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ASSENG/2015/64205
PAGE 6
Vol. 1
Issue 352
Dibrugarh, Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Price -
ANAYA strongly condemns threat and emotional torture over DAO
5.00
Pages- 12
PAGE 12
Rail blockade organised demanding roll back of union cabinet’s decision of granting ST (H) status to the Bodos
Association demands immediate identification of the culprit A Staff Reporter Itanagar, May 30
The All Namsai Area Youth Association (ANAYA) today strongly condemned the threat and emotional torture meted out to Namsai District Agricultural Officer P Khoitia by some unidentified
miscreants at Naharlagun on May 27 last. The organization informed that the Namsai DAO was here in the Capital to attend a review meeting of the department and was accommodated a room in hotel Achi Ama at Naharlagun, where the entire episode took place behind closed doors. Reportedly, the miscreants
forced the DAO to sign on official documents to award them the supply order of Rs 25 lakhs. The organization also expressed grave concern over the threats over phone and through SMS from an unknown number since the past several months to the
Changlang Zila Parishad to witness change of guard Indrajit Tingwa Miao, May 30
The seven Zilla Parishad Members of Changlang district who had recently merged with the ruling People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) today submitted their letter of merger with the party after defection from the Congress party. The seven ZPMs under the leadership of Sri Jowkhong Singpho,ZPM Miao have also moved a no confidence motion against incumbent Congress party Zilla Parishad
ET CAPSULES
Student Body formed Golaghat, May 30: The new committee of Athkheliya Regional Unit of All Assam Chutiya Students Union was formed on May 28. In a meeting held at the premises of Athkheliya Higher Secondary School the new 41 member committee of Chutiya Students Union was formed with Jayanta Bora as President , Umananda Saikia as Executive President and Dipankar Bora as General Secretary . In the meeting All Assam Chutia Students Union Central Executive Leader Madhu Madhav Saikia , Golaghat District Chutia Students Union President Mohen Bora and several other leaders and representatives of Chutia Community were present. (Correspondent)
Six injured in road accident Golaghat, May 30: Six persons were injured in a road accident at Halmirah in Golaghat. According to the report one Tata Magic and an Ape vehicle were on the road at Halmirah. When the Ape tried to overtake the Magic the accident took place when a truck coming from the opposite direction hit the Ape and then the Magic hit the Ape on back. In the accident six persons on the Tata Magic vehicle including an aged woman and two students were injured. The injured were taken to the hospital. (Correspondent)
Chairperson (ZPC) Smti.Marina Kenglang today. The commique in this regard was today submitted to the Member Secretary Changlang Zilla Parishad informed Jowkhong Singpho. It may be mentioned that Changlang district has ten ZPMs out of which seven of them who were earlier Congress members had merged with the PPA. Now with the latest development, of the three other members two are of the Congress party including the incumbent ZPC and a lone independent.
Constituency wise, out of five assembly constituencies, both the two ZPMs from Bordumsa-Diyun,all three from Miao,one out of three from Nampong, the lone one from Changlang South constituencies have defected and joined the ruling camp. Talking to this correspondent,Jowkhong Singpho said that he hoped the transition will be smooth and early. He added that it was only a new political development and that he would take all members along to initiate development under the new dispensation.
Namsai DAO. ANAYA general secretary Rajana Manpoong said that the DAO was assaulted in the capital because he followed the government norm, which awards specific contract work to local people of the respective districts as per the District Based Entrepreneurs
and Professionals (Incentive, Development & Promotional) Act 2015. Perturbed with the incident, the association demanded that authorities immediately identify the culprits involved and award them stringent punishment according to the rule of law.
AAPSU to file PIL in SC for monitoring an enquiry committee on Tawang firing A Staff Reporter Itanagar, May 30
“All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union will file a Public Information Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court for monitoring an enquiry committee to unearth the truth behind May 2 Tawang Firing Incident,” asserted Biru Nasi, general Secretary of AAPSU in a press conference held at Arunachal Press club today. Citing the reasons for the apex student body’s move, Nasi reasoned that, “The apprehensions raised by AAPSU with regards to the
state government initiated enquiry committee on May 2 Tawang Firing Incident has been proven to be true as even after almost a month now, there has been no reports on any of the findings of the enquiry committee.” Also, informing that only the Superintendent of Police has been suspended by the Home department so far, Nasi while taking a dig at the government claims of having suspended other officers and administrators added that, “How can we trust a government which does not keep its own words?” Contd. on Page 3
ET Correspondent Diphu May 30
Hundreds of political workers of Congress, Hills State Demand Council and members of various civil society led by Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang, Congress MLA of Baithalangso Dr. Man Sing Rongpi, Dr. Jayanta Rongpi of HSDC, Congress MP Biren Sing Engti besiege the rail tracks of Diphu railway station from 5.00 AM today. The 12 hour rail blockade was launched to stipulate its demand of roll back of the union cabinet’s decision of granting ST (H) status to the Bodos living in the two autonomous hill districts of Assam. The demonstration was staged under the newly formed organization Hills Tribe
Protection Forum.
action.
Activists of various factions of Karbi Students Association, Dimasa Students Association, AISA and protester of other social and cultural organizations squatted on the track holding banner and placards, groups of students also marched on the rail track and demonstrated their annoyance by painting slogans on their bare torso and backside.
