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Vol. II

Issue 159

MOBILE INTERNET BAN EXTENDED; UNC CONSULTATIVE MEETING TODAY

Dibrugarh, Thursday, December 29, 2016

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Afghanistan, India, and Trump P6

Pages- 12

PAGE 12

Richo alerted the party workers to get ready for mid term poll.

P5 P3 Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurates SBI trashes report of Rs 6th Advanced Landing Ground at Tuting 1,300cr deposit in Arunachal ET Bureau Tuting, Dec 28

Chief Minister Pema Khandu today inaugurated the newly constructed Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) here in presence of Education Minister Honchun Ngandam, Deputy Speaker Alo Libang, State BJP President Tapir Gao and Air Marshal Hari Kumar, AOC-in-C, HQ Eastern Air Command.

Addressing a gathering of defence personnel, administrative officials, Gaon Burahs, local public and school children here in the Air Traffic Control building, the

ET CAPSULES Assam Rifles denies role in Wakka Fire Inferno; refutes claims as totally wrong and fake Khonsa, Dec 28: Following the reports published in some of the leading dailies that Assam Rifles is responsible for the unfortunate Wakka fire inferno, Assam Rifles today categorically refuted the news reports as “totally wrong” and “fake”.

“The news article titled “Assam Rifles blamed for Wakka fire disaster” published in various newspapers on 25 December 2016 wherein Assam Rifles has been blamed for the fire incident is based on incorrect facts and is totally wrong and without any verification,” added an official email communique of Assam Rifles. Denying role of any sorts in the unfortunate fire disaster, the official communiqué of Assam Rifles also added that that the village youth mentioned in the report were engaged in routine activity under the supervision of village committee and not under the Assam Rifles.

“The fire incident is an unfortunate incident and loss of lives is regrettable.

However, correlating it with Assam Rifles is totally wrong and baseless. On the contrary, the troops of Assam Rifles is extending all possible help in this difficult circumstances to provide relief and aid to the ailing victims of the Wakka fire inferno,” the email communique added.

CM Khandu said the decision was also taken then for the dual use of the ALGs to be used for defence and civilian purposes CM said the decision was also taken then for the dual use of the ALGs to be used for defence and civilian purposes.He informed that Pasighat ALG will be the first to have civilian terminal with commencing of Air India flights to the city soon, which was the outcome of his recent talks with the civilian aviation

ministry held recently. Since Arunachal is the biggest state in North East in terms of geographical area, its biggest challenge is the connectivity, said Khandu.

With ALGs being operationalised in Mechuka, Tuting, Aalo, Pasighat, Ziro and Vijoynagar, the Chief

Minister said it will boost regional connectivity in the state and provide further impetus to tourism industry and contribute to the local economy. However, the seventh ALG in Tawang is yet to reach completion, he said.

Khandu thanked the govt. of India, the Indian Air Force, and the Nagarjuna Construction

Sealdah-Ajmer Express accident: Same UP area, another train derails, at least 63 injured Fourteen coaches of the Sealdah-Ajmer Express went off the tracks at Rura in Kanpur Dehat district at about 5:30 am on Wednesday PTI Kanpur, Dec 28

“Prima facie we can say that the derailment happened because of a fault either in the coaches or the track. As the track is fractured in many places, it could be a reason; or it could be due to uncoupling of coaches, or both. The exact picture will be clear after an inquiry,” said Allahabad Divisional Railway Manager Sanjay Kumar Pankaj. He said the train driver felt a jerk before the coaches were derailed.

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The winner of much hyped Pasighat Mega Solung Lottery of Rs. 1 Crore, Yab Basu Camdir, a Finance & Account Officer under Directorate of Animal Husbandry &Veterinary, Nirjuli who came to Pasighat to receive the cheque from Adi Baane Kebang East Siang Unit on Tuesday shared how he would use some portion of the money

State Bank of India on Wednesday rejected reports that Rs 1,300 crore cash have been deposited in its various branches in Arunachal Pradesh after demonetisation saying no such deposits were found after minutely verifying the relevant records. SBI Regional Manager Sakya Sinha Bairagi in a statement today said, “We have verified all our relevant records minutely and found that no such deposits were made in any branch of the SBI in the state under Itanagar Region.”

He said, the Itanagar region (SBI) has 43 branches out of which 26 are in Arunachal Pradesh. “The total deposit figure of these 26 branches as on November 8 last was Rs 1,595 crore and Rs 1,748 crore as on December 24 last with a

marginal increase of Rs 153 crore during the demonetisation period of 45 days,” the regional manager said.

“We strongly condemn such misleading news reports without knowing the factual data in media who are the fourth pillar of the society. At the same time, we appealed one and all not to impress upon such misleading news,” he said. “This has badly affected the image of the premier bank and demoralized the employees of SBI who tirelessly worked till midnight including Saturday and Sundays to help people exchange/deposit their hard earned old high denomination notes,” the official said..

“This has badly affected the image of the premier bank and demoralized the employees of SBI who tirelessly worked till

midnight, including Saturdays and Sundays, to help people exchange/deposit their hard earned old high denomination notes,” he added. “Being the premier bank of the country, while rendering numerous banking services to the state we strictly adhere to the laid down systems and procedures in dealing with day to day banking activities with professional zeal and due diligence,” he further said..

Bairagi added that during the entire demonetisation period the cooperation, dedication and hard work rendered by the SBI employees have been appreciated by the people, state government as well as the central government at various levels. “We also expect such appreciation and encouragement from all concerned including various media houses,” he said.

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School Projects, Carry bag Printing, Visiting Card Two coaches slipped off a bridge and fell into a canal, while at least two coaches hit the platform of Rura station. (Source: PTI photo) The government announced an inquiry by Commissioner Railway Safety, Northern Circle, Shailesh Kumar Pathak. Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted that a “thorough investigation” would be done to ascertain the cause of the derailment.

Pankaj said a goods train had passed on the same track just before the accident. The route is one of the busiest in the country as it connects Delhi with Kanpur, Allahabad, Patna and Howrah. “It is true that this is a busy route and faces a lot of pressure. But the

maintenance is done as per the requirements,” said Pankaj.

While the injured were taken to Kanpur Dehat district hospital, 22 were later shifted to the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur City. Four passengers who suffered spinal injuries and a seven-year-old girl with a head injury are under critical care. The girl, Shreya, was travelling with her parents and younger sister.

“We were in the S-12 coach.

Shreya was sleeping on the upper berth. She fell on the floor as the coach derailed, and got hit by something on her

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While talking to this reporter, Camdir shared that, he had never dreamt to win a Rs. 1 Crore lottery. “I am a Christian and I have been doing & contributing under my personal capacity for welfare of the Church, Doimukh Baptist Church. Without any expectation from God, I have just taken up the responsibility to take care of the cost of the extension or repairing of the church. I have also been

ET Bureau Itanagar, Dec 28

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head. We were all sleeping at the time of the accident. I found Shreya stuck below a berth,” said her father, Uttam Shaw, a resident of Kolkata.

“It was almost dawn. We woke up when we heard the noise. We came out and saw the derailed train. Within a few minutes, the police and residents reached the spot.

Most of the passengers managed to come out on their own. A few were rescued by the policemen,” said Suresh Kumar, whose house is close to the accident site.

Winner of Rs. 1 Cr PMS Lottery, Yab Basu Camdir is to finance some children's education Staff Reporter Pasighat, Dec 28

State Bank of India on Wednesday rejected reports that Rs 1,300 crore cash have been deposited in its various branches in Arunachal Pradesh after demonetisation saying no such deposits were found in its records.

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Just over a month after 150 people were killed when the Indore-Patna Express derailed in Kanpur Dehat on November 20, 63 people were injured in another train derailment in the district on Wednesday morning. At least 22 passengers are reported to have suffered serious injuries.

Fourteen coaches of the Sealdah-Ajmer Express went off the tracks at Rura in Kanpur Dehat district at about 5:30 am on Wednesday. Two coaches slipped off a bridge and fell into a canal, while at least two coaches hit the platform of Rura station.

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Winner of much hyped Pasighat Mega Solung Lottery of Rs. 1 Crore, Yab Basu Camdir,

helping needy children with my capacity even if I had little”, added Camdir who desires to fund the education of some of needy children out of the amount he won from the lottery. Okom Yosung, President, ABK E/Siang and his team Talut Siram and Olom Pertin handed over the cheque to Camdir on Tuesday and said that, they are satisfied now as they could finally make the draw successful. Camdir has one son and a daughter with his wife.

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The ALG Tuting is under the control of Air Force Station, Jorhat and it is the 6th ALG to be operationalised in Arunachal Pradesh.In 2009, the govt. of India under former PM, Manmohan Singh and govt. of Arunachal Pradesh during late Dorjee Khandu, former CM had come into an agreement to upgrade all landing grounds in the state, informed the Chief Minister.

Company for completing the works of ALG in Tuting within one and half year. He informed that he will be visiting Tuting again with the DONER Minister in January next for inauguration of a bridge here.

The guests were welcomed with colourful cultural dance presented by Memba-Khamba cultural troupes. They presented a dance - 'Yangle Tashi Shi', which means 'welcome to all guests'. Also an Adi dance troupe presented 'Gide Sipe Ergang Si', which is a dance to celebrate festivals.

The Chief Minister presented mementos to all distinguished guests and to the top defence officials present on the occasion. Also a token of appreciation was presented to the cultural troupes, school children and Gaon Burahs.

Speaking on the occasion, Air Marshal Hari Kumar appreciated the cooperation of local people and the state government in early completion of the ALG. Khandu during his visit also inspected the new ATC control room, office complex and officer’s mess.

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

P2 Aries You may come in contact with someone today with whom you enjoy a highly emotional exchange. You may even fall in love! Be very attentive to your moods and everything going on inside you, Aries.

They will be particularly strong, and they will help you understand what is changing in you. Just be careful to distinguish your feelings from those of your (future?) partner.

Taurus It's possible that you're having some ups and downs in your love life at the moment.

Someone may be asking you to play another role than you're used to playing in your relationship. Today, Taurus, you should take the time to think about these pressures on you. You're going to need the answers to these questions over the next few months.

Gemini Today you may get the opportunity to feel proud of yourself. But don't let things get too out of hand. It isn't often that you allow yourself this little bit of narcissism. Everything you say will be pertinent, and people will let you know.

For once, the stars are giving you the opportunity to cater to your own ego, so take advantage of it!

Leopard killed by speeding vehicle ET Bureau Dibrugarh, Dec 28: A leopard died after being hit by a speeding vehicle on NH-37 in the Bismile area of Chabua in Dibrugarh district on Monday evening.

Locals found the animal lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the busy highway at around 7 pm. A police patrolling team took the carcass to the nearby Chabua police station. It was later handed over to the forest department.

"The portion of the highway where the accident occurred is flanked by tea gardens on both sides. The animal, which was trying to enter another garden under cover of darkness, came in front of a speeding vehicle and was knocked down. It suffered major internal injuries

and bone fractures," said Dibrugarh forest ranger Sanjib Bordoloi.

ET Correspondent Golaghat , Dec 28: Assam's Golaghat district has a unique history of the origin of its name . It is opined that Golaghat got its name during British Rule when ships loaded with arms and ammunition came to the banks of river Dhansiri and these arms and ammunition were unloaded from the ships and were stocked by the river side .

On December 17, 2012, a leopard was badly injured after being hit by a speeding vehicle at the same spot.

The animal had to undergo treatment for a long time at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation in Kaziranga before being released in the wild.

Leopards are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Unlike other carnivores that prefer to remain deep inside forests, leopards live on the fringe areas of jungles; with forest cover fast shrinking, these animals often stray into nearby gardens and human settlements in search of food., a forest official said.

At that time a large Chim-

Leo Even if you're a good judge of character, Leo, the people who know you say that you base your opinions on your personal feelings, which often affect your good judgment. Today your critics are wrong and your judgments are as precise and objective as they can possibly be. They may even help you out of a sticky situation.

Virgo You have a tendency to want to explain everything that goes on around you, Virgo. You rationalize everything in an instant, and group all your experiences into great theories.

But you've been very quiet for quite some time now. It's as if something is keeping you from speaking. Today you will get a few words in, so don't worry.

Libra As a Libra, you don't really like to talk about things. Talking just isn't one of your specialties. Everyone has his/her own role, and yours is to take action and create, not talk about doing it. However, the planetary positions today might make you utter a few very deep words. Come on! Tell us a little something about how you feel deep inside!

Scorpio Scientists seem to live in a world apart from the rest of us, Scorpio, and from the events in everyday life, because they're so absorbed in other realities. This is a lot like your universe. If you were a scientist, you might do what they sometimes do - make parallels, like those learned men who apply their scientific reasoning to events in the world by analogy.

Tell us your theories!

Sagittarius You're often like a Zen master who doesn't say anything to pupils for months, until the day the pupils begin to not believe any more and find themselves growing indifferent to the whole thing. Then the master pronounces one or two phrases that are so incredibly true that no one knows what to say! You could be that Zen master today.

Capricorn It's time to take some time out of your busy day for your personal life, Capricorn. One of your family members or friends may need to talk to you, and you need to listen attentively to what they have to say.

You need to use all your wonderful energy to get down to the heart of the matter. Who knows? You may discover some hidden treasures along the way.

Aquarius Today is a good day to clarify your life, Aquarius. You may have understood lately that it's useless to undertake anything new when you're confused. You've figured out that all it takes to get out of that state is to take care of yourself, eat better, get more sleep, or take a vacation. Your mind will be sufficiently rested today to deal with all the problems that come your way.

Pisces Are you going to be available to other people today? Someone in your entourage may need to confide in you. If the superficiality of the exchange bothers you, you will understand what the atmosphere of today is all about! Yes, you're available, but not for just anything. You're in no mood to waste time at the moment.

Army conducts free medical camp at Khamanpather Village ET Correspondent: Margherita, Dec 28: Under Operation Sadbhavana Digboi Battalion under the aegis of Dao Division organised an Army Medical Camp at Khamanpather Village under Ketetong Gaon Panchayat of Margherita Sub division today. More than 500 people came from the neighbouring area and avail the free medical consultation service from the medical camp. It may be noted that, Khamanpather village as it is remote village; the villagers do face tough times when it comes to availing healthcare facilities. Now that the Khamanpather village is adopted, thanks Digboi Battalion of Indian Army villagers have much to cheer about.

“Similar kind of population friendly activities will be regularly organised such as medical camp, awareness campaign against drugs addiction, moti-

ET Correspondent Golaghat, Dec 28: Another non political organisation formed today in Golaghat .

Today a meeting was held at the Amateur Theatre Society Auditorium in Golaghat where the new organisation named ' Oikya Sena, Assam ' was formed .

The organisation was formed with a view to make a greater Assam by taking all the caste and communities and the original inhabitants in the state . Oikya Sena will raise voice for the rights of the original inhabitants as well on the issues

of greater interest of Assam and its people . The organisation in the starting has demanded to fulfill 101 demands including Assam Flood to be recognized as National Disaster , Rights of inhabitants in the resources.

In the meeting today senior advocate Jayanta Kumar Goswami , Oikya Sena, Assam's Central Executive President Nayanmoni Haloi, General Secretary Soidul Islam, Organising Secretary Sanjib Mahanta along with several others were present .

3 poachers arrested in Guwahati ET Bureau Guwahati, Dec 28 : Three poachers, allegedly involved in the killing and dehorning of a one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park, were arrested in Biswanath on Tuesday.

vating youths to join Army and Government Jobs, Infrastructure improvement and other Grievances of public related to Civil Administration,” said an Army official. Army Medical

Camp was Coordinated with Margherita Civil Administration, Margherita Civil Hospital, Ketetong Public Health Centre. a Lady Doctor from Army Camp was at the disposal for consul-

tation. That apart, medicines were distributed free of cost.

Senior citizens and children who are deprived of proper healthcare took the best advantage of the camp.

Govt for Anundoram Barooah Cash-cum Laptop Award Scheme ET Bureau Guwahati, Dec 28: In order to motivate and inspire the students for better performance and to have first hand experience with Information and Communication technology, the Govt of Assam has decided to award Laptops and cash award in lieu of Laptops to the meritorious students who has secured 1st division in the HSLC and High Madrassa Examination of SEBA and 10thstandard examination held under State Madrassa Education Board, Assam and Sanskrit Board Assam in the year 2016 under “Anundoram Barooah Cash-cum Laptop Award Scheme”. The scheme will provide one Laptop to each student securing 1st Division or such qualifying marks as may be prescribed by the State Govt. in the HSLC and

ney which was located near the Dhansiri river which was used to give signals to the ships carrying arms and ammunition .

Fire was put on the Chimney and thus the signals were received by the smoke evoked from the Chimney .

Now this Chimney is almost damaged due to lack of maintenance . So the people of Golaghat now demand to conserve this Chimney which carries a unique history of Golaghat.

New Organisation Formed in Golaghat

Cancer Today you may be overcome by a current of humanist thought, Cancer. Your consciousness is traveling, and you probably couldn't care less about the details of the events going on around you.

You're freethinking, which is inspired by your spirit of fairness. You may even be in a situation where you have to act as a kind of "enlightened" referee, which you will only be too happy to do!

People Demand to Conserve a Signal Post of British Rule

High Madrassa Examination of SEBA and 10th standard examination held under State Madrassa Education Board, Assam and Sanskrit Board Assam during the year 2016. There is also provision for cash option for those students who opt cash award in lieu of Laptop.

The Award package consists of a Citation in the form of a certificate. Besides the citation, the student will receive a gift package which will comprise of Laptop package or Cash Award. The Laptop package contains one laptop, one adaptor, free training on LINUX, Open Office and Installation at the time of distribution of the Laptop and special package of books & course materials on Laptop for imparting the basic idea for installation and han-

dling of Laptop and operating software. Those awardees who may opt for financial benefits in lieu of the Laptop package will receive a cheque for an amount which would be the cost of the Laptop package as decided by the State Govt. shall be handed over to such awardees. The awardees willing to avail such cash award have to apply to the Managing Director, AEDC Ltd (AMTRON), Industrial Estate, Bamunimaidan, Guwahati-21, well in advance through the Head of the Institution with Bank A/C No. of the student.

