in the state, 5.2 kg of narcotic drugs were seized in Dibrugarh on Saturday. Photo

by Manoj Pandey Dibrugarh

drug dealers and peddlers have been arrested after ‘Operation Drugs-Free Dibrugarh’ was launched in the first week of May. Police said the drug lord Elahi Sheikh was arrested on July 8 which was the biggest success of Dibrugarh Police.

Sheikh considered the kingpin of the illicit narcotics trade in entire upper and middle Assam used to run his business from Panchali and Kalibari area of the town with the help of a close-knit network consisting mostly of school dropouts and women peddlers.

A couple of days ago, Rahul Verma, a former scribe of the Itanagar-based English daily Dawnlit Post who was caught by the Dibrugarh

police with 30 grams of brown sugar was found dead at his residence here under mysterious circumstances.

Brown sugar is considered more dangerous than heroin and cocaine. Also known as smack, it is an adulterated form of heroin. Pure heroin accounts for only 20% of brown sugar while the remaining 80% comes in the form of chalk powder, zinc oxide and even strychnine.

Strychnine is generally used as a pesticide for killing rodents. These impurities in brown sugar make it more risky than other drugs. The drugs are sniffed, smoked or injected while an overdose can cause slow and shallow breathing, circulatory failure, convulsions, coma or death.

cmyk

After including local VAT, petrol will now cost Rs 66.05 a litre in Delhi from midnight tonight as against Rs 64.72 per litre currently. Diesel will cost Rs 55.26 per litre as against Rs 52.61 a litre at present.

The price of petrol was last hiked by 14 paise per litre and that of diesel by 10 paise a litre on October 5, following an increase in commission paid to dealers.

CITY Tinsukia, Dibrugarh

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

PAGE 2

Lakshmi Puja celebration begins in Jorhat to bring good fortune and prosperity

Lakshmi Puja celebration

ET Correspondent Jorhat, Oct 15: The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, occupies a prime place in the Hindu pantheon. Hindus believe worshipping Lakshmi brings prosperity and good fortune. So, along with the rest of India, Jorhat also begins the celebration of goddess of wealth on Saturday.

Laxmi maa devotional songs" added Bora.

For merchants and businessmen, Lakshmi Puja holds an extra significance. Gujarati people, begin a new ledger of profit and loss for the New Year. Though this has been a traditional practice for years, newage businesses and startups are also marking Lakshmi Puja day for the success of their ventures.

"Each of our family members worship goddess Laxmi for wealth and prosperity in our own rites and rituals" said Monalisha Bora a citizen from Jorhat.

"Today, we lit lamp near Tulshi plant, and sing

Man Kills Wife in Tinsukia

Rangoli drawn to welcome goddess Laxmi in Jorhat. Pic.- Nakib Ahmed

HOROSCOPE Aries

Taurus

Your natural warmth is enhanced by a new sense of self-confidence, Aries. Group activities and social events might bring you into touch with people who prove to be valuable business contacts. Whatever goals you've attempted to reach may finally show signs of materializing, possibly through the efforts of others who believe in you. This should be a very fortunate and enjoyable day for you. Make the most of it!

Today you might pinch yourself to see if what you're experiencing is real, Taurus. Success and good fortune are coming thick and fast, with only minor setbacks and irritations to complicate matters. Business, money, and career success are likely to be at an all-time high, although you might find yourself feeling a little fearful of what comes next. Don't worry about that. Go with the flow.

Gemini

Career and financial success might have paved the way for you to fulfill some of your fondest dreams, Gemini. Perhaps you've wanted to return to college and get an advanced degree, take a trip around the world, or try writing and publishing. Whatever it is, your schedule should be freer and more flexible than ever, so this is the time to go for it. Start planning today!

Cancer

Now that you feel more secure regarding your business and financial situations, Cancer, you might be looking for ways to feed your spiritual and metaphysical interests. Your intuitive and psychic abilities should be operating at a very high level, causing you to experience some vivid dreams and visions and receive the insights that come from them. Books and lectures might prove especially enlightening.

Leo

Just about every department of life should be going very well for you now, Leo. Business, finances, and partnerships are likely on their way to success, while personal relationships of all kinds, particularly romantic ones, should also be more rewarding.

You might be thinking of expanding your horizons through new enterprises or study. Don't be shy - go for it.

Virgo

Whatever you're working on at the moment, Virgo, whether business related, personal projects, or volunteer work, it's likely to bring you increased satisfaction on many levels. You're enjoying what you do, making a difference, and meeting new friends.

Your health continues to glow. You may feel as if nothing can stop you. Watch out for minor upsets, but nothing that will burst your bubble.

Libra

It's likely that your personal and creative horizons are expanding, Libra. Your or another's artistic enterprises might pay off big today.

You could be introduced to people who prove to be valuable contacts as well as new friends. Your love relationships are going well. Your new feeling of enthusiasm and self-confidence certainly doesn't hurt!

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

A huge get-together of some kind could take place today either at your home or the home of someone close to you, Scorpio. It's possible this may turn into more than just a fun party.

You might become involved in conversations with people who become valuable business or social contacts. Expect to have a wonderful time no matter what you do today.

Expect many advantageous changes to take place in your community, Sagittarius. New businesses could open their doors, interesting neighbors could move in, or some necessary repairs could finally get done. You might spend a lot of time in the car or on the phone and spreading the news. An exciting proposition may come to you or someone close to you through a letter, email, or phone call.

You've probably had few periods when business and finance have gone well for you, Capricorn. Now this trend seems to be coming to a head. Today you might start or close some type of agreement that will make a big difference to your finances. Your money situation should not only improve but also stabilize at a level higher than it's ever been. As long as you're diligent, this growth should continue.

Aquarius

You tend to be practical and businesslike by nature, Aquarius, but the tremendous growth you've experienced may increase your desire to be as sensible and efficient as possible in order to continue this trend.

You're feeling upbeat and positive. You're likely to continue to feel this way. The only downside is that you're probably going to be working very hard. You will like the results, though, so go for it.

Pisces

You probably think of yourself as a curious intellectual, Pisces, but a recent expansion in career and finance has brought out talents for business and money that you didn't know you had. This has been a time not only of success and good fortune but also of learning more about yourself. Don't fall back on old fears or underestimate yourself. You're capable of accomplishing more than you know.

Laxmi Puja celebrated in Jorhat. Pic- Nakib Ahmed

Sidharth Singh Tinsukia, Oct 15: A man on Saturday killed his wife at Panitola under Panitola police station limits in Tinsukia district, the police said.

The accused Bipul Kurmi surrendered before the police after strangulating his wife Shunti Kaya and threw her body in the middle of a tea garden.

While Bipul claimed family dispute as the rea-

Pic for representation purpose.

son behind the killing, police officials said that

they have been investigating all angles.

Assam CM declares holiday on Kati Bihu

Everyone dream of getting funds and being cash positive to ensure their businesses are a success and a little help from the Goddess is always welcome. " We hope that goddess

Laxmi will bless us with wealth and prosperity" Said Sanjeev Agarwal, a businessman of Jorhat.

It is traditionally believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits only those who lead a disciplined life keep their surroundings and environments clean, and do their work with all honesty. In short, the goddess of wealth will favour those who help themselves.

After bid adieu to Goddess Durga Bengal and its eastern neighbouring states of Orissa and Assam celebrates Lakshmi Puja with an equal zeal.

Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad protest against granting citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshi ET Correspondent Sivasagar, Oct 15: AJYCP Sivasagar unit today protested against the Centre’s move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshi immigrants, saying it would jeopardize peace and progress in Assam and the entire Northeast.

“The members of the organisation said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was being presently updated in Assam following a stringent directive from the Supreme Court.

“Any step that puts any obstacles to the updating of the NRC by way of doubt, confusion or uncertainty is most likely to reintroduce the serious instability, communal ill will and conflict that had plagued Assam for three decades and jeopardize peace and progress of this region,” a member of the

AJYCP protest in Sivasagar. Pic.- Neelam Kakoty Mazumdar organisation said.

They stressed that the updating of the NRC must be top priority and carried out in a spirit of utmost urgency so that a basis for permanent peace may be established in this region.

The (AJYCP) member has burned the effigy of the Prime Minister of India along with the Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa in view of their protest.

'Kongali Bihu' is marked by solemnity with no merriment as the granaries are almost empty at this time of the year.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal PTI Dibrugarh, 15 Oct: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has declared a government holiday on Monday on the occasion of 'Kati Bihu'.

Taking into consideration the spirit of Kati Bihu among the Assamese community, the Chief Minister declared it as a government holiday so that everyone

can take part in the rituals of Kati Bihu, a government release said.

All government offices, semi-government offices and educational institutions will remain closed during the holiday on October 17, the release said.

Earlier, Kati Bihu was listed as a half holiday in the Government Holiday List, the release said.

Agrarian festival 'Kati Bihu' also known as

People light earthen lamps under tulsi (basil) plants, in granaries, paddy fields and at the entrance of their homes praying to Goddess Lakshmi for a bountiful harvest the next year.

'Kati Bihu' is one of the three Bihus in Assam celebrated by people together irrespective of their faith, caste and language as secular agriculture based festivals.

The other two Bihus are Magh Bihu in January marked by a feast after a good harvest and Bohag or Rongali Bihu in April celebrated on the onset of the Assamese New Year and spring season.

An old lady seen waiting for customer to sell Deepawali Saki in Sivasagar Today.

Pic.Firuz Ahmed

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Laxmi Puja celebrated in Sivasagar Central Market.Pic. - Firuz Ahmed

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

AROUND THE

PAGE 3 STATE 'Chinese media warns ‘campaign AUIDF charges state BJP of playing divisive against China-made products may politics with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill hurt bilateral ties' ET Bureau Guwahati, 15 Oct: Ahead of the BRICS summit in Goa, Chinese media on Friday warned that the Indian campaign to ban Chinese goods could 'damage bilateral ties'.

It also asked the Centre to initiate domestic reforms to attract Chinese investors and reduce trade deficit instead.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and

tourism and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma have both sought a boycott of Chinese goods, particularly items used during festivals.

The state-run Global Times (GT) reported that India needed to encourage Chinese smartphonemakers to set up production lines in the country and suggested that the upcoming meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at

the Goa summit could provide the opportunity for the two countries to 'step up efforts to promote investment cooperation'.

"Besides, India may need to roll out domestic reforms, such as further streamlining its tax system, to improve its economic ecology and attract more Chinese investment," the GT reported. (With inputs from agencies)

Close shave for Guwahati; powerful IED recovered at Birubari, Defused

ET Bureau Guwahati, Oct 15 : The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has charged the BJP-led state and central government with trying to create division among different ethnic groups by seeking citizenship for religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"The move to grant citizenship to religious minorities, especially from Bangladesh, is set to create differences, as well as

conflict, among different communities of Assam.

The BJP government is trying to impose its decision without taking people of the state into confidence," said AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam.

At the AIUDF conclave in Morigaon district's Lahorighat, party leaders suggested public mobilization against the move of granting citizenship to religious minorities from

Class 12 student gang raped in Kokrajhar; miscreants on the run ET Bureau Kokrajhar, Oct 15: Crime against women in the state has gone unabated, as another case of gang rape in Kokrajhar has surfaced up.

Amidst the puja festivities a Class 12 student was drugged and raped by seven men. The victim has identified two of the miscreants.

The duo identified as Prasenjit Rai and Prashanta Rai on the pretext of enjoying puja festivities took the victim to an unidentified

location and raped her after forcibly drugging her. The miscreants thereafter threw the victim out of a moving car at Putiya gaon in Salakati. On the other hand the victim was admitted to the Kokrjhar civil hospital in a critical condition after she poisoned herself. Meanwhile, the kin of the victim has filed a case with the Salakati police. Meanwhile the police have intensified man hunt to nab those behind the heinous incident.

ET Bureau GUWAHATI, Oct 15: The leaders of six ethnic communities, as well as tribal organisations, are keenly waiting for the home ministry's report on the modalities for granting ST status to the communities. The report, prepared by a home ministry committee, is expected to be finalized by Saturday.

The committee was supposed to submit its report

by May but it was extended up to September. "So, when we met the committee members last month, we expressed our unhappiness over the delay in finalizing the report. It was during the meeting that we were told that the report will be submitted to the Centre by October 15," added Barman.

Bangladesh. Various organizations, including All Assam Students' Union (AASYU), have registered their protest against amendment to the citizenship act. AGP, BJP's partner in the state government, is also against citizenship to religious minorities.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which seeks to give citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was placed in

Parliament on August 11.

The NDA, however, referred the bill to the joint select committee of Parliament after the opposition opposed moving the bill and demanded that it needed more scrutiny.

"Our concern is that at a time when the NRC update is on, such a move is going to create confusion," said Islam. He added that granting citizenship to religious minorities is also against the spirit of the Assam Accord signed in

1985.

AIUDF leaders also accused the BJP government of diverting attention from price rise by raking up the issue of citizenship to religious minorities. "BJP came to power promising protection of jati, mati, bheti (identity, land and homeland). But citizenship to religious minorities is not going to safeguard jati, mati and bheti," said former AIUDF legislator Abdur Rahim Khan. (With inputs from agencies)

Lakshmi Puja Celebrated across the state ET Bureau Guwahati, Oct 15 : Invoking the Goddess of wealth and prosperity,Lakshmi Puja was celebrated across the state with pomp and religious fervour on Saturday.

Large number of devotees thronged Lakshmi temples during the day to offer prayers to the God-

dess to seek good fortune and prosperity in the days to come. The temples of the Goddess were decorated and illuminated beautifully on the auspicious occasion.

The markets in the city witnessed heavy footfall as devotees purchased fruits and flowers and other worship ritual essentials for worshipping the Goddess.

Individual households were lit up on the auspicious occasion. Families decorated their homes with flowers, earthen lamps and colourful rangoli.

According to the Hindu mythology, Goddess Laxmi manifests wealth and prosperity, Thus, she is worshipped in almost every Hindu home.

Asom Gana Parishad Army welAll eyes on home min- opposes citizenship to fare drive minorities for locals ister report on ST staET Bureau menting the Assam Accord. ET Bureau tus to six groups Guwahati 15 Oct: Asom "We cannot accept the idea Guwahati, 15 Oct: The

A Staff Reporter Guwahati,Oct 15: Close shave for residents of Guwahati, and more particular for people of Birubari locality after a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered from Shankarpur locality Saturday afternoon. The handmade IED, weighing nearly 2 kg, was wrapped by coconut wires and kept inside a bag.

The explosive along with the bag was then thrown into the house of a person named Milan Bhowmik. A few kids of the locality who were playing there at that time suspected foul play upon spotting the bag and its contents and alerted elders who in turn called the police.

Bomb experts came and later defused the IED.

Meanwhile, Milan Bhowmik’s family suspected the involvement of a person named Joren Biswas who they say could be involved with the incident.

Police have launched a massive investigation and are working on some definite leads that they say could be crucial in cracking the case.

(Agencies)

All eyes on home ministry report on ST status to six groups ET Bureau Guwahati 15 Oct: The leaders of six ethnic communities, as well as tribal organisations, are keenly waiting for the home ministry's report on the modalities for granting ST status to the communities.

The report, prepared by a home ministry committee, is expected to be finalized by Saturday.

Earlier, the home ministry constituted a committee for recommending modalities for reservation, shifting of existing reservation of six communities from OBC to ST, protecting the interest of existing tribes, mechanism to ensure fairness of reservation within the six communities and related security considerations.

The six communities who are demanding ST status are Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia and adivasi. The leaders of the six communities met the committee members last month.

"They (committee) have promised us that the final report will be ready by October 15 (Saturday). The

report will then be placed in Parliament. So, we are hopeful that the Centre will take some steps in fulfilling our demand for ST status," said All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) president Hitesh Barman.

The committee was supposed to submit its report by May but it was extended up to September. "So, when we met the committee members last month, we expressed our unhappiness over the delay in finalizing the report. It was during the meeting that we were told that the report will be submitted to the Centre by October 15," added Barman.

On the other hand, the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisation of Assam(CCTOA), an umbrella body of different tribal groups which are against ST status to the six communities, said it will decided on its next course of action based on the report.

"We have already made our stand clear to the government that we are against ST status to the six communities. We will go through the report very minutely and accordingly draw our action plan," said CCTOA chief

coordinator Khaklary.

Aditya

The CCTOA has called a meeting on Sunday where the leaders will deliberate on their action based on the recommendations of the report.

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, BJP had promised ST status to the six communities.

Earlier, the home ministry constituted a committee for recommending modalities for reservation, shifting of existing reservation of six communities from OBC to ST, protecting the interest of existing tribes, mechanism to ensure fairness of reservation within the six communities and related security considerations.

The six communities who are demanding ST status are Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia and adivasi. The leaders of the six communities met the committee members last month.

"They (committee) have promised us that the final report will be ready by October 15 (Saturday). The report will then be placed in Parliament. So, we are hopeful that the Centre will take some steps in fulfilling our demand for ST status," said All Koch Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) president Hitesh Barman.