Although the district administration and police was completely geared up to throat the rail blockade which was scheduled for 12 hours it didn’t made any attempt to clear the rail track. Timings of all most all trains running between Dibrugarh to Delhi had to be rescheduled in view of the blockade; maximum trains had to be halted at Lumding, Dimapur and other stations having better capability. Local trains shuttling between Lumding- Moriani via Dimapur station of Nagaland were also stranded by the authority; passengers had to reach Diphu from Lumding and Dimapur by road paying ten times more to the taxi drivers. No untoward incident took place during the blockade.
The demonstration went on for almost 6 hour when the leaders decided to call off the strike after receiving assurance of the Home Commissioner of Assam government that the government is willing to discuss the matter for finding amicable solution. Till now leaders of HTPF has not announced its future course of
Martyred soldier’s bravery continues to inspire Borduria youths Several in the nondescript village pledge to join the Armed Forces Ripunjoy Das Borduria, May 30
The official ceremony of laying to rest of the dead body of brave Hav. Hangpan Dada of the 35 Rastriya Rifles might be over. But the daring example set by him while serving for the nation continues to inspire almost each and every teenager today in Borduria village. Infact, while interacting with this correspondent atleast five to ten village youths expressed their desire to join the armed forces. “Today, Hangpan Dada is a national hero for us. I still remember when we were kids, he had just joined the Indian Army then, how he used to play with us taught us tricks of fishing, hunting, climbing trees etc”, a 24 year old youth of the vil-
lage said. Another 18-yr old said that he and his three other friends has already taken the pledge to join the armed forces. “One among us failed in the second round of selection, so what, we will keep trying”, he said with an emotion choked voice. Borduria is in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh and is around 12 kms from the district headquarters town. Local MLA and education minister Wanglin Lowangdong said that he will request the government as well the army authorities to take up special pre-recruitment drives so that maximum number of youths get a chance for recruitment. “Most of our youths have the required strength and stamina, but they need the technical knowhow and other nitty gritties to get into the army”, he said adding
that Hangpan Dada’s contribution cannot be wasted. “The exemplary courage and valour he displayed will have to be followed by our younger generation”, the minister said. Another village youth said that Hangpan also taught them moral lessons and used to conduct counselling sessions about career opportunities whenever he came on leave. One of his relative who is serving in Assam Rifles said that Hangpan had requested five times to his Commanding Officer, 4 Assam Regiment to which he originally belonged to forward his request to serve under Rastriya Rifles in Kashmir. “It was only on the sixth time his application was granted after which he was inducted in the 35 Rastriya Rifles two years ago and posted in northern Kashmir”, he said.
OIL Signs MoU for extending its CSR Project ‘SPARSHA’
cmyk
OIL signed a significant MoU with St. Luke’s Hospitals and Piramal Swasthya Management & Research Institute for two years, to conduct the mobile healthcare project, “SPARSHA” on 30th May 2016. The two experienced agencies as part of the MoU will extend the Mobile healthcare Services to Dibrugarh, Tinsukia & in
newly formed Charaideo districts of Upper Assam and in Miao and Manabhum areas of Arunachal Pradesh. The Mobile Healthcare Services of OIL have always been one of the most significant CSR activities of the Company. The MoU comes with a wider scope of extending primary health care service to OIL’s operational areas.
Key highlights of the MoU
Number of camps in Dibrugarh & Tinsukia will be 12 per week per district. Charaideo district of Upper Assam and Miao & Manabhum areas in Arunachal Pradesh will have 6 camps per week. Primary healthcare targeting 175 patients per camp by a team of doctors and paramedics. Facility of ambulance equipped with medical equipment. Tie up with govt. hospital for referrals. Distribution of free generic medicines.
The MoUs have been signed by Pranjit Deka, GM (Public Affairs), OIL in presence of J K Borgohain, RCE, OIL, C Bose, ED (Production Project) & Chairman OIL CSR Committee and C Pal, GM (Finance & Accounts). On behalf of Piramal Swasthya Management & Research Institute, Mahesh Deori, Head (Assam Operations) and for St. Luke’s Hospitals N C Das, Administrator and Rev. Pradip Kawah, Administrator signed the MoUs.
Project Sparsha will target to conduct around 3,500 (three thousand five hundred) camps screening 6,00,000 (six Lakh) patients in two years in OIL’s operational areas. From 1st of June 2015 to 31st March 2016, OIL under Project Sparsha had conducted a total of around 1375 nos. of camps screening around 1,84,000 patients in various interior villages of OIL’s operational areas where accessibility of primary healthcare is a challenge.