The Nodal Implementing Agency for the scheme will be Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd, (AMTRON) under the guidance of Secondary Education Department, Assam.

A 303 rifle was also seized from them.

Sources said police and forest guards, in a joint operation, nabbed one of the poachers, Chandan Das, from an area near the Arunachal Pradesh border.

"Two others were arrested on the basis of Chandan's state-

ment. They were identified as Muhikanta Hazarika of Dhalpur in Lakhimpur and Pipil Das of Gohpur. The trio had killed a rhino in October this year," police sources said.

On December 16, poachers shot dead an adult male rhino near Tunikati anti-poaching camp in the Burapahar forest range of the park. Forest officials said the poachers had fled with the animal's horn and tail before they could reach the spot.

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

Met holds out weather hope till December 31 ET Bureau Guwahati, Dec 28: In good news for those planning New Year parties, the Met department on Tuesday predicted pleasant weather till December 31.

On Monday night, sudden showers brought down temperatures in the region. In the northeast, the lowest minimum temperature in the past 24 hours was recorded by

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Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura till December "Rain in the past 24 29. hours has changed the weather conditions in The weather bulletin the northeast. From added that shallow to Wednesday, however, moderate fog would it is likely to get occur at isolated pockwarmer," said an offi- ets over Assam, cial of the Regional Meghalaya, Nagaland, Meteorological Centre Manipur, Mizoram and (RMC), Guwahati.

Tripura in the next 72 hours. But there would On Tuesday, the RMC be no drastic change in said dense fog would the minimum temperabe seen in isolated ture in the next 48 pockets of Assam, hours, it said.

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

P3

Richo alerted the party workers to get ready for mid term poll.

A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Dec 28 : Arunachal Pradesh congress committee (APCC) President Padi Richo while addressing the party workers on the occasion of 132 foundation day of INC alerted the party leaders and workers to get ready for mid terms apprehension.

Richo while taking a dig on the demonetisation process without consulting the masses or without any preparedness there is lots of hurdles being faced by the innocent, poor and common people in maintaining his family end. Therefore the party is planning to go to the common people and directed the party cadres to go to block and district level and consult with common people and get first hand information and for starting a mass movement.

He appeal the workers to get ready in both case either there is situation like becoming congress government again or apprehension of mid term poll so. He said that several party have come and gone from state but congress remain standing in any position and serving the people for long time.

bharat will never be possible in Arunachal and appealing the party workers to make BJP mukt Arunachal and ask the workers to strengthen the party.

Senior Congress Leader Tako Dabi, AIMC cum I/C NE region Jarjum Ette, APYC VC Niglar Veo, APCC General Secretary Minkir Lollen, Charu Tuglo and others spoke on the occasion.

Among others Former legislatures, APCC leaders, frontal organisation workers and leaders of APCSD, APYC, NSUI, APMC, IMC Councillors which include Chief councillor Kipa Kaku, Techi Mema, Tatung Tania, Ngurang Yachi and others were present on the occasion.

MLA cum former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki in his address said that there are lots of allegation raised about 60 years of congress but those people do not remember that the INC is the oldest party and celebrating its 132 foundation day. We need to see the future. The country is passing through turbulence due to demonetisation. We are equally responsible and we

need to think for it as everybody is feeling insecure due to policy decision of Narendra Modi. The common men are facing a lot and many have died due to many reasons in demonetisation process.

Modiji is befooling innocent people in the name of demonetisation. Though it was an election promise to curb black money but where is the black money and

when it is coming out. He is harassing the innocent people specially in the name of cashless transaction in the rural area where there is no ATM/Paytm/ Internet and even bank, we tribal people are innocent so it may be a reason that they are confused and still waiting for a result slowly and condemn it.

He said that congress mukt

The programme which include video show on the role of congress before independence and after independence of the country, a report on demonetisation, cultural programmes local traditional dances and songs, by local artist from Lekhi, Kristin Kendra music academy, Naharlagun and patriotic and classical dances and others were performed.

ACDSU on noble spree for Wakka fire victims Lomhom Tangha Changlang, Dec 28 : All Changlang district student union at Changlang district headquarter are engaged in collecting donations spree for the fire victims of Wakka village in Longding district where 57 houses in total gutted into ashes and rendered hundreds homeless besides one aged woman who lost her life. According to the sources, the Wakka village has met this kind of incidents many a times before besides Lazu circles.

The possible reasons that can be held responsible for such fire mishap are due to construction of houses in close proximity from one after another and may be due to unattended loose fittings of electrical wirings which pose danger of short circuits sometimes. The Student unions across Arunachal pradesh are collecting a donations for the fire victims of Wakka village

where artefacts and Antique materials are included yet to some extent the victims would get redeemed. At the sametime, not only the students body should be engaged in relief works but also the government agencies should come forward with whatever possible as Kinsmen redeemer from the state exchequer under the ambit of Disaster management plan.

which we believed will reach the victims without any being siphoned on the halfway and one such noble

jobs have been undertaken by the ACDSU, Changlang district which is one of the ligaments of Apex student

body of the state. As a matter of fact, no amount of generosity can substitute the loses worth crores

Koyu family dedicates two patient care units to GH Pasighat in memory of mother Lt. Oman Koyu Maksam Tayeng PASIGHAT, Dec 28: In a rare gesture of philanthropic work which is uncommon to see these days that would help lots to needy patients in years to come, the Koyu family led

by Gonesh Koyu and Ainstein Koyu dedicated two Patient Care Units to General Hospital Pasighat today in memory their mother late Oman Koyu who passed away during 15th December 2015 last.

The formal dedication programme was being attended by MP Ninong Ering, Pasighat MLA Kaling Moyong, NariKoyu MLA, Kento Rina, Retired IAS Officer, Oshong Ering, hosts of officers and family members

of Koyu family besides Dr. Kabang Lego, Joint Director, Health Services (R & T) and Dr. YR Darang, Medical Superintendent. While welcoming and receiving the two patient care units, Dr. Lego said that, it’s a noblest move of the Koyu family which will inspire others too. The units will be of used for many patients as the hospital need more rooms and entire management of General Hospital, Pasighat is thankful to the Koyu family who came forward dedicating such public utility patient care unit in the memory of the mother, added Dr. Lego.

While Oshong Ering recalled Late Oman Koyu as one of noblest woman and this patient care unit in her

name will always keep her alive among us. “Our state has limited funding pattern as we mostly depends on Central Govt. for any developmental project, if rich people come forward and dedicates or donates such units, it would be of great help not only to the public but also to the government”, added Ering. On the part of MP Ninong Ering, MLA Kaling Moyong and MLA Kento Rina, the trio termed the dedication of such unit as an eye opener not only to the general public, but also to the political leaders like them.

On the part of Koyu family, Gonesh Koyu, a renowned IAS officer recalled his/ their mother as very noble who showed them the right

path. “We were wondering, what she would do with the savings she had with her, whether she will transfer those to her grandchildren etc. But she had other plan to help the needy patients, so we built these unit in her memory so that, her little savings could be of help to all those patients who visit General Hospital, Pasighat”, added Gonesh Koyu. While showing the well equipped rooms of the units, another son, Ainstein Koyu said that, it was the desire of their mother to dedicate such units to the patients. The rooms are equipped with Air Conditioner, water heater, Geyser, Solar light, flat TV with Tata Sky connection and more.

Senior National Weightlifting Championships, Jimjang Deru wins gold Breaks national record in clean & jerk event Nagercoil, Dec 28 : Jimjang Deru on Tuesday created a new national record in clean & jerk event in men's 62kg category with a lift of 153kg to secure the gold medal on Day Two of the Senior National Weightlifting Championships. Jimjang Deru became the new national senior champion by winning

gold in the process setting a new national record in the ‘Clean & Jerk’ event lifting 153 kg, beating the previous record of 152 kg, set by Rustam Sarang of Chhattisgarh.

Sarang had earlier broken the record of 151 kg in ‘Clean & Jerk’ set by

Arunachal lifter Yukar Sibi.

Participating in the under62 kg bodyweight category, Deru won the gold medal by lifting 113 kg in the Snatch event and 153 in Clean and Jerk to lift a total of 266 Kg.His nearest rival, Anthony Raj of the Railways lifted 114 kg in Snatch and 147 kg in Clean & Jerk to

get a total of 261 kg. Prior to this achievement, Deru has won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Youth Games, Commonwealth Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship, and broken records in all of them. All his earlier set records are yet to be broken by competitors.

Assam Rifles Reaches out to Wakka Fire Victims

ET Bureau: Khonsa, Dec 28: In an ongoing effort to support the fire victims of Wakka village, Khonsa Battalion of Assam Rifles provided medical assistance in form of a

free medical camp organized by Assam Rifles on last Saturday and also distributed blankets and ration to all affected households on Tuesday last.

The helping hands and efforts being undertaken by the Assam Rifles were highly appreciated by the villagers living truly to its motto of "Friends of the Hill People".

Chau Zingnu Namchoom, Parliamentary Secretary visits Hospitals and Schools ET Bureau: Namsai, Dec 28 : Chau Zingnu Namchoom, Parliamentary Secretary (planning) also local MLA visited hospitals and schools within his Namsai constituency today.

Deputy Commissioner, Namsai R.K. Sharma, DMO, Namsai, ZPC, Namsai, ZPM, Namsai were accompanied the Parliamentary secretary.

While interacting with Dr S.K. Singh, SMO, Lathao, Namchoom assured to provide inverters,

computers against the PHC, Lathao. For the welfare of the officials Namchoom also assured to provide fund for renovation of age old residential staff qtrs. of PHC, Lathao. Taking part in inter school sports meet at Solungtoo under Lathao circle Namchoom announced that Rs 3 Lakhs for renovation of GMS, Solungtoo and Rs 1 Lakh for maintenance of the school playground under his local area development fund. To take stock of the

situation he also visited PHC, Piyong and considering immediate needs he assured to provide Rs 3 Lakhs for renovation of the hospital building. Namchoom appealed to the staff fraternity to discharge their duty with complete dedication so as to reach medical aid to the remotest part of the constituency. He further assured to take up all developmental matter with the government for redressal.

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

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District Child protection unit All Bodo Student Union to start movement pressing for various organizes awareness programme at District Library here pending demands from next year ET Correspondent Rangia, Dec 28 : Rangia, Dec 28: All Bodo Student Union (ABSU) is all set to start series of movement program in support of their old pending Bodo land and other demands in the new year 2017 after consultation with movement groups of Bodo and other communities. This was stated by Promod Baro president ABSU in a one day special convention held at Rangia College auditorium on Wednesday. “The date of the movement will be declared later,” he stated.

The agitation will start unless the government pay attention and adopt a policy decision to resolve these pending issues of the Bodo and other tribal communities of the region. They also condemn the government for ignoring the socio-po-

litical issues in their 2 years and 8 months of ruling the country and express disheartening on the dilemmatic political approach by the state government even after the new leadership emerged in the ruling. The convention was presided by Mohipal Baro Deputy Speaker of the Union.

Lorance Islary Secretary, Dwipen Baro VP, Kastom Basumatary Education Secretary, Rongani Bargayari Assistant Education Secretary were the dignitaries of the convention.

The convention appealed to all section of people to help and extend all possible help in Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Union to held on 12th to 15th February at Kokrajahr town with four days colourful cultural programs symposium and

Inland Water Transport contractor killed in Cachar SILCHAR, Dec 28 : A contractor of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) was beaten to death, allegedly by members of the local sand mafia, in Silchar on Monday evening.

Sources said Sahidul Alam Laskar (38), contractor of a ferry ghat in the Sonabarighat locality of Cachar district, had gone to

the IWT office at Tarapur in Silchar on Monday afternoon to extend the tenure of his contact.

At 7.30 pm, a group of miscreants attacked Laskar with sharp weapons outside the office. He was rushed to Silchar Medical College Hospital in a critical condition and succumbed to his injuries at 10 am on Tuesday.

'State trying to include Bangladeshis in National Register of Citizens' ET Bureau Guwahati, Dec 28 : Even as Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday promised to implement the Assam Accord in Guwahati, Democratic Students' Youth Forum, a students' body, accused the state government of trying to include non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh in the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Quoting an RTI document,

the students' body said the Sub Committee for Updation of NRC and Implementation of Assam Accord had already decided to include non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh in the NRC. Another organization, Muktidoot, also expressed concern over the issue and asked CM Sarbananda Sonowal and AGP adviser Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to clear their stand.

8 suspended JNU students reply to notice, refute charges New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) The JNU administration today said it has received a joint reply to the notices served to eight suspended students accused of disrupting Academic Council meeting wherein they have refuted the charge against them, even as the students staged a protest on campus against the suspension.

The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) said it will organise a protest march on the campus tomorrow demanding revoking of suspension of the students.

"A group of students today staged a protest over suspension of students on the campus. We have also received a joint reply on the notices served to 8 suspended students, in which it has been claimed that the charge of disrupting AC meeting is wrong," said a senior JNU official.

The Proctorial enquiry against the eight students is on and the suspension will continue till it is completed, he added.

Congress'-affiliated student outfit NSUI staged a protest over and took out a march towards the HRD ministry but were stopped by police on Raiseena Road.

Addressing the protesters, NSUI president Amrita Dhawan said the agitation

on the issue will continue.

"The JNU students were protesting over the provision of making interviews sole criterion of admissions to MPhil and PhD courses.

But their leaders were punished with suspension without any notice," she claimed.

open session where guest and resource persons will be invited from different parts of the country. Earlier Promod Baro president ABSU hoisted the flag.

Homage paid to the martyrs by Dwipen Baro VP and Mohipal Baro Deputy Speaker.

The convention reiterated some demands, including starting bi- partite talk in presence of Chief Minister and Chief Secretary of Assam on various state related issues and with government of India on Bodo issues. Solution of each and every issue of Bodo Medium Education from KG to PG in the coming budget session of Assam assembly. The convention also demanded to grant exgratia from the State government to the Bodo national martyrs in the spirit

of Martyrs of Assam movement; to name the 2nd Saraighat Bridge in the name of Freedom fighter B I R G W S R I (Thengphakheri); implementation of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional Forest Dwellers( Recognition of Rights) Act, 2006; implement new land policy to protect the tribal belt and block and notify for extension of new belt and block in tribal populated areas; establish computer learning center in every revenue village and Bank and ATM in every VCDC and panchayat level and to launch a new project for employment of Tribal Youth in the name of Jana Neta Bhimbar Deory as “Bhimbar Deory Tribal Employment Generation Mission” with budget provision of 5000 cores per year.

ET Correspondent Tezpur, Dec 28: The twoday long awareness programme which was organized to create an opinion against the illegal adoption held under the aegis of the District Child protection unit and in association with state child protection society, Assam and supported

by UNICEF concluded today at the District library here.The programme began with a rally which was flagged off by district Social welfare officer, Samsera Hazarika and was taken out throughout the town. It was followed by an awareness meeting. Presided over by Sonitpur District Social Welfare officer, Kanakeswar Sharma was graced by the member of District Child welfare Committee and master trainer of Adoption, Abha Bora, Child Protection officer (Institu-

tional), Poppy Das, ADC, Sonitpur, Kulen Sharma, Secretary, North Assam Handicapped Association, Utpal Bhuyan, among other dignitaries. Speaking on the occasion Abha Bora said on the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 which states about the restriction on adoption of child from various sources like Hospitals, Nursing Homes etc. Pointing out certain eligibility criteria for prospective adoptive parents, the noted child protection activist further stated that to adopt a child parents are to be physically, mentally, emotionally and economically sound. She also mentioned that the parents are to be free from dreaded disease like cancer. “Single father cannot adopt a female child while a single mother can adopt any gender. Parents maintaining sound relation for two years or more

tioned that without a joint effort success of these kinds of programmes is not possible. Meanwhile, at the sideline of the programme, interacting with this correspondent, Poppy Das, Child Protection officer said that for adopting a child one has to apply through online under Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

Other dignitaries present in the meeting too spoke on the issue. Earlier, on the first day of the programme, a leaflet distribution cum publicity campaign programme was held during which organizers distributed leaflets in all the hospitals, nursing homes, police stations, Block Development offices, Tezpur Medical College etc. in Sonitpur District to create awareness among the people on the issue.

Former top IAS officer Tripura TMC declares continuBaijal to be new Delhi LG ous agitation against Left Front New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Career bureaucrat Anil Baijal was today appointed as the new Lt Governor of Delhi, a post which has fallen vacant after sudden resignation of Najeeb Jung.

70-year-old Baijal, a 1969 batch IAS officer, had served as Union Home Secretary under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government besides holding key positions in other ministries.

The President accepted the resignation of Jung and also ordered for appointment of

Baijal, who will be the 21st Lt Governor of the national capital.

Baijal had retired from service in 2006 as Secretary, Urban Development Ministry. He is a former vice chairman of Delhi Development Authority.

Baijal was actively associated with the designing and roll-out of Rs 60,000 crore Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) launched by the Manmohan Singh government.

The former bureaucrat was also on the executive council of the think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation, several of whose former members have been appointed to senior positions by the Modi government including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Jung had submitted his resignation on December 22, ending a nearly three-andhalf-year-long eventful tenure, mostly marked by bitter confrontation with AAP government.

Head constable suspended for helping women pickpockets New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) A Delhi Police head constable has been suspended for allegedly helping women pickpockets after CCTV footage showed him taking something from the accused at Chawri Bazar Metro station.

The accused were arrested after a complaint by a US based woman who had charged them of stealing her valuables while travelling to Gurgaon in the Metro on

December 9.

"The head constable who purportedly appeared in the CCTV footage has been suspended for his suspected behaviour.

the accused women were seen with the constable and also taking some unidentified object from them.

Further investigation in the case is underway," said a senior Delhi Police officer.

The suspect cop has been placed under suspension and efforts are being made to confirm his alleged complicity with the women pickpocket.