On the other hand, the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisation of Assam(CCTOA), an umbrella body of different tribal groups which are against ST status to the six communities, said it will decided on its next course of action based on the report. "We have already made our stand clear to the government that we are against ST status to the six communities. We will go through the report very minutely and accordingly draw our action plan," said CCTOA chief coordinator Aditya Khaklary.

The CCTOA has called a meeting on Sunday where the leaders will deliberate on their action based on the recommendations of the report.

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, BJP had promised ST status to the six communities.

College dropout-turned-millionaire vows to promote tourism in NE ET Bureau GUWAHATI, Oct 15: A college dropout from Hojai who went on to become the owner of a multimillion-dollar group of companies in Laos, Habib Mohammad Chowdhury, has vowed to promote tourism and the culture of the northeast in southeast Asia.

"I have been trying my best to start cultural exchanges between the northeast and Laos. I see plenty of opportunities in the tourism sector here. It will be great if we can send Bihu and sattriya troupes to Laos and viceversa. That's how we can better the relationship between the two regions," Chowdhury said while addressing an entrepreneurs' conclave, 'Parivatan', here on Thursday.

He was felicitated at the

event for his achievements in the field of entrepreneurship.

Chowdhury, who was born and brought up in Hojai in Nagaon district, struggled hard to set up the HSMM Group of Companies in Laos which has emerged as the largest agarwood and agarbased product company in southeast Asia. Besides agarwood products, Chowdhury also deals in perfume and minerals. His companies currently hold more than four lakh agar plantations.

"Due to financial crisis, I had to drop out of college. Leaving everything behind, I went to Dubai in the early 1990s to earn money. I wanted to make my family comfortable," he recalled.

Chowdhury did not rest on

Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders sounded an alert against the Centre's move to grant citizenship to Hindu migrants from neighboring Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan as they observed the party's 32nd foundation day here on Friday.

Former chief minister and founder-president of AGPPrafulla Kumar Mahanta said the Centre should work towards imple-

of granting shelter to immigrants in the name of religion," Mahanta told reporters at Sarupeta in Barpeta district where the party held its foundation day celebrations.

AGP president and agriculture minister Atul Bora also said the government should focus on implementing the Assam Accord, a document signed following a bloody agitation in 1985 to rid the state of illegal migrants.

U-17 World Cup: Is Guwahati ready to host the global event?

ET Bureau Guwahati, Oct 15: India will host the U-17 World Cup in the coming year and there have been a lot of speculation that most of the stadiums are not ready for the event. A team led by event manager Marion MayerVorfelder will visit the country and inspect the 6 stadiums between October 19 and 25. The dead-

line for the stadiums to be at world class standard is October and the last time the stadiums were inspected, there were problems with the stadiums in New Delhi and Guwahati.

The six stadiums selected to host the global event are Kochi, Kolkata, New Delhi, Guwahati, Goa and Navi Mumbai.

Leopard trapped in a pit rescued in Fatasil Ambari ET Bureau Ambari, Oct 15: A leopard that strayed into human habitat at Fatasil Ambari in Guwahati was rescued by forest officials after it fell into a pit in the area. The leopard was rescued from the Adingiri Hills. Earlier, CCTV footages that surfaced up on Friday showed the leopard straying into human habitat at Maligaon hunting poultry.

Roll revision in Morigaon district

his laurels. At the India-Laos Business Forum in 2010, he founded the Indian Chamber of Commerce (INCHAM) in Lao People's Democratic Republic. He also initiated implementation of the 'Look East Policy', now known as the 'Act East Policy', in the northeast.

"The northeast is a very important and strategic location.

Nestled between Bangladesh, China, Bhutan and Myanmar, it is ideally positioned for trans-border trade. Moreover, the ASEAN region is one of the most dynamic economic regions of the world today. The Act East Policy of our government offers a huge opportunity to transform the economic landscape of this region," he added.

Army's Red Horns Division organised 'joy of giving' week in its area of responsibility to reaffirm its social commitment towards the locals.

Defence PRO Lt Col SNewton said various activities like blood donation camps and distribution of items at orphanages at Rongmen village, adjacent to Umroi Military Station, near Guwahati, were organized.

A file photo for representation purpose ET Correspondent Morigaon , Oct 15: The summary revision of the electoral rolls of the three Assembly constituencies namely-Morigaon , Jagiroad and Lahorighat in Morigaon district with January 1,

2017 as the base got under way on Friday. According to DC, Morigaon Hemen Das, the draft rolls were published on October 14. The claims and objections of the voters list will be accepted up to November 15. The

Photo Voters lists will be exhibited in all Panchayat and other local bodies within December 15 were all claims and objections will be disposed. The final voter list will be published on January 20, 2017.

As per the draft rolls published on Friday, Jagiroad LAC has 191423 voters .out of them 97955 are male and 93468 are female voters. In Morigaon there are 163532 voters; out of them 82806 are male and 81719 are female. In Lahorighat there are 155399 voters; out of them 81719 are male and 73680 are female. A total of 4154 voter’s names were deleted from the electoral roll.

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

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ARUNACHAL

Chief Minister Pema Khandu attends Silver Bridge of Hope of Jubilee Chindang celebration at Nafra Gautampur

ET Bureau Bomdila, Oct 15 : Chief Minister Pema Khandu today joined the Sajolang community at Nafra to celebrate the Silver Jubilee Celebration of Chindang festival.

People dressed in traditional Sajolang attire received the Chief Minister with a rousing welcome, in the Chingdang festival ground.

Among the hosts were festival Chief patron Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs and festival patron Japu Deru, MLA, Bomdila.

The day’s celebration began with a group song followed by formal opening of 25 years of central celebration of Chindang festival by the CM. The festival committee presented the Chief Minister with a traditional male outfit ‘Nuuvhu Grie’.

Appealing the Sajolang youths to preserve their traditional identity, Khandu in his speech said that with the advent of modernity, we have to accept change but it must not be at the cost of one's indigenous culture.

He stressed on the importance of CBOs in preserving traditional culture. “Without their initiative, our youths won’t be motivated to learn our ancient culture and dia-

memorandum to him. He, however, assured that all development needs of the constituency will be fulfilled in consultation with the local MLA. Also speaking on the occasion, Rijiju said that a society that has lost its culture is like a body that has lost its soul. Culture is an asset that once lost could not be regained and has to be protected by the local community alone, he stressed.

Earlier the Chief Minister visited the Sajolang cultural emporium put on display by a local women self help group ‘Ladoh Buchung Phong’. The items on display were traditional male/ female outfits, bamboo items, hunting equipment,

lect, which has been passed on through generations,” observed Khandu. He expressed concern that as the elder generation of the community dies down, who are the last repositories of ancient culture, the youths will be forever disconnected with their own culture.

Speaking on development initiatives of the state government, the Chief Minister asserted that dependency on centre for funds has to stop some day. “If we have to

move ahead, we have to work on how to convert our natural resources to a revenue generating source,” he said.

Advocating for hydropower, the Chief Minister said that state has to tap its natural resources and think of how to make it beneficial for the society. He appreciated the Bichom dam resettlement plan implementation, which he had inspected the previous day.

Observing the success of Bichom dam’s development

efforts, the Chief Minister expressed that Bichom residents could become the ambassador of hydropower.

However, he stressed that development should not be at the cost of one’s culture and said that development projects will never be forced on people.

The Chief Minister appreciated the spirit of festivity expressed by local Sajolang community who breaking away from tradition didn’t bother to submit a single

ET Bureau Aalo, Oct 15 : Traditional cultural extravaganza stole the show in day two of the Nyirmen Alo Festival, as more than 30 town cultural troupes from Aalo and its vicinity thronged Gumin Kiin to display traditional Mega Ponu on October 14 last.

nostalgic association with festivals and cultural movements in the past.

President of Galo Ane, Jumken Doji Ete, secre-

tary Higam Loyi Ango, and GWS Aalo unit president Dr Marbom Basar dwelt at length on the significance of the day and exhorted the youth to take pride in

36 trained under Vaccine and Cold Chain Handlers Bishnu Rana Tezu, Oct 15 :Two days training of Vaccine and Cold Chain Handlers came to an end here today at the Conference hall of General Hospital.

highlighting the sensitive of the vaccine briefed through power point presentation.

“Vaccine has limited self life and loss their potency easily if not handled properly”, he said in the awareness.

Overall 36 Vaccine and Cold Chain Handlers from Anjaw, Lohit, Namsai and Lower Dibang Valley underwent during the training. They were emphasized regarding the modus - operandi of Vaccine storage and its maintenance.

Freeze sensitive vaccine including DPT, TT, IPV, Penta and Hep. B should be kept away from the bottom of the ILR to avoid freezing.

However, most heat sensitive vaccine are OPV, RVV BCG, JE and measles vaccine respectively to be stored at the bottom of the basket of the IRP, he said.

Other resource person and trainers was Dr Raju Mena

Dr Tope Yomcha Trainer from Tomo Riba General Hospital Naharlangun while

ing after all to join with them, APCC stated in a official press release.

How can Ram Madhav proclaim to make ‘corruption Free State’ when an MLA whose family is facing charges of infamous PDS scam, has been inducted as minister? By what magic, BJP will purify them for corruption free? By bathing in pious river Ganga?, APCC questioned.

BJP Leaders are always good at making rhetoric promises without actions that people of the country

Liduk Ete, Hoksum Ori and best couple Karngam and Degam Ete were felicitated by Galo Ane for their outstanding contributions towards the development of Galo society.

Two minutes silence was also observed as mark of respect to late Tumpak Ete, who was instrumental in reviving the age old Nyirmen.

Earlier in the morning, the exhibition stalls depicting traditional weaves, handicrafts, art and crafts were inaugurated by Y Riram, a senior in the DPDTC. (DIPRO)

The training was held first time in the eastern zone which was organized by National Health Mission Dept of Health & Family Welfare Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh supported by UNICEF. Earlier, on 14th Oct Gautam Hazarika SDO inaugurated the training programme in the presence of Dr S Chai Pul DMO, Dr S Towang incharge MS, Dr S Nayil DRCHO, Nurses and other paramedic staffs.

have understood and realized. The people of this state will not be be fooled again with such sugar coated statement of BJP visiting leader. The people were expecting huge development package to be announced during the visit of national BJP leader but to the utter dismay, no such announcement was made.

At least the BJP led Govt. at the center and its visiting leader should have announced to clear the pending package sanctioned during the UPA regime, APCC added.

were taught about the importance of Hand Washing Day and taught about the importance of washing hand with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

SHG Federation Formed in Diyun Circle

Diyun, 15 Oct: R.K. Mossang Memorial Society has formed an SHG Federation of the Shantipur and kamakhyapur villages of Diyun block namely

"PORONI" in a meeting organised on 26 Sept last amongst all the members of all the SHGs of Kamakhyapur and Shantipur village.

Smti. Sandya Rani Chakma

was selected as President while Smti. Bedna Chakma and Smti. Rita Chakma as Secretary and Treasurer. kamal Lochan Chakma is the Chief Advisor of the federation.

Land owner and ABSU (E) hit back, termed BBK’s resolution unfair

NEW CHURCH

DRCHO Roing and Dr Sadab Bogani Observer and representative from UNICEF New Delhi.

APCC questions how a MLA facing charge of PDS scam can be induct in the cabinet ET Bureau Itanagar, 15 Oct : Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee has poked fun at the statement of Mr. Ram Madhav, General Secretary, for proclaiming to make Arunachal Pradesh a ‘corruption free State’ while he was participating in the swearing in ceremony of Tamiyo Taga, MLA BJP into the Council of Minister.

All the time, BJP was alleging the former congress MLAs and Ministers as corrupt and now they all are in their house and further woo-

their culture to maintain its age old identity.

Apparel show on traditional and modern attires was also presented by the women.

Later, Director of RCCN

obesrves Global Hand Washing Day

ET Bureau Diyun, 15 Oct: Bridge of Hope Center, a Believers Church child care project of Gautampur, Diyun celebrated Global Hand Washing Day on 15th October, all the children

Cultural extravaganza steals the show at Nyirmen Alo Festival

Doyir Ete, senior citizen of Darka Village, Hikar Loyi head gaon burrah and selected senior women attended the cultural nite as chief guest, guest of honour and special guests on the occasion and narrated their

war materials and others. A traditional hut of the Sajolang community was also on display.

The festival committee released a souvenir book on the occasion – ‘Heritage, Culture and Habitat of Sajolang community through Chief Minister. This was followed by a traditional ‘Pong Ho’ dance, which is performed by male folks to drive away the evil spirit.

The festival was also attended by Parliamentary Secretary (Health & FW) Phurpa Tsering, Parliamentary Secretary (PHE) Kumsi Sidisow, West Kameng Deputy Commissioner Dr Sonal Swaroop and NEZCC Deputy Director D. Vashum.

Contd. from Page 1

Bordumsa, 15 Oct: A new church, Nocte Baptist Church was opened today in presence of the local MLA, Nikh Kamin and all the three Nocte Chiefs in Rajanagar 2 Village.

then we too are ready to follow the same path and will sale or donate other’s land without their consent or knowledge”, added Omak Rukbo. Rukbo also has questioned the credibility of BBK’s donation of Rukbo Morang (Greenfield) for New Market as BBK had said that the same land was already donated it to government in 1964. While, in a separate letter to President, BBK today, the sons of Rukbo family has also appealed BBK not to snatch away their lands and forcibly donate it to government without their consent.

Meanwhile, All Bogong Students’ Union (Elected) has also termed the resolution of BBK very unfortunate and biased. In a letter to President, BBK today, ABSU (E) led by Lungkang Ering and Talin Nonang, President and Gen. Secy. respectively, has clarified their stance on Pasighat, New Market and said that, they are simply pleading for justice to Rukbo family who are being deprived of from their basic ownership rights over their ancestral properties. We also supports the proposal of New Market, but let it be donated by its actual land owners who are already fighting a legal battle with the government

from last 10-15 years from now, said the union. Some vested few are in the run of the donation of the lands without the knowledge & consent of the land owners, perhaps eyeing for some personal benefits out of it, added the union.

So far about the nullification, ban on use of seal and pad of Bogong Students’ Union, Ering and Nonang writes the President, BBK that, the constitution of India has granted them certain rights under Article 19 (c) and Article 309, according to which BBK has no authority or power to nullify or ban any union or association as BBK is not a statutory body.

24 killed in a stampede at Rajghat Bridge in Varanasi Contd. from Page 1

People from different places participated in the procession moving towards Domari village to join the assembly. The entire route witnesses a massive traffic jam due to the huge gathering of people. The stamped occurred when people were moving downward from the Rajghat Bridge causing deaths of men and women.

One person died due to suffocation on the bridge

because of the surging crowd on the narrow Ganga Bridge leading to rumours which resulted in the stampede, ADG law and order Daljit Chaudhary said.

Spokesman of Jai Gurudev Sansthan Raj Bahadur said the devotees were proceeding towards the camp, but police started sending them back though they kept on thronging the bridge.

This led to rumours that the bridge ahead has collapsed leading to stampede, Raj Bahadur

said, alleging there was a serious lapse on the part of the administration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who is also the MP from Varanasi, expressed anguish over the incident and asked senior officials to take stock of the situation. He also announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured.

"Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the stampede in Varanasi.

Condolences to the bereaved families. Prayers with those injured," the PM tweeted.

"I have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected due to the stampede in Varanasi," he said in another tweet.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced an exgratia of Rs 2 lakhs each to next of kin of those killed and free treatment to the injured, who have been admitted to different hospitals in Varanasi and Chandauli, IG (Law and

Order) Hariom Sharma said.

Senior police and administration officials of Varansi and Chandauli have rushed to the spot to carry out relief and rescue operations.

Sharma said an inquiry will be instituted to ascertain if any lapses led to the incident.

Home Secretary S K Raghuvanshi and ADG (Law and Order) Daljit Chaudhary have rushed to monitor the rescue work, officials said in Lucknow.

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PAGE 5

NORTHEAST Cong suspends MLA Stop commercialisation of in Meghalaya education: Governor

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

Shillong, Oct 15: Congress has placed under suspension a legislator who rebelled against Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, following which five other members of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council tendered their resignations from the party.

The Chief Executive Member and legislator P N Syiem was suspended by the state party leadership for alleged "anti party activities" last night.

His suspension came as the party prepares to contest for seven vacant posts of the two tribal autono-

mous district councils.

Following the suspension order, five executive members in the Congressled People's Democratic Front coalition at the Council tendered their resignation from the party membership and supported Syiem as their leader.

Syiem openly rebelled against the chief minister and was the only legislator who did not resign from the membership of the council even as seven other legislators were forced to resign under the

new legislation passed by the state Assembly last year preventing legislators from holding two elected posts.

Congress has appointed Mansturdy Nongrem as the new parliamentary party leader in the council.