cmyk
ET Correspondent Duliajan, May 30
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MAY 31
PAGE 2 ASTRO FOR YOU Aries Carry the peace sign if you have to, because today, people will literally pull you into arguments. You could even be facing some kind of litigation or trouble with peace-keeping forces. Meditate, walk, or simply seek the company of friends and loved ones. Taurus You may feel let down as your folks may not extend the support you expected from them. You should try to remain practical and not get swayed by emotions. It is highly likely that family feuds may erupt today. Avoid confrontations and keep smiling to emerge a winner. Gemini You will think about the issues faced by other people as well as about increasing your social standing and elevating your social esteem. It is an extremely profitable day for those in the retail business and hence make the most of it. Cancer Control your anger. Or else, it will sadden your near ones. Writers may display creative output of high order. The day augurs well for artists, too. This is the time to take up new challenges. Leo You have to let go of your stubborn and obstinate streak. You will need to compromise according to the situation. If you do not have such an attitude, arguments and confrontations with your business partners, friends and family members are possible. You do not like delays, however you will be forced to postpone important events. Virgo You will be bubbling with ideas today. You may face a dilemma between your obligations and present duties, which could prove to be very perplexing. New contacts turn out to be very useful. Libra People will try to take advantage of your amiable nature and disposition. Small issues will crop up today making your nature a little tensed and enhance your anger too. You will be inspired to take chances in monetary matters. You need to keep your mind steady and regain your lost charm soon. Scorpio No matter how rich and successful you become, it is very important to stay grounded. Never let your success go to your head. Rudeness and overconfidence may take away everything from you and may leave you empty handed. So be kind and spread kindness. Sagittarius Life is bubbling within you and you shall be in a hyper-elevated state of bliss today. Your high-spirits and energy will inspire you to perform at your best. Moreover, your inner voice will be loud and bellowing. Make the most of this superb day. Capricorn Don't let your emotions play a spoilsport while deciding about the future. Think practically, otherwise, your expectations and reality will not be on the same boat. Friendly and supportive, today you will spread happiness and win the love of one and all. Whenever you get confused about which path to take, take advice from the experienced people around you. Aquarius Set any target, take up any activity or accept any challenge; you will succeed in any of them with flying colours. Your well-wishers will shower praises upon your for those hard earned achievements. Friends are like family to you, take them out and have a gala time before another busy day begins. Pisces You need to nurture your personal relationships carefully today, and give them the attention they are due. You need to control the outbursts of your temper and stop arguing with your partner or spouse over insignificant matters. Personal life will be smooth sailing as long as neither of you attempt to dominate over the other,
PRASAR BHARATI (India's Public Service Broadcaster) ALL INDIA RADIO : DIBRUGARH (M.W.529.1m/KHz567 F.M. 101.30 MHz) Phone No.-03732325456 E-mail -dibrugarh@air.org.in Facebook Page-All India Radio Dibrugarh Programme Highlights 31-5-16 (TUESDAY) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha 6-15 A.M-Classical Music (Flute Recital) 6-50 A.M-Tokari Geet 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi (Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M-Antara (Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-30 P.M-Geetimanjari 1-10 P.M- Troops Programme 2-00 P.M-Singphow Songs 2-10 P.M-Brindagaan 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Mizumishimi 4-0 P.M- Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Chah Sramikor Aasor 7-45 P.M-Aadhunik Geet 8-00 P.M-Hindi Film Song 9-16 P.M-Barerahaniya 9-30 P.M- Sahitya Kanan 10-00 P.M-Classical Music Sd-/H.O.P
AASU calls on CM to check illegal taxation in Karbi Anglong ET Correspondent Bokajan, May 30: At a time when Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has cracked his whip on the flourishing illegal toll gates in the state, the Karbi Anglong Entry Tax Gates still continues to operate unabated under the very tutelage of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). AASU Karbi Anglong district unit led by Central Executive Member Bedanta Saikia and district Secretary Tridip Bora drawing serious objection towards the unethical practice of collecting unwarranted tax in this toll gates, submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the SDO(C), Bokajan here on Monday. The memorandum drew at-
tention of the Chief Minister towards the corrupt practices of collecting unwarranted tax from commercial vehicles plying over NH 39 and 36 based on the number of wheels of a vehicle amounting from Rs 50 to Rs 5000. The memorandum also stated a possible nexus between the KAAC authorities and the lessee of this gates; the affect of which is slapped on the neighbouring states of Nagaland and Manipur thereby resulting in price rise of essential commodities. While talking to The Eastern Today, Bedanta Saikia, Central Executive Member, AASU said, "The KAAC Revenue Department awards lease to the 20 Entry Tax Gates stationed in different entry and exit
points within the district generates revenue amounting crores of rupees annually. The KAAC authorities have also fixed rates for different vehicles and commodities (live stock) entering into the district. The highest scheduled tax as per KAAC norms is Rs 10. But, suprisingly the settlement amount of Karbi Anglong Entry Tax Gate stationed at Garampani over NH 39 for the financial year 2016-17 is RS 1,37,00000 among others. As per reports, the average commercial vehicles entering into the district past this gate on a daily basis are 300. Now, what gives us an eye sore is the fact that if the highest scheduled tax is Rs 10 for an average 300 vehicles per day, the average annual tally
would possibly be around Rs 11,00000; which doesn't merge even 10 percent of the settlement amount." It is also alleged that the truck drivers and their owners bore the brunt of this unethical practice facing all sorts of odds and harassment while entering the hills district. There is enough evidence that tax is levied upon the trucks based on the number of wheels. For instance, a 6 wheeler truck on entering the district is charged Rs 500 against the scheduled rate of Rs 10. A 10 wheeler is charged Rs 800 while a 12 wheeler pays Rs 1000 and so on. Corruption has become a cancerous disease in the hill district with no development activities in the past couple of years.