The CISF manning the Chawri Bazar Metro station later scanned the CCTV footage in which

The footage showed his appearance but face is not clear to identify him, he added.

Agartala (Tripura), Dec. 28 (ANI): The Tripura Trinamool Congress (TMC) has declared agitation against the ruling Left Front on various issues including investigation against chit funds, duped depositors, involvement of elected members including minister of the state in crime against women, unemployment, state government employees deprived from the Seventh Pay Commission and few other issues.

President of the newly formed Tripura unit of the party, Asish Saha told the media that the Trinamool Congress announced that it would launch a continuous movement in the state to "restore democracy" by ousting the Left Front Government in the assembly elections scheduled for 2018.

“In this state, 142 chit funds were active and the party in power had made all arrangements and provided them license to do business.

The Chief Minister of the state along with various ministers, ruling CPI(M) party MLAs and leaders attended programmes organised by different chit funds which were active in this state and thus encouraged people to deposit money and brought credibility for these chit funds, which duped around 14 lack depositors of the state.

Moreover, due to wrong decision of the cabinet these chit funds could flee from the state leading to economic breakdown but the state government did not take any step against them”, said Saha.

“The people of the state faced huge monetary loss and there was a repeated demand to take measure against these chit funds but the government did not do anything so that those were duped could get back their money. So very soon the Trinamool Congress will organise state wide protest on behalf of all depositors who had lost their money to these chit funds,” he added.

Saha alleged that neither the state nor the Central Government is serious in taking step against the chit fund or the corruption in various block offices by siphoning of fund from central schemes and so the TMC will organise protest against all these.

“We have noticed that in all our neighouring states investigations are taking place against the chit funds by the CBI, ED and the union government is also giving importance to the loss of the depositors in those states. But in our state, despite our repeated demand the centre or the state government is not declaring any investigation. Here the

party in power had siphoned depositor’s money in connivance with the chit funds and so no steps are being taken against them.

So on coming 19th January we shall organise rally for pressing various demands including investigation against the chit funds,” he said.

He also alleged that the state is among those in crime against women and no legal step is taken against those who are involved in such crimes as they are leaders and elected members of the Left Front.

Saha said, “Besides protesting against corruption, we shall also protest against the crime against women in the state. We shall also fight for the unemployed youths, the government employees who are deprived by the state government from their 7th Pay Commission scale.

For these demands we shall also go for six hours state wide agitation on coming 19th January.”

He claimed that only TMC can oust the corrupt Marxist government from power like Mamata Banerjee ousted the Marxist government from power in West Bengal.

The TMC has formed a 74member Tripura Pradesh unit with Saha as its president.

Rs 48 lakh cash seized from angadia firm owner in Mumbai

The JNU administration had yesterday suspended the eight students and withdrew their hostel facilities for allegedly disrupting an Academic Council meeting chaired by VC Jagdesh Kumar on December 26.

The suspended students included Dawa Sherpa, Rahul Sonpimple, Mulayam Singh, Shakeel, Bhupali Kusum Vitthal, Dilip Yadav, Mritunjaya, and Prashant, who belonged to different students outfits including Birsa Ambedkar Phule Stud e n t s Association(BAPSA), Demorcatic Students Union(DSU) and United OBC Forum.

Mumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Rs 48 lakh cash, including Rs 45 lakh in the new Rs 2,000 denomination, has been seized from an angadia (courier) firm owner in Zaveri Bazaar, a bullion trade hub here, police said today.

"A protest was held today at Admin Block of the university. We were informed that our meeting with VC will be held tomorrow," said Rahul.

He however denied the notices served on the students were replied jointly by the eight students.

between them are eligible for adopting a child”. She mentioned adding according to this Act. for adoption consent from both mother and father is a must. Moreover, parents having more than four children cannot adopt a child. Mentioning some other points related to the issue she urged the authority concerned to be sensitive enough in this regard so that one cannot go for adoption according to his own will thereby violating the law. From North Assam Handicapped Association, Utpal Bhuyan in his speech said that such programmes should not remain confined within the town areas rather it should spread to the rural areas where such incidents take place more. Expressing dissatisfaction over non-cooperation from the Health department towards this issue Utpal Bhuyan men-

Sri Sanjib Gohain Boruah, Commissioner GMC , addressing the gathering at a meeting on cleanliness drive as part of the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan at ITI, Guwahati on 28 Dec

Zaveri Baazar, a senior police official said.

He was nabbed and asked the source of the cash, which he was carrying in a bag, the officer added.

Revadia was detained after he did not give a Acting on a tip-off, satisfactory reply, he sleuths of unit 2 of the added. crime branch nabbed the angadia firm owner "Mumbai Police have Vasant Revadia on Sun- caught one angadia with day (December 25) with the cash and also inthe cash, they added. formed Income Tax department about the seiRevadia was transport- zure," Joint Commising the cash from his sioner (Crime) Sanjay Kalbadevi office to Saxena said.

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

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Trinamool announces continuous Meghalaya to host movement to oust Left Front in Tripura National Games 2022

Agartala, Dec 28 : Trinamool Congress on Tuesday announced that it would launch a continuous movement in Tripura to “restore democracy” by ousting the Left Front government in the state assembly elections scheduled for 2018.

“Only insistent movement can oust the corrupt Marxist government from power.

The way TMC led by Mamata Banerjee has ousted the Marxist government from power in West Bengal, Tripura too would follow the example,” president of the newly formed Tripura unit of the party,

Asish Saha told reporters.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee has constituted the Tripura Pradesh unit of her party with Ashish Saha as its president, a party leader said here on Tuesday.

“With the approval of Mamata Banerjee, a 74member TMC Tripura Pradesh Committee was announced late Monday night with Ashish Saha as state president,” TMC leader Sudip Roy Barman said.

He said that a nine-member state coordination committee was also announced

with Ratan Chakraborty as chairman and Surajit Datta as convenor.

All the six TMC legislators and former Tripura Chief Minister Samir Ranjan Barman (1992-1993) are members of the coordination committee.

“Didi has formed the state committee and coordination committee comprising of both young and experienced leaders,” Barman told reporters.

“The new TMC committee would fight against the ruling Left Front to oust it from governance in the 2018 assembly elections,” he said.

In the new TMC state com-

mittee, there are 10 vice presidents with eight general secretaries, secretaries and one treasurer. Protesting against the Congress’ electoral alliance with the Left parties in West Bengal, six of the ten party legislators led by Barman, along with many heads of the Congress’ frontal organisations, scores of party leaders and thousands of workers, quit the Congress and joined TMC few months back.

Both Chakraborty and Datta were former ministers of the Congress-led government that ruled the state from 1988

to 1993.

Saha alleged that the state’s employees were deprived because the recommendations of the sixth pay commission were not implemented.

Besides, a large number of youths were unemployed and crime against women was very high in Tripura.

He announced that TMC supporters and activists would demonstrate before the RBI office here on January 3 against demonetisation, which caused “limitless inconveniences to the people”.

(Agencies)

Shillong, Dec 28: After successfully co-hosting the 12th South Asian Games with Assam early this year, Meghalaya has now got the opportunity to hold the National Games 2022.

The annual general body meeting of the Indian Olympic Association held in Chennai on Tuesday accepted the bid and allotted the Games to the State.

Meghalaya State Olympic Association working presi-

dent John F. Kharshiing said the process of signing the MoU and submission of other documents would follow. “There will be a monthly review of progress and it will kick start now,” he added.

Earlier this year, Meghalaya submitted its bid before the Indian Olympic Association to host the Games.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had said hosting the National Games would

be a fitting tribute to the State and the people to mark the 50th year of Meghalaya’s statehood.

However, preparations for the Games would include huge infrastructure for not only hosting 32 Olympic and eight non-Olympic disciplines but also for hospitality.

Till date, only two states in the North East have hosted the National Games – Manipur in 1999 and Assam in 2007.

NEC demands Rs 2000 cr, Shillong airport runs Mobile internet ban extended; gets only Rs 925 cr in FY18 into land trouble

Shillong, Dec 28 : The runway expansion project for Shillong airport is yet to cross land acquisition hurdles.

The project, which was put on the priority list during the 65th North Eastern Council (NEC) plenary session in May, has not been taken up since the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has not submitted its detailed project report, said R. Muivah, secretary of the nodal agency for the development of the region.

“It (AAI) says it cannot submit the DPR since there are still some land disputes and 2-3 land owners have not been paid their compensation,” he added.

The NEC secretary also assured that the council would arrange for funds for the project worth around Rs 184 crore from other sources.

Reacting to a query on introducing more flights from the airport to other parts of the country, Muivah said the connectivity would improve largely once the regional aerial connectivity scheme is implemented where the Centre would provide funds on a 90:10 ratio.

Only Assam and Manipur have signed the memorandum while Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh are requesting the NEC to support the states with 10 percent funding under the scheme.

“We have held a meeting and we have informed the Ministry of DoNER about the request and if it is approved, than we would give 10 percent assistance to Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh,” said Muivah.

PDS: CMO clarifies repacking of rice Dimapur, Dec 28 : Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has said the chief minister was constrained to clarify to allegations (made by ACAUT) that rice meant for beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA) were being siphoned off in the department of Food and Civil Supplies, a portfolio held by the chief minister.

CMO media cell said the chief minister had on June 27,2016 while inaugurating the NFSA for Kohima and Dimapur, had maintained that beneficiaries under AAY and Priority Household (PHH) would what was due such as 35 kg per ration card holder under AAY at Rs.3 per kg and 5 kg per head at Rs.3 under PHH. On the issue of repackaging rice from jute bags to plastic bags, the CMO explained that it was also raised by various north eastern states with the union government at the meeting in Guwahati on October 3 and 4, 2016. CMO said the matter was also clarified by the secretary consumer affairs, Food & Public Distribution government of India, that the ministry was not in a position to make up for any loss arising out of spillage and wastage during transportation and storage.

Due to losses on account of spillage etc, CMO said beneficiaries used to complain about not receiving their full quota of grain as prescribed and so the F&CS department on being asked by the chief minister, pointed out that the department had written to the stockists on November 4,2016 permitting them to repack rice from jute to durable plastic so that the right proportion reached the beneficiaries.

CMO said a misconception appeared to have been implanted in the minds of the general public that depart-

UNC consultative meeting today

mental supply of rice ought to be on in jute bags. Since damages and spillages occurred during improper handling during transportation of the rice packed in jute bags, resulting in inaccurate and shortages when delivered to targeted group, CMO said it was considered to repack rice in plastic bags in order to reach beneficiaries in matter of days for distribution.

CMO disclosed that 14,03,579 population in Nagaland were being covered under NFSA with 47,500 ration card holders under AAY covering a population of 2,09,657, and a total of 2,37,434 ration card holders under PHH covering a population of 11,93,928.

CMO also made known that Centre allotted food grain according to the number of ration card holders and not a kilogram more or less.

CMO said it was inevitable of some shortfall at the beneficiary level since said spillage and wastage of grains, invariably takes place at various stages of transportation and storage process.

CMO said that since the whole case “has been misinterpreted and misprojected in the media” and where it was depicted that corrupt activities are taking place with the “assumed blessings of the Government”, the Chief Minister was constrained to request the general public to first give the repackaging process a chance and see if the beneficiaries get their due share, before jumping the gun and crying foul, blaming and criticising as if one has some political axe to grind. CMO said the chief minister had on several occasion urged upon the beneficiaries and the public to bring it to his attention if they do not get the prescribed amount of food grain. Such concern must also be appreciated.

Imphal, Dec 28 : Manipur government has extended the ban on mobile internet services for one more week, till December 30.

Mobile internet services remained suspended across the state since December 18 last to prevent spread of rumours in the wake of heightened tension in the course of prolonged imposition of economic blockade on the national highways by the United Naga Council (UNC).

Earlier, the state government snapped services for a week which ended on December 25. However, it was extended till Friday (December 30).

District magistrates of each districts across the state ordered ‘blackout’ of mobile internet services to check spread of rumours through social media like, facebook, whatsapp, etc.

The curfew which was promulgated in the Imphal East and West districts was lifted during the day, even though the same was still in place from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

On the other hand, the agitating UNC has reportedly

called for a consultative meeting with its constituent bodies on Wednesday (December 28) at Senapati district headquarters to discuss the future of stir.

Sources said that UNC leaders, who were recently camped at New Delhi, would table their series of meetings with Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and Centre’s interlocutor for Naga talks, R.N. Ravi.

Three former presidents of UNC, L Adani, Kh Paul Leo and Samson Remei who were camped at the national capital since December 17 returned on Sunday. The meeting was likely to discuss on intensifying the agitation, sources said.

In view of the volatile situation, Centre rushed additional 4000 security personnel to assist the state security force in re-opening the highways. Altogether over 17000 central paramilitary personnel have been stationed at Manipur.

Centre asks Manipur to utilise Central forces properly: The Centre has asked the Manipur government

for proper utilisation of 17,500 paramilitary personnel sent to the state to reopen a national highway which was blocked for nearly two months by a Naga group.

In a communication, the Home Ministry conveyed to the Manipur government to “re-arrange and utilise” the 175 companies of paramilitary forces which were already made available to the state to ensure removal of the blockade. If necessary, few more companies will also be sent to Manipur to assist the state government in maintaining law and order, official sources said today.

A company of paramilitary force comprises of about 100 personnel.

The Home Ministry last week sent additional 4,000 paramilitary personnel to Manipur, thus taking the total number of central security personnel deployed in the sensitive north-eastern state to 17,500.

While the National Highway-37 is reopened, the NH-2 is yet to be reopened.

MVC to boycott town council polls Dimapur, Dec 28 : Reacting to the State Election Commission’s (SEC) notification for conduct of civic polls, Medziphema Village Council (MVC) on Tuesday reaffirmed that the council would not allow holding of the Town council polls with 33% women reservation within its jurisdiction.

In a press note, MVC chairman Neikhonyu Kuotsu and secretary Khriengulie Kapo stated that the council stood firm on its earlier resolution, to ban the conduct of civil polls in its soil unless the provision of the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, amended in 2006, to give 33% women reservation in civic polls was deleted.

In this regard, MVC warned all interested/intending candidates not to file nominations for Medziphema town council elections.

“If any individual files nomination for the same in contravention to the village council resolution, he/she should also be ready to bear the consequences at his/her own risk and peril,” the council stated.

ernment for going against the wishes and expectation of the people by notifying the date of the Urban Local Body/ Town Counicl election.

However, Medziphema Village Council has also made it clear that it was not against holding of Town Council election, but was against reservation of seats for women.

It stated that its decision was in the interest of Naga customary and traditional practices and the special position of the Nagas under the Indian constitution.

Despite stiff opposition from various quarters and appleas made by tribal bodies against the cabinet’s decision to hold civic polls with 33% women reservation, the government chose to go ahead. “The government is expected to listen to the wishes of the people but instead, it had decided to overrule the wishes and expectations of the people by notifying the date of the elections,” MVC stated.

MVC also observed that incorporation of women reservation in Naga public institutions was totally against the traditional and social practices of the Nagas. The counicl also hit out at the state gov-

It may be mentioned that the state government through SEC on December 21 notified that general election to municipal councils and town councils would be held on February 1, 2017.

Shillong, Dec 28: The North Eastern Council’s demand to hike its annual budgetary allocation to Rs 2,000 crore has fallen in deaf ears as the Centre has indicated that it would sanction only Rs 925 crore for the financial year 2017-18.

North Eastern Council (NEC) secretary R. Muivah said on Tuesday the nodal body for the development of the region was informed about the budgetary allocation on Monday.

Besides, NEC has been given a revised estimate of the additional Rs 120 crore this year and now the total budgetary allocation for the current year for NEC is Rs 920 crore from Rs 800 crore.

“In a way, NEC is like an orphan and champions our cause,” he said, adding that the fund which is allocated to NEC is not sufficient.

Muivah said NEC receives priority list of projects worth Rs 4,000 crore from all the states every year but is

getting around Rs 800-900 crore per year.

Stating that NEC has so far utilised 73 percent of its budget, Muivah said NEC has now worked out a draft normative allocation for distribution of funds for the eight northeastern states.

This has been prepared taking into cognizance the geography, population and human index of each state.

Under the draft, Assam would get 25 percent of the total funds while Arunachal Pradesh will get 13 percent.

Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura will get 11 percent and Sikkim will get 7 percent of the funds.

The NEC secretary, however, said the matter is still in the draft stage and it will come into force once it is approved by the plenary council even as he added that the move was initiated following complaints by chief ministers about receiving less fund from NEC.

When asked about which states have utilised the funds to the maximum, Muivah said Sikkim and Tripura are doing well.

The Council is also working on a draft proposal under which NEC would change its funding pattern for projects.

“Now we give 40 percent of the total projects at first go but after the approval of the draft we will give Rs 10 lakh for the project and after tendering process is over, than we will issue 40 percent of the project cost,” he said.

He further said Meghalaya has recently submitted its priority list of projects to NEC and hence the utilisation of funds is quite low. The State is the penultimate on the list to submit its proposal with Tripura being the last.

“If states do not use funds, there are mother states waiting and we will release funds to those states,” he added.

NPCC releases manifesto for civic body polls

Dimapur, Dec 28 : Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K. Therie on Tuesday released the party’s manifesto with 17-point objectives for the February 2017 general election to municipal councils and town councils.

A short launching programme was organised at Congress Bhawan Dimapur attended by party veterans and loyalists.

While releasing the manifesto, Therie said the party welcomed 33% women reservation in civic polls. He said: “vibrant women councillors’ participation in the process of planning is expected to balance and also contribute new dimensions in the approach to administration”.

Therie also attacked the

BJP-led government in the centre over demonetisation saying plastic money (endorsed by the central government) made no sense in Nagaland where 80% of the population had neither bank account nor the infrastructure for cashless transaction. “We intend to send a strong message to GoI that we do not approve demonetisation,” Therie stated.

He said NPCC stood against demonetisation and corruption. “We stand for clean council, secular, decentralisation of power, and safeguard of constitutional rights,” he asserted.