Syiem, who claimed to have the support of majority of the members at the council, said the appointment of Nongrem was not as per norm since the actual leader did not convene the parliamentary party instead a party functionary did it. (PTI)

Opinion Poll on Manipur: Another northeastern jewel in BJP's crown after Assam The survey says the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress may not win more than 19-24 seats in the forthcoming state election.

Imphal, Oct 15: Manipur will be the second north-eastern state after Assam to turn saffron, the media-Axis opinion poll has revealed.

If elections in the state are held today, the party is likely to unseat the Congress by winning 3135 seats.

That is a huge dent in the state so far dominated by the Congress, which had more than 50 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. However, with less than six months to go for the polls, as many as four Congress legislators have resigned from the party.

The survey says the Sonia Gandhi-led party may not win more than 19-24 seats in the forthcoming state election. In terms of vote share, that is three points less than the BJP's 40 per cent.

Also, more people (37 per cent) in the state agree with the BJP's mission of a Congress-free India than disagree (33 per cent). Nearly 30 per cent voters were not sure if a Congress-Mukt Bharat is a good idea.

The Manipur Assembly right now has an effec-

tive strength of 53 instead of 60 after three from Congress and four Naga Peoples Front MLAs resigned from the House recently.

ELECTION ISSUES The Inner-Line Permit (ILP) issue remains the biggest election plank for an overwhelming 62 per cent of the voters in Manipur. With the influx of foreign tourists and illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, the state wants ILP to protect its indigenous people.

The ILP is a government of India document to allow an Indian citizen access into a protected area for a limited period. Currently, it is operational in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.

The second major issue for Manipuri voters is better infrastructure (12 per cent) followed by more employment opportunities (11 per cent).

IROM SHARMILA REJECTED Interestingly, the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), for which Irom Sharmila went on a 16-

HIGHLIGHTS BJP is likely to unseat the Congress by winning 31-35 seats in Manipur.

Ahead of the polls, four Congress legislators have resigned from the party.

Survey says the Sonia Gandhi-led party may not win more than 19-24 seats.

year hunger strike, finds no resonance with the voters in Manipur. Only six per cent of those surveyed said they want the AFSPA to go.

Sharmila, once hailed as the Iron Lady of Manipur, has now been summarily rejected by her state.

While just one per cent of those polled said they want her as their next Chief Minister, a massive 75 per cent said her epic hunger strike against the Indian Army is no more an election issue.

When asked if they will vote for Sharmila if she contests the 2017 polls, 73 per cent of Manipur's electorate replied in the negative. While nine per cent said they will, 18 per cent were not sure.(Agencies)

Dimapur, Oct 15: Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya Friday called for a stop to 'commercialisation of education' and a complete relook at the education system saying that "graduation should not be the sole aim of universities of the country."

Addressing the first graduation day as well as foundation day of North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research (NEISSR) at Don Bosco Higher Secondary School campus, DBIDL hall Dimapur, Acharya said universities are the centres of knowledge but when commercial interests overtake national interests, it's time to redo the entire higher education field.

Acharya also said it was the responsibility of the universities to create a sense of nationalism among the students.

"They (universities) should make them (students) aware of the fact that their education is not just for them but for the entire community and country at large. If it is done nothing can stop In-

dia from marching ahead," Acharya stated. He said it was time for the universities to change their approach and come out of their ivory towers.

Also hitting out at a certain group of people of the state for the stalled railway project, the Governor said, "The project was initiated with much enthusiasm in the presence of Rail Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu but it has been stalled because people were whining about less compensation.

"They are not prepared to accept that the project is meant for them and ironically money has become the God in a Christian state," he added.

He further said nobody was going to make Nagaland a golden Nagaland unless Nagas come ahead and make it so.

Acharya stated there was no one to be blamed for Nagas being condemned economically but Nagas themselves.

He stressed the need of skill development among the

NSF urges gov for appointment of VC Dimapur, Oct 15: Naga Students' Federation (NSF) has appealed to Nagaland Governor & chief rector of Nagaland University to initiate the appointment of the Vice Chancellor (VC) at the earliest in the greater interest of the students' community. In a representation, NSF president Subenthung Kithan and asst. general secretary Kesosul Chistopher Ltu pointed out that the only

Central University in the state (NU) had been functioning without a VC since September 7, 2016 after Prof. BK Konwar completed his tenure. NSF said it was imperative that a competent authority (VC) be appointed for smooth functioning of the University keeping in mind the need and academic activities of the students and the University.(Agencies)

Pulitzer for music Dimapur, Oct 15: Henry Threadgill, husband of Senti Toy (sister of Temjen Toy IAS principal secretary to chief minister), was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for music at a ceremony in New York City last evening (Oct 13, 2016). CM's press secretary in a press statement quoting New

York Times said, Threadgill was known as "a composer and bandleader of intense, unyielding originality, and nobody's idea of a compromise." As a composer and multi-instrumentalist, Threadgill studied the composition at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. (Agencies)

Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya felicitating NEISSR student graduating students and said there was lack of dialogue between the universities and the traders and industries and thus there is no co-ordination between the demand and supply of human resources.

The governor further said there are enough resources in the state but they are not being utilized.

Acharya further appealed the students to make Nagaland a vibrant state.

"When an achiever be-

comes a giver, it is highest joy in life", he said.

Addressing the function as guest of honour, Nagaland University (NU) former pro vice chancellor Prof. A. Lanunungsamg Ao described it as the day for the students from where they have to start a new journey of life by committing and sacrificing more and more for the people of the country.

"From this day they will be known for whatever they

do and how they work will be an inspiration for many others," he said. He encouraged the students to go ahead with the journey with great dedication, simplicity, clear determination and sacrifice. "Don't forget to be a man of exemple, always try to be proud of where you are from," Prof.

Ao added.

Prof. Ao opined that Nagaland should have more autonomous colleges and post graduate colleges for the students which may improve the quality of higher education in the state.

Altogether, 43 students graduated with specializations in Community Development, Peace & Conflict Transformation Studies and Youth Development.

11 students specialized in Peace and Conflict Transformation, 12 students in Youth Development and 20 students specialized in Community Development.

Chairman message was delivered by Most Reverend Dr. James Thoppil. Bishop of Kohima Diocese. (Agencies)

Patton warns policemen not to take law into their own hands Kohima, Oct 15: In a stronglyworded statement, Nagaland Home minister, Y. Patton warned police personnel of stringent action if found taking law into their own hands.

Patton made this statement, based on several complaints received by the police department that some uniformed personnel were taking laws into their own hands.

"I would like to give you a gentle reminder that those defaming the department unnecessarily would be dealt strictly without any hesitations", said Home minister Y. Patton while addressing the attestation parade of the newly recruit 53rd batch NAP/IR havildars and constables at NAPTC ground, Chumukedima.

Patton was however, confident that the 443 new recruits (32 havildars and 411 constables) would not indulge in such activities. He further encouraged the new recruits to be ready to serve anywhere, as pledged, and to give their best services, wherever their posting place may be, with full commitment.

The minister expressed dismay that most of the uniformed per-

Y. Patton addressing the recruits during the attestation parade sonnel did not want to serve in remote areas, where their services were needed the most.

Patton also cautioned the uniformed personnel that he would ensured that no files would be processed for transfer and postings of their own choices.

"Keep in mind that department knows best as to where you would be placed. Therefore, I reiterate that all should respect your job, place of postings", said Patton.

While congratulating the new recruits upon passing out, Patton reminded them that the profession they have chosen was not only meant for survival but a bounden duty to contribute and to protect the society and nation.

The minister also presented the awards to the outstanding recruits-- constable Vehuyi Venuh (best in P.T., drill and all round), constable Vikedozo Yashu (best in weapon handling), havildar Asakho Joseph (best in BPET), constable Thungyamo K Shitio (best in firing), havildar Robin N Ngullie (best in indoor and best cadet havildar) and constable Hainsiugonbe Zeliang (best conduct).

The parade was commanded by dy. commandant NAPTC, Limatemsu Lkr NPS. Hundreds of parents and relatives of the young recruits and host of police officers attended the attestation parade. (Agencies)

CNTC's fact-sheet on Rongmei First computerized water tribe recognition issue Kohima, Oct 15: Reacting to statements made by some organisation(s) media cell of the Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC), stated it was high time that Nagas learnt to differentiate and to draw the line between facts and propaganda though it was not against Naga unity but unity cannot justify any member of any Naga tribe outside Nagaland to claim to be an indigenous tribe of Nagaland just because they are Nagas.

CNTC said it never objected to Rongmeis being accorded as the Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland state for those qualifying the norms of the Government notification April 28,1977 but will continue to oppose recognition of Rongmei as a tribe of Nagland with other Naga tribes of Nagaland till it is revoked.

Responding to Naga Hoho's allegations, CNTC accused NH of playing hide and seek by twisting the facts and the details. CNTC took umbrage on the NH's attack that its federated units(Ao, Lotha Sumi) were "trying to tarnish the image of the Naga Hoho, through undemocratic and unethical means" and exposing "their lack of farsightedness."

CNTC also termed as "totally baseless and a lie" the Naga Hoho denial that it

had received an official copy of the 30-day ultimatum that expired on August 31,2016 which had also been made public when it was issued. Media Cell disclosed that the CNTC ultimatum had been handed over personally by an executive of CNTC at the residence of the President Naga Hoho.

CNTC pointed that Naga Hoho belatedly summoned its assembly on September 28,2016 a month after the deadline expired, to discuss the Rongmei issue, in total disregard to the sentiments of Nagas of Nagaland.

CNTC said even before it took up the matter, other tribal organisations of Nagaland such as APO,CPO , ENPO, ZPO and NTC were already against Rongmei recognition.

Therefore, CNTC asked Naga Hoho as to how it can accuse CNTC of "misleading the Nagas?"

CNTC cited several decisions of the Angami Public Organisation (APO) on the Rongmei recognition issue: On July 3,2013 APO asked the chief minister to "derecognise the Rongmei community" and also to "put an end to move to recognise Mao community as an indigenous inhabitant tribe of Nagaland". On April 29,2013 meeting APO decided that opening doors for recognition of other Naga tribes from other states or

country would only lead to demand by other tribes of similar backdground as Maos, Poumais, Tangkhuls, Hemis etc.

APO expressed great concern over granting of indigenous inhabitant Naga tribe statues of Nagaland through modification of the April 28,1977 notification citing in particular, the case with Rongmeis in the 2012 recruitment drive for Graduate Teachers in Peren district wherein a person from Tamenglong district of Manipur obtained indigenous inhabitant Naga tribe/BT certificate as Zeliang tribe of Nagaland was duly recommended by NPSC for Deputy SP post reserved for Zeliang tribe under BT quota.

CNTC also pointed that ENPO at its executive meeting on May 4,2013 opposed the inclusion/recognition of Mao and Rongmei tribes in Nagaland and sought appropriate clarification from the state government in this regard.

CNTC also said Zeliang People's Organisation (ZPO) stated that the recognition of Rongmei was notified without ascertaining facts and without verification and valid reason in 2012. ZPO had also said that home commissioner Temjen Toy has however correctly pointed out

Zeliang tribe was included leaving out Rongmei tribe, as Zeliangs had their own ancestral land/territory in Nagaland; whereas Rongmei community members were "invited from Imphal valley during later part" on October 19, 1965 by the then Tribal Council Chairman Namgaheing Iheilung to "cultivate land" which was reclaimable as clearly stated in his appeal.

ZPO had also described the enumeration report submitted by the committee as "fictitious and baseless" and reiterated that the names of those (223) Rongmei enlisted in the list submitted was not from Peren district prior to the electoral roll of 1963 CNTC also pointed out that Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) recalled that the state government notification on August 4,2012 was in pursuance of the cabinet decision on July 23,2012 to recognise Rongmei as one of the Naga tribes. CPO also said such a status did not befit the community since it was already recognised as a tribe in Manipur besides not having any ancestral land in Nagaland.

CNTC also mentioned that the Committee headed by J. Alam, IAS Home commissioner, clearly stated in its report "such a status while entitling them to avail all the

benefits of reservation to pursue employment and education will not make them an indigenous Naga tribe of the State". It also said "Members of Rongmei community who are qualified as per the criteria as laid down" by notification dated April 28, 1977 were entitled to be an indigenous inhabitant of the state of Nagaland but that would not make them "indigenous Naga tribe of the state".

CNTC revealed, that the state cabinet had blatantly disregarded the findings of the Expert Committee by taking a political decision to recognise Rongmei as an indigenous inhabitant tribe of Nagaland on July 23,2012 against people's wishes.

Further, CNTC disclosed that four out of the eight cabinet ministers did not append their signature for Rongmei recognition.

CNTC also slammed Naga Hoho's plea that its September 22,2008 letter to the state government was just an opinion and view and not an endorsement. CNTC said the Naga Hoho letter dated September 22,2008 reads: " GRANTING of status of Indigenous Naga Tribe to Rongmei Community settled in Nagaland."

CNTC said "granting" was to surrender and much stronger than the word "endorse". (Agencies)

billing system launched

Er. Kruse launching the computerized water billing system.

Kohima, Oct 15: Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Kohima urban office became the first to launch computerised water billing system in the state after it was formally inaugurated by chief engineer PHED Er. Kevisekho Kruse.

Speaking at the launching programme, Kruse termed the occasion as a proud moment for the PHED as the system became operational from Friday. At a time when the department was struggling to carry the revenue collection through the conventional manual method of billing, chief engineer said that the introduction of computerised system would help the department in many ways.

With the introduction of the new system, he said manual errors would also be avoided.

Kruse also appreciated executive engineer PHED Urban division Kohima, Er. Vikeduolie , SDO Er. Nirie Nisa, officials and the firm Elysium Enterprise Nagaland for putting more effort and commitment in making the project successful. He said that the system was the long felt need of the department.

Kruse said the department was also working to open up more payment counters involving the services of the banks in the state capital for the conveniences of the consumers. Chief engineer informed that such more computerized billing system would soon be introduced in other parts of the state. At present, the department is catering to the water supply requirements of 6072 domestic consumers and 12 commercial consumers in Kohima, the chief

engineer said.

Further, Kruse appealed to the consumers to extend cooperation to the department by way of paying water tax on time and not to tamper the water supply assets when the department was working for the betterment of public service.

The chief engineer disclosed that ZarĂź water supply was expected to be commissioned within this financial year.

The department has also taken various measures for improvement of water supply in Kohima town so at least 50 litres per capita per day would be available during lean period.

For smooth implementation, Kruse urged the consumers to contact SDO or EE for any "genuine" complaints so their grievances would be redressed, instead of directly publishing the shortcoming to media.

On the occasion, the chief engineer announced that Kohima Urban division was the best performing division in terms of revenue collection out of 14 department's divisions in the state. He said Kohima division has set a target of Rs. 80 lakh revenue for this year.

Earlier, the programme, chaired by superintending Engineer PHED Kohima circle Er.Y. Tep, began with an invocation by Rev. Keviyiekielie LinyĂź pastor Ebenezer Baptist Church SepfĂźzou Kohima. (PTI)

EDITORIAL

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

Today's quote

“

Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny.

–Tyron Edwards

A return to Cold War tensions

A big foreign policy challenge awaiting the next U.S. President is the frosty relationship with an angry, resurgent Russia. Talk about a post-Cold War partnership between the world's two greatest military powers is now a thing of the past. It looks like a throwback to the Cold War days with Russia and the U.S. fighting a proxy war in Ukraine, leading two competing military operations in Syria and raising allegations and counter-allegations on a host of issues, ranging from human rights violations and breaking international norms to interfering in each other's domestic politics. Tensions came to a head this month when the U.S. pulled out of talks with Russia over the Syria conflict. This was immediately after President Vladimir Putin abandoned a key nuclear disarmament treaty with Washington, demanding the removal of sanctions on Moscow. If the belligerence and intransigence both countries display are any indication, international politics is set to get a lot more murky. There could be several triggers for this escalation, but the real problem is that the Cold War-era mistrust between Washington and Moscow was never really buried. Friction has been increasingly evident on the watch of President Putin, as he pursues an aggressive foreign policy framed around what he regards as Russian interests. This happened in Georgia in 2008, Ukraine in 2014 and Syria the year after. In turn, the Obama administration's coercive diplomacy in dealing with Russia's aggression has widened the rift. The suspension of Russia from the G8 moved Moscow farther away from the West, while sanctions negated the goodwill built, since the 1990s, between Moscow and the West.

To be sure, Russia is a shadow of what the Soviet Union was at its peak. Its economy is struggling in the wake of the slump in oil prices. Its currency is in a free fall. Its geopolitical influence is largely limited to the Central Asia and Caucasus. And its foreign policy doesn't have any high moral ground-the interference in Ukraine was a direct threat to the modern international system, while in Syria it's defending a brutal regime that's accused of killing its own citizens. But in an international system largely dominated by the U.S., Russia, still an extremely consequential military power, remains the key player whose cooperation is necessary to resolve several of today's crises. Treating it as a "rogue" nation or trying to isolate and weaken it through sanctions and other means could only be counterproductive. TheIran nuclear deal shows that even the most complex international issues could be resolved if Russia and the U.S. work together with creative diplomacy. Ideally, that should set the model for U.S.-Russia partnership.