ET Correspondent Golaghat, May 30: All Assam Students Union Golaghat District Unit today staged a dharna in front of the DC office in Golaghat. The protesters demanded to take stern actions against rising drug peddlers in the district which crippled the young generations. Also they demanded to uplift the medical facilities at Kushal Konwer Civil Hospital in Golaghat and to provide regular electricity service. A memorandum was submitted in this regard
FBBWAA to celebrate 2560th Buddha Jayanti celebration at Digboi Buddha Vihar ET Correspondent Margherita, May 30: Federation of Barua Buddhists Welfare Association of Assam (FBBWAA) is going to organise 2560th Buddha Jayanti celebration at Digboi Buddha Vihar premises from 18 June to 25 June. On 18 June the Day
long programme will begin with Sutrapat, Buddha Puja and Sanghadaan, Pindo Daan, Prabjyaa Daan. Again on 19 June the same day long programme will begin with Sutrapat, Nagar Prikramaa, Hoisting of World Buddhist Flag, Hoisting of FBBWAA Flag,
Buddha Puja and Sangha Daan, Feasting of Bhikku (Monks), Feasting of Guest, Religious Discussion on our Social System. On the last Day 25 June the day long programme will begin with Sutrapat, Shraman and Bhikku
(Monk) Bhiksha Grahan, Pindudaan (Bhikku and Shraman) while the programme will conclude with a general meeting. Subhas Barua and Sibu Talukdar both President and Secretary General of Federation of Barua Buddhists Welfare Association
of Assam (FBBWAA) have requested all people irrespective of Caste, Creed, Language, Race and Religion to come at the 2560th Buddha Jayanti Celebration of Lord Gautam Buddha at Digboi Buddha Vihar Premises, Digboi.
Preparing North East for “Digital India” ET Correspondent Tezpur, May 30: Tezpur Extension Centre of National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) Guwahati has launched the scheme today by starting training of 60 numbers of government employees of Assam government in two different courses namely CCC & CCC+. The programme was formally inaugurated by Dr. Charu Saharia Nath, retired Principal, Tezpur College in the presence of Director, K. Baruah, NIELIT, Guwahati and Addl. Deputy Commissioner, Sonitpur, Paragmoni Mahanta. It is to be mentioned here that under the umbrella of Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi’s flagship programme of “Digital India”, National e-Governance Division (NeGD) has joined hands with National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), an autonomous Scientific Society of DeitY, Govt. of India to train 16000 Govt. employees of the North Eastern States in two years. This is indeed an effort of Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Govt. of India under a special scheme “Preparing North East for Digital India”. Under this programme 4400 Government officials are to be trained in all districts of
Assam. However, Tezpur Extension Centre will train 300 employees of Sonitpur District. This programme will be launched at Nalbari on 1st June 2016 followed by
places like Silchar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Biswanath Chariali, Udalguri etc. very soon. This training programme of NeGD and NIELIT is directly going to help the employees of Govt.
of Assam to take part and propagate the mission “Digital India” of Narendra Modi to transform the entire ecosystem of public services through the use of information technology.
The Edutainment Show: the biggest media, communication and design career summit ends with stellar success A Staff Reporter Guwahati, May 30: The Edutainment Show, one-ofits-kind summit and exhibition of media, communication and design education and career options, held at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre concluded with a stellar success story. Organized by the Event Capital, a division of Laqshya Media Group, in association with Guwahati based reputation management company Life’s Purple; the event saw participation of various experts from media, design and allied fields. Miss India Priyadarshini Chatterjee and television producer Raghu Ram of Roadies fame were the main attractions on the first and the second day respectively. The Show brought together veterans and field experts to share real life examples about the growing relevance and potential of each sector
of Photography Club of Assam Arpan Kalita, photographer & illustrator Biswajit De;Graphics and Animation expert Hemen Kalita; Zonal Head of Red FM Gautam Sharma with RJ Nabish, RJ Mandy; Senior and student members of Public Relations of IndiaGuwahati chapter and a host of other experts from various institutes presented for panel discussions and workshops over the twoday event. creating a one-stop platform of fun and an educational experience of a lifetime for the aspirants. Regarded as India’s largest creative education exhibition and summit, ‘The Edutainment Show’, hosted interactive sessions of more than 50 industry stalwarts with the media, design and communication aspirants of the city.
The speakers panel of The Edutainment Show comprised of Vice Chancellor of USTM Dr. Paruchuri Gangadhar Rao; Senior JournalistsPradyot Manikya Debbarma, Teresa Rehman, Subhajit Sengupta, Sanjoy Paul, Peter Alex Todd; actor, director, author, Tinat Atifa Masood; director Rajen Rajkhowa and Chow Partha Borgohain, singers
Padmanav Bordoloi, Queen Hazarika, Alobo Naga; actors Barsha Rani Bishaya, Rabi Sharma, Utpal Das; tattoo researcher and revivalist Mo Naga; fashion designer Yana Ngoba; Assamese jewellery designer Utpal Bania; senior photographer and founder of UB Photos Utpal Baruah, wildlife photographer and biologist Udayan Borthakur, Vice President
Smoking Prohibited Inside All Public Service Vehicles Jorhat Traffic Police initiating measures against unruly Ape, Tempo and other three wheelers which has been creating nuissance in the town. Pic - Nekib Ahmed
Golaghat AASU Staged Dharna
A Staff Reporter Dispur, May 30: In view to achieve a clean environment and better air quality for public health, the Commissioner of Transport, Assam and Secre-
tary, S.T.A Assam, has issued an order prohibiting smoking inside all public service vehicles with immediate effect. Necessary penal action under the law would be initiated
against the defaulters. It has also stated that owners of all public service vehicles must display “No Smoking” sticker inside the vehicles and exhibit prominently.