According to him, anyone voting for BJP/NPF was voting for demonetisation.

He was hopeful that the

voters would send a strong signal to the state government and government of India through this municipal and town councils election. Further, Therie said NPCC would be fielding as many candidates as possible in the civic polls.

Meanwhile, NPCC in its manifesto alleged that civic polls was deliberately delayed where the powers and benefits misused/mismanaged by NPF-BJP government by nominating NPF workers as members of municipals and town councils for the past seven years.

Among other things, environmental concern, proper planning/management of urban areas, sanitation etc figured in the NPCC election manifesto.

Shillong airport runs into land trouble Shillong, Dec 28 : The runway expansion project for Shillong airport is yet to cross land acquisition hurdles.

The project, which was put on the priority list during the 65th North Eastern Council (NEC) plenary session in May, has not been taken up since the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has not submitted its detailed project report, said R. Muivah, secretary of the nodal agency for the development of the region.

“It (AAI) says it cannot

submit the DPR since there are still some land disputes and 2-3 land owners have not been paid their compensation,” he added.

The NEC secretary also assured that the council would arrange for funds for the project worth around Rs 184 crore from other sources.

Reacting to a query on introducing more flights from the airport to other parts of the country, Muivah said the connectivity would improve largely once the regional aerial connectivity scheme is implemented where the Centre would

provide funds on a 90:10 ratio.

Only Assam and Manipur have signed the memorandum while Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh are requesting the NEC to support the states with 10 percent funding under the scheme.

“We have held a meeting and we have informed the Ministry of DoNER about the request and if it is approved, than we would give 10 percent assistance to Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh,” said Muivah.

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

Today's quote

“

You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth.

William W. Purkey

Passport to reform The progressive changes introduced by the Centre to the rules governing grant of passports were long overdue. They simplify, in great measure, the paperwork needed for an Indian citizen to get the document. In order to screen applications to prevent impersonation, some of the earlier rules may have made sense at some point of time, but over the years the bureaucratic impediments that the cumbersome requirements posed to genuine applicants were so severe that many had to knock on the doors of high courts for remedy. Some rules were targeted at women. The most specious form of harassment of women passport applicants related to those who were either separated or divorced. Even something as routine as renewing a passport without any change of name or detail or getting a passport in the name of a child was a laborious process, as passport officials insisted on either the father's consent or demanded a divorce decree. Following the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee comprising officials of the Ministries of External Affairs and Women and Child Development, crucial changes have been introduced. The application form now requires only the name of one parent, not both. This will enable single parents to apply for passports for their children without the name of either the father or the mother being printed in the document. The stipulation that marriage certifications and divorce decrees should be provided has been removed; the obsolete concept of getting documents attested by notaries or magistrates has also been jettisoned, and self-declarations on plain paper would now be accepted.

A key reform is that a birth certificate is no more the main proof of date of birth, and other official documents, including Aadhaar number and PAN card, which contain the date, can be utilised. In the case of orphaned children, actual proof for date of birth has been dispensed with and a declaration from the head of a child care home or orphanage confirming the date is enough.

In keeping with the times, adopted and surrogate children can be issued passports even in the absence of the relevant documents, based on a declaration on plain paper. Sadhus and sanyasins have been allowed to mention their gurus in lieu of the names of their parents. The new rules address many irritants in the process of getting a passport, but also make one wonder why these were not introduced long ago. Ultimately, a passport ought to be every citizen's right. Simplifying the procedures in obtaining one should be an ongoing exercise.

Behind Pakistan's CPEC offer

P6 Afghanistan, India, and Trump

Given his limited choices Rakesh Sood in stabilising Afghanistan, which include supporting a national election, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will find India to be a reliable and trusted partner in this process On January 20, next year, Donald Trump will take over as the 45th President of the United States of America, at a time when the U.S. remains engaged in the longest war in its history - the war in Afghanistan. He will be the third President to deal with the war launched in 2001 by U.S. President George Bush and sought to be brought to a conclusion by his successor U.S. President Barack Obama.

Even though 'Operation Enduring Freedom' ended on December 28, 2014 implying an end to formal combat operations by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces, the U.S. still maintains approximately 9,800 troops as part of the international troop presence numbering over 12,000 under 'Operation Resolute Support'. Primary responsibility for fighting the insurgency was transferred to the Afghan National Security Forces (consisting of the military and the police) two years ago but U.S. presence is essential to provide critical domain awareness, intelligence and surveillance support, air power and special forces.

For Mr. Bush, the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan was an integral part of his "war on terror", launched on September 20, 2001. The U.S.-led effort enjoyed broad international support which continued even after Mr. Bush's ill-conceived invasion in Iraq in 2003 in search of the non-existent weapons of mass destruction. The Iraq invasion however diluted Washington's focus on the

While there can be little expectation of any room for India in CPEC at present, there is space for India to step back and see where China and Pakistan want to go with it. The offer to India was made along with offers to other "neighbouring countries".

Already, Iran wants Gwadar to be a "sister" port to Chabahar, and Turkmenistan and other Central Asian republics have shown interest in the warm-water port that will be a nodal point for goods through Pakistan to the Chinese city of Kashgar. Further north, despite its problems on terror from Pakistan, Afghanistan is becoming a nodal point for China's connectivity projects to Iran. The meeting among Russian, Chinese and Pakistani officials on Afghanistan this week, and Russian engagement with the Taliban, indicate much more is changing in the region than just the alignment of highways and tunnels. While India has done well to shore up relations with others in the region, it cannot afford to be blindsided by their involvement with the OBOR project and Chinese plans. CPEC is no longer a project in Pakistan, but one that runs through it, a project that will link 64 countries.

challenges it faced in Afghanistan.

In 2009, Mr. Obama drew a clear distinction between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, describing the latter as "a war of necessity", a "war that we (USA) have to win". He ordered a troop surge in 2009 while simultaneously announcing the date for withdrawal of the U.S. from combat operations. This flawed decision may have been the result of domestic compulsions but it breathed fresh life into the insurgency.

Gains and losses Much blood and treasure has been expended in Afghanistan. The U.S. alone has spent more than $800 billion in Afghanistan, of which $115 billion has been spent on reconstruction; more than the inflation adjusted expenditure under the Marshall Plan for rebuilding Europe after World War II at $105 billion! The ISAF (consisting of over 40 countries) suffered 3,500 fatal casualties during the last 15 years, with the U.S. bearing the largest loss at 2,400 lives. At the NATO summit in Warsaw earlier this year, it was agreed to maintain the current international troop presence till 2020 while providing annual financial support of $4.5 billion for the Afghan security forces.

It is clear that this is unlikely to bring about a material change in the situation in Afghanistan. In fact, casualties among the Afghan forces and civilians have risen rapidly in recent years.

The total civilian casualties are estimated at 31,000; this year witnessed a spike. The Afghan security forces have suffered significant casualties, rising from 21,000 in 2014 to about 30,000 today.

Out of 408 districts, the government writ holds in 258 while 33 have come un-

der the control of the insurgents, largely in the south.

The remaining 116 districts are contested zones.

It is true that some progress has been registered. Life expectancy has gone up from 40 years in 2002 to 62 years today. From 9,00,000 boys in school then, the number of children in school is now more than 8 million, more than a third are girls. Literacy figures have gone up from 12 per cent to 34 per cent in 15 years. Today, with a median age of 18 years, Afghanistan has one of the youngest populations with 60 per cent of the population below 21 years of age. This progress can be sustained only if peace can be restored.

Different political approaches Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai realised early on that the key to restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan lay in Pakistan. He described the Taliban as "Pashtun brothers" and tried to improve relations with Pakistan. In many of his speeches, Mr. Karzai referred to India "as an old friend" and Pakistan as "a brother and conjoined twin". The metaphor may not be apt - because half the conjoined twins are stillborn and an additional onethird die within 24 hours but it does capture Pakistan's critical role. Eventually, he became exasperated with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's rebuffs and tried, unsuccessfully, to open up his own channels for dialogue with the Quetta Shura, first with Mullah Obaidullah and then with Mullah Baradar, only to have them successively neutralised by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Mr. Ghani went a step further. Having witnessed Mr. Karzai's doomed efforts and conscious of the politi-

cal fragility of his National Unity Government, he swallowed his pride and even called on the Pakistani Army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, at the GHQ, in Rawalpindi in 2014, a departure from protocol that raised many eyebrows. He tacitly accepted Pakistan's demand that Afghanistan diminish the salience of its relationship with India, in the expectation that Pakistan would play a positive role to ensure political reconciliation. A new track was opened with the Quadrilateral Coordination Group consisting of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the U.S. However, Mr. Ghani too felt betrayed when he learnt that the myth of Mullah Omar had been sustained for at least two years and despite his pleading, the ISI went ahead with the anointment of Mullah Mansour as the new Taliban leader. As insurgency grew, he publicly blamed Pakistan of sending "a message of war" when he had held out a hand of peace.

In their own fashion, both Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama saw the Pakistan problem but were content to manage the situation rather than push for a solution. Mr. Bush ensured the first round of peaceful elections in Afghanistan by laying down clear redlines for Gen. Musharraf but during his second term, he was preoccupied with Iraq. Mr. Obama tried diplomacy by appointing the high profile U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke as Special Representative for AfPak but eventually decided that the best way for the U.S. to address the issue was to reduce its role and presence in Afghanistan. The KerryLugar assistance package for Pakistan turned out to be more carrot than stick.

Pakistan's overreach Given a porous border

with Afghanistan with tribal linkages cutting across the Durand Line, Pakistan's legitimate interests can be understood as also the fact that it is critical to any political reconciliation in Afghanistan. However, what Pakistan has been seeking is to exercise a veto over Kabul's relations with Delhi which the Afghans are unwilling to concede.

Pakistan's policies towards both India and Afghanistan are determined primarily by the Army which sees India as an existential threat. Looking at its relations with Afghanistan through the India prism makes it inevitable that Pakistan can only have a relationship with Afghanistan that is mired in mistrust, suspicion and hostility.

Since relations with India are unlikely to normalise in the foreseeable future, the only way out for Pakistan to play a constructive role in Afghanistan is to accept the idea of Afghan sovereignty and autonomy and refrain from making it a zone of India-Pakistan rivalry.

Unless Pakistan changes its attitude, political reconciliation in Afghanistan will remain unlikely. The Taliban today is a fractured lot, neither a Vietcong nor even a Hezbollah. Its fragmentation does not affect its ability to launch terrorist attacks in Afghanistan but certainly makes it more difficult to get it to the negotiating table.

Meanwhile, the National Unity Government in Kabul is not a strong and united entity thereby reducing its negotiating space. All this diminishes Pakistan's ability to deliver the Taliban too; it can ensure presence for a one-off meeting but lacks the political capital needed to underwrite the reconciliation process.

The challenge for Kabul is that it has to engage in multiple reconciliation pro-

cesses - with the Taliban and with the Pakistani army.

The hardline Taliban represented by the Haqqani network is determined to continue the fight militarily.

However, even the more moderate who are willing to talk demand the exit of all foreign forces from Afghanistan. Not only could this bring about a collapse of the fragile coalition in Kabul but it would also reduce the international financial support which is critical to keep the government machinery working. Power sharing can be worked out, as demonstrated recently in the accord with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, but no government in Kabul can accept this Taliban redline.

The India factor India has had the most effective economic cooperation programme, having spent more than $2 billion and committed another billion dollars earlier this year.

Indians have also lost lives in deliberate attacks linked to the Haqqani group and the Lashkar-e-Taiba but this has not diminished the Indian role. It has only cemented Afghan-Indian relations which are now developing a military dimension. Never again will India be forced to close down its embassy in Kabul as it happened during the Taliban regime.

When President-elect Donald Trump takes charge, he will find that he has little choice in the matter. A complete withdrawal is out of question. His challenge will be to change the calculus of the Pakistani establishment, increase capabilities of the Afghan security forces to inflict attrition on the insurgents, and, in 2019, support an election in Afghanistan that brings about a more cohesive government. In all this, he will find the Narendra Modi government to be a reliable and trusted partner.

Modi has ruptured the lethargic legacy of the last 60 years Chandan Mitra

Days after a senior Pakistani General suggested that India should shun its "enmity" with Pakistan and join the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, the Chinese foreign ministry has called the offer a "goodwill gesture", exhorting India to take it up. At face value, the suggestion is odd. India has no dialogue with Pakistan at present, and has opposed the project, bilaterally with China "at the highest level" as well as at the UN. Relations with China have deteriorated considerably since President Xi Jinping's visit to Pakistan to announce the project in April 2015. Initially, New Delhi sought to play down its significance, as it was made just weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to China, and the government would have hoped to dissuade Beijing from pushing the more objectionable projects that run through disputed territory.

However, not only has the corridor taken shape rapidly, China and Pakistan have been drawn into a closer embrace, with Pakistan investing considerable resources in securing Chinese officials working on CPEC, and China redrawing its plans for the One Belt One Road to Central Asia to incorporate Pakistan's interests. China has defended Pakistan against India's efforts to pin it down with regard to support to terror groups, and to draw an obstructionist equivalence with India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership application. Given all this, the General's suggestion can only be understood to have been made rhetorically, especially as it was accompanied by allegations of India's "anti-Pakistan activities and subversion" in Balochistan.

EDITORIAL

Some decades ago, on the eve of the 1991 general election, posters came up in different parts of the country, reading: "40 saal banam chaar mahine - faisla aapke haath" (40 years versus four months: The verdict is in your hands). Issued by accidental Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar's political outfit, it sought to compare his government's non-existent achievements (barring the mortgaging of gold, if that can be called an achievement) with successive Congress governments.

The comparison was laughable since the maverick pseudo-socialist had very little to show in the brief tenure bestowed upon him by Rajiv Gandhi, who cruelly used him purely to remove V.P. Singh from office. It is far too early to compare Congress governments of yore with Narendra Modi's BJP regime. First, Modi has been in office for 31 months, although his clear majority in the Lok

Sabha will ensure he completes his full five-year term.

The time for comparison will come two years down the line.

Second, achievements of the Modi government must be seen in continuum to Atal Bihari Vajpayee's six years in office. That too was a BJP-led government and the first non-Congress regime that completed its full term. The principle milestones of Vajpayee's regime were, first, the launch of the ambitious highway development project linking the country's four metros and another road-building programme to connect villages with a population of 1,000-plus to the nearest highway. Second, by undertaking an expanded nuclear programme, symbolised by the Pokharan blasts of May 1998, the first BJP government put Indira Gandhi's half-hearted 1974 nuclear implosions to shade. Modi has pushed the envelope further on both counts.

Highway construction is proceeding at a rapid pace while India's missile programme, with satellite development projects,

The three races We are never alone Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forrest... blindfolded...and leaves him....alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night...and not take off the blindfold until the ray of sun shines through it. He is all by himself. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night...he is a MAN. He

cannot tell the other boys of this experience. Each boy must come into his

own manhood.

The boy was terrified...could hear all kinds of noise...Beasts

places the country in the big league.

Locating spellbinding achievements of the Congress era is actually a difficult proposition. The country faced near-famine conditions in the 1960s, thanks to Jawaharlal Nehru's blind faith in the Soviet model of industrialisation, to the detriment of agriculture. Only the Green Revolution of the late '60s pulled India out of the abyss. But the Indian farmer remained dependent on the monsoon's vagaries, with little economic security.

Although bank nationalisation in 1969 freed agriculturists from usurious money-lenders, the Congress never conceived a scheme to insure farm incomes.

The Modi government's Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance scheme) finally secured farmers against periodic crop failures.

Barring bank nationalisation, it is difficult to think of any grand, gamechanging scheme initiated by the Congress. After all, it was a status quoist

were all around him.

Maybe even some human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and earth... and it shook his stump.

But he sat stoically...never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man.

Finally, after a horrific night...the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father...sitting on the stump next to him...at watch...the entire night.

We are never truly alone.

Even when we do not know it, our family and friends are watching out for us...sitting on a stump beside us.

organisation backed by rich farmers and big industrialists. Indira Gandhi may have tried to project the image of being a messiah of the poor but the slogan of Garibi Hatao remained just that - a slogan.

The BJP, however, has slowly developed a social base very different from the Congress's upper caste plus minorities. The BJP has systematically weaned away upper castes and assiduously built a backbone of empowered Other Backward Class (OBC) sections in the post-Mandal era.

Hindutva may still be the party's ideological mainstay (which presages the party's rejection by minorities by and large), but the BJP's social phalanx today is much more inclusive than the Congress's.

The Modi government's successful social engineering is steadily altering the composition of India's ruling groups. This perhaps is the most significant difference the Modi regime has brought so far. The Congress is paying a heavy price for not fostering an

OBC leadership, despite post-Green Revolution and post-Mandal economic and political power in rural India tilting heavily in favour of OBCs. If the BJP continues to promote this section, it'll bring about a tectonic shift in power equations in India. Other OBC-dominated parties, like Mulayam Singh's and Lalu Prasad's, failed to develop a pan-OBC character, remaining confined to certain pockets.

Alongside this, the Modi government is systematically promoting post-modern neo-capitalism by economic integration through digital technology - the biggest takeaway of the demonetisation gambit.

Overnight, it's catapulted India into the digital age, a big jump from the induction of computerisation by Rajiv Gandhi.

When demonetisation is evaluated some years down the line, it'll be clear Narendra Modi integrated cities with towns, salaried middle classes with upwardly mobile rural communities and engendered a national market (with the forthcoming GST), which neither the

British, nor the Congress had the vision or wherewithal to accomplish.

Another major break with the past is young India's changing mindset. Young people no longer hanker after government jobs; an entrepreneurial mindset is taking over. The era of doles, which peaked during Indira Gandhi's years and was continued by her Congress successors, is slowly ebbing away. A fundamental restructuring of the Indian mind is taking place.

Discomfited left-liberals of the JNU variety may denounce this as right-wing and ultra-nationalist - but the change is irreversible.