Time to decongest our prisons The overcrowding of prisons in the country is a long-standing problem that is seldom addressed effectively. Even though the Supreme Court has, from time to time, raised the issue of prison reforms in general, and that of overcrowding in particular, measures to decongest jails have been sporadic and halfhearted. The issue is once again in the news, with the Supreme Court bemoaning that prisons in Delhi and nine States have an occupancy rate of 150 per cent of their capacity. The average occupancy in all jails in the country was 117.4 per cent, as of December 31, 2014. What makes the picture bleaker is that there is little change even though the court has passed a series of interim orders to the States on measures to decongest prisons. In particular, the court had on February 5 and May 6 this year spelt out steps that the authorities should take to reduce prison occupancy.

Cramped conditions in prison militate against the prisoner's right to good health and dignity. Further, as pointed out by the amicus curiae in this case, an excessive prison population creates problems of hygiene, sanitation, management and discipline. Of equal concern are the available staff strength and the level of training they receive.

It is unedifying to note that not one State or Union Territory has bothered to prepare a plan of action, as directed by the court five months ago, to reduce crowding and to augment infrastructure so that more space is available to each prisoner. The court received some information about proposals for constructing additional jails, but has found that these are only ad hoc proposals, with no indication of either a time frame or the resources provided for building these facilities. The court's sense of disquiet is understandable, as many States seem to ignore the obvious mismatch between the extent to which they keep the law and order machinery active and the space and resources provided for those jailed under such action.

Last year, it was found that a little over two-thirds of India's prisoners were undertrials. Poverty remains the main reason for this, as most prisoners are unable to execute bail bonds or provide sureties. Since 2014, there is some effort to invoke Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, under which under trials who have completed half of the maximum jail term specified for their offences may be released on personal bonds. But much more needs to be done. Failing to address the problem of crowded jails may prove costly for the administration of criminal justice.

PAGE 6

Literature, unplugged I

n 1997, Eric Zorn, a columnist in the Chicago Tribune, advocated for Bob Dylan to be awarded the Nobel Prize. "And though it's likely that snobbery will forever doom the chances of a folk-rock musician to join the roster of past winners that includes such literary giants as William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow and Toni Morrison," Zorn wrote, "the truth is that, for multifaceted talent with language and sustained international impact, few if any living writers are Dylan's equal."

A century earlier, in 1896, when the literature prize's founding charter was read out from Alfred Nobel's will, it recommended the award be conferred on the "person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction."

Charter from another age Alfred Nobel's directive was formed in a time when the nineteenth century forms of the novel and the short story, along with the classical mediums of poetry and drama, constituted the zenith of literary expression.

Nobel's charter could not have imagined how these forms would remain significant and robust, but steadily become inadequate in representing the whole of lived experience in the twentieth century, the most violent in human history.

As the Nobel approached its centenary, around the time of Zorn's plea to award Dylan the literature prize, it was clear that novels, poems, short stories and plays were not the sole expressions of literary prestige and value, but part of a wider constellation which included non-

W

e know for certain that cricket in India has changed for good. What we don't know is if it has changed for the better.

Three months removed from the historic Supreme Court of India verdict on the governance of cricket and the future of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), things will likely come to a contentious conclusion on October 17. In what is expected to be a conclusive order, the court will likely opine on the binding nature of the Justice R.M. Lodha committee's directives on the BCCI, and set into motion a transition in cricket administration that is unprecedented in the sports ecosystem, not just in India but anywhere in the world.

It all began in 2013 The origins of this dispute trace back to 2013, when spot-fixing, illegal betting, and eventually conflict of interest events were unearthed in the Indian Premier League, leading to a systematic investigation, inquiry, and eventually an order by the Supreme court.

Building on the findings of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal committee on the unsavoury aspects of cricket administration, the Justice Lodha committee in its report to the Supreme

fiction reportage, narrative history and biography, academic treatises such as Edward Said's Orientalism and - as acknowledged by Dylan's award - the great tradition of songwriting, coming of age in the radical tumult of the 1960s.

But, as recently as two years ago, there lingered the sense that the Nobel remained, to its detri- Vaibhav ment, too faithful to its founding charter and strangely reluctant to recognise the varied art forms that so powerfully enhanced our understanding of the modern age. For every inspired choice, such as J.M. Coetzee or Mo Yan, there was a J.M.G. Le ClĂŠzio and a Patrick Modiano, which was evidence of a wearing retreat into a provincial, post-war European vision, one curiously at odds with the epoch being lived by the vast majority of the world's citizens, of technological innovation, ever-imaginative

forms of state terror and modern, industrial forms of violence and devastation.

It seemed the Nobel committee was reluctant to recognise that Europe was no longer the centre of economic and intellectual ferment, that countries such as India and China would shape the destiny of our still-nascent century far more than the Old Sharma Continent.

Yet in an era of Europe's rapidly declining significance to the world at large, 15 of the past 20 Laureates (before Dylan) were European. In 2008, in a statement that might have been true five decades previously, Horace Engdahl, the then-permanent secretary of the Nobel committee, said, "Europe is still the centre of the literary world."

However, awarding the prize to Dylan, and last year to the Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich, allow us to tentatively suggest that the Nobel's horizons, at last,

may be becoming more expansive and modern.

The prize to Alexievich, a worthy successor to the great Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski, gave a clue to the Nobel committee's changing priorities. In a piece in the New Yorker, 'Nonfiction Wins a Nobel,' the writer Philip Gourevitch quoted from one of Alexievich's essays in which she declared that "art has failed to understand many things about people."

Alexievich argued that, in our present age, "when man and the world have become so multifaceted and diversified," journalistic documentation remained the best way of representing reality, while "art as such often proves impotent."

Capturing our age In his piece, Gourevitch narrated another fascinating exchange at the PEN World Voices Festival in New York where Alexievich stated: "I'd like to remember the great Chekhov, and his play 'The Three Sisters.' The main character in that play says over and over, 'Now life is terrible, we live in squalor, but in a hundred years, a hundred years, how beautiful, how fine everything will be.'

And what has happened a hundred years later? We have Chernobyl; we have the World Trade Towers collapsing. It's a new age in history. What we have experienced now not only goes beyond our knowledge but also exceeds our ability to imagine."

Alexievich's prize was, in a sense, the Nobel c o m m i t t e e ' s acknowledgement of a long-overdue corrective.

Dylan's award furthers that process, as if the Nobel

committee was hastily making amends for the decidedly narrow prism with which it viewed the artistic and cultural ferment of the past half-century. In the space of two years, the Nobel seems to have shed decades of conservatism, and twice redefined what it considers - and what we must consider - 'literature'.

It is also a powerful reinforcement of the oral tradition, the primary method of literary dissemination through the centuries, before the onslaught of print capitalism in the West began relegating it to the margins from the eighteenth century onwards. Salman Rushdie, delighted by Dylan's prize, told theGuardian: "The frontiers of literature keep widening and it's exciting that the Nobel prize recognises that." What a blow for diversity of literary forms that, to access the latest Laureate's work, we had to go to iTunes instead of Amazon.

Dylan's award may be something we may never see repeated, for he is a truly singular figure: a prophetic bard whose songs contained the force of immediacy, but were simultaneously universal and timeless. Some of the best music critics of our time, such as Alex Ross and David Hajdu, have written of Dylan's dexterity and towering influence across genres, which include blues, folk and rock-and-roll. The Nobel committee said they were giving the prize to Dylan as "a great poet in the great English tradition, stretching from Milton and Blake onwards." Some have even interpreted it as a lofty rebuke to the sleazy, dis-

maying political climate in the age of Trump.

Of equal relevance to the world of letters at large may be Dylan's stubborn refusal to become a pamphleteer and an easy vehicle for the partisan political passions of his age. A seer born of the counterculture of the 1950s and '60s, Dylan yet remained sceptical of the evangelist temper of anti-establishment politics and the constricting nature of political categories, animated by an Orwellian distrust of Utopias and wary of the artistic perils of political allegiance.

'A song and dance man' In his farsighted suspicion of all "isms" that ravaged the twentieth century, and in his demurral to be a spokesman for anything at all, Dylan's life has been a compelling case for an inalienable devotion to the integrity and autonomy of the artist. Perhaps there has been no greater, and simpler, expression of artistic independence than Dylan's declaration that "I am just a song and dance man."

No composer or songwriter is likely to win the prize again for a long while, but Dylan's prize is significant for it heralds the Literature Nobel's belated transition into the modern age. Zorn, the columnist in the Chicago Tribune, triumphantly noted those nineteen years too late, Dylan had finally got what he deserved. There are more correctives for the prize to make, such as overcoming the still dominant spell of Eurocentrism. But the literature prize, conceived in the nineteenth century, finally seems to be embracing the twenty-first.

Is this the final innings?

Court recommended the complete overhaul of cricket, in the interest of preserving India's favourite pastime for the Indian cricket fan. The Justice Lodha committee recommendations, altering the BCCI's fundamental structure along with a cleansing of the State cricket associations, were resisted by the Board and State associations. The Supreme Court accepted a majority of the committee's recommendations in its landmark verdict on July 18, 2016. The court appointed the Justice Lodha committee to enforce the directives, transitioning the committee from an advisory and investigative capacity to an enforcement and implementation role.

The committee set its first major deadline for implementation of its directives for September 30. The BCCI, however, sought respite from many of the directives, and enlisted the help of retired Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju to assess and advise on the Supreme Court verdict. In his report to the BCCI, Justice Katju recommended that it file a review petition before a full bench of the Supreme Court, and further suggested that the committee and the court had acted in a manner that

The pencil's tale An old pencil maker took his newest pencil aside, just before he was about to pack him into a box. Imagining the little fellow as a person he recalled a few things about the pencil.

"There are five things you need to know," he said to his pencil, "before I send you out into the world. Always remember these five things never forget them - and you will become the best pencil you can be!

"The first thing is to remember that you will be able to do many great things, but only if you put yourself in some-

implied judicial overreach. of September 30 for a SpeThe Board submitted a re- cial General Body Meeting view petition, but due to to discuss the Lodha some error in the submis- committee's recommendasion, it is not being pro- tions. The committee therecessed. fore submitted a status reMeanwhile, the Lodha port before the Supreme committee continued to Court on September 28, communicate with the which detailed what all had authorised BCCI officials, transpired from the July 18 with mixed results. Losing verdict till date, and it recpatience with the perceived ommended a radical overlack of communication and haul, including the removal intent by the BCCI, the of top BCCI officials to be committee clamped down replaced by an administraon the implementation re- tive committee to oversee quirements, and in early the Board. The court adSeptember, it stepped up the monished the Board, and offenset Octosive. The Desh Gaurav Sekhri ber 6 for tipping the next point came when the BCCI hearing, by which the Board conducted its Annual Gen- was required to respond to eral Meeting on September the committee's status re21. Having been given per- port. mission by the committee to Waiting for October 17 conduct its AGM on normal The situation escalated matters not extending to quickly thereafter. After major decisions for 2016- postponing the SGM to 17, the BCCI went ahead October 1 due to a techniwith major decisions in- cality, the Board accepted cluding one most irksome only some of the to the committee, announc- committee's recommendaing five selectors, some tions, rejecting the remainwith no Test match experi- ing ones including the age ence, for the national teams and tenure restrictions as in violation of the norms well as the 'one State, one given by the committee. vote' requirement for State Even more concerning to associations. Now the comthe committee, there mittee took things a step seemed to be no real intent further. On October 4, the by the BCCI to meet the committee sent a notice to deadline. In fact, puz- two banks where the BCCI zlingly, the Board set a date had accounts, directing

one else's hands.

"From time to time you will experience a painful sharpening, but remember that this will make you a better pencil.

"Also, keep in mind that you will be able to correct any mistakes you might make along the way.

"And the most important part of you is what's on the inside.

"And remember this, as well, upon every surface that you are used, you must leave your mark. No matter what else happens, you must continue to write."

It seemed the pencil listened to him and promised he would remember these five things so that he could live his life with heart and purpose.

them to freeze certain transactions made to State associations. The banks interpreted this to mean a complete freeze on the accounts, and informed the BCCI accordingly. The Board took this public, announcing that the clampdown meant that the ongoing series between India and New Zealand might need to be cancelled, a charge that the Lodha committee immediately refuted, clarifying that cricket matters were part of usual business and exempt.

On October 6, the court reprimanded the BCCI for not accepting all the recommendations, and demanded an undertaking from the Board by October 7 stating that it would accept all the recommendations, which the Board did not provide.

The court passed an interim order granting the BCCI until October 17 to provide the undertaking. It further put a freeze on the disbursement or use of funds to those State associations which had not implemented the committee's recommendations in total. It also, in a potentially problematic situation for the BCCI president, demanded a personal affidavit setting out the nature of his communication with the International Cricket Council regarding the committee's recommen-

dations. The background to the affidavit requirement was an alleged request by the BCCI to ask the ICC to write to it about there being governmental interference as a violation of the ICC's regulations which could lead to BCCI's derecognition. Should there be any gap between such an affidavit and any other substantive account of what actually happened, there is a risk of the BCCI president perjuring himself. Interestingly, the BCCI had earlier said that the committee's recommendation of having a CAG representative on the apex committee and the IPL governing council would be considered government interference, but in the October 1 SGM, had accepted the recommendation.

This has every appearance of being a conflict that isn't likely to be resolved any time soon. And while the court appears to have the intent to enforce the committee's recommendations, the BCCI might seek other options, including perhaps the support of a sports legislation that could address overlapping issues and be less restrictive. We know for certain that cricket in India has changed for good. What we don't know is if it has changed for the better.

A Bad Name The BJP-led Haryana government is set to rename the Chandigarh International Airport after Mangal Sen of the RSS, thus deciding against the earlier choice to name it after freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

This is an injustice to the country and its freedom fighters. The trend of glorifying political actors is nothing new, starting from schemes named after Gandhi and Nehru. This practice has reached the point that political parties don't hesitate to refuse to name locations after real national heroes, choosing political "advertisements" instead. This is deplorable.

Khirod Baruah Moran, Assam

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

BUSINESS

SpiceJet seals deal for over 100 aircrafts at $12 billion New Delhi, Oct 15: Indian budget carrier Spice Jet has finally sealed the deal for over 100 aircrafts valued around US $12 billion (over Rs 80,000 crore) by November.

Speaking to reporters at the Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YLFO) Spice Jet's chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said, "We are going to finalise the deal in a month or so."

The low-cost carrier would also buy five aircrafts from Boeing and lease three aircraft from Bombardier this financial year to increase daily flights and enter into newer international destinations.

"We have significant financial resources to fund the

A SpiceJet passenger aircraft prepares to land at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport in Ahmedabad

purchase of the aircrafts as we have been profitable for the past few quarters and also have significant ability to use the (credit) limits from banks," added Singh.

Spice Jet plans to tap two to three international destinations in the four to five hour haul from the current

presence in six countries including Dubai, Bangkok, Colombo and Maldives.

With a growing fleet of aircrafts which stands at 43 currently, the low cost airlines will also be hiring nearly 600 pilots taking the total to 1,000 in the coming few years. (Agencies)

Commission award and continuing traction in urban consummediaon," she said.

Midcap and smallcap stocks have been in action since the start of October. The S&P BSE Smallcap index rose over 2 per cent while S&P BSE Midcap index rose over 1 per cent during the same period.

"We are seeing good stockspecific action in the past few months, as we have seen the broader market making a high in the first week of September, but midcaps have seen some of performance over the broader market," Reliance Securities said.

"The Nifty Next50 made new highs in the first week of October. Monthly auto sales were pretty strong in the last month due to Diwali, which falls in the last week of the current month, and festive demand would reflect in the despatches for the current month in the consumer-oriented sectors," he said.

Will the rally continue?

Stock-specific action is likely to continue but the benchmark indices could remain under pressure for the rest of 2016. Some stocks even rose up to 70 per cent since September, which include names like Swan EnergyBSE -1.49 %

(up 70 per cent), Force Motors (up 17 per cent), Minda IndustriesBSE 1.37 % (17.28 per cent) and Aarti IndustriesBSE 0.55 % (16 per cent).

The broader market momentum will continue as the second quarter earnings season kicks off in the second week of the month. However, there are bigger chances of a correction if global markets start heading south.

The trending movement of the Nifty50 should take strong support at 8,470, which is the 23.6% retracement of the entire rise from 6,825 to 8,969 if the current rally falters from the current level, experts said.

"While the domestic market continues to be attractive on peer comparison, equity markets across the globe are likely to see risk aversion ahead of the US presidential elections, and with the pound's free fall keeping Brexit fears alive and present," Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit BNP ParibasBSE -1.52 %, told ETMarkets.com.

"The Nifty's downside extremities are 8,165 and 7,900 in the worst-case scenario, but we are likely to see a turnaround much sooner than that," he said.