The two day event by Event Capital saw the top schools and institutes across verticals like journalism, photography, fashion, PR, advertising, events, radio, television, Jewellery design, graphic design, animation design, architecture showcasing their courses through an intensive platform that reaches out to the students exclusively.
SitutionVacant Faculty for all subjects and principal required for upcoming Sadiya Junior college. Qualification MA. Contact 8876750592, 9401432276.mail your resume at lakshyafoundation_sadiya@gmail.com
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MAY 31
PAGE 3
CM Kalikho Pul announced a cash award of Rs 3 lakhs A Staff Reporter Itanagar, May 30 : Chief Minister Kalikho Pul announced a cash award of Rs 3 lakhs to Namne Mena, Health Supervisor (Lady Health Visitor) recipient of National Florence Nightingale Award 2016 as an incentive to encourage her further to work with more sincerity and dedication.
the health and care of people in the communities she has served, helping women deliver babies safely and saving lives in extremely trying conditions. As a health care provider, Mena has risked her life many a times for serving people with no access to medical aid providers, often walking miles without food or rest, climbing hills, crossing rivers and forests and even facing wild animals - all this to serve people living at the farther most ends of the region.
Miss Mena was conferred National Florence Nightingale Award 2016 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India on the occasion of International Nurses Day on May 12' 2016 and she received the award from the President of India. Chief Minister
appreciated her twenty two years of service, dur-
DDMA starts Trimming and felling of age old Trees
ing which Mena has significantly contributed to
Zenith Child School, Namsai students excel in AISSE, 2016 ET Correspondent Namsai, May 30: The students of Zenith Child School (ZCS), Namsai have performed brilliantly in the AISSE 2016 and have come out with hundred percent results. Where total of 79 students appeared, 13 students got 10 of 10 CGPA students among them are Miss Varsha Singh, Miss Anindita Dey, Mst. Utpal Nath, Mst. Ronit Thakuria, Mst. Suman Seikh, Miss Chaphu Chimyang, Miss Basemlu Mam, Miss Dechik Dolma Meyor, Miss Seena Bellai, Chow
Aalo, May 30: The District Disaster Management Authority is identifying, trimming and felling down aged trees that have outlive their utilities and pose threat to human life and properties at Aalo Township. Few trees at vulnerable locations were felled down at DC office Compound on Sunday last. The West Siang Deputy Commissioner Shri Pige Ligu has given direction to DDMO and Forest Department to locate all such dan-
gerous trees which are likely to fall down under influence of heavy rain and winds during this monsoon season. The concern for such identification is necessitated due to falling down of very big trees in front of Aalo Police stations and various other locations. The departments, public and all organizations have also been intimated to locate such vulnerable tress for felling and arrangement for new plantations.
Her dedication and caring attitude is well evidenced by the care she
Yuwaraj Namchoom, Mst. Ongphan Sisen Singpho, Chow Lokina Namchoom, Miss Kago Sikha, 24 students got 9 to 9.8 CGPA, 29 students got 8 to 8.8 CGPA and 13 students got 7 to 7.8 CGPA. The Entire Zenith Child School authority led by its Principal David Barman and Management led by Ankush Debbarma, Administrative Officer has extended their heartiest congratulation to the students, teachers and parents for having put their effort to achieve this success.
gives to the sick, visiting their homes and spending time with people in pain and giving them the hope. She also conducts meetings for adolescents and women on various health related issues. She contributed greatly for the growth and an enabling service environment for fellow professionals. Chief Minister called upon other health workers to emulate the example set by her for further strengthening the healthcare systems in the state and hope that many nurses and health workers of the state would win more such awards in days to come.
Meanwhile, dwelling on their further course of actions with regards to filing the PIL, the AAPSU GS highlighted that he along with two other members from the Save Mon Region Forum (SMRF) will be the petitioners and they will be
ATPWDS to Take up Development Issues of Aalo Town
Governor appeals parents and guardians for extra cautions A Staff Reporter Itanagar, May 30: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh JP Rajkhowa conveying his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families advised that the District Authorities, educational institutions and the Department of Disaster management must create awareness about the danger of rising water in the Rivers, lakes and other water bodies due to heavy rainfalls or otherwise in various parts of the State. He suggested for signboards in the accident prone locations, informed in a press release issued from Raj Bhawan. The Governor has appealed to the parents and guardians to be extra cautious about their wards in weekends and holidays during rainy season.
AAPSU to file PIL in SC for monitoring an enquiry committee on Tawang firing Contd. from Page 1
DIgboi forest dept.naped naherfutki today from shillong road.
represented by Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, Founder Director of Human Rights Law Network (HRLN).
and to document the testimonies of the victims as well as the eye witnesses.