The politics of handholding, practiced by the Congress, with its postcolonial variant of maibaap sarkar, is over. Modi has fostered the age of the confident Indian cutting across economic and social strata. Having ruptured the lethargic legacy of the past 60 years, this is the fundamental difference Modi is making, creating a new fabric of Indian politics and society.

It's called disruption In most democracies, government policy always stands covertly aligned with the interests of the business lobbies. But it has never been so overtly aligned with corporate interests as it is now in our country with such inhumane callousness towards the interests of the common man vis-Ă -vis demonetisation .

This began ever since the economic 'reforms' of 1991 which were largely for the benefit of the corporate world. But even the government of the time would not have been so immune to see the hardship being caused by disruptions such as demonetisation.

Jacob Mayum Ukhrul, Manipur

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

WOMEN

P7

This Pioneering Doctor Discovered the First Case of HIV in India 30 Years Ago When Suniti Solomon, the groundbreaking HIV researcher who documented the first cases of the infection in India in 1986, passed away on July 28, 2015, The New Yorker wrote: "As HIV swept across the world, in the mid-nineteen-eighties, no country possessed a more menacing mix of conditions, predilections, and the kind of poverty likely to hasten an AIDS epidemic than India. Many researchers predicted a crisis unlike those in any other nation. But it never happened - in part because India had Suniti Solomon, the AIDS-treatment pioneer who died on Tuesday, at the age of seventy-six."

Sanchari Pal This is story of how Dr. Suniti Solomon's pioneering work in HIV startled the medical fraternity and pushed the government to act 30 years ago.

As a part of the research project, Dr. Solomon looked into the blood samples of 100 sex workers sheltered at a government home in Mylapore in Chennai. To her astonishment, she found that six of the 100 tested positive for HIV-among them a 13 year old girl who was forced into the sex trade. The samples were first sent to Christian Medical College in Vellore and later to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA to be tested independently. Both the institutes reconfirmed the findings - Dr. Solomon had made India's very first HIV diagnosis.

Dr. Solomon's findings sent shock waves through the medical fraternity in India. They knew that 6 out of 100 was very bad news, given the size

A soft spoken lady, Dr. Suniti Solomon had always been someone who never hesitated in taking courageous decisions.

Displaying the sort of pluck that she would be known for in the last three decades of her life, she decided to marry eminent cardio-thoracic surgeon, Dr Solomon Victor, at a time when inter-community marriages (Suniti was a Marathi-speaking Hindu while Solomon was Tamil Christian) were still ostracised in India.

After spending a few

years as a medical resident in pathology in Chicago's Cook County Hospital, Dr. Solomon returned to India to pursue her post graduation from Madras Medical College. She specifically chose microbiology because it included the subspecialty of immunology, which she believed would become increasingly important in the fight against infectious diseases in the future.

After her MD, Dr. Solomon joined the Institute of Microbiology in Madras Medical College

as a professor. At that time, many international medical journals were writing a lot about the HIV outbreaks in the world. An avid readers of these journals, Dr. Solomon realised that there was urgent need to find out if the HIV infection was present and spreading in India, even as the Indian government kept ducking the issue. So, to find if the little-known retrovirus was spreading in India, she initiated a research project at the Madras Medical College in 1986.

Dr Solomon was one of the first to talk openly about HIV in India and the stigma which accompanied it; she considered the latter to be just as, if not more, dangerous than the virus. She started the first HIV awareness (along with sex educa-

of India's population. When the findings were read out in the state legislative assembly, the Indian Government was forced to sit up and take notice. A series of research and training camps for medical and paramedical professionals on HIV infection were quickly put into place. A treatment regimen for those affected was also designed.

Dr Solomon knew that while the government had been made aware about the HIV threat, it would take time for their action plan to become active on the ground. Realizing the urgency of the situation, she set up India's first HIV voluntary counselling and testing centre at Madras Medical College herself. This centre would later

tion) programmes in schools and colleges braving the backlash from a conservative society. She also began publishing papers on HIV epidemiology, prevention, care, support and related gender issues.

Recalling those days in a

develop into Dr. Solomon's non-governmental organisation named after her father, the Y R Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE).

Dr. Solomon was also a member of the National Technical Team on women and AIDS and a member of the advisory board of International AIDS Vaccine Initiative-India, member of the Scientific Committee of the National AIDS Research Institute, Government of India, and a member of the Asia Data Safety Monitoring Board of the Division of AIDS, NIH, USA. A fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), New Delhi, she also served as the President of the AIDS Society of India.

2009 interview with India's Mint newspaper, Dr Solomon said, "My husband was a little worried and didn't want me to work with HIV-positive patients, most of whom at that time were homosexuals, those who self-injected

drugs and sex workers. And I said, look, you have to listen to their stories and you wouldn't say the same thing."

Known as "the AIDS doctor of Chennai", Dr Solomon soon became a household name in Tamil Nadu in the area of HIV prevention and people from distant places would come to her for HIV testing and counselling. She set up an office in her own house so people who wanted to avoid attention of passers-by could discreetly walk in for consultation. In an interview to the Times of India, Noori, one of the oldest HIV survivors of India, said about Dr. Solomon, "She didn't just break down science for us. She

taught us to live."

Realising that HIV-positive people needed drugs, she also started a pharmacy. Later, she also started a recuperating centre for serious patients who had been refused admission at public hospitals at the Voluntary Health Services (VHS) campus in Taramani.

She also trained and mentored like-minded junior doctors in the daily treatment and care of HIV-positive patients.

In 2012, Dr. Suniti Solomon was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for Service on HIV/AIDS by the state-run Dr MGR Medical University here. Since its establishment, the YRG centre has cared for more than 20?000 patients with HIV from across south India and currently treats 100 outpatients a day with 15?000 patients on regular follow-up. The non-profit organisation also educates other doctors about HIV and works to reduce the stigma about people living with HIV. In 2009, the Ministry of Science and Technology conferred the 'National Women Bio-scientist Award' on her. In 2001, she was given a similar award for her pioneering work on HIV/AIDS by Tamil Nadu's state run medical varsity. In 2012, Dr. Suniti Solomon was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for Service on HIV/AIDS by the state-run Dr MGR Medical

University here. The Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society had also given her a Lifetime Achievement Award. She was awarded a DMS (Honoris Cusa) by the Brown University in USA in 2006 and several other honours like the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for education and humanitarian services

While her work was initially disapproved by those around her, over the years, Dr. Solomon earned national and international recognition for her pioneering work, and along with it, the funding for her NGO.

For close to three decades Dr. Solomon used science to save and make lives, and lost hers to liver cancer in 2015. A doctor who dared to deal with HIV at a time when many physicians were reluctant to enter that field, Suniti Solomon worked tirelessly for the cause not just inside labs but outside as well. On World Aids Day, we salute this pioneering physician who didn't just make the discovery that helped the country begin its fight against HIV/AIDS, but also dedicated her life to battling the virus and the discrimination associated with it.

How These Beautiful Nungshiba Dolls Have Become a Means of Empowerment For Naga Women Astate defined by its lush mountainous terrain, picturesque village settlements and rich cultural heritage, Nagaland is also recognised for its finesse in fashion and handicrafts. In keeping with tradition, an

In 2011, Zuboni Humtsoe had just graduated from college. With her father seriously ill and her family undergoing a severe financial crisis, Humtsoe knew that she would have start earning immediately to be able to be contribute to her family's income. Sitting on the cold benches of the hospital, a determined Humtsoe promised herself that she would make her own destiny and not wait for anybody. While most of her relatives advised her to try for a government job, Humtsoe decided to follow

all-girls entrepreneurial team in Nagaland has started a unique venture called Nungshiba Handicrafts.

Not only does this initiative provide an opportunity to

her passion and set up a small business with the tiny capital of ? 3500 that she had saved from her college scholarship.

Passionate about art, fashion and photography, Humtsoe has always wanted to do something different. Taking inspiration from beautiful Japanese dolls, she decided to use left over fabrics to make beautiful handcrafted dolls that they would marketed under their brand, 'Precious Me Love' or PML. The idea behind this was to up-cycle fabrics and reduce carbon

emerging home-grown designers to market their handicrafts, it also helps them make a decent livelihood by selling them at their outlet.

Their most popular product?

The beautiful handcrafted Nungshiba dolls!

footprints while simultaneously empowering more local women in the process.

Over the years, Humtsoe worked really hard, taught herself, experimented, innovated, and kept herself open to feedback and criticism.

She also surrounded herself with genuine and positive people who inspired her to push herself and never give up. With time, everything started falling into place.

Today, PML sells everything from vintage clothing and fashion accessories to a variety of tribal handcrafts. However, their

signature products remains the traditional Nungshiba dolls. The dolls have been named Nungshiba (which means 'love' in Manipuri) in honour of PML's first crafts designer, Babita Meitei, a Manipuri.

Inspired by the beautiful tribal women of Nagaland, each Nungshiba doll is carefully designed and takes a day to make with two expert crafts women working to-

From their humble beginnings, PML has steadily grown to become one of the fastest growing online fashion brands from Nagaland. Today, PML employs 10 girls, including a differently-abled girl. The team includes Zuboni Humtsoe, the Marketing and Creative Head;

gether tirelessly. The end result is beautiful handmade dolls that wear unique mekhlas (traditional wraparounds worn by the Naga women of each tribe) with intricate pattern of beads and hand-stitched designs.

Humtsoe says that they take special care to ensure that each each Nungshiba handcrafted doll is special, unique and a joy that will last forever.

her sister Lozano, the Creative Director; Alen Konyak, the Logistics Manager, Wondeno Ezung; the official photographer; Lothungbeni Humtsoe, the Stylist and Sales Manager; Babita Meitei, the Handicrafts designer; Emilo Enny, Assistant Handicrafts Designer; Inali,

Julie and Zuchan, the Nungshiba doll-makers.

extension of her dreams, her personality and her ambition.

Recalling how tough it was initially to run her business with

the little money she had, she says that it had been tough journey but she was glad that she had made it.

When asked how it feels to be invited to present talks on her success story and to have encouraging strangers writing to her from across the world, in an interview to the local media Humtsoe says, "Never in my wildest dream did I think that it would turn out to be a serious career path. Who would have thought that a simple business run through Facebook would reach this level!

When I look back I feel like crying. I won't lie, it's been the most difficult but also the most rewarding and amazing experience."

A woman who has no qualms to admit that she knows what poverty feels like, Humtsoe also adds how proud she is of her hardworking team, explaining that while she still cannot pay them as much as she would like to, all the girls are happy and satisfied with their work at PML. The entire team follow a

work culture in which everybody is an equal and they all work, eats and play together. To foster a sense of oneness in the team, the girls also avoid speaking in their native tribal languages.

mission, as she states, is to build long-lasting relationships with her customers and clients by providing exceptional quality and customer services. She is also working to make PML a platform that offers a plethora

A talented entrepreneur who wishes to be a philanthropist one day, Humtsoe wants to build PML into a brand that celebrates fashion, feminity, creativity and freedom. Her

of opportunities for the local youth - PML has been regularly featuring and promoting talented young models, photographers, stylists, seamstresses, and doll-makers from Nagaland.

Rebelling against family pressures and financial hurdles, the women at PML are proof that there is no limit to what you can do or achieve when you

believe in yourself and your dreams. As Humtsoe, an inspiration to many women in Nagaland, says, "You can do anything or be

anybody you want to be, but you have to believe and never give up. Always remember no dream is too big and no dreamer too small."

Humstsoe describes PML as an

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

P8

NATION

UP elections: Mulayam Singh's list of SP nomi- Raha brushes aside Chinese nees a snub to Akhilesh Yadav, party to go solo reaction to Agni-V launch Names of candidates for rest of the 78 seats would be announced soon, Mulayam Singh said, flanked by state party chief Shivpal Yadav, while Chief Minister Akhilesh was away on a tour PTI Lucknow, Dec 28: In a clear snub to Akhilesh Yadav, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday announced candidates for 325 of the 403 Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats, "ignoring" his son's objections to certain names, and "ruled out" alliance with any party for the upcoming polls. At a hurriedly convened press conference here, the SP patriarch released the list of 325 candidates, giving tickets to 176 sitting MLAs. Names of candidates for rest of the 78 seats would be announced soon, he said, flanked by state party chief Shivpal Yadav, while Chief Minister Akhilesh was away on a tour. Surprisingly, the list carries names of Sigbatullah Ansari, who is the brother of jailed gangster Mukhtar Ansari, and Atiq Ahmed who faces over 40 criminal cases including of murder and attempt to murder.

Akhilesh, who is believed to be opposed to their nomination, had report-

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav

edly asked his father to intervene. Another name which had upset Akhilesh was Aman Mani Tripathi, now arrested by CBI in a case related to the killing of his wife, has, however, did not figure in today's list.

The choice of candidates for 175 seats by his warring uncle Shivpal had apparently put off Akhilesh, who prepared his own list of preferred candidates for all the seats and sent it to Mulayam. Today's list has no mention on names of

several pro-Akhilesh ministers and MLAs including those of Ram Govind Chaudhary, Pawan Pandey and Arvind Sing Gope (all ministers).

To a question, Mulayam said Akhilesh was "free to contest" from any seat he wanted. Akhilesh, who was not averse to an alliance with Congress for the Assembly polls, has been saying that SP alone would get absolute majority and in case of a tie up with Congress, they would bag over 300 seats.

"Samajwadi Party is not

India needs about 200250 Rafales to maintain edge: Outgoing IAF chief Arup Raha

forming an alliance with anyone," Mulayam said, ending speculation of a tie up between SP and Congress. Releasing the candidate list which clearly bore his and his brother Shivpal's stamp, Mulayam "ruled out" projecting his son as the chief ministerial candidate.

"SP has no tradition of projecting anyone as its chief ministerial candidate. Some parties do it, and in the process bite the dust. In SP, the legislators elect their leader," he said replying to a question in this regard. Mulayam's announcement to "go alone" came just days after BSP supremo Mayawati claimed that BJP was exerting pressure on the SP chief and his family through Enforcement Directorate, I-T department and CBI to join hands with Congress so as to "divide Muslim votes" and stop her party from coming to power.

"Keeping in mind the chances of BSP coming

to power in UP, it is being said BJP is showing threat of agencies like ED, I-T and CBI to the SP chief and his family in connection with DA cases and other shortcomings to divide Muslim vote," she had said.

Asked as to how many candidates have been selected from the list submitted by Akhilesh, Mulayam parried a direct reply saying that besides the Chief Minister, some other leaders had also given their own lists and all were to be accommodated.

Speculation was rife that SP was ready to offer 78 seats to Congress in case of an alliance and interestingly the ruling party has left out just as many seats for which candidates were yet to be announced. The SP supremo said BJP will get a befitting reply from the electorate for demonetisation and also criticised it for not fulfilling its promises. He claimed elections will be held before February 28 next year.

BJP making hollow promises for Bundelkhand: Akhilesh Yadav

Underlining that the teeth of any air force is the combat fleet, Raha said that the country needs another production line besides the Tejas.

Arup Raha said India has enough of heavy weight fighters - the Su30 MKI - which will last for another 30-40 years PTI New Delhi, Dec 28: Outgoing IAF chief Arup Raha on Wednesday made it clear that just 36 Rafale fighter jets would not suffice as India needs about 200250 more fighters to maintain its combat edge over adversaries.

The Air Chief Marshal, who is set to retire on December 31, also rued that the tender for the much needed "force multiplier" mid air refuellers had to be withdrawn. He said a fresh tender is in the offing and the procurement will be speeded up.

Underlining that the teeth of any air force is the combat fleet, Raha said that the country needs another production line besides the Tejas. He explained that the strength sanctioned by the government is 42 squadrons "which was a numerical value. He said what is needed "is also a capability mix".

Raha said India has enough of heavy weight fighters - the Su30 MKI - which will last for another 30-40 years. He said the light weight spectrum would be

served by the 123 Tejas light combat aircraft ordered by the IAF. Terming Rafale as an excellent aircraft, Raha said it comes in the medium weight spectrum.

"It is tremendously capable in all its role. It is a multi-role aircraft and can be used very effectively. It can prove its worth in any situation," Raha said.

"But we have just ordered 36 aircraft and we require more aircraft in this middle weight category to give entire spectrum of capability," he said. Raha said a void has been created in the past because of obsolescence and many of the squadrons will be past their use-by date.

"We have already used them for four decades plus. It is time to retire them and get new aircraft," he said adding thi void has to be filled up quickly and 36 Rafale aircraft "will not do as we require much more".

"Over the next 10 years, we must have 200-250 aircraft. It has to be balanced out. In the heavy weight spectrum, we have enough. But in the medium weight category,

we need to have more.

Yes, about 200 will be very good," he said.

India and France finally signed the Rafale deal on September 23 this year, over a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the deal during his Paris visit in April 2015. The planes, equipped with latest weapons and tailored for Indian needs, will be delivered to the IAF between September 2019 and April 2022. The IAF currently has 33 fighter squadrons, against the sanctioned 42.

Raha also rued that IAF's Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tanker fleet was plagued by maintenance problems and more midair refuellers were a "strategic requirement" to extend the range of fighter planes.

IL-78 fleet had served the IAF well but its availability for missions has been less due to maintenance problems.

India floated a global tender for six midair refuellers in 2007 but it has been scrapped twice in the final stages.

"Sadly, there have been some problem areas in the acquisition. A new tender will be out soon," Raha said. The air chief said the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air base and the An-32 crash in which 29 people were killed were "the worst memories of my career".

"We have flown in the fighter fleet 40,000 hrs, more than last 10 years due to better serviceability. We have done an average night flying of 27 per cent which was less earlier," he said speaking about the achievements under his tenure.

UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

PTI Mahoba, Dec 28: Amid reports that he might contest assembly elections from Bundelkhand, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday accused BJP of making hollow promises for development of the region and said only Samajwadi Party can ensure progress in the area.

While socialists generate power from water, coal and solar panels, BJP people produce power from "tall talks", he said inaugurating a solar power plant in Mahoba.

"You count and write down the development projects initiated by the Centre (since 2014) ‌ you will find they just indulge in tall talks," he said on his visit to Bundelkhand.