(Agencies)

Russia plans $1 bn India joint fund, to pump $500 mn in NIIF

File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Benaulim, Oct 15: In a first, Moscow has agreed to pump in $500 million into the Indian infrastructure space, along with an equal investment by the newly formed National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF), to form a $1 billion 'Russian Indian Investment Fund'.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) will invest $500 million into the joint fund, which will support "attractive investment opportunities and growth of Russian business activity in India," RDIF chief executive Kirill Dmitriev said.

"The money will be invested in infrastructure projects with Russian component. We will look at energy, petrochemicals, transport infrastructure and dif-

BRICS Summit: India to purchase S-400 air defence system from Russia Another important deal is for four Admiral Grigorovich-class guided-missile stealth frigates

Sensex down 5% from Mt 29K, but over 120 stocks scale all-time highs New Delhi, Oct 15: The S&P BSE Sensex climbed Mount 29,000 in September and then retreated from there, but as many as 120 stocks on the S&P BSE500 index hit all-time high levels ahead of the festival season.

The S&P BSE Sensex closed at 29,045 on September 8 but it has lost more than 1,400 points since then to close at 27,643 on October 13, 2016.

However, stock-specific action was visible all over Dalal Street, with 55 stocks rising to fresh record highs in September while 65 stocks climbed to their respective all-time high levels in October.

"The stock-specific rally that we have witnessed in recent times was a function of two things: 1) strong fundamentals of underlying companies combined with a better outlook for growth; and 2) expected improvement in top line driven by growth in consummediaon particularly during the festive season," Nitasha Shankar, Head of Research, YES Securities, told ETMarkets.com.

"The latter is particularly applicable to those companies, which benefited from a revival in rural consummediaon, 7th Pay

PAGE 7

ferent projects where our companies can also have a foot in India," he told PTI over phone.

An agreement to start the fund, the first of its kind partnership for the newlyformed NIIF, will be signed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PresidentVladimir Putin on the sidelines of the eighth two-day BRICS Summit, he said.

Dmitriev said the actual money flow from the arrangement will be much higher as Russian businesses tend to invest a lot more when the RDIF signs agreements like these with any other country or institution.

"There would be more money from Russian banks, Russian companies and

other partners of the RDIF," he explained and pegged the actual investment from Russia, including those by companies, can go up to $8 billion through an arrangement like this.

Interestingly, at a time when India is actively considering to start projects connecting Iran with Central Asia, Dmitriev said the RDIF is also open to investing in other countries beyond India.

"Though most of the investments will be in India, some can also be outside of India. It can be in other countries as well," Dmitriev said.

The RDIF was started in 2011 to make equity co-investments alongside reputable internationalfinancial and strategic investors, while the NIIF was floated by the government last year keeping in mind the needs to put up infrastructure.

Having a corpus of Rs 40,000 crore, the NIIF is a vehicle to attract equity investments from domestic and international sources, and the government plans to contribute 49 per cent to the corpus.

It will invest into the infrastructure sector in commercially viable projects, both greenfield and brownfield, including stalled projects.

(PTI)

Goa, Oct 15: India on Saturday announced that it will buy the S-400Triumf air defence systems from Russia, worth over $5 billion, and collaborate in making four state of art frigates besides setting up a joint production facility for making Kamov helicopters.

The deals were announced following talks held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit being held here.

The development comes as Russia hopes to stave off tough competition from the Americans and the Europeans to continue being India's foremost defence supplier.

The most strategically important decision is the Inter Governmental Agreement for the purchase of S400'Triumf' long-range air defence missile system which has the capability to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km.

India and Russia have been in talks for over a year for the purchase of at least five systems of S-400 that will be a game changer in the region.

It is capable of firing three types of missiles, creating a layered defence, and simultaneously engaging 36 targets. If India signs the deal, it would be the second cus-

India gold discounts drop to nine-month low on pick up in festive demand Mumbai, Oct 15: Demand for gold in India, the world's second-largest consumer, picked up as the festive season began and discounts narrowed, while demand across rest of the Asia continued to improve.

Gold traded within a narrow range throughout the week, after falling nearly 5 per cent in the previous week.

Gold discounts in India narrowed to the smallest level in nearly nine months as prices fell during a key Hindu festival Dussehra boosted retail demand.

Dealers were offering gold at $2 an ounce discounts to official domestic prices this week, the narrowest since the week ending on January 23. Last week discounts were $4.

"During Dussehra demand was very good. Jewellery shops were crowded after a long time," said Fatechand Ranka, a jeweller based at Pune in western state of Maharashtra. India celebrated the Dussehra festival on Tuesday.

"At the end of the month we have Diwali festival. If prices remain at the current range, then certainly demand will remain robust even during Diwali."

Demand for gold usually strengthens in the final quarter of the year as India gears up for the wedding season as well as festivals such as Diwali and Dussehra, when buying the precious metal is considered auspicious.

Gold prices in India were about 29,700 rupees per 10 grams on Friday, after falling to 29,300 rupees on October 7, the lowest level since June 6.

"The improvement in retail demand has provided confidence to jewellers. They are now actively buying," said a Mumbai-based bullion dealer with a private bank.

Refiners and banks are raising imports as a sharp fall in discounts in the last few weeks made their business viable, he said.

Demand in top-consumer China rose after the week-long National Day holidays and premiums were quoted around $4 an ounce against the international benchmark.

"A healthy premium of local China gold prices to world price is encouraging physical purchases and is evidence of good demand," HSBC analyst James Steel said in a note.

"The resumption of China buying could be important."

In Singapore, premiums were mostly unchanged at 50 to 60 cents an ounce and prices were quoted at a premium of around 60 to 90 cents in Hong Kong.

"People are loving to buy at these levels. A lot of them are using physical gold as a hedge against the volatile stock markets," said Ronald Leung, chief dealer, Lee Cheong Gold Dealers, Hong Kong.

Prices in Tokyo were at a premium of 25 cents an ounce, unchanged from last week. (Agencies)

PM Modi to distribute 500 charkhas to women spinners in Ludhiana Khadi and Village Industries Commission Chairman V K Saxena said that the women spinners have been selected from different areas of Punjab.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi New Delhi, Oct 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute 500 traditional wooden charkhas (spinning wheel) to women spinners belonging to the five Khadi local institutions in Ludhiana on October 18.

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) said that following in the footsteps of late Congress leader K Kamaraj, "Modi would distribute 500 traditional wooden charkhas to 500 women spinners".

KVIC Chairman V K Saxena said that the women spinners have been selected from different areas of Punjab. "Five hundred

charkhas will create 500 direct employment at the doorstep of these villagers," Saxena said in a statement.

In Tamil Nadu in 1945, freedom fighter K Kamaraj donated 500 traditional charkhas to the local women spinners on the occasion of a spinning mela, he added.(MEDIA) Camediaon: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) said that following in the footsteps of late Congress leader K Kamaraj, "Modi would distribute 500 traditional wooden charkhas to 500 women spinners".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin. tomer of the prized missile system after China which had struck a $3 billion contract last year.

Another important deal is for four Admiral Grigorovich-class (Project 11356) guided-missile

stealth frigates.

Under this deal, two vessels will come from Russian and while the other two will be built in Indiawith Russian collaboration.

No decision has been made on the selection of the Indian shipyard.

This is in furtherance to the six Talwar-class frigates that Russia built for the Indian Navy between 2003 and 2013.

The complex agreement for production of 200 Kamov 226T helicopters domestically under a nearly $1 billion deal to replace the country's aging Cheetah and Chetak choppers is yet another important defence deal between the countries.

(Agencies)

Everything is going right for Indian economy, says Kamath Goa, Oct 15 : Sounding exuberant, veteran banker and New Development Bank (NDB) President K V Kamath has said everything is going right for India at present and the third largest Asian economy will witness a "sudden umediack" in fortunes soon.

"Everything is going right... the government should keep the accelerator fixed firmly to the ground," Kamath, who is credited for the growth of ICICI Bank into biggest private sector lender, told MEDIA here.

"I would think the economy is set for a sudden umediack in 12-18 months," he added. Listing out reasons for his bullishness, Kamath gave a slew of positives including the control over inflation which is leading a "dramatic fall" in interest rates and passage of the crucial indirect taxation reform, GST. "I look at India very positively from several angles," he said, adding that factors like foodgrain management reforms and deploying hidden wealth for pro-

K. V. Kamath

ductive purposes through the Income Disclosure Scheme (IDS) are also very positive.

He said the rapid adomediaon of technology will only help through several applications, including when used for tax collections.

The banker also said he does not see the high asset quality stress as a concern which will impede development.

Kamath, who took over as the first president of the Shanghai-headquartered NDB, said the bank promoted by the BRICS grouping is targeting to more than double its loan book in 2017.

As against USD 1 billion which it expects to close 2016 with, NDB will have a book of USD 2.5 billion by end of 2017, he said.

As it deepens its spread, the bank will focus on local currency borrowings, he said.

It has already done a successful Yuan issue in China and is also looking to do a masala bond issue early 2017 to raise rupee-denominated debt, he said.

NDB is also in the process of ramping up its staff strength and shall see the overall employee base touch 300 people in the three years from present 50, he said.

It is also setting up a regional office in South Africa very soon, he said.

The bank is also in the process of getting an international rating soon, after which it will be able to raise money by issuing masala bonds, he said.

(PTI)

Nifty at inflection point; a break below 8,500 could reverse trend Mumbai, Oct 15: The Nifty50 opened the week with a bearish undertone, but fell violently in response to global events. US unemployment claims reached a record low of 46 years.

In addition, minutes of the meeting of the US Federal Reserve pointed to an imminent rate hike in December, which led to some profit booking across asset classes.

Not-too-encouraging Chinese trade data also renewed concerns over a possible yuan devaluation. Domestic data releases pointed to some surprises, while inflation scored a low of 3.88 per cent from a high of 5.95 per cent registered in August, raising hope of faster rate cuts at home.

Indirect tax collections rose by a staggering 25 per cent for six months, indicating robustness at the ground level. The macroeconomic numbers are extremely ex-

citing from a long-term secular bull market's perspective, though the market may keep on responding to global and local issues in the short term.

Key events of the week: The Ruia Brothers, promoters of the Essar group, finally are left with less than 5 per cent in Essar OilBSE -0.15 % after months of protracted deal making.

Essar group's debt will finally drop by half from Rs 88,000 crore, which is one of the biggest in the private sector.

The deal can have larger repercussions on the balance sheets of the PSU banks in the coming quarters once the deal is consummated. The bankruptcy code and sweeping changes in the ease of doing business can indirectly be credited for such a gigantic deal.

Technical outlook: The Nifty50 continues to test key support area at

8,550. The correction seen in last three weeks has reached the tipping point, which will either make or break the market in the near term.

The decisive breach of the 8,500 level in Nifty50 will break the sequence of higher tops and higher bottoms, which may give an indication of major changes in the market trajectory to either a long correction or a beginning of a bear market.

However, the longer corrective pattern seems like more of a reasonable scenario if the levels are breached.

Still, the sequence of the higher tops and higher bottoms is intact.

Medium-term positional traders should trail their long positions and can buy on dips with a stop loss placed at the 8,500 level. Investors are advised to again start accumulating quality stocks to build long-term portfolios. (Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

INTERNATIONAL

Kashmir issue 'main cause of unrest' in region: Sharif Islamabad, Oct 15: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said Pakistan is ready for talks with India if New Delhi was serious to resolve the Kashmir issue which, he said, is the "main cause of unrest" in the region.

Pakistan had offered talks on outstanding issues several times but India did not reciprocate, he told reporters in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he wrapped up a three-day visit.

"Kashmir was main cause of unrest in the region andIndia must show seriousness for resolution of the issue and honour its commitment under United Nations Security Council Resolutions," Sharif was quoted as saying by Associated Press of Pakistan.

Pakistan was committed

14 dead as pro-govt fighters squeeze IS in Libya's Sirte Sirte, Oct 15: At least 14 pro-government fighters were killed in clashes with the Islamic State group in the jihadists' former Libya bastion of Sirte, a medical source said.

"Fighting today began at 9am (0700 GMT) and the toll to now is 13 dead and 25-30 wounded," hospital official Abdellatif Abdel Ali said yesterday.One fighter, who was shot, later died after being operated upon. Ali said the majority of those killed were shot in the head by sniper fire.

Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) have cornered IS fighters in Sirte, 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli, since launching an offensive on May 12.

After a pause in fighting on Thursday, pro-GNA fighters resumed the battle against IS holdouts in a seaside residential district of Sirte.

At least three US air strikes hit IS positions yesterday, an AFP journalist in the city said.

A pro-government forces commander told AFP that IS snipers were slowing the antijihadist advance.

"These gunmen are well trained and equipped. The haven't given in even with air raids and the seige we've imposed on them," Al-Hedi Issa told AFP. "So we prefer to advance slowly in order to preserve the lives of our fighters."

The fighting has left more than 550 GNA fighters dead and 3,000 wounded. The IS death toll is not known. (PTI)

Blow to Libya unity government as rival seizes offices The Government of National Accord is the centrepiece of Western hopes to stem an upsurge of jihadism in the North African nation and halt people trafficking across the Mediterranean that has led to thousands of drownings.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. to peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, he said.

Sharif dismissed India's allegations that Pakistan was behind the attack on an Indian army base camp in Uri, saying India levelled allegations against Pakistanwithin six hours of the incident.

He said no infiltration took place across the Line of Control (LoC).

Sharif's statement comes amid strains in the relations between Pakistan and India in the wake of the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed last month. (PTI)

Hate crime charges filed against attackers of Sikh man New York, Oct 15: Hate crime charges have been filed by authorities against a group of men who brutally attacked a 41-yearold Sikh-American man, knocking off his turban and cutting his unshorn hair with a knife.

Maan Singh Khalsa, a father and IT specialist in California, said the charges against the men who attacked him are the first step to addressing violence and bigotry, which plague communities across the United States.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office filed hate crime charges against Khalsa's attackers on Friday.

"The assailants violently targeted my Sikh faith. I am thankful to the Richmond Police Department and Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark Peterson for ensuring that my attackers were charged with hate crimes," Mr. Khalsa said in a statement issued by The Sikh Coalition.

Mr. Khalsa was driving home on the night of Sep-

PAGE 8

tember 25 when a group of men in car threw a beer can at his vehicle.

When Mr. Khalsa questioned the men, they began abusing him.

Mr. Khalsa drove away from the scene but the men followed him and assaulted him through his open car window, knocking off his Sikh turban and hitting his face repeatedly.

Mr. Khalsa said there were "five to six white males in their late 20s to early 30s" who abused him and three of them then attacked him physically.

Shouting that Mr. Khalsa's hair should be cut off, the men pulled his head out of the window, and cut a fistful of his unshorn hair with a knife.

Mr. Khalsa had also sustained injuries to his fingers, hands, eye and teeth.

The Sikh Coalition, the nation's largest Sikh civil rights organization, had written to the Richmond Police Department and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office on behalf of Mr. Khalsa, urg-

ing authorities to conduct a hate crime investigation and prosecution in the case.

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said they do not condone such a crime in Richmond nor in America.

The Sikh Coalition said in the 15 years that have followed the 9/11 terror attacks, Sikhs remain hundreds of times more likely to be targeted in cases of profiling, bigotry and backlash than the average American.

"These hate crime charges ensure that the bias-based nature of the assault on Mr. Khalsa will be addressed during the prosecution," said Sikh Coalition Legal Director, Harsimran Kaur.

"The purpose of prosecuting bias-motivated assaults as hate crimes is not to impose harsher penalties.

Instead, the purpose is to mitigate hatred in our society and ensure that we are all free to safely pursue the American dream regardless of our race, ethnicity, or religion," she said. (PTI)

US tells Pakistan to delegitimise all terrorist groups in country

US President Barack Obama meets Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

Washington, Oct 15: The US told Pakistan on Friday to take action to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil.

"We continue to urge Pakistan to take action to combat and delegitimise all terrorist groups operating on its soil," State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference.

"Obviously Pakistan has suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists and violent extremists. We want to help Pakistan confront this terrorist threat, but we also want Pakistan also to go after those terrorists who seek and sometimes find safe haven on Pakistan territory," he said in response to a question.

His remarks come amid heightened tensions be-

tween India and Pakistan following the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed and India's surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC on the intervening night of September 28 and 29.

Earlier this week, in a clear indication of its support for India's surgical strikes in PoK, the US said it empathises with the Indian position that it needs to respond militarily to terror threats and dubbed the Uri attack as a "clear case of cross-border terrorism".

The US had also called for greater cooperation and dialogue between India and Pakistan to bring down tensions and said that they should adopt a "conciliatory approach" to resolve their "contentious issues". (PTI)

Tripoli, Oct 15: Libya's UN-backed unity government has suffered a blow in its Tripoli base when a rival seized key offices in the capital and proclaimed the reinstatement of the former administration.

The Government of National Accord (GNA) is the centrepiece of Western hopes to stem an upsurge of jihadism in the North African nation and halt people trafficking across the Mediterranean that has led to thousands of drowning.

It was intended to replace two rival administrations, one in Tripoli and one in the eastern Cyrenaica region.