In this regard, a team of AAPSU led by the GS himself will join Advocate Gonsalves at Tawang sometime around the first week of June next to collect first hand information
Later, Nasi also demanded on the state government to initiate plans for erection of memorial stones for the fallen victims of the firing incident at Tawang.
Aalo, May 30: In its effort to take up welfare, development and beautification of Aalo town, a society under the nomenclature of Aalo Town Public Welfare and Development Society, ATPWDS has been formed in a mega meeting held under the Chairmanship of Shri Kento Ete, Ex Minister at Aalo Club on 28th May last. The society will mobilize all town dwellers of Aalo Township on developmental
issues in close coordination with state govt and District administration of West Siang district. Shri Kento Ete Ex Minister as Chairman, Er. Nyajum Padu Vice Chairman, Shri Doli Lollen , Shri Hedo Kato ZPM, Smty Marbom Bagra as Vice Chairmen and Shri Mito Lollen General, Secretary, Advisory committee headed by Shri Doi Ado Ex. Minister as Chief Advisor has been constituted to head the so-
ciety. The bye laws of the society have been prepared for registration and the existing WSTMC will also come under the banner of ATPWDS after its formation. The society has called for keen participation of senior citizens NGOs, SHGs, women and youths irrespective of tribes, community and clan in the name of APTWDS for the cause of Aalo town.
VHAA urges the new Government to strictly enforce the Asean Car Rally Bangkok today, new 85% pictorial warning rules on tobacco products reaches covering 4,000 kms
A Staff Reporter Guwahati, May 30: On the eve of the World No Tobacco Day, 2016, Voluntary Health Association of Assam and State Tobacco Control Cell urged the new Government in power to strictly enforce the new 85% pictorial warning rules on tobacco products and, thereby, also prohibit sale of loose cigarettes and tobacco products which are in defiance with the mandatory graphic health warning norms for tobacco packets in the country.
The World No Tobacco Day – is observed globally on May 31 – this year the World Health Organization is calling on countries around the world to implement plain packaging of tobacco products and helps end the deadly tobacco epidemic. Plain packaging reduces the appeal of tobacco consumption and increases the ability to notice health warnings on tobacco packs. The Government of India has also come up with equally effective packaging norms for tobacco products with the introduction of the 85% graphic warning rules on tobacco packets with effect
from April, 1, 2016. This new rules has minimize the use of colorful logos and branding on tobacco packaging, which serves as a key strategy used by the tobacco industry to make their products more appealing to current and potential customers, including youth. In India, “the recent landmark move to implement the new 85% pictorial
health warnings on tobacco packets from April 1, 2016 is a very strong and positive step taken by the Govt. of India and onus is now on the state government to strictly enforce the same at the earliest. Enforcement of the new pictorial warning rule will bring greater awareness about the serious and adverse health impact of tobacco use, especially among youth, children and the illiterate," said Ms. Ruchira Neog, Executive
Secretary, VHAA. State Nodal Officer, National Tobacco Control Programme, Assam, Dr. Arundhati Deka said that Health Department, Govt. of Assam has already issued order on 11.05.2016 to Drug Controller of Assam and to all designated Food Safety Officers of all districts of Assam to enforce the 85% coverage of pictorial warning on tobacco packaging strictly under
COTPA-2003. Enforcement officers have already started their job of inspecting all godowns of tobacco products and during their initial inspection found that there were no tobacco products without the 85% Pictorial Warning on the product manufactured after 1st April 2016. Inspections are going on in this regard and more reports are awaited. Simultaneously, many tobacco products have been sent to Regional Tobacco Testing Laboratory, which is attached to the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory, Sixmile for testing and for compliance of Sec 7 of COTPA. It is significant to mention that the Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Mr. KC Samria through a letter dated 20 May, 2016 has requested all Chief Secretaries of the states including Assam to strictly enforce the new rule on pictorial warning with immediate effect. Samria pointed out in the letter that it may be further ensured that the tobacco product packages not compliant with the new rules are withdrawn from the market latest by 31st May, 2016, and to be allowed for sale
only by printing, pasting or affixing the new warnings thereon covering 85% of the principal display area, terms of the new rules with effect from 1 April, 2016.
On the other hand, VHAA is also pressing for banning sale of loose cigarettes and tobacco products in the state including bidis with active support from the State Tobacco Control Cell to save precious lives from tobacco menace. Dr. Deka said that State Tobacco Control Cell have already approached to Government for issue of order to prohibit the sale of loose cigarettes under COTPA 2003. The ban on sale of loose cigarettes is in public interest, especially to save the lives of the students and youth who are found to be the prospective buyers of these loose products. Sale of loose cigarettes and other tobacco products also violate the section 7 of Cigarettes & Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003, which mandates that only tobacco products with specified health warnings can be sold in the country.