Maintaining that SP alone can usher in progress and development, he said records will speak for themselves what Samajwadi Party has done for the development of the region.

Reports are doing the rounds that Akhilesh

might contest from Mahoba or Babina near Jhansi. If he does so, he will become the fourth CM since Independence to contest from Bundelkhand.

Attacking the Modi government, Akhilesh said they want to win elections by encashing surgical strikes. "‌just think as to how many jawans became martyrs at the border. Never before have so many soldiers died," he said.

"You have seen BSP regime and also BJP's promise of 'achchey din'," he said sarcastically referring to the problems faced by the poor, the illiterate and farmers after cash ban.

Without taking BSP supremo Mayawati's name, Akhilesh said, "There is one 'elephant' party, which is in trouble, finding it difficult to explain bank deposits."

His comment came against the backdrop of the Enforcement Directorate detecting deposits of a whopping Rs 104 crore in BSP's bank account in Delhi.

Cabinet approves note ban ordinance, hoarding old notes will land you in jail PTI New Delhi, Dec 28: The government today approved ordinance on demonetisation bringing much needed clarity over note ban. The ordinance is to extinguish liability of government and RBI on the

demonetised high-denomination notes.

Under the ordinance, hoarding, receiving or transferring banned Rs 500, 1000 notes after March 31, 2017 will invite punishment. One can only have a maximum of 10 old notes.

PTI New Delhi, Dec 28 :Brushing aside Chinese reaction on the test firing of long-range nuclear capable missile Agni-V, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today said India should carry on with its task of building deterrence capability.

In an apparent swipe at China, he said one should not talk about someone else doing something unless it is prohibited like nuclear proliferation and went on to add that it is "common knowledge" as to what is happening in this region "in terms of collusion, transfer of technology which is forbidden".

Underlining that India is only building up its deterrence capability, Raha, who is also the Chairman Chief of Staff Committee, said the country will have to build its capability "in order to strike deep into adversary's heartland" which will act as a deterrent.

The Agni V missile, with an over 5000 km range, covers the entire China.

Reacting to the missile test-firing, Chinese Foreign Ministry had yesterday hoped that it complied with UN Security Council rules and safeguarded South Asia's strategic

Raha brushes aside Chinese reaction to Agni-V launch

balance.

"I think in international diplomacy, normal diplomacy or military diplomacy, these posturing and signalling will always be there.

"So we should just go about with our task, meet our own requirements, security challenges," Raha said addressing a press conference here days before he demotes office on December 31.

Not mincing words, Raha said he will not like to comment on what somebody else is doing unless it is prohibited.

"Like nuclear proliferation, which is common knowledge to everyone, what is happening in this region, in terms of collusion, transfer of technology which is forbidden.

This is all common knowledge. I am not say-

ing something new," he said, without naming any country.

The IAF chief stated that India is legitimately developing its capability indigenously and he does not think anyone should complain about it.

Raha said India is "obviously building up" capability not to actually fight a conflict as it believes in peace and tranquillity.

"But we also know we have been drawn into conflicts several times in the past. So going by historical experience, we have to build our capability. Capability to deter.

How do we deter an adversary who is strong?

We have to build up capability in order to strike deep into adversary's heartland, take on targets effectively which will hurt the adversary," he said.

Dial 14444 for all queries on digital payments soon PTI New Delhi, Dec 28 :Nasscom, telecom operators, and NITI Aayog have come together in creating a dedicated helpline - 14444 for addressing all queries on digitial payments, as government takes strides to push for more digital transactions post demonetisation.

After the fourth meeting of the Committee of Chief Ministers on digital payments, Convenor and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said, plans are afoot to import one million PoS machines to enable cashless payments across India.

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya said IT industry body Nasscom, telephone operators and the government thinktank are creating the helpline to address all queries of public regarding digital payments.

The helpline number would be made operational soon.

Briefing the media on the discussions, Naidu also

said the Committee of Chief Ministers will present its interim report on digital payments movement to Prime Minister Narendra Modiwithin a week.

"We are planning a sustainable, long-term, policy to attract majority in India to move to digital payments through providing incentives," Naidu said.

To a query on incentives for card payments which expires on December 31, the Chief Minister said incentives to users and subsidy for smartphones are being contemplated to push digital payments across India.

"Our focus is on providing more incentives for making digital payments a mass movement," he said, adding "things are moving very positively on a digital economy for India".

He also said the Committee would recommend continuation of the incentives beyond December 31.

The government has given certain incentives post demonetisation like waiver of Merchant Discount Rate

(MDR) on card usage till the year-end.

Naidu said that two major breakthroughs using existing infrastructure have been Aadhaar Pay and modified versions of USSD and UPI, and the two would be launched soon.

Significant upgrades in technology have also been made and new capacities have been added to enable millions of Indians use digital payments, he said.

An app for UPI and interoperability of USSD and UPI has now been made possible which will be a major push for 600 million Indians to use digital payments, he added.

The Andhra Chief Minister also said that the Committee is working with NITI Aayog to address existing constraints in connectivity, hardware and technical infrastructure to push cashless transactions.

During the meeting, a presentation was made regarding the best practices and learnings from other countries for a digital economy in India.

PM extolling 'non-existent virtues' of note ban: AAP

Aam Aadmi Party today claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was extolling "non-existent virtues" of demonetization PTI New Delhi, Dec 28: Aam Aadmi Party today claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was extolling "non-existent virtues" of demonetisation and said the deadline of 50 days set by him has ended but "misery" was only piling by the minute. AAP spokesperson Ashutosh questioned

Modi's "silence" over the "deaths" directly or indirectly related to the measure announced on November 8.

"It has been 50 days. PM had spoken about his readiness to face the people in case the measure failed and had sought 50 days' time. More than a hundred people have died but the PM has not uttered

a word," Ashutosh claimed. He claimed that the currency ban move has derailed the country's economy and pushed the farming community towards abject penury. He wondered whether the PM would "apologise" to the nation for having "misled" the country.

"Are these small difficulties as the PM says?

Modiji spoke about how demonetisation has curbed drug mafia, terrorism and counterfeit note makers. He is extolling these non-existent virtues. Will he resign if there is a terror attack tomorrow?" he asked. Misery is increasing by the minute after the notes ban, he said.

On November 13, days into the measure's enforcement, Modi had sought cooperation of the people saying "‌help me for 50 days and I will give you the India you desired."

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

P9

BUSINESS

Ordinance on demonetisation gets Black money: Proof of tax paid, 4-year lock-in Cabinet nod; 4-year jail for possession must to avail of new income disclosure scheme of old Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes PTI New Delhi, Dec 28: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the Ordinance on deadline to deposit old notes.

Name of the Ordinance is 'The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance' The Ordinance is to extinguish liability of government and RBI on the demonetised high-denomination notes.

The Cabinet also cleared promulgation of an ordinance to penalise persons holding junked Rs 500, 1,000 notes.

As per the Ordinance, people involved in transaction of old notes will face penalty of Rs 5000, while those possessing old notes in excess of 10 notes post March 31 will face 4-year Jail term in certain cases.

Official sources said the ordinance has been cleared, but did not say

Ordinance on demonetisation gets Cabinet nod; 4-year jail for possession of old Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes

if the penal provisions would apply for holding the junked currency after the 50-day window to deposit them in banks ends as of December 30 or after March 31, till which time deposit of old currency notes at specified branches of the Reserve Bank after submitting a declaration form is open.

In 1978, a similar ordinance was issued to end the government's liability after Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 notes were

demonetised by the Janata Party government under Morarji Desai.

The government had, while announcing the demonetisation of the old currency on November 8, allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit in bank and post office accounts. While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time till Friday to deposit the holding in their accounts.

24 lakh people have income above Rs 10 lakh but 25 lakh cars bought every year Agencies New Delhi, Dec 28: India has just 24.4 lakh tax payers who declared an annual income of over Rs 10 lakh yet 25 lakh new cars, including 35,000 luxury cars, are being bought every year for last five years, a top official said.

A nation of over 125 crore people had only 3.65 crore individuals filing their tax returns in the assessment year 201415, the official said alluding to a huge number of individuals being outside the tax net.

"Of the 3.65 crore individuals (filing returns in assessment year 201415), there were only 5.5 lakh people who paid income tax of more than Rs 5 lakh and accounted for 57 percent of the total tax kitty. This essentially means that only 1.5 percent of those filing tax returns (3.65 crore) are contributing to 57 percent of tax kitty," the official said.

The tax returns when compared with car sales

throw astonishing numbers, he said.

"Car sales on an average in last five years has been about 25 lakh per year. In the last three years the car sales were 25.03 lakh, 26 lakh and 27 lakh," he said adding the statistics points to a large number of people having income to buy cars are outside the tax bracket.

A car normally has a life of seven years and a second car is purchased not before five years by a common man, the official said.

The income tax data collated shows only 48,417 persons reporting income of more than Rs 1 crore in a year. Yet luxury brands like BMW, Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche and Maserati sell almost 35,000 cars every year.

Of the individuals filing returns, 5.32 lakh were with income of less than Rs 2 lakh per annum, and so not within the tax bracket.

He said 24.4 lakh filers declared their annual income of being more than

Rs 10 lakh and there were 1.47 lakh tax fillers who had an income of over Rs 50 lakhs in a year.

Also during the 2014-15 Assessment Year, there were 1.61 crore people whose tax deducted at source (TDS) were deducted but they did not file income tax return (ITR), he said.

India's tax revenue as a percentage of its GDP was 16.7 percent in 2016, compared with 25.4 percent in the United States and 30.3 percent in Japan.

The official said the numbers point to a significant number of people who are liable to pay taxes aren't doing so.

The government, he said, is shoring up its efforts to check tax evasion.

The November 8 decision to junk old 500 and 1000 rupee notes are one of the steps to tackle the menace, he said adding by mandating people to deposit the old currency in banks was a way to account for the unaccounted money and tax them.

US University professor Viral V Acharya appointed RBI deputy governor

US University professor Viral V Acharya appointed RBI deputy governor Agencies New Delhi, Dec 28: The government on Wednesday appointed Viral V Acharya, a professor of economics at New York University, as new deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared the appointment for three years. The RBI had a vacancy for deputy governor after Urjit Patel was promoted to Gover-

nor earlier this year. The RBI currently has three deputy governors namely S S Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and R Gandhi.

The statement did not mention which portfolio Acharya would be assigned. Patel had headed the prestigious monetary policy, which is now overseen by RBI deputy governor R Gandhi as part of a widened remit.

Acharya is known for his research in theoretical and empirical analysis of sys-

temic risks of the financial sector, its regulation and genesis in government-induced distortions, according to the profile on the NYU website.

The research areas also span across credit and liquidity risks, agency-theoretic foundations as well as their general equilibrium consequences, it says.

Acharya is is the C V Starr Professor of Economics in the Department of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business (NYU-Stern).

An alumnus of IIT, Mumbai, with a degree of Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering in 1995 and PhD in Finance from NYUStern in 2001, Acharya was with London Business School (2001-08) and served as the Academic Director of the Coller Institute of Private Equity at LBS (2007-09) and a Senior Houblon-Normal Research Fellow at the Bank of England (Summer 2008).

Agencies New Delhi, Dec 28: Black money holders keen to avail of the new tax evasion amnesty scheme will have to first deposit 49.9 percent tax and park a quarter of their unaccounted cash in zerointerest deposit before being able to apply for it.

The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016, which provides last chance to holders of undisclosed income in the form of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes to come clean, will not be applicable to any person facing prosecution for corruption, holding benami property, money laundering, violation of foreign exchange or drug trafficking.

In a clarification on Provisions of the Taxation and Investment Regime for PMGKY, CBDT said the scheme will not be applicable to anyone facing charges under the Foreign Blackmoney Act. "The provisions of this scheme shall not apply in relation to any person in respect of whom an order of detention has been made under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974," it said.

This is also not applicable to cases of detention orders in relation to prosecution for any offence punishable under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, the Prohibition of Benami Property Transaction Act, 1988 and the Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act, 2002.

Additionally, the provisions will not cover "any person notified under Section 3 of the Special Court (Trial of Offences Relating to Transactions in Securities) Act, 1992".

CBDT promised that the content of the declarations made shall not be admissible as evidence against the declarant under any Act other than the exceptions listed above.

IT said that upon making a valid declaration, the amount of undisclosed income declared will not be included in the total income of the declarant under the Income Tax Act for any assessment year.

"A declaration shall be void and shall be deemed never to have been made where a declaration has been made

Gold price rises for 2nd day, settles at Rs 28,200 per 10 grams

Gold price rises for 2nd day, settles at Rs 28,200 per 10 grams PTI New Delhi, Dec 28: Continuing its upward trend for the second straight day, gold prices rose by another Rs 175 to Rs 28,200 per 10 grams on positive global cues and increased buying by jewellers.

At Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), gold for delivery in February rose by Rs 139, or 0.51 percent, to Rs 27,309 per 10 grams.

Analysts said speculators' widening their bets, tracking a firming global trend, mainly supported the upside in gold prices at futures trade here.

Globally, gold prices rose today, extending gains after it hit a near two-week high in the previous session, on a technically-

driven rebound in thin volume amid a slightly weaker dollar.

Spot gold was up half a percent at USD 1,143.98 an ounce. Gold hit its strongest since Dec 14 on Tuesday at USD 1,148.98.

US gold futures also rose 0.5 percent at USD 1,144.50 per ounce.

In the national capital, gold of 99.9 percent and 99.5 per cent purity advanced Rs 175 each to Rs 28,200 and Rs 28,050 per 10 grams, respectively. The precious metal had climbed Rs 475 yesterday.

Following gold, silver ready moved up further by Rs 350 to Rs 39,500 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 195 to Rs 39,315 per kg.

Air India New Year sale: Get all inclusive tickets at only Rs 849

by misrepresentation or suppression of facts or without payment of tax and surcharge of penalty or without depositing the requisite amount in the PMGKY Deposit Scheme, and in such cases, all the provisions of the Income-Tax Act, including penalties and prosecutions, shall apply accordingly," it said.

The scheme provides an opportunity to persons having undisclosed income in the form of cash or deposit in an account maintained with a specified entity (which includes banks and post office) to declare such income and pay tax, surcharge and penalty totaling in all to 49.9 percent of such declared income.

Besides, the scheme provides that a mandatory deposit of not less than 25 percent of such income shall be made in the zero-interest bearing Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme, 2016, for four years.

It commenced on December 17 and shall remain open for declarations and deposits up to March 31, 2017.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes said the declaration should be accompanied by proof of tax payment and

deposit made, adding that taxes paid under the scheme will not be refundable under any circumstances.

"A declarant under this scheme shall not be entitled in respect of undisclosed income or any amount of tax and surcharge paid thereon, to reopen any assessment or reassessment made under the Income Tax Act or the Wealth tax Act 1957, or to claim any set-off or relief in any appeal," it said.

The person making a declaration under the scheme will be liable to pay tax at the rate of 30 per cent of the undisclosed income as increased by surcharge to be called the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Cess calculated at 33 per cent of the tax. In addition, penalty at the rate of 10 per cent of the undisclosed income will be payable.

CBDT said the declaration under the scheme may be made in respect of any income in the form of cash or deposit in an account maintained by the person with a specified entity, chargeable to tax under the Income-Tax Act for any assessment year commencing on or be-

fore April 1, 2017.

No deduction in respect of any expenditure or allowance or set-off of any loss will be allowed against the income in respect of which a valid declaration is made under the scheme.

"A declaration under the scheme can be made anytime on or after December 17, 2016, but on or before March 31, 2017. The tax, surcharge and penalty payable under the scheme and deposit to be made... Shall be paid/made before filing of the declaration," it said.

The declaration to the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner of Income Tax can be done electronically under digital signature or in print. The tax authorities will issue a certificate to the declarant within 30 days from the end of the month in which a valid declaration has been furnished.

Not declaring the blackmoney under the scheme now but showing it as income in the tax return form would lead to a total levy of 77.25 pecent in taxes and penalty. In case the disclosure is not made either using the scheme or in return, a further 10 percent penalty on tax will be levied followed by prosecution.

Budget 2017: Experts brainstorm on jobs, farm woes at NITI Aayog Agencies New Delhi, Dec 28: Economists and experts brainstormed at NITI Aayog Tuesday on issues like job creation, agriculture and skill development, before briefing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on steps that could be taken in the upcoming budget.

According to sources, 4-5 sectoral groups have been set up to discuss new initiatives and budget proposals.

The mandate is to come up with concrete suggestions to neutralise the adverse impact of demonetisation, push growth with special focus on employment generation and promote farm productivity.

Once firmed up, the suggestions will be placed before the Prime Minister later.

As chairman of NITI Aayog, Modi has called a meeting of experts to take stock of the economy and get feedback on ways to deal with the problem of cash crunch post demonetisation.

The theme is 'Eco-

Budget 2017: Experts brainstorm on jobs, farm woes at NITI Aayog nomic Policy Reform, Road Ahead', the sources said, adding that there are about 15 invitees for the conference.

The meeting assumes significance in view of various multilateral agencies and RBI lowering growth outlook for the current fiscal.

RBI has reduced the forecast to 7.1 percent from 7.6 percent in its monetary policy review earlier this month.

Multilateral funding body Asian Development Bank (ADB) too

slashed growth projection to 7 percent for the current fiscal, from its earlier 7.4 percent due to the impact of cash recall on economic activities.

Indian economy expanded by 7.1 percent and 7.3 percent in first and second quarters of 2016-17, respectively.

According to an official, the Prime Minister will also take stock of various initiatives of NITI Aayog to promote digital economy like Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapaar Yojana to incentivise digital payments.

ASUS Zenwatch 3 launch: Here's what you can expect!

Air India New Year sale: Get all inclusive tickets at only Rs 849 Agencies New Delhi, Dec 28: In a bid to woo customers during the holiday season, Air India is offering New Year sale with one way tickets at only Rs 849.

The offer is applicable on one way fares only while tickets purchased under this offer are refundable.