But late on Friday the head of the former Tripolibased Government of National Salvation, Khalifa

Ghweil, proclaimed its reinstatement from the offices of a key consultative body of the GNA. Ghweil has never accepted the legitimacy of the UN-backed government which took control of the administration in Tripoli in April.

He is subject to international sanctions, renewed by the European Union just last month.

In his statement, he declared all members of the GNA "suspended from their duties".

The UN-backed government riposted with a statement threatening to arrest "those politicians who‌ attempt to create parallel institutions and destabilise the capital."

It condemned "efforts to

The UN-backed Libyan government riposted with a statement threatening to arrest "those politicians who‌ attempt to create parallel institutions and destabilise the capital." sabotage the political agreement" brokered by the UN last December and denounced the seizure of the Council of State building by an "armed group."

The persistent chaos has hobbled Western efforts to

main stronghold.

The authorities in Cyrenaica still refuse to cede power, bolstered by the backing of the wellarmed militia of controversial military strongman Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Libya has two rival parliaments, both elected since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The first, elected in 2012, is dominated by Islamists.

It appointed the Tripoli government.

battle a growing jihadist presence in Libya, which has been the launchpad of deadly attacks on holidaymakers in neighbouring Tunisia.

The western Tripolitania region had been the GNA's

The second, elected in 2014, is not controlled by the Islamists but it is marred by a controversial court decision declaring its election illegal. It appointed the Cyrenaica-based administration. (PTI)

India-US trade relationship to grow: Michael Froman

India, US having frank, open conversation on BIT: official

India had been successful in increasing its growth rate, and is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world Washington, Oct 15: Describing the reforms undertaken by the Indian government as "work in progress", a top Obama Administration official has linked the growth in bilateral trade between the two countries to India opening up and liberalising its economy.

"Prime Minister Modi came in with a very ambitious agenda, including improving the business environment, the Make in India initiative, the Digital India initiative," US Trade Representative Michael Froman told PTI in an exclusive interview ahead of his next week's travel to India to attend the US-India Trade Policy Forum meeting.

There have been a number of important reforms - the Goods and Services Tax bill, the Bankruptcy Law, the creation of commercial courts, the issuance of a national IP strategy, the opening of certain sectors to investment that are important and help contribute to a better business environment, he said.

"However, it is a work in progress, and there continues to be issues around investment and restrictions that can be addressed in order to improve the business environment," said Froman who is scheduled to travel to Mumbai and New Delhi next week.

One of the key architects of India-US trade relationship in the Obama Administration, Froman said India had been successful in

Pic for representation purpose. increasing its growth rate, and is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

"And as it opens up to further trade and investment, I think we will see the relationship expanding further," he said when asked about the timeline to achieve the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama to increase the bilateral trade to $500 billion a year.

"The United States is quite an open economy, so the key is that as India continues down the path of reform, and opens and liberalises its economy, it will help grow the US-India trade relationship," Froman said.

In Mumbai on October 19, Froman is expected to meet with the private sector, and on the next day he would be in New Delhi for the US India Trade Policy Forum meeting.

The Indian delegation

would be led by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman.

"This is a good opportunity to have another Trade Policy Forum. Over the last few years, we have seen enhanced engagement through the Forum on a whole array of issues, and it has proven to be a useful Forum for getting the issues on the table," he said.

"The US and India have a $109 billion trade relationship, but given the size of our economies, and how much we have in common, we could be doing a lot more. The TPF is one mechanism for us to address the issues so that we can expand our trade and investment relationship," he said.

Froman said the Obama Administration had worked with India on an array of intellectual property rights issues.

"We both care a lot about

strong copyright protection and the enforcement of copyrights, and the new (Indian) National Policy includes a focus on trade secrets, which we think is important. We appreciate the process that India went through in developing its IPR Policy," he said.

"We continue to work in the pharmaceutical area, and we very much believe that there is no contradiction in promoting innovation and promoting access," Froman said.

Asserting that the US is very much committed to the public health objective, Froman said with the government of India, the Obama Administration had talked about a whole array of issues about access to medicines, including tariffs on imported medicine and opening up the health services market so that there are more providers in the market.

"We try to take a holistic approach to this," he noted.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have very high safety standards, he said, when asked about the delay in FDA's clearances for Indian drug and pharma companies.

"We do not compromise that for anybody. The primary mandate of the FDA is safety. I'm sure it is a process that takes some concerted effort, but at the end of the day, it means that Indian firms will be meeting a very high standard," he observed. (PTI)

New York, Oct 15: India and the US are having a "very open and frank conversation" on the ambitious bilateral investment treaty whose model drafts have been exchanged between the two countries, a top American trade official has said.

Those conversations continue, and it has been a "very open and frank conversation, which we welcome," said the top most trade official of the Obama Administration, who has been a key architect of the India-US trade relationship in the last eight years.

Responding to a question on increasing trade disputes between the two countries, in particular at the World Trade Organization, he said this is normal given the increase in bilateral India US trade.

"Having disputes is part of a normal economic relationship," Froman said.

"The fact that we have a dispute settlement body is precisely to make these sorts of issues part of the normal course of interaction among trading partners. I think the WTO has been very successful in that regard, and that is why so many parties rely on the WTO," he said.

"The fact that we have a dispute settlement body at the WTO to channel these issues means that we can continue to develop our economic and strategic relationship, at the same time we deal with outstanding trade concerns," Froman said.

Acknowledging that increase in H-1B visa fee is an issue of great interest and importance to India, Froman, however, pointed out that in 2015, Indian nationals received 69 per cent of all H-1B visas and 30 per cent of all L1-B visas.

"The United States relies on talent from around the world in our economy and that's why we have these programmes.

There is no intent to discriminate against anybody in that process," he said.

Froman said as of now there was not much progress on India's membership to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

"APEC is a consensus-based organisation, and right now there is no consensus about how to deal with membership expansion," Froman said in response to a question. (PTI)

Indian move to seal border 'contrary' to its peace claims: Pak Islamabad, Oct 15: Pakistan has said that the Indian move to completely seal the 3,323-km-long border between the two countries by December 2018 would be "contrary" to the Indian position of establishing a peaceful neighbourhood.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said the announcement by Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier this month that India will "completely seal" the border with Pakistan by December 2018 was contradictory to the Indian stand of establishing a peaceful neighbourhood.

"On the one hand, they talk of establishing peaceful neighbourhood, and on the other hand their actions contradict their claims," he said yesterday in response to a question.

Zakaria, however, said India has not yet officially communicated to Pakistan about the decision.

"India has not formally conveyed any such plan (sealing the border) to Pakistan. We don't have the details," he said.

Rajnath Singh had said India was planning to seal the entire border with Pakistan

by December 2018 and that a proper monitoring mechanism, including the

A file photo for representation purpose. use of technology, would be in place for the purpose.

His announcement had come after he reviewed the

security situation along the border with ministers from four states - Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Gujarat - that share border with Pakistan.

The announcement was also significant as it came in the wake of increasing tension between India and Pakistan after surgical strikes by army on terror camps across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 28.

The surgical strikes were in response to an attack on an Indian army base in Uri on September 18 in which Pakistan- backed terrorists killed 19 Indian soldiers.

(PTI)

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

PAGE 9

EDUCATION A Career in Computer Science Engineering jects like math, physics and chemistry. If you want to pursue a degree in computer science, then you have to score 50% aggregate in your 12th class and the mandatory subjects are physics, chemistry and math.

Those who want to pursue computer science engineering should focus on these subjects so that they get the best score needed to enroll in colleges of choice.

What is computer science engineering?

The underlying goal of computer science engineering is to develop better computing solutions for practical problems.

You can also earn a master's degree upon completing the degree course. Also, you can take up a degree course after earning a diploma.

Qualification To earn a diploma you have to first pass your 10th class with a 50 % aggregate in compulsory sub-

Academic program The degree course in computer science engineering comprises eight semesters, while the diploma has a total of six semesters.

The syllabus comprises various subjects related to

This can come about either in the form of making new products, or theoretical developments that provide the basis for newer classes of solutions, better hardware, etc.

Almost every computer system falls under the purview of computer science engineering, be it network applications, social media platforms, knowledge management systems, collaboration software, system software, embedded software, etc.

How to become a computer science engineer To be a computer science engineer, you have to ei-

ther choose to earn a diploma certificate or a degree course. While a di-

ploma takes three years, the degree course will take four years. After this you

can earn a B.E./B.Tech. or diploma in computer science.

computer software, hardware and its application.

The main subjects are database systems, computer architecture and organization, electronics, networking, operating systems, Ecommerce and ERP and multimedia applications, foundations of computer systems, programming, and website design.

You can also go for advanced courses with a specialization field.

Scope and career you can work in database management, telecommunication sector, IT field, computer hardware and software implementation and maintenance, gaming, web designing, embedded systems, multimedia, and in various other industries that need computer application. An important fact to note is that now a days, every field and every industry needs computers in their field, which is why computer engineers are always in demand.

Core companies offering jobs Some of the government sectors are ECIL, DRDL, ISRO, BEL, etc.; also, there are plenty of multinational companies and some Indian companies like Infosys, Wipro, Oracle, TCS, HCL Technologies, Oracle, IBM, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco, Google, and many more.

Pay scale Salaries are very attractive in this field. For freshers, the first salary will be

around Rs. 3 to 4 lakhs per annum. But, with experience and knowledge, the salary will drastically

improve. There are plenty of high-paying jobs abroad for those who wish to work abroad.

what tradeoffs they're willing to consider to get a job.

For example: 68% would do an internship after graduation to get a foot in the door, compared to 75% of all respondents.

46% would consider

working in an industry that wasn't their top choice, compared to 52% of all respondents.

line of all is that computer science continues to be a great choice of major of students, and the students know it. As Parcells told me, computer science "is an incredibly in demand major and a high value major for students."

Computer science students are in demand and they know it If you’re a college student trying to pick a major that will maximize your career prospects, it’s no secret that computer science is a good choice. There’s no shortage of data, reports, and surveys which find that people with CS degrees can expect some of the some of the highest starting salaries of any field of study. Now comes a new survey of recent college grads which shows again that students who major in computer science have excellent job and salary prospects.

The survey was conducted by Looksharp, a marketplace for internships and entry-level jobs, which published the results last week in its State of College Hiring Report 2015. Looksharp surveyed 50,000 U.S. college students and recent graduates this past April about their experi-

ences with recruiting for internships and full time jobs. Some of the general findings, across all majors, were that students who had multiple paid internships, took online courses, and had higher GPAs had greater chances of landing full time jobs at graduation.

In addition to the published results, Looksharp was kind enough to share with me some additional data specific to computer science graduates, all of which support the notion that studying CS is a wise career choice.

Here are some of the key CS-related findings.

Computer science majors have some of the best job prospects The survey found that, of all students who had graduated the year before (in 2014), less than half, 45%, had full time jobs at the time of the survey. However, of

those students who studied computer science, 61% had full time jobs, tops among all majors besides military science (62%) and better than the rate of 50% overall for STEM grads in general. Additionally, 31% of CS majors had full time job offers by graduation, which ranked third behind finance majors (38%) and those studying mechanics and repair (33%).

Computer science majors make the most money Of all majors, students studying in CS had the highest average starting salary, $66,161, followed by engineering ($65,000), math and statistics ($60,300), economics ($58,600), and finance ($58,000). In addition, 32% of CS grads had a starting salary of over $75k and 13% started at over $100k.

Computer science majors know their value The survey shows that CS majors are aware that their degrees are valuable; on average, they expected a starting salary of $68,120, slightly above the actual average starting salary of $66,161.

In addition, 73% of them expecting a starting salary over $55K (compared to 70% who actually got that much) and 12% expected a starting salary of over $100k, slightly less than the 13% of them who actually got 6-figure jobs. As Looksharp's CMO Nathan Parcells told me via email, "It shows that students understand how in demand the CS major is and that it can command a 6 figure salary immediately out of school."

In fact, those CS student

at the high end should continue to increase their expectations since, as Parcells explained to me, the practice of capping entry-level salaries is starting to erode as companies vie for new developers. "Some growing tech companies do negotiate and are willing to offer this large salary to top CS talent," he said.

Even non-CS majors see the value of computer science classes The survey found that 53% of all students, regardless of major, had taken computer science classes, "oftentimes with the express purpose of standing out in the job market," Parcells wrote in the survey report.

Among non-CS majors, business students led the way with 69% of them taking CS classes. These results, Parcells told me, show "how pervasive that skill set is becoming for students wanting to make an impact in their career."

CS grads are pickier about the jobs they'll take Given that computer science majors know they're in-demand, it's not surprising that the survey also found that they are a little pickier than other students about

39% would consider taking a job with a less than ideal work-life balance, compared to 52% of all respondents.The bottom

NATION

DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

PAGE 10

Brics Summit 2016 Goa: India, Russia hold PM Narendra Modi expresses grief over loss of lives in wide-ranging talks, sign 16 agreements Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also hold extensive bilateral talks with heads of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa on the sidelines of BRICS summit Goa, Oct 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held delegation-level talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa. Both leaders later made statements detailing the partnership between the two countries. India and Russia signed a total of 16 agreements mostly in the fields of defence, energy, power, shipbuilding and space.

Both PM Modi and President Putin also lay the foundation of units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam nuclear plant via video conferencing.

"We agreed to work on an annual military industrial conference that will allow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, shakes hand with Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to their annual bilateral meeting, in Goa, India, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016.

stakeholders on both sides to institute and push collaboration," said PM Modi.

He called Russia an 'old friend of India.'

Top heads of state including Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African president Jacob Zuma are in Goa to attend the 8th BRICS

Leave no space for opposition, Naidu tells colleagues Vijayawada, Oct 15: Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today directed his party leaders to ensure no space is left for "opposition" and the TDP remains in power for the next 20 years in the state.

"There shouldnt be any space for opposition (parties) in the state. Take it seriously. Work with a concrete plan and display organised skills. We can reach the desired goals only when there is no opposition," Chandrababu told TDP ministers, MPs, MLAs and other senior leaders through a teleconference here today.

"My life is an example of

value-filled politics and honest business. Everyone should have only positive thoughts and work for strengthening the party. If the state has to benefit in the long-term, the TDP has to be in power for 20 years," a party press release said, quoting Chandrababu.

He said there was a need for "political consolidation" in every district and every constituency.

"I am able to run my business (Heritage Foods) successfully without even a small help from the government. This was possible with the cooperation of farmers, family members and mettle of the staff. If I do something wrong, it will

spread across the state," Chandrababu pointed out.

He asked the leaders to work efficiently so as to strengthen the party among all sections of the society.

"Counter the venomous propaganda of the opposition parties and dispel any misgivings among people about the government programmes. Development of the state and welfare of people is a yagna I am performing and everyone should join hands with me," the TDP chief said.

He directed the party rank and file to be geared up for the upcoming elections to the Legislative Council elections from Graduates and Teachers constituencies.

(PTI)

Delhi govt schools conduct second mega PTM New Delhi, Oct 15 :Keen parents flocked to Delhi government-run schools today to get feedback on performance of their wards at the second mega parent teacher meeting organised to increase interaction between the two.

First edition of this exercise was carried out in July by the AAP government with an aim to improve overall performance of the students.

"The first PTM had got good response and we were getting repetitive queries from parents and even teachers about when will the next PTM be held. Parents and teachers need to have an engagement to ensure better nurturing of children," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.

"We will plan a similar exercise every 3-4 months to ensure that the engagement continues. Parents have found the perfect window or platform to engage and interact with their children's teachers. It is an opportu-

nity for both stakeholders to understand the child's requirements better," he said.

Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister had visited some schools in his constituency to meet parents and oversee the conduct of the PTM. PWD Minister Satyendra Jain and Labour Minister Gopal Rai also visited many schools and interacted with parents and children.

More than 1,000 government-run schools also handed out report cards to parents today even as some teachers had complained of less time to prepare the results as schools were closed for Dussehra break.

The Directorate of Education had issued detailed instructions for heads of schools to conduct teaching-learning assessment before the PTMs. The teachers were also asked to use "positive" terminology while giving feedback to the parents.

In the first PTM held on July 30, parents of at least 70 pc students turned up at

Tusker hit by train in U'khand A young elephant was badly injured in the wee hours today after being hit by an express train between Raiwala and Motichur near here.

Rishikesh, Oct 15: The tusker, aged around 20 years, was chewing up leaves of trees close to the tracks when the mishap occurred, Rajaji Tiger Reserve Director Sanatan Sonkar said.

It was hit from behind by the Nanda Devi Express coming from New Delhi and left badly injured.

Traffic along the tracks from Dehradun to

Haridwar and Rishikesh was disrupted for hours due to the incident, he said.

The pachyderm has been brought to Chilla range of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve for treatment, the official said.