ET Bureau Bangkok, May 30 : Today India- Myanmar-Thailand Friendship Car Rally has reached Bangkok after covering more than 4000 kms through rugged terrain of Myanmar and picturesque Thailand through Asean Highway No 1 and AH-2. The road connectivity through AH-1 & 2 is excelling lent in Thailand. Today morning Boonsong Tantanee, Mayor of Phitsalanuk city of Thailand flagged off the rally at Topland Hotel. The rally today covered more than 400 kms from Phitsalanuk. Thailand Government has given topmost priority to the rally as they want to open AH-1 & 2 through India which will be beneficial for Thailand and other
South Asean countries as well India. Tomorrow and day after tomorrow Thai Govt representative and top entrepreneurs of Thailand will interact with the rallyist which also included top businessmen and other entrepreneurs from NE India to explore future business opportunities, as informed by Mr Bijoy Phangsu, working president of North Eastern Federation for International Trade, the organiser of the rally. The rally was escorted by the Tourist police of Thailand. There are 31 participants including 1 lady in 10 cars. 5 cars from Assam, 2 cars from Arunachal 1 car each from Nagaland and Manipur participate in the rally.
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Tapan Gogoi to do his level best for Assam Rail passengers’ association development of Sonari Constituency submits memo to Railway minister A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, May 30: The Dibrugarh district committee of the Assam Rail Passengers’ Association managed to submit a memorandum to the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu while the minister was in the historic Dibrugarh Town railway station yesterday, for dedicating some railway amenities to the service of the nation at a ceremony held in the station premises. The highlights of the issues raised in the memorandum were, stoppage of the Rajdhani Express trains at the industrial town of Duliajan, which is also known as ‘mini India’ due the presence of people from all parts of the Indian subcontinent in it. The memo-
randum also sought declaration of the historic Dibrugarh Town railway station as a heritage station, and re-designing and development of the same as a world class railway station. It may be mentioned here that the present Dibrugarh Town railway station, earlier known as the ‘Rehabari’ station, was the first railway station in entire North East India and one of the oldest railway stations in the country, from where the first train steamed off some one and a quarter century back on 1st of May, 1882. To ease severe traffic congestions taking place regularly at Lahowal tiniali, Convoy Road tiniali and Amolapatty rail-road crossings, the memorandum
urged the Union Railway Minister to take steps for constructing three flyovers at these three places on an urgent basis. As a number of long distance trains originate and terminate in Dibrugarh much time is wasted for allowing passage of trains at intermediate stations, the committee proposed a double track in between New Tinsukia Jn and Dibrugarh Town stations on an urgent basis. For an enhanced and better train service to and from Dibrugarh to cater to the ever-increasing demands of the passengers, immediate introduction of DEMU service was sought in the memorandum as a sub-urban service. The Dibrugarh district committee of the Assam Rail Passengers’ Association also
called upon the minister for survey of a new railway line between Dibrugarh station and Moranhat via Rajgarh, which, besides providing an alternative railway line in the section will also carry benefits of a double line and also connect the highest tea producing Tingkhong revenue circle with the railway network of the country for faster economic growth. The Dibrugarh district committee of the Assam Rail Passengers’ Association, while welcoming the maiden visit of the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabh to Dibrugarh, has also expressed surprise that a person of his stature had been called to inaugurate a few passenger amenities at rail-
way stations, which could have been done by an officer even much junior in rank to the General Manager of the N. F. Railway. The committee also condemns the attitude of the newly appointed Divisional Railway Manager of the Tinsukia Division of the N. F. Railway for his insensibility and indifferent attitude towards Assam Rail Passengers’ Association, a recognized member organization of the Zonal Rail Users Consultative Committee. Assam Rail Passengers’ Association was neither invited to the programme, but was even denied permission to hand over the said memorandum to the minister by the Divisional Railway Manager.
Cattle heads seized Two wooden laden commercial vehicles seized by Makum police A Staff Reporter Guwahati, May 30: Troops of Border Security Force deployed under
Guwahati Frontier in Dhubri have seized large numbers of cattle heads meant for smuggling to
Bangladesh on the intervening night of 29TH& 30TH May 2016. 175 cattle heads worth Rs14,85,800/-(appx) were seized yesterday from cattle smugglers on the Indo-Bangladesh border, by BSF troops deployed in the riverine border of Dhubri. BSF troops are always alert to issue of trans-border crimes and illegal infiltration and are making all out efforts to prevent commission of illegal crimes
NES demands public apology from CM Kalikho Pul A Staff Reporter Itanagar, May 30: Coming in fresh from his re-election for the third consecutive term as the president of Nyishi Elite Society (NES), Bengia Tolum today demanded for public apology from the incumbent Chief Minister Kalikho Pul for his alleged derogatory remarks against the Nyishi community. Armed with an audio recording with duration of some about 1 hour and 55 minutes allegedly containing a conversation of the incumbent CM Kalikho Pul, the NES president claimed that, “We are more than confident that the voice in the audio recording is not purported and the derogatory
audio clip with communal overtures is actually of Kalikho Pul.” Accordingly, “He must accept his fault and make a public apology to the Nyishi Community and the same should be widely covered in the local, regional and national print and electronic media,” demanded the NES president adding that, “Only then, will the matter be put to rest.” Also, highlighting of the case scenario of CM Pul’s failure to apologise publicly, Tolum asserted that, “He must step down from the chair of the Chief Minister’s post to pave way for fair investigation to prove his clean image, failing which NES would resort to
Damage caused to BoP SSB Camp ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, May 30: Heavy rain followed by thundering damaged the various vital electric installations and communication set ups at Border Outpost Dadgiri of 16th Battalion (Bn) SSB Ranighuli along the Indo-Bhutan border in Chirang district on Monday. The havoc took place on the late night of Sunday , and affected the communication set up of BoP Dadgiri along with CCTV camera installed at entry-exit gates, various numbers of CFL bulbs, fans and other equip-
ments, included adopter of WLL phone, SMPS , one of 25 Watt VHF (Antenna) High gain. However, no loss or injury of the person has been taken place. Though weather conditions in the bordering areas along Indo-Bhutan especially in rainy seasons is one of biggest challenge for the SSB personnel for accomplishing their border guarding duties. An inquiry on the matter has been order to reveal the facts and other related findings.