Check out the details of the offer Applicability: On one way journeys in Economy Class on select sectors and

select flights within India operated by Air India / Alliance Air. Flights: Air India (Including Domestic Leg of the International flights) and Alliance Air Sale Period: 27th December 2016 to 31st December 2016 (both days inclusive).

Travel Period : 15th January 2017 to 30th April 2017. (both days inclusive). Travel to be completed during this period.

Agencies New Delhi. Dec 28: Yet another luxury watch to entice the consumers is up for its big launch on December 28, 2016. ASUS Zenwatch 3 will be available exclusively through one of India's top online shopping portal, Flipkart, reportedly.

Flipkart has already put up its preorder shout-out on its website. According to Gizmoids.com, Zenwatch 3 is going to flaunt a round case crafted from 316L stainless steel and will be 9.95mm thick, rose-gold bezel inspired by the corona of an annular solar eclipse.

Expected Features: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100

Operating system: Android Wear Compatible OS: Android and IOS Memory: 512 MB RAM LDDR3 Storage: 4GB eMMC Flash Jewellery-grade 316L

steel construction.

2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass.

Italian leather or rubber straps.

Two-day battery with Hypercharge technology.

The price range could be anything between RS 17000 to 19000.

DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

China Operationalises World's Longest Bullet Train Line PTI Beijing, Dec 28: China started operations of one of the world's longest high-speed railways that links the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwestern part of the country.

The Shanghai-Kunming line -- 2,252 km in length -- traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours, China Railway Corporation said.

The maximum speed is 330 km per hour, Wang Jinda, a train driver was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China.

The Shanghai-Kunming line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China.

A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km BeijingGuangzhou line, put into operation in 2012. China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines.

According to the government's plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030.

The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland.

China is also aggressively marketing its bullet train technology in different countries, including India.

B'deshi fishermen: Myanmar navy attacked trawler AFP Dhaka, Dec 28: Four Bangladeshi fishermen were injured when Myanmar's navy allegedly opened fire on them while they were fishing along the countries' troubled border in the Bay of Bengal, an official said today.

A group of 14 fishermen, four of whom have been hospitalised with bullet wounds, told coastguard officials that a Myanmar navy ship had entered Bangladeshi waters and opened fire on their trawler yesterday.

"They said the navy ship

started firing on them without any warning," coastguard officer Saiful Absar told AFP by phone from southern Saint Martin's Island, which is close to where the alleged incident happened.

"Four fishermen were injured. They had bullet wounds all over their hands and feet," he said, adding they had been taken to a hospital in the coastal district of Cox's Bazar.

The coast guard is investigating whether the Myanmar Navy had intruded into Bangladesh's

Air strikes kill 22 civilians in eastern Bangladesh PM flight glitch: Court Syria, says report

remands two Biman staffers

The oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor is almost totally under IS control and has been regularly targeted by a US-led military coalition.

A Boeing-777 aircraft carrying Hasina to Hungary on November 27 made emergency landing at Turkmenistan's Ashgabat airport after a drop in fuel pressure was detected in one of the engines.

PTI Dhaka, Dec 28: A Dhaka court today remanded two suspended Biman Bangladesh Airlines staffers for a week in a case filed over the technical glitch that forced a plane carrying prime minister Sheikh Hasina to Hungary to make an emergency landing in Turkmenistan.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain Tipu passed the remand order

after Mahbub Alam, inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit, produced the duo engineer Rokonuzzaman and junior technician Siddiqur Rahman - before the court. A Boeing-777 aircraft carrying Hasina to Hungary on November 27 made emergency landing at Turkmenistan's Ashgabat airport after a drop in fuel

pressure was detected in one of the engines.

After the emergency landing, engineers found that a nut was loose causing the oil pressure loss and officials say a 'human error' caused the glitch.

Biman authorities formed a technical probe committee the following day to find the reason behind the incident.

Based on the findings of the probe committee, Biman first suspended six employees and later three others and filed the case against them, The Daily Star reported.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) had separately investigated the incident and have already reported their findings.

According to the FIR, proof has been found that the nine suspects "would collude in schemes that involved negligence towards machinery‌ to take part in sabotage", bdnews24.com reported.

Agencies Seoul, Dec 28:South Korea's opposition politicians on Wednesday called for nullifying a settlement reached between Seoul and Tokyo on compensation for South Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan's military in World War II. Their statements on the anniversary of the deal came amid growing efforts to erase some of the key policies of impeached President Park Geun-hye.

Facing political and public pressure, the Education Ministry on Tuesday backtracked from a much-criticized plan to require middle and high schools to use only stateissued history textbooks from next year.

Woo Sang-ho, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said the party will work to invalidate the sex slave agreement if it wins the presidential elections that could take place in just months, echoing similar promises made by the party's potential candidates.

Kim Gyeong-rok, spokesman of the People's Party, criticized the Park admin-

istration for "selling away" the victims' honor and dignity, and said the issue couldn't be resolved without Japan offering a sincere apology and admitting legal responsibility.

Under the agreement, Japan pledged to give 1 billion yen ($8.5 million) to a foundation to help support the former sex slaves.

South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticizing Japan over the issue. The deal was widely criticized in South Korea, where many thought the government settled for far too less.

Hundreds of protesters gathered around a statute of a girl symbolizing South Korean sexual slavery victims near a street in Seoul where Japan has been reconstructing its embassy building, calling for the agreement to be scrapped and the foundation to be dissolved.

It's unclear whether South Korea could reverse an agreement both governments described as "irreversible." Park's conservative ruling party criticized Woo, accusing him of attacking the deal without proposing alternatives and acting like his party

already won the presidential race.

Park, who was impeached by the country's opposition-controlled parliament over a corruption scandal on Dec. 9, had endorsed the state history textbooks, saying it would inspire patriotism in students. Her critics saw the books at an attempt to whitewash the brutal dictatorships that preceded the country's bloody transition toward democracy in the 1980s.

Park is the daughter of slain military dictator Park Chung-hee, whose legacy as a successful economic strategist is marred by records of violent civilian oppression.

Education Minister Lee Joon-sik said schools could keep using history textbooks made by private publishers next year, although they can also choose to use state textbooks on a trial basis.

South Korea's Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether Park should permanently step down or be reinstated. If she is formally removed from office, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.

A Boeing-777 aircraft carrying Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to Hungary on November 27 made emergency landing at Turkmenistan's Ashgabat airport after a drop in fuel pressure was detected in one of the engines

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INTERNATIONAL

Opposition forces remain in control of areas west of Aleppo and today at least one civilian was killed in the first wave of rebel rocket fire on the city since it fell under government control.

AFP Beirut, Dec 28: Air strikes carried out by unidentified aircraft killed at least 22 civilians, including 10 children, in a village held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, a monitor said today. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were from two families at Hojna in Deir Ezzor, which borders Iraq and is the country's second biggest province after Homs. The oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor is almost totally under IS control and has been regularly targeted by a US-led military coalition.

The only part of the eastern province outside of IS control is its capital, which is also named Deir Ezzor and is held by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. IS has carried out a series of attacks across Europe and has been targeted by military offensives on several fronts in Syria and Iraq, where it declared an Islamic "caliphate" in 2014.

In Syria, IS is targeted by warplanes of the US-led coalition as well as Turkey, the Syrian regime and its ally Russia in the northern province of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and its stronghold of Raqa.

territorial waters, he added.

The incident comes as tensions along Bangladesh's southeastern border with Myanmar's Rakhine state run high, after Myanmar's military launched a massive crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in October.

Myanmar's army says it is hunting militants behind deadly raids on police posts.

But Rohingya survivors have described rape, murder and arson at the hands of soldiers - accounts that have raised global alarm

and galvanised protests around Southeast Asia.

More than 34,000 Rohingya have since fled to Bangladesh, which has deployed extra border guards to prevent a largescale influx of refugees.

Thousands of the fleeing refugees have been sent back to Myanmar by Bangladeshi border guards.

More than 230,000 Rohingya already live in Bangladesh, most of them illegally, although around 32,000 are formally registered as refugees.

But Dhaka is wary of ac-

cepting more Rohingya fearing it would encourage the Buddhist-majority country to push more of the stateless minority into densely populated Bangladesh, amid growing local resentment over the new arrivals.

Amnesty International has said Myanmar's military has committed atrocities against the minority group which are tantamount to "crimes against humanity", while Human Rights Watch published satellite images showing hundreds of burned down houses in Rohingya villages.

11 dead migrants found on Libya beaches AFP Libya, Dec 28:The bodies of 11 migrants who died trying to make the perilous journey to Europe have washed up on beaches around Libya's capital Tripoli, the Red Crescent said Wednesday.

"Teams from the Tripoli branch of the Libyan Red Crescent recovered 11 bodies washed up around Tripoli," Red Crescent volunteer Mohannad alFallah said.

"The teams in charge of recovering bodies were sent on Tuesday to several beaches around Tripoli, in residential areas where residents are accustomed to alerting authorities" about the sighting of bodies, he said.

The bodies of 11 migrants who died trying to make the perilous journey to Europe have washed up on beaches around Libya's capital Tripoli, the Red Crescent said Wednesday.

"Teams from the Tripoli branch of the Libyan Red Crescent recovered 11 bodies washed up around Tripoli," Red Crescent volunteer Mohannad alFallah said.

"The teams in charge of

Volunteers have recovered the bodies of presumed migrants that washed up on a Libyan beach recovering bodies were sent on Tuesday to several beaches around Tripoli, in residential areas where residents are accustomed to alerting authorities" about the sighting of bodies, he said.

The Libyan Red Crescent said on its Facebook page that the bodies were recovered at the Hay Al Andalus beach in the capital and in another area about 15 kilometres (10 miles) west of the city.

People smugglers have exploited the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants across

the Mediterranean to Europe.

Many set off from the western coast in small boats for the journey to Italy, 300 kilometres (190 miles) to the north.

It is often impossible to identify the bodies of those who die during the attempt. Many are buried in numbered graves outside Libyan towns.

According to the United Nations, more than 5,000 migrants and refugees have died this year while trying to cross the Mediterranean in boats that are often overcrowded and barely seaworthy.

S. Korean Politicians Call for China begins to China-Pakistan-Russia Nullifying Sex Slave Deal transport water talks discuss 'deteriorat-

from Tibet by charter trains Agencies Beijing, Dec 28:For the first time, China today started transporting bottled water to other parts of the country by charter trains from the Himalayan rivers in Tibet, known for its rich water resources.

A train full of Tibetan bottled water left Lhasa, the provincial capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, and headed for the city of Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang Province.

It is the first of a regular set of cargo trains to bring bottled drinking water from Tibet to China's inland areas, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

There are also plans to run trains between Lhasa and other cities such as Beijing, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Lanzhou, it said.

Carrying 1,890 tonnes of bottled water in 35 carriages from Tibet, the oneway train will travel 4,500 kms and reach its destina-

tion in six days.

Tibet, often called Asia's Water Tower, is rich in water resources.

It produced over 400,000 tonnes of natural drinking water in 2015, but high transport costs made it difficult to reach the inland market, the report said.

The new trains will facilitate trade in areas along the railway route and help Tibet shift its resource advantages into economic ones, said Yu Heping, it quoted a local official as saying.

Identifying its fresh water resources as a new sustainable economic pillar of growth, Tibet plans to raise its annual production capacity of drinking water to five million tonnes in the next three to five years, it said.

China has been building dams on rivers in Tibet including Brahmaputra to tap water and to produce electricity from the rivers raising concerns in the riparian countries like India, which fears reduced waters flows.

ing' Afghanistan security The trilateral consultations on regional issues of Special Representatives on Afghanistan and senior officials of the three countries was held in Moscow

Afghan security personnel inspect the site of a roadside bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on 28 December. Officials say at least three people were wounded

Agencies Islamabad, Dec 28: Pakistan, China and Russia have discussed Afghanistan's "deteriorating" security situation and the increased activities of extremist groups like the ISIS in the wartorn country at a highlevel meeting in Moscow that did not include any Afghan representatives.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a joint press release said that the

three countries expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the increased activities of extremist groups including local affiliates of the Islamic State.

It said the participants agreed to continue their efforts towards further facilitating the Afghanled, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan according to

the known principles of reintegration of the armed opposition into peaceful life.

The third round of the trilateral consultations on regional issues of Special Representatives on Afghanistan and senior officials of the three countries was held in Moscow.

Russia and China as the UN Security Council permanent members "confirmed their flexible approach to delisting Afghan individuals from the UN sanctions lists as their contribution to the efforts aimed at launching peaceful dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban."

"The parties agreed to proceed with consultations in an expanded format and would welcome the participation of Afghanistan," it said.

The participants also met with Russian deputy foreign minister Igor Morgulov.

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

P11 Kolkata, Dec 28 : Just-crowned Hockey Junior World Cup champions' captain Harjeet Singh on Sunday said that he and his teammates now aim to break into the senior national team and win the gold in the 2018 World Cup slated to take place in Bhubaneswar.

"The aim is to get into the (senior) team by impressing with our performances in the upcoming HIL (Hockey India League, starting January 21, 2017) and then aim for top honours in the World Cup and Tokyo Olympics 2020," the soft-spoken Harjeet told reporters on the sidelines of a felicitation programme arranged by

the West Bengal government here.

Several World Cup winning members have come to the city to participate in the ongoing 121st edition of the All India Beighton Cup. Harjeet, who led the side to its pinnacle after a span of 15 years, said it was the best feeling in the world when the roof came down in Lucknow after they beat Belgium 2-1 in the final.

"It was a surreal feeling.

The entire stadium was packed and the moment we won, the joy crossed all limits. We felt so proud to be able to give so much joy to an entire nation at our age," Harjeet said.

India, in the process, also

HIGHLIGHTS Harjeet Singh said that he and his teammates now aim to break into the senior national team "It was a surreal feeling.

The entire stadium was packed and the moment we won, the joy crossed all limits," Harjeet said India, in the process, also became the second team after Germany to win the title more than once became the second team after Germany to win the title more than once.

The state government awarded each player a prize of Rs 10,000 for the historic feat.

Gujarat's Samit Gohel breaks 117-yearold record, looks for government job Jaipur, Dec 28 : Gujarat's 26-year-old opening batsman Samit Gohel on Tuesday broke a 117-year-old record in first-class cricket by notching up the highest score while carrying his bat through the innings of 359 not out during his team's Ranji Trophyquarter-final against Odisha.

While Hanif Mohammed's epic 499 remains the highest score by an opener in firstclass cricket, no one has scored more than Gohel while remaining not out in his team's score of 641 here.

Gohel in fact eclipsed the previous best of 357 by Surrey's Bobby Abel against Somerset way back in 1899 at the Kensington Oval ground.

Gohel's 723-ball-knock had 45 boundaries and a six but the shy boy from Gujarat's dairy hub Anand was very unassuming. While the match was dead as a contest on final day but nothing can take away from his effort.

"I did not know it was a World Record. The idea was to bat as long as possible. Coach sir (Vijay Patel) and Parthiv bhai

(skipper Parthiv Patel) ne bola thaa lamba khelo. I just tried to do that. I am happy that I could bat this long. Obviously this is the greatest day of my life. I am actually still not able to express myself," the right-handed batsman told PTI after his knock.

His father Bhanubhai Patel is a real estate property dealer and till now Gohel is happy to call himself a "professional cricketer".

"My father has a smalltime property business.

Not very big. Till date, I have only concentrated on cricket. But yes, I am searching for a government job. I have applied for sports quota job in Income Tax department as well as Dena Bank.

Let's see what happens," said Gohel, who lives with his parents and wife.

"Actually, I have not yet been able to call my family and inform them about the world record," said Gohel, who is the first triple centurion opener in last 81 years in firstclass cricket to carry his bat through.

One of his teammates Priyank Panchal has been the top scorer in this season's Ranji Tro-

phy and Gohel said Panchal has been an inspiration for him.

"Priyank's performance and Parthiv bhai's show against England were an inspiration for all of us.

Also I love to bat long.

Even in the nets, I love to bat on and on. This lengthy duration at the nets also helped me in the middle. My childhood coaches Devang Desai and Hiren Patel always told me that temperament is key in firstclass cricket," he said.

"The innings may seem to be a tad slow but the reason is Odisha in the end had put all fielders at the boundary circle.

Getting boundaries became a difficult job," Gohel explained.

His Ranji Trophy coach Vijay Patel is also proud of Gohel's achievement.

"He is a defensive batsman as the stats will suggest. But he is now slowly increasing his repertoire of shots. Also one has to take into account that facing 723 balls (120.3 overs) speaks about his power of concentration. Also Gujarat today posted their highest first-class score of 641."

Uncle Mahavir was 10 times stricter than Aamir in Dangal: Vinesh New Delhi, Dec 28 : Olympian Vinesh Phogat says, albeit in a lighter vein, that uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat was "10 times stricter" than the 'bapu hanikarak' Aamir Khanportrays in 'Dangal', a movie based on the life of the well-known coach and his proteges.

A Commonwealth Games medallist, Vinesh is a bit amused to find the kind of frenzy that the Khan starrer 'Dangal' has created with more people now wanting to know about Mahavir Phogat and his wrestler daughters and niece.

"It's kind of strange that how much more popular the entire Phogat clan has become post release of Dangal. But what surprises me is the media frenzy post film release.

I think the media that came with Aamir sir during Geeta di's marriage outnumbered the ones who came after Sakshi (Malik) won bronze," a smiling Vinesh said.

"Actually, I am so busy with my rehab at the JSW set up in Bengaluru that I have not been able to watch the film till now.

Aamir sir had requested me to come to Mumbai for the premiere but I had to give it a miss as it would have hampered my rehab routine," said the talented cousin of

HIGHLIGHTS Vinesh is eyeing the Asian Championship as her comeback tournament.

Vinesh amused kind of 'Dangal'

Vinesh got injured during the Rio Olympics and is now nearing the end of her rehab schedule.

Olympian Vinesh Phogat Geeta and Babita, and who got injured during the Rio Olympics.