The railway track has now been cleared and movement of trains along the section restored, he added. (PTI)

summit. Representatives from the BIMSTEC countries will also be present at the summit. BRICS is an association of emerging national economies comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

This year's summit is themed on 'Building Responsive, Inclusive and collective solutions.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in the state Friday night, will be hosting a dinner for the state heads Sunday night. While the meetings are happening at multiple venues in the coastal state, the Leela resort is the place where all these leaders and their key delegates will be converg-

ing for the state dinner, a hotel spokesperson told PTI. The resort, that overlooks the tranquil Sal river and the lofty Betul mountains, is situated on the pristine Mobor beach.

Pakistan, with whom India is currently having increased tensions, is likely to be the flavour of the summit. When PM Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping later Saturday for bilateral talks, the foreign leader is likely to impress for resumption of engagement with Pakistan. Sources told the Indian Express that if India and the region have to develop, then Beijing must tell Islamabad to mend its ways.

BJP may call mid-term polls in states after PoK strikes: Kamat Bikaner, Oct 15: Congress leader Gurudas Kamat has said the BJPmay try to milk political advantage out of the Army's surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by calling for mid-term polls in multiple states, and asked party workers here to be prepared for all eventualities.

Addressing Congress workers at a state-level programme here yesterday, Kamat alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are taking "unwarranted" credit for the Army action, in the pollbound state of Uttar Pradesh.

He said mid-term elections

in some states are possible as the government was intent on taking advantage of the strikes and told party workers to be prepared for them.

The Congress leader said that such military action happened during the UPA rule as well, but the then government did not seek to take credit.

PCC President Sachin Pilot said the Congress was not fighting against any individual, but rather against an ideology.

"We have concerns for farmers and people as a whole. We have to defeat communal forces," he said.

(PTI)

Work on A P J Abdul Kalam's memorial begins in Rameswaram

schools - many for the first time.

However, a student's suicide after her parents got bad feedback in the PTM, was held against the event itself.

For morning shift schools, the PTM was held between 8 AM to 1 PM and for evening shift schools, it was held between 2 PM to 7 PM. "I was curious to know if my son who leaves for school daily actually attends classes or bunks it. I also got to know that he was good in Maths but his English was poor," said Bidya, who works as domestic help.

Kartar Bhatti, an e-rickshaw puller said, "I realised that we need to spare our daughter from some of the household chores so she can focus more on studies. Her mother works as a help at shop so she has to help us at home".

The teachers also briefed the parents about the nodetention policy. (PTI)

Rajasthan: 2 arrested with illegal arms Bikaner, Oct 15 : Two persons were today arrested near Indo-Pak border in Sriganganagar district for illegal possession of firearms, police said.

A joint team of BSF and local police raided the house of one Baldev Singh in Anupgarh after a tip-off and recovered a pistol and ten live cartridges from his possession.

Baldev then led the police to Sudhir Bishnoi who was later arrested from his residence. A gun was also recovered, police said.

A case has been filed and the matter is under investigation. (PTI)

Late President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Rameswaram, Oct 15: The construction work on a memorial for former President A P J Abdul Kalambegan in Peikarumbu in Rameswaram on Saturday on the occasion of his 85th birth anniversary.

The former President's elder brother APJ M u t h u m e e r a n Maraikayar performed the 'Bhoomi Puja' at the memorial site, marking the commencement of the construction work. Several students and family members of the former president and government officials took part in the event.

On Friday, a team of DRDO officials led by PK Singh had visited the

site and held discussions with local officials regarding various aspects of the memorial. A total of Rs 50 crore had been allocated for the memorial and a knowledge centre, they had said. In the first phase, Rs 15 crore would be spent on the construction of the memorial on a 27,000 sq ft area.

It would cover the burial site and a statue of Kalam. The memorial would be ready for inauguration on July 27 next year, the second death anniversary of the former President. The construction of knowledge centre will be taken up in the second phase, they added.

Varanasi stampede

At least 19 people were killed and several injured in a stampede at Rajghat bridge between Varani and Chandauli.

New Delhi, Oct 15: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Saturday expressed grief

over the loss of lives in a stampede in Varanasi.

"Deeply saddened by the

loss of lives in the stampede in Varanasi. Condolences to the bereaved families.

Prayers with those injured," he tweeted.

"I have spoken to officials & asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected due to the stampede in Varanasi," he said in another tweet.

At least 19 people were killed and several injured in the stampede at Rajghat bridge between Varanasi and Chandauli where a large number of people had gathered for a religious event this afternoon. (PTI)

Cong-NCP yet to decide on seat sharing for Maha Council polls Mumbai, Oct 15 : Congress and NCP leaders met today to discuss on contesting together the forthcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections for 11 seats from local bodies, graduates and teachers constituencies.

The term of members from these seats ends on December 5. Of the total 11 seats, NCP has the maximum five, while Congress, BJP and Independents have two each.

Prominent among the 11 retiring members is Minister of State for Home, Ranjit Patil of the BJP. Preliminary talks between leaders of Congress and NCP were held before the Ganpati festival.

Today the second meeting was held in which state unit chiefs of both parties-Ashok Chavan and Sunil Tatkare-- AICC general secretary Mohan Prakash,

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and senior NCP leader Praful Patel attended.

"Nothing has been finalised as yet. We are working on it," Chavan told PTI. When asked about Congress announcing its candidates in Amravati graduates and Nashik Graduates, Chavan said NCP has not claimed these two seats.

When contacted, Tatkare said, "We discussed at length the political situation in the 11 constituencies and how best we can win maximum seats. We will discuss with our respective central leadership and meet again soon to finalise the seat sharing."

The NCP has sitting members in teachers constituency of Aurangabad, and local bodies constituencies in Sangli-Satara, BhandaraGondia local bodies, Yavatmal and Pune.

Congress has Nashik graduates and Nanded Local bodies, BJP has Jalgaon local bodies and Amravati graduates, while two Independents hold Nagpur teachers and Konkan teachers seats.

The elections are important for ruling BJP to improve its tally in the Upper House of Legislature while NCP seeks to retain its position as the single largest party in the House.

Congress is keen to have at least one out of the three seats held by the NCP -Sangli-Satara local bodies, Bhandara-Gondia local bodies and Yavatmal local bodies -- as it feels it has a good chance to win.

To a question on whether Congress has made such a demand, Tatkare said, "they can ask. But, we will discuss with our leader Sharad Pawar." (PTI)

India, Russia seal big ticket defence deals Benaulim , Oct 15: India and Russia on Saturday sealed a number of big ticket defence deals including purchase of missile systems, frigates and joint production of helicopters besides deciding to deepen cooperation in a range of crucial sectors even as the two close allies resolved to fight the menace of terrorism unitedly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held wide-ranging talks covering the entire expanse of bilateral engagement following which the two sides signed a total of 16 MoUs and made three announcements to boost ties in sectors like trade and investment, hydrocarbons, space and smart cities The two leaders also dedicated the unit two of Kudankulum nuclear power plant and witnessed foundation laying of its Unit 3 and 4 The defence deals included India buying the 'gamechanger' S-400 Triumf air defence systems from Russia at a cost of over USD 5 billion. The two countries will also collaborate in making four state of art frigates besides setting up a joint production facility for making Kamov helicopters Reading out a statement to the media in the presence of

A file photo for representation purpose.

Putin, the Prime Minister appreciated Russia's understanding and support of India's actions to fight cross-border terrorism, an oblique reference to India's surgical strike across the LoC targeting terror launch pads "Russia's clear stand on the need to combat terrorism mirrors our own. We deeply appreciate Russia's understanding and support of our actions to fight cross-border terrorism, that threatens our entire region "We both affirmed the need for zero tolerance in dealing with terrorists and their supporters," Modi said Putin, on his part, said both countries have close cooperation in fighting terrorism Modi said the "highly productive" outcomes of the meeting clearly establish the special and privileged nature of strategic partner-

ship between the two countries "They also lay the foundations for deeper defence and economic ties in years ahead. The agreements on manufacturing of Kamov 226T helicopters; constructions of frigates; and acquisition and building of other defence platforms are in synergy with India's technology and security priorities," he said The two sides signed an Inter Governmental Agreement for the purchase of S400 'Triumf' long-range air defence missile system which has the capability to destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km Another important deal is for four Admiral Grigorovich-class (Project 11356) guided-missile stealth frigates. (PTI)

Pak authorities returned parcels of jailed Indian fishermen Daman, Oct 15: Pakistan prison authorities are returning parcels sent by relatives of Indian fishermen captured and jailed in that country, after relations between the two nations soured following the surgical strikes on terror launch pads across LoC, officials said today.

As many as 438 fishermen from Gujarat, and 51 from

Diu are lodged at Pakistani jails after being apprehended by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) near international maritime border in the last nine months. Most of them are lodged at Karachi jails, an official of Fisheries department said.

"Fishermen's relatives would send parcels con-

taining letters, dry food items, toothpastes, clothes, medicines, paan masala, to them in Karachi jail. Earlier, jail authorities would accept these parcels, but ever since the situation between the two countries has worsened after surgical strikes, parcels are being returned," said Shukar Anjani, an official of Diu Fisheries department.

"This is not a matter of Diu alone but the situation is being faced by relatives of all fishermen lodged there.

Several such parcels sent by relatives of fishermen in Gujarat and Diu after the strike have come back as they were not accepted," Anjani said.

"We have received complaint from relatives of fishermen lodged in Pakistani

jails. The parcels that were returned contained stamp of Karachi jail which means they reached till there and were then returned.

If the parcels were being accepted before, it means jail authorities are not accepting them after surgical strikes by India," Diu Collector Parimal Jani said.

(PTI)

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DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

PAGE 11

Delhi held to second consecutive draw after 1-1 against NorthEast

The visitors first shot on target came in the 15th minute after Alfaro picked up a ball on the right flank and cut in field before shooting at goal. His effort failed to trouble Antonio Doblas in goal, however, after the sting was taken away from the shot following a deflection off Delhi’s defence.

The Dynamos went straight up the other end to force Paul into a double save seconds later.

Marcelinho first fired in a low cross after getting to the byline. Emerson Moura tried to guide the

An action moment of the match cross into the net but Gustavo Lazzaretti deflected the ball behind for a corner. Marcos Tebar then headed the resulting corner wide of the target after being left unmarked in the box.

Paul was forced into a triple save in the 19th minute after initially parrying Milan Singh’s shot from distance straight to Lewis, who forced the NorthEast goalkeeper into another save. The ball then fell to Richard Gadze, who also tested Paul but was denied in the space of seconds.

The Highlanders almost capitalised on a double mistake by Ruben Rocha soon after to take the lead.

Katsumi’s first shot went

narrowly wide of the far post, while Alfaro’s attempt at an open goal after Nicolas Velez had squared the ball to him was also wide of goal.

The opening goal came in the 38th minute from a Delhi corner. Paul completely missed his attempted punch of Marcelinho’s corner as the ball fell nicely for Lewis. The Delhi winger trapped the ball expertly and finished into an open net to make it 1-0 for the Lions.

NorthEast had a chance of equalising in the first minute of added time at the end of the opening period after an exquisite pass by Romaric found Holicharan Narzary on

the right. Narzary’s cross found Velez in the box, who headed on target only for Rocha to make a goalline clearance and keep it at 1-0 in favour of the home side going into the break.

Paul was called into action four minutes into the second half after Marcelinho picked out Gadze with a ball from deep inside his half. The Ghanaian striker controlled the ball brilliantly and ran past Didier Zokora but Paul was quick off his line to make the save.

It turned out to be crucial with the Highlanders finding the equaliser just two minutes later. Velez dispossessed Rocha before squaring to Alfaro again. This time the Uruguayan made no mistake as he drilled the ball in between Chinglensana Singh’s feet at the second time of asking to make it 1-1.

Gadze went through on goal again in the 56th minute but Paul had his near post covered perfectly to deny the Ghanaian. Alfaro then blazed over the crossbar six minutes later for NorthEast after Velez had threaded in another superb ball to put the Uruguayan through on goal.

Match awards: Club

award:

Shared by both clubs

Amul Fittest Player of the Match: Holicharan Narzary

DHL Winning Pass of the Match: Nicolas Velez Maruti Suzuki Swift Moment of the Match: Ruben Rocha

ISL Emerging Player of the Match: Kean Lewis Hero of the Match: Emiliano Alfaro The last chance of note in the game fell to substitute Florent Malouda in injury time. Delhi’s French talisman failed to hit the target, however, with his weaker rightfoot as the first game of Hero ISL 2016 in the capital city ended in a 11 draw. (Agencies)

Confident India look to continue Dhakshineshwar, Salsa emerge new junior Test dominance in ODIs

Going into the series, India will start overwhelming favourites with the statistics clearly stacked against the visitors.

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Dharamsala, Oct 15: Brimming with confidence after a clean-sweep in the Test series, India would look to carry on their dominance overNew Zealand in the shorter format when the two teams lock horns in the first cricket ODI of the fivematch rubber, here tomorrow.

After registering a 3-0 triumph over of New Zealand in the Test series that propelled Virat Kohli's men to the numero uno spot in the ICC rankings, the focus now shifts to ODI cricket.

The talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni will take over the mantle of captaincy from Kohli in the limited overs format.

With Kohli delivering as skipper in the Test series, the pressure will be high on Dhoni as India need to beat New Zealand by a 41 margin to claim the third spot in the ICCODI rankings.

The Kiwis are currently ranked third with 113 points, whileIndia are at fourth with 110.

Going into the series, India will start overwhelming favourites with the statistics clearly stacked against the visitors.

New Zealand have never won a bilateral ODI series in India, having lost all four previous such rubber.

While in multi-team events, New Zealand's record on Indian soil is

18-11, the bigger picture is that the Kiwis have never won a bilateral ODI series in India.

New Zealand lost all the four previous series played between the two teams -- in 1988, 1995, 1999 and 2010.

In fact, in the last series in 2010, India, which missed a few regular players and were led by Gautam Gambhir, whitewashed New Zealand 50.

Both the teams have played 93 matches against each other so far with India recording 46 wins while New Zealand notching 41 victories.

Five matches saw no results and one was a tie.

However, all is not lost for the Kiwis as in the last five ODIs played between the two teams, New Zealand have won four and one was tied.

While inspirational Dhoni has returned to the ODI scheme of things, the Indian team will be without three of its key players -Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami -- all of whom have been rested keeping the gruelling season in mind.

The man who Dhoni will miss dearly in the ODIs is Ashwin, who is in tremendous form of late with both bat and ball.

Ashwin finished with 27 wickets in the 3-0 Test sweep, and now has 220

wickets, the most by any bowler after 39 Tests.

The rest given to the three premier cricketers means off-spinner Jayant Yadav, left-arm spinner Axar Patel and Dhawal Kulkarni will get a chance to prove their mettle before the national selectors.

Hardik Pandya also made a comeback after being dropped during tours of Zimbabwe and United States respectively.

Medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is nursing a back strain, has also been left out of the squad along with veteran Ishant Sharma, who missed the entire Test series after being laid low by Chikungunya.

Kohli will be high on confidence after hitting a career best 211 against New Zealand in the final Test in Indore.

Dhoni's last significant ODI innings was an unbeaten 92 against South Africa in October 2015, and he would be eyeing a strong performance to silence his critics at the fag end of his career.

But the loss of veteran Suresh Raina, who is down with viral fever and opener Shikhar Dhawan, who has a broken thumb has somewhat weakened India's batting line-up.

On the other hand, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has the unenvious task of trying to rally his team following three Test losses.

The Black Caps will be strengthened by the return of their most successful bowler and most destructive batsman in Tim Southee and Corey Anderson.

Southee, who has 135 one-day wickets, missed the recent three-match Test series with an ankle injury and has not played a single ODI this year while Anderson, who has the highest strike of any New Zealand player in ODI history, returns from an ankle injury to bolster the batting. (PTI)

national champions

New Delhi, Oct 15: A dogged Dhakshineshwar Suresh saved a match point in a tight final against Siddhant Banthia to emerge champion in the U-16 boys event while Salsa Aher hardly broke a sweat to claim the girls title in the Fenesta Open, the national tennis championship, here today.

The lanky Dhakshineshwar from Tamil Nadu prevailed 5-7 7-5 7-6(1) over his rival from Maharashtra in a gruelling summit clash that lasted two hours and 35 minutes at the DLTA Complex.

Left-handed Salsa of Maharashtra though hardly had to put up a fight as an out-of-sorts Prinkle capitulated to a 2-6 0-6 defeat in just 53 minutes.

Dhakshineshwar combined his cool and calm composure with his fiery ground-strokes to tame Banthia.

The Tamil Nadu boy showed a lot spark and hope for future with his victory over India's junior Davis Cupper and winner of United Kingdom's Under-14 national championship in 2014.

While Banthia was tremendous in his court coverage and swift recovery to be ready for the next stroke, Dhakshineshwar, a class X student, stood out with his temperament. He never allowed pressure to seep in his game and kept fighting, taking it point by point.

"I don't think about winning or losing when I play.

I just fight hard. I knew I can beat him," Dhakshineshwar, a class X student, said after the match.

Dhakshineshwar was down a set and a break but broke Banthia in the fourth game to make it 2-2 in the second set.

Again after being up 40-0 in the seventh game, he

dropped serve in the seventh to trail 3-4 but broke back immediately to make it 4-4.

It was a see-saw battle with the set littered with breaks. The tall Tamil Nadu player saved a breakpoint in the ninth and broke Banthia in the 12th to stretch the match to the deciding third set.

He broke Banthia in the second game to take a 30 lead but lost next three games and match was again on an even keel.

Banthia led 5-3 after breaking Dhakshineshwar in the seventh game and had a match point in the 10th game but the Tamil Nadu lad not only saved that point but broke his rival to make it 5-5.

Despite the weather being extremely hot, the two players showed tremendous stamina and never dropped the intensity.

Dhakshineshwar saved five breakpoints in a marathon 11th game, which he served out with an ace.

It was now Banthia who was facing match points as he served a double fault at 15-30 in the 12th game but managed to come out unscathed with good serves.

Eventually it was settled via tie-breaker in which the Tamil Nadu boy raced to a 5-1 lead. Banthia served another double fault to be down by a number of match points and hit a backhand to net to let Dhakshineshwar walk away with the win.

The Under-14 boys singles trophy was won

by Haryana's Ajay Malik, who defeated VM Sandip from Tamil Nadu 6-4 64.

Punjab's Sarah Dev became the U-14 girl's singles champion with a 6-1 4-6 6-3 win over Sharannaya Gware of Maharashtra. (PTI)

Indian ODI captain M.S. Dhoni address a press conference on the eve of the ODI match against New Delhi in Dharamsala.

Using Kohli's brain more now: Dhoni With some new players, Dhoni also indicated that he might bat up the order against New Zealand.

Dharamsala, Oct 15: Well aware of the change in transition that will happen across formats in near future, India's limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday said he has started using Test skipper Virat Kohli's advice more often on the field.

"I have already started using him (Kohli) more. If you witness a match you will see I have more interactions with him on the field because two individuals of course will conduct in different ways," Dhoni said on the eve of the fivematch ODI series against New Zealand starting here tomorrow.

His comments come in the wake of the increased clamour for Kohli's elevation to captaincy in all formats of the game after the 3-0 rout he led India to against New Zealand.

Speaking of his own role in the side, Dhoni said it hasn't changed much but for the additional responsibility of mentoring the future generation of Indian cricket.

Dhoni, who has already retired from Test cricket, said he has evolved as a cricketer since making his debut way back in 2004.

"Role doesn't change when you are a senior member of the squad irrespective of whether you are captain or vice-captain. You have extra responsibility on you. You have to talk to the youngsters, you have to guide them," Dhoni said.

"A lot of things have changed since I made my debut in 2004.

The way cricket is played has changed. The kind of players that are coming in the Indian team are drastically different than what we were used to. My role is quite the same. You only evolve with time and that's what I am trying to do," the talismanic wicket-keeper batsman said.

Coming to his new role as a mentor, of late, Dhoni has talked more about identifying future talents, which also includes his present role in the team as a finisher.

Asked exactly about that, Dhoni said it takes time for a

player to fill in any cricketer's place in the side.

"You have to look at consistent performers. Finishing is one of the most difficult things to do in cricket. A player can't be a finisher in just 6 months or one year. You have to be used to that responsibility, keeping on doing what is required from you over a period of time," he said.

"I personally feel a finisher is somebody who bats at 5 or 6.

It is very difficult to come and fill in that opportunity because there would be times when you don't even get an opportunity as the top-order does the bulk of the scoring.

"As far as identifying individuals who can be a finisher is concerned, yes we have identified a few but I would like to keep the names to ourselves, the reason being not to put an undue pressure on any individual," Dhoni added.

India have rested a few senior cricketers like Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja for the current ODI series against New Zealand keeping in mind the long season ahead.

And Dhoni backed the national selectors' decision, saying it was necessary to keep the players fresh and also to test the team's bench strength.

"At times you need to look at future schedules. We are playing 13 Test matches this season, after that IPL followed

by Champions Trophy. As such there is no big break in the middle. So I think it's a good decision. At times you have look at the long-term things," he said.

"We also get an opportunity to test other players and see the bench strength. We are just playing eight ODIs this season. So whatever plans we have we can check them in these matches."

With some new players in the squad, Dhoni also indicated that he might bat up the order in the five ODIs against New Zealand.

"I may bat slightly up the order now. This team will give me an opportunity to bat at the number that I am looking

for.

But still it will be quite low, not like a no. 4 position," he said.

With the absence of senior pros, India has fielded a relatively inexperienced bowling attack for the series to be led by young Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav but Dhoni backed his bowling arsenal to come good.

"If you see (Jasprit) Bumrah, he has done really well for us.

He has become like the banker especially when it comes to death bowling. In the similar way we will see what others have to offer. Umesh is getting a chance again to play at this level. He is someone who has developed his bowling especially in limited overs cricket. It will be a good chance for him to express himself. Dhawal (Kulkarani) is someone who has done consistently well in the domestic circuit," he said.

"Unless you give them chance it would be very difficult to predict how good they will be at this level because I feel the difference between our domestic level and international level is quite big. So I feel it's a good exposure for them."

The skipper also said that the pressure of expectations from the Indian public doesn't give him much leeway to chop and change the playing eleven.

"India is all about winning.

Let's be frank people and the media only wants Indian team to win. So at the end of the day it becomes difficult. If you rest Virat (Kohli) or Ajinkya (Rahane) then there will be questions what's really happening?

"So when you get an opportunity you try to make the most of it. But there are a few slots we are definitely looking forward to and there a few individuals who we are really keen to see what they has to offer," Dhoni stressed.

"Let's be fair about it, with the Indian team it's very difficult to give chances. We have to win games and also look at the process. We try our best to do both."

Respect government stance on Indo-Pak ties: Abhinav Bindra New Delhi, Oct 15: Sports and politics should not be mixed in an ideal world but in reality it can't happen in certain cases, feels champion shooter Abhinav Bindra amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of Uri terror attack.

"At the end of the day, it is the decision of the government. It takes the final call on whether a team can play (against Pakistan) and that call has to be respected," Bindra said.

So does he feel that politics and sport should be kept separate?

"It is a very difficult question.

One would hope for that to happen (that sport and politics is not mixed). It is a nice thought it should be separated because that is the Olympic values as well that sport should be free from politics.

But today, in reality, it doesn't happen sometimes. One has to take a call from situation to situation and the government's decision has to be respected," said India's only individual Olympic gold medalist.

The Indian government has stepped up its efforts to isolate Pakistan globally on all fronts post the Uri attack and it has also impacted the sporting ties between the two

neighbours with the BCCI outrightly ruling out resumption of cricketing ties and Pakistan's Kabaddi team not taking part in the ongoing World Cup in Ahmedabad.

Bindra, here for the Franchise India Expo, also spoke about his life post Rio Olympics in August, when he ended his glorious career with a fourth place finish.

He was very clear that Indian sport won't improve unless a legislation is passed in the parliament.

"I have said this before. In India for things to change, the change will have to be mandated. Unfortunately nobody likes change, there is a lot of resistance to change. But change is necessary. I think in the structure of sport in India, if it is mandated, that is the only way forward. For that to happen, a legislation in sport is important," he said referring to the proposed Sports Bill.

Asked whether the Sports Bill will be a reality anytime soon?

"I am not in charge of that so I can't say (when it will happen). I can only take a guess and it would be no," Bindra said on a lighter note.

Drawing a parallel from the current happenings in Indian

HIGHLIGHTS "At the end of the day, it is the decision of the government," said Bindra Bindra also spoke about his life post Rio Olympics in August He has been openly critical about issues plaguing Indian sports cricket, which could change forever if the Lodha panel's recommendations on the governance of the game are implemented, Bindra was asked if Supreme Court intervention would also help streamline other sports bodies.

"At the end of the day, you have got to have the right person for the right job. If a politician can bring an X amount to the table and do well for the sport, he is more than welcome in my view. Running sport is a full time job, it requires a lot of effort, it requires an efficient set up. If a politician can deliver (on all fronts), more power to him. It all boils down to efficiency, performance and accountability," he concluded.(PTI)

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New Delhi, Oct 15: Delhi Dynamos FC were held to a 1-1 draw by NorthEast United FC in front of more than 27,000 fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Saturday. Kean Lewis scored for the Dynamos in the first half and Emiliano Alfaro scored his fourth goal of Hero Indian Super League 2016 in the second period to share the spoils after a pulsating encounter in the capital city.

It took the hosts just two minutes to register their first attempt on target. A Lewis pass made its way to Marcelinho, whose shot from range was collected comfortably by Subrata Paul in NorthEast United FC’s goal.

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DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

PAGE 12

T

he Film & Television ProducersGuild of India Ltd. (Guild) has expressed its support to theCentral Government and its solidarity with the Armed Forces on their supreme sacrifice at URI and courage and valor displayed during the recent counter terrorism operations.

The Guild, which represents most of the active Hindi film producers, affirms its unequivocal backing to the Government on this important issue, and also draws the attention of the government to the genuine concerns of all those film producers who have invested heavily in films featuring artistes from across the border, since there has been some discourse in the media recently with regard to certain threats to disrupt the release of these movies.

There are many film producers who have either already shot their films or are in the process of completing their unfinished films prior to the escalation of hostilities with neighbors, including Karan Johar's soon to be

released film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' which has also been certified by the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC). Similarly, there are many other films which are scheduled to be released in months ahead including 'Dear Zindagi' and 'Raees', which also feature artistes from across the border.

Mukesh Bhatt, President of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India stated, "The Guild in no uncertain terms confirms that the film industry stands in unison with the Government's recent steps to counter terrorism and will naturally abide by any decision taken by the central government with regard to government's fu-

Gauahar Khan joins 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' gang

ture policy on issuance of work visa to foreign artistes; however, we would urge the government at the Center as well as all the states to appreciate that the film producers who have already shot their films or are in the process of completing their unfinished films should not end up paying heavy price for no fault of theirs due to engaging the services of talent from across the border as these artistes were employed through proper legal channels prior to the recent escalation of hostilities."

He further adds that "The Central Government has taken several steps in the past to foster cultural exchanges by inviting indus-

try representatives to participate in the Government's efforts to improve our relationship with Pakistan."

Whilst reassuring the commitment of the Guild and Film industry to abide by the decisions of the government and pledging its absolute support to the sacrosanct national interests, the Guild urges the Central and State Governments to not only ensure smooth release of such films including 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', as well as to guide the industry on the way forward with respect to the mechanism to be adopted in hiring or utilisation of talent associated with our neighbors.(Agencies)

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Guess who's stepping into Malaika Arora Khan's shoes to recreate a hit item song

Actor Varun Dhawan on Friday welcomed Gauahar Khan to the cast of 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania', saying he hopes to have fun while shooting with the actress.

Varun took to twitter to share the news, saying he is glad to get 'lady Khan' on board.

The actor first tweeted "Exclusive-super talented actor joining the cast of 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'."

He later posted a video to introduce Gauahar.

In that, Varun said "We have got a very special announcement for you... We have one of the Khans joining the cast of 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'. And the lady Khan is Gauahar. Gauahar welcome to the cast. We are going to tear it down."

Shashank Khaitan's film 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' also stars Alia Bhatt. And the 'Highway' actress can be seen in the video cheering for Gauahar.

Gauahar, who was last seen on screen in 'Fever', said "These are my favourites and I am so excited to be a part of this film."

The film's motion poster is out and shows Varun and Alia in a desi avatar.

Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar and presented by Fox Star Studios, the Dharma Productions film is set to release on March 10, 2017.(Agencies)

I'm the only top actress who has done B-grade films: Kangana Ranaut

almost making it seem abusive.But evolution, education and newer opportunities have changed what it means. Today, at least for me, it stands for an independent, strong The actress features in a woman's ability to be hervideo which aims to redefine self," Shruti told Mirror. a cuss word Shruti Haasan has become The 30-year-old actress, who the latest B-Townie to cham- has also written the diapion `girl power' on the so- logues for the video, cial media. The actress-mu- admitted that the sician features in a video that i d e a i n s t a n t l y offers up a new definition of struck her as the term `bitch' which is now interesting. "I often used to label free-think- w r o t e a n d ing, independent women f l e s h e d i t who don't conform to societal o u t b a s e d norms.Titled "Be the Bitch", on my own

by Culture Machine, it is an interpretaeffort to de-stigmatise the tion of the word. word and everyone "I've never believed in fol- loved it. lowing norms and the stan- I'm glad dard definition of things. I'm it's turned an `equalist' and felt the time out well," has come to rede fine the S h r u t i connotation of the word. signs off Historically, its meaning has with a been driven by power play smile of between the one using it and satisfacthe one who's subjected to it, tion.

Kangana Ranaut is hailed as Bollywood's 'Queen' post her back-to-back successful releases. The actress says for her, success doesn't come with any kind of pressure as she feels that failure doesn't reflect your credibility as an artiste.

She also said that she doesn't pick a project thinking that it will elevate her position in the industry.

"I haven't set any standards that I have to do this work or this is where I have to go. I don't put that kind of pressure on myself. What I tell myself is that I will continue (on the path). I think I am the only top actress probably who has done B-grade films," Kangana told media.

She added "I don't see that a certain project can ascend to a certain position.

You can be giving flops and still be a very valuable artiste and that is the case with me."

Coming from a village near Manali, Kangana entered tinsel town with no starry connection, and

went ahead to make a place for herself in Bollywood. She proved her talent and versatility with films like 'Gangster', 'Woh Lamhe', 'Life In A...

Metro', 'Tanu Weds Manu' and 'Fashion'.

There were setbacks as well with films like 'Game', 'Rascals' and 'Katti Batti'. But she came back in the game with the release of 'Queen' which she followed up with a double blast via 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns'.

The actress is busy shooting for Hansal Mehta's 'Simran'. According to reports, Kangana will be seen as a 30-year-old divorcee in the movie, for which she is currently shooting in Atlanta, US. Kangana, who is known for her brazen honesty, feels 'it really doesn't matter what films you do, what matters is how you do them'.

For now, the actress is busy with 'Simran', and added that she has 'signed few films and they are very exciting films lined up so I will take one at a time'.

Malaika Arora Khan's item song 'Maahi ve' from 'Kaante' (2002) was a chartbuster back in the day what with her sensuous pole dance catching everyone's fancy.

And for all ardent fans of the lady and the hit track, there's good news in store. 'Maahi ve' is going to be recreated for Vishal Pandya's upcoming film 'Wajah Tum Ho' starring Sharman Joshi and Rajniesh Duggal. And this time, we will get to see Zareen Khan weaving the same magic

Malaika created back in 2002.

Zareen said that she's super excited to have been chosen for the recreated version.

She added that stepping into Malaika's shoes came with a lot of pressure.

Zareen will start rehearsals for the song from the next week and she refrained from revealing whether or not the song will feature a pole dance sequence.

Ranveer Singh and his interesting comments

Ever since the trailer of Aditya Chopra's directorial 'Befikre' was launched by the lead cast, Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the one thing that swept everyone off their feet was Ranveer's striptease act. However, the actor, in one of his recent interactions, hinted that he has actually gone naked in the film. He further revealed that if the

Ready to witness live murder on TV? Have you ever watched a murder being committed live on television?

The upcoming film, 'Wajah Tum Ho', shows just that.

An erotic c r i m e thriller featuringSana K h a n , Sharman J os hi,Gurmeet Choudhary and Rajniesh Duggall, the project will see T-Series, the producer of 'Hate Story 2' and 'Hate Story 3', team up with director Vishal Pandya yet again. Vishal says, "Most people say that they don't like watching TV, but it's like hating peanuts - once you start eating them, you can't stop. According to a survey, 94 per cent people in India watch TV. That's how I came up der, live on the small screen." with a concept where While the film releases on December 2, the trailer people witness a mur- is out today.

scene is passed by the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), then the audience will get to see him butt naked on screen for the first time ever. If the makers do manage to convince the CBFC officials to retain the sequence, the actor wants to watch it with the live audience and see their instant reaction. Let's wait and watch what Censor Board decides on this one.

Neha Dhupia: A lot in the film industry has changed Actress Neha Dhupia started her career as a model before entering Bollywood and now she has turned into an entrepreneur and is someone who advocates doing what one feels like.

Having spent several years being a part of Bollywood, the actress says that she feels a lot in the film industry has changed. She also wished that her films like 'Mithya' and 'Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local' should have released few years later than they did. She told a daily that those films would have got both critical acclaim and commercial success had they released few years later.

The actress will be seen in an Indie-film called 'MohMaya Money'. The film is a thriller based on the life of a couple of Delhi. The actress thinks if this film had come five years ago, it would have found no takers. She is also busy doing an audio show for Saavn aap titled 'No Filter Neha' these days. The show features the actress having unfiltered conversation with her well-known friends. The daily quoted her saying that the research is the hard part of doing a chat show.

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Editor: Prahlad Hammey

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Guild extends support to forthcoming film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'

Shruti Haasan to champion `girl power' on the social media