'Bapu hanikarak' (harmful father) is one of the hit numbers of the sports film that highlights the struggles faced by Vinesh's cousins, Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari (daughters of Mahavir), while training

to become acclaimed wrestlers.

When asked whether Mahavir Phogat was as strict as shown in the film, Vinesh laughed and said: "He was 10 times more strict than what I have been told has been shown in the film. He was at a different level. And obviously, at the India camp,

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Chatterjee told TOI on Tuesday.

Bopanna also alleged that no one had the courtesy to call him and let him know of the decision.

When contacted, Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali told TOI that it wasn't his job to do so. "I saw in print that Bopanna has said that as the coach of the side I should have called him and informed him about the decision. But let me make it clear, it is not my job. I am on the selection committee and my job is to select players not call them up individually and tell them if they have been selected or not. But after going through the reports I called him and also sent him a message but he hasn't yet responded," Zeeshan said.

Bopanna said on Monday that it would help players if they knew how a team was selected. But chairman of selection committee SP Misra said

he saw no reason why the committee should explain their decision on team selection.

"This is not the first time we sat down to select a team, and I cannot understand why we a have to explain why we have selected a certain player or left out someone. We were looking at three singles players and a doubles specialist. Saketh Myneni obviously got a nod because he can play both singles and doubles.

So the choice automatically boiled down between Leander (Paes) and Bopanna."

"The reason why we chose to play LeanderSaketh pair is that they played brilliantly against Spanish pair of Rafael Nadal-Marc Lopez.

Everyone wants to be a part of the team but we cannot play everyone and I expect professionals like Bopanna to understand that," he said.

it is very different kind of training than what we learnt at home. Under tauji (uncle), it was exercise and strength training in the morning and mat training during evenings.

"At India camp, it's very different and according to need of each wrestler," said Vinesh, an In-

Gurpreet's mantra for Indians: Go Euro

Not my job to inform Bopanna about his omission, Zeeshan says Chennai, Dec 28 : A day after Rohan Bopanna alleged that he has unfairly been dropped from the Indian squad for Davis Cup tie against New Zealand and no one even bothered to inform him about the decision, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) has hit back saying that the decision on Bopanna was taken unanimously by the selection committee and he should have respected it.

"The decision was taken by the selection committee and no injustice was done to Bopanna. We send out mails to different players asking about their availability, then the selection committee chooses the players from the available pool and an official press conference is held to announce the squad. I think Bopanna should have respected the decision and shouldn't have cried foul," AITA CEO, Hiranmoy

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

New Delhi, Dec 28 : `What's in a name?' Before one assumed that Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had developed a liking for Shakespeare after moving to the greener pastures of Europe, the 6'4" tall robust goalkeeper from India assured that his first love remains football. Unlike Shakespeare, his words were simple. The message being delivered though was nothing new.

"I don't care what you call it. I don't care if the merged league is called the ILeagueor ISL or SFL. We want a proper 9-10 month league, where players get to train for 4-5 days and play every weekend. That's how you can raise your level," Gurpreet told TOI on Tuesday when asked about what should be the structure of the major league in India. Gurpreet was in the Capital for the launch event of 2017 ILeague.

And Gurpreet knows a thing or two about raising

is a bit to find the frenzy that has created.

one's level. Plying his trade with Norwegian club Stabaek FC, he managed to become the first Indian footballer to play in the Europa League earlier this year.

"Every day has been a test mentally and physically. I am glad I made the move. It has changed me as a player completely. It makes a difference going out from India to Europe.That's the most difficult thing I did personally. Training there wasn't difficult. You need courage to take the risk, ignore all the offers here in India, all the ISL things, it was difficult but I am glad I did it," he said.

The 24-year old, who has one more season left at the Norway club, said the gap between Indian players and those abroad gets more and more visible after the U-17 level.

"Players in India are not bad. They don't get the right kind of nurturing or coaching at the right time and age. We have 1.25 bil-

lion people. We can easily produce so many good players. We don't have the right system in place. Unless we have a set system, it will be wrong and difficult to compare the level of players from the two countries (India and Norway).When I was in the U-17 squad, we were as good as the players from Europe. We played against Manchester United and Everton and beat and drew with them. After that there is a gap and that gap makes a big difference between our players and their players."

He feels other Indian players must also aim of playing in Europe and can even use him as an example. "That's the only thing we should do. I don't want to sound cocky. Use me as an example. That's the reason I did it. I wanted to show people it's not impossible if you do the right things.

This is going to happen.

You're going to develop

physically and mentally."

This was something which even got the nod of India captain Sunil Chhetri. "If a player has reached a certain level where he thinks he can improve more then he should definitely go. If you have offers, please take it. Go a level up. Try yourself. I am proud of Sandhu."

Chhteri for more internationals India's current ranking of 135 maybe is their best in the last few years but in order to move up the rankings, the country needs to play more international games, feels Sunil Chhetri.

"I want to play all 13 dates. We as a nation need that. We need to play on friendly dates.

That's where the unified league will come in handy . It will help us plan and prioritize these 13 days so that the national team gets a chance.We don't play , we don't have a chance to improve our ranking or playing with bigger opponents."

Ever since the National football league was rebranded as I-League (in 2007), East Bengal have not managed to lift the winner's trophy even once.Troubled by this fact, East Bengal midfielder Mehtab Hossain, who has been with the club since 2007, said on Tuesday that if he did not win the ILeague this season, he would quit playing for East Bengal.

"We ended runners-up on three occaisions. Call it bad luck or lack of confidence, bottomline is we haven't won. This year is very important to me. If I don't win the I-League with East Bengal this season, I will quit the club and go somewhere else. However, I am not retiring from football," said Mehtab even as Sunil Chhetri teased him with the 2017 I-League trophy

dian Railways employee, who was felicitated by the department for being one of the star performers at international level in her sport.

Vinesh is eyeing the Asian Championship in New Delhi as her comeback tournament as she nears the end of her rehab schedule.

"The doctors told me I could train from January but I would like to be 100 percent confident about my recovery. We have trials in March. Hope I am able to make the cut then," she said.

Is the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast her next target and she would quickly counter: "I already have a CWG medal so I don't want to have the same target. The target is only Tokyo 2020."

All ties with IOA remain cut till it reverses decision: Goel New Delhi, Dec 28 : Hardening its stand on the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) life presidents, the sports ministry on Wednesday cut all ties with the sports body until it reverses the decision.

Kalmadi, who was jailed in connection with the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam, and former IOA president Chautala were made life presidents at IOA's Annual General Meeting in Chennai on Tuesday.

Chautala is also facing corruption charges.

"Suresh Kalmadi and Chautala being made IOA's life presidents is against its constitution and unacceptable to the ministry," sports minister Vijay Goel said a day after he said the IOA's decision came as a shock for the government.

"We are disappointed with the IOA's decision as both of them have are facing corruption and criminal charges.

We want transparency, good governance and accountability in IOA as well the other national sports federations.

"IOA is not paying attention all this (ministry's guidelines) and that is why we have decided to send them a showcause notice+ . Till the time Kalmadi and Chautala are not removed or they resign themselves, we won't deal with IOA on any matter," he said further.

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Hockey Junior World Cup winners eye senior World Cup, 2020 Olympics

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DIBRUGARH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29

P12 2016 in review: Phenomenal rise Kohli pips Smith as Cricket Australia's 'ODI Captain of Year in Indian hockey's stature HIGHLIGHTS Kohli hit three centuries and four halfcenturies in the calendar year.

Kohli amassed 739 runs from just 10 ODIs played this year.

Jasprit Bumrah is the only other Indian in the team.

Test captain Virat Kohli.

national player.

"While nine of his 17 wickets for the year came against Zimbabwe, it was his ability to keep scoring to a minimum that impressed us the most; he conceded more than 40 runs in an innings just once all year and his extraordinary economy rate of 3.63 is easily the best in the world for 2016," the CA stated.

Cricket Australia's ODI Team of Year: Virat Kohli (India, captain), D a v i d Wa r n e r ( A u s t r a l i a ) , Quinton de Kock (wk) (South Africa), Steve Smith (Australia), Babar Azam (Pakistan), Mitchell Marsh (Australia), Jos Buttler (England), Jasprit Bumrah (India), Imran Tahir (South Africa).

Melbourne, Dec 28 : Accolades continue to pour in for India's dynamic Test captain Virat Kohli, who was on Tuesday named skipper of Cricket Australia's ODI team of the year which also featured young yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah.

Kohli, who was earlier also picked captain of the

ICC's ODI team of the year, was preferred over Australia's very own Steve Smith. Smith was, however, picked in the 'All-Star' team.

"India's skipper played only 10 ODI matches in 2016, but he again underlined his status as one of the best in the 50-over format," CA said in a statement.

FIFA boss says football federations back expanded World Cup

Liverpool come roaring back to demolish Stoke

Dubai, Dec 28 : Football federations are backing plans to expand the World Cup beyond 32 teams, FIFA President Gianni Infantinosaid in Dubai on Wednesday.

The global football federation boss wants to increase the number of teams playing in the World Cup final tournament to 48, arguing that it can be done in the same time frame as the current tournament.

Global football federations are "overwhelmingly in favour" of expanding the tournament, said Infantino, who has also suggested a 40-team World Cup. Infantino, speaking at a sports conference, said a 48-team tournament was the most financially appealing structure.

The FIFA boss has previously suggested a 48team tournament but with a one-off preliminary round involving 32 teams, with the 16 winners going into a 32-team group stage and joining 16 teams who would receive a bye.

When he was elected in February, Infantino had promised to expand the tournament from the current 32 teams to 40.

Infantino later told reporters it would be up to the FIFA council members to decide in a "democratic process" on the expansion.

"The right-hander scored 45 or more in eight of his 10 innings for the year, notching backto-back centuries in a run feast against Australia in January and then a magnificent 154 (not out) in a successful pursuit of 289 against New Zealand, more than half of his team's total.

"He now averages an in-

credible 90.10 in 59 successful run chases for India, and has been out in the middle for the winning runs on 20 occasions," it added.

CA said Bumrah made the cut riding on his consistency.

"India's unorthodox paceman Jasprit Bumrah was a stand-out in 2016, his first year as an inter-

Liverpool come roaring back to demolish Stoke Liverpool, Dec 28 : A fine finish by Roberto Firmino helped Liverpool to come roaring back from behind and beat Stoke City 4-1 as they reclaimed second place in the Premier League table on Tuesday.

Jurgen Klopp's side were rattled for a spell after Jonathan Walters headed Stoke into an early lead at Anfield, but Adam Lallana restored parity before Brazilian striker Firmino netted with a minute of the first half remaining.3 A Giannelli Imbula own goal and a first Premier League goal of the season for Daniel Sturridge in the second half put the seal on a third straight victory for the Reds, who are still unbeaten at Anfield this season.

The win allowed the Reds to move back to within six points of Premier League leaders Chelsea as they moved

back above Manchester City, who they host at Anfield on New Year's Eve. Without a win in four games, Stoke are 13th.

Klopp stuck with the same team that had beaten Middlesbrough and Everton away in their last two outings as Simon Mignolet was again preferred to Loris Karius in goal.

The Belgian had kept clean sheets in each of these games but he was beaten here inside 12 minutes as Stoke stunned the home fans.

Erik Pieters was quicker onto a loose ball than either Sadio Mane or Nathaniel Clyne just outside the area and his cross from the left was met by Walters at the near post. Mignolet got a touch to his header but could not keep it out.

Stoke were the last visiting team to win at Anfield when they beat Liverpool

1-0 in the League Cup semi-final, second leg, back in January -- although they eventually lost on penalties that night.

Their boss Mark Hughes had never won away to Liverpool as a manager in the Premier League but Stoke had their hosts on the ropes for a while after going in front.

Back at Anfield for the first time since leaving Liverpool in the close season, Joe Allen engineered himself space in the box before seeing his shot saved by Mignolet as Stoke almost doubled their lead.

There were groans coming from the Kop but Firmino lifted the home fans in the crowd of over 53,000 when his shot was blocked on the line by Peter Crouch and the equaliser then arrived after 34 minutes.

Glen Johnson appeared to want to control the ball

inside his own six-yard area and Lallana pounced to tuck a low shot from a tight angle between goalkeeper Lee Grant and the near post and in for his seventh goal of the season.

Boosted by that, Liverpool ended the first half on top and they went in front just prior to the interval, Firmino collecting a James Milner pass in the box, taking a touch to control and another to tee himself up before firing across Grant and in off both posts.

It was a sixth goal of the season for him and came three days after he had been arrested and charged for drink driving in the centre of Liverpool.

Mane almost made it 3-1 seconds later with a shot that slid just wide but Liverpool ran away with the game in the second half.

Their third goal arrived just before the hour mark, as Divock Origi latched onto a Jordan Henderson pass and delivered a low ball in from the left that Imbula turned into his own net under pressure from Mane.

Sturridge had been on the field a matter of seconds in place of Origi when he broke his duck for the season.

Pouncing on a careless blind back-pass by Ryan Shawcross, the England striker's first touch took him round Grant before he rolled the ball in to complete the victory.

2016 in review: Phenomenal rise in Indian hockey's stature

New Delhi, Dec 28 : A few disappointments aside, it was all about Indian hockey's phenomenal rise in stature, both on and off the field, in 2016 with a historic silver medal in the Champions Trophy and Junior World Cup title after a hiatus of 15 years being the biggest achievements.

If the Champions Trophy silver, gold in Asian Champions Trophy and Junior World Cup title were the high points on the turf, former Hockey India chief Narinder Batra's election to the post of International Hockey Federation (FIH) president was the talking point off the pitch in the year goneby.

Batra was unanimously elected to the FIH president's post in November this year, thus becoming the first Indian and Asian to head the world body since its inception.

Batra's elevation to the FIH chief's post has also changed the power centre of world hockey from Europe to Asia.

2016 was an Olympic year and much was expected from India and the eighttime Olympic champions did achieve success on the pitch barring a few failures -- major among them being a loss to Pakistan in the final of the SAF Games and a quarterfinal exit in the Rio Games.

But at the fag end of the year, the Indian colts lifted the Junior World Cup title after a long gap of 15 years on their home turf in Lucknow.

The year, however, started on a bad note for the sport.

For those who believe in perfect starts, defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan in Guwahati in the SAF Games final for the third consecutive time was as disastrous a beginning as one could imagine.

In the earlier two editions of the Games in 2006 and 2010, Pakistan had won the gold by beating India.

But the SAF Games team did give India two players -- goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya and Ajit Kumar Pandey -who played a major role in the nation's title triumph in the Junior World Cup later in the year.

Meanwhile, the senior men's side travelled to Ipoh, Malaysia for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, a tournament looked upon as a preparation for the

Rio Olympics.

Dutchman Roelant Oltmans was at the helm and was given the charge of preparing the side for the Olympics following the unceremonious exits of Terry Walsh and Paul van Ass. In the Azlan Shah Cup, it was smooth sailing for India till the final where they were hammered 4-0 by the mighty Australians.

The thrashing once again raised questions about India's submission against big teams in big matches and Oltmans was desperate to prove the theory wrong in his next assignment.

The Dutchman, a master tactician, then decided to change the composition of the team and he was helped by a rare controversy involving the talismanic Sardar Singh.

Then Indian captain was accused of sexual exploitation by a British citizen Ashpal Kaur Bhogal, and to keep him safe the ace midfielder was left out from the London-bound Champions Trophy squad.

In the Champions Trophy, the Indians played out of their skins to reach the title clash, where they probably played their best match of not only the year against a very strong Australian outfit only to end on the losing side.

Despite the loss, the Indian team created history -- a Champions Trophy silver as they had never gone beyond the bronze earlier.

Then came the event which the hockey crazy fans of the country were looking forward to, the Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro.

With dip in form and controversy surrounding him, Sardar was removed as captain and in his place ace goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was handed over the armband for Rio Olympics.

With a rich Olympic history behind it, much was expected from the Indians.

They did impress in the league stages and expectedly qualified for the quarterfinals where they lost 1-3 against a resurgent Belgium despite taking the initial lead.

The Indian eves too created their own bit of history in 2016 by qualifying for the Olympics after a gap of 36 years. But their campaign turned out to be a disappointing one as

HIGHLIGHTS For Indian hockey, 2016 was a year in which much was promised and achieved Deep down somewhere the pain of missing out on an Olympic medal will remain But 2016 was nonetheless a good year for Indian hockey they finished last in the 12team competition having managed to draw just one game (2-2 against Japan).

The quarterfinal exit of the men's team not only broke the hearts of the players but also the hopes a billion countrymen who now will have to wait for four more years for the elusive medal when the Games head to Tokyo.

The Indian men's next assignment was the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia and chief coach Oltmans made it clear to his wards before leaving for the tournament that only the trophy would to some extent, heal the Olympic ouster pain.

The players rightly responded to his call and defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 3-2 in the final to lift the Asian Champions Trophy for a second time.

The burden of captaincy gone, Sardar sparkled in Kuantan, while Rupinder Pal Singh finally stamped his authority as a defender as well as penalty corner specialist with 11 goals in the tournament.

It was then left to the junior men's team to provide a resounding and perfect send-off to the year and the colts didn't disappoint.

The hosts produced a commanding performance from the word go to reclaim the Junior World Cup title by beating Belgium 2-1 in the final.

For Indian hockey, 2016 was a year in which much was promised and achieved as well. It was also a year where India made significant and visible advancements. But deep down somewhere the pain of missing out on an Olympic medal will remain for four more years.

But 2016 was nonetheless a good year for Indian hockey and from here on, it's all about ticking the right boxes next year to carry on the gradual progress.

Printed and Published by NIKH KHOPI and Printed at PEE GEE(India) Ltd., C/O Asomiya Khabar Pulibor, Jorhat-785006 and Published from T.C Borah Building, 1st Floor, Next to Sankardeva Hospital, Mancotta Road, Chowkidingee Dibrugarh-786001, Assam. Email: editor.easterntoday@gmail.com. For advertisement: advt.easterntoday@gmail.com

Editor: Prahlad Hammey

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