social and legal actions.” Tolum further added that, “If the audio clip is fake, CM Pul being in power must initiate actions to arrest the culprits for inciting communal hatred against the Nyishi community,” adding that, “If he can prove his innocence, Nyishi community under the aegis of NES and ANSU will tender unconditional apology from Pul.” Meanwhile, NES also expressed strong resentment over the clean chit given by the PDS contractor Likha Maj to Chief Minister Kalikho Pul on the same audio clip issue and asserted that, “his change of stance will have no bearing on the follow-up actions of the NES and its supporting wings.”
Rangia opium seized from train ET Correspondent Rangia May 30: A huge quantity of opium was seized from an air conditioned 3 tire compartment of Jammu bound Down Lohit Express on Monday evening. According to Railway police the Manipuri Opium worth of Rs more than lakhs was seized acting on a tip off. As the train originated from Guwahati the 2 bags ganja were carrying from Guwahati, but it was transported from Manipur police said. No one was arrested in this context.
Sp correspondent. Tinsukia, May 30. Makum police on Monday seized two commercial vehicles loaded with illegal wooden pieces. According to sources, during a checking makum police stopped DI pick - up vehicles loaded with wooden pieces and demanded the
driver to show permit. However, the driver failed to show any permit hinting towards a possible smuggling of wooden pieces. Accordingly Makum police seized the vehicles and handed it over to Digboi forest division. The timbers were coming from Chowkham in Arunachal Pradesh.
The truck bearing registration No AS-18C-4636 carrying illegal Sal timbers coming from Athiabari
night, however driver and smugglers manage to escape from the spot through scope of dark. The truck
He also mentioned that he will do his level best for the development of Sonari Constituency and entire Assam. For the proper development of Sonari Constituency Tapan Gogoi needs positive criticism from the people. During his speech Tapan Gogoi warned all officials to stay out of corruption.
Jorhat MP Kamakhya Tasa was there as a chief guest and delivered an energetic speech to encourage the people. “People of Assam left congress just because of their corruption and elected us, so we each and everyone have to work legally for the ultimate development of the people which must be corruption free” said Tasa.
Only rain forest reserve of Dhemaji District, Poba under threat of erosion by Lali River ET Correspondent Dhemaji, May 30: Poba which got status of reserve forest during British reign 1925, with area covering 10221 hectares of land is counting it last breath with hundred hectares of land with valuable trees washing away every year. Poba reserve forest, widely known as rain forest, (27'50'11'N and 95'17'45'E) is touched by Lali, Siang Dibang and Lohit river the tributaries of river Brahmaputra, is creating threat due to erosion. To save the rain forest from being washed out, AASU along with public of Jonai have started campaign since last three years
under the leadership of Chitta Basumatary, every year Marathon race along with other competition is organised at Jonai. Poba reserve forest situated nearly 5 km ahead of sub division headquarter Jonai under Dhemaji District, is 130 away from Dhemaji. Rich rain forest of North East, with varied biodiversity serves as corridor of Elephant, as the forest touches Arunachal Pradesh in one side and Saikhowa forest reserve towards Dibrugarh. On the other side of reserve is Kabo Chapori the second largest River Island of Brahmaputra after Majuli. The erosion caused by Lali
and Siang River on Poba and Kabo Chapori, is massive which have reduced the forest area more than half from its inception. Basumatary when contacted by Eastern Today on the issue on which they organise competition every year, he said our fight is for protection of forest area and attract Government attention to save it. He further said that if care is not taken, at the time when world is crying for global warming, we should think for generation to come, as the forest area is decreasing day by day it is the right time to think and protect our resource which we have.
Te s t i n g L a b o r a t o r y here for testing and compliance of COTPA provisions, she added.
PTI Guwahati, May 30: On the eve of the World No Tobacco Day, the Voluntary Health Association of Assam and State Tobacco Control Cell has urged the new Assam government to strictly enforce the new 85 per cent pictorial warning rules on tobacco products. The two organisations, actively supporting the implementation of the 85 per cent Pictorial Health Warning Rules by tobacco companies in the country, also wanted the government to prohibit sale of loose cigarettes and tobacco products. Addressing a joint press meet, National Tobacco Control Programme Assam Nodal Officer Dr Arundhati Deka said the Central government has come up with effective packaging norms for tobacco packets with effect
was seen fully damaged. Forest official and police rushed to the spot immediately after getting information. Police said that it was an act from illegally smugglers who were tried to smuggle the timbers. The timbers’ market value would be around Rs.3.5 to 4 lakhs.
bound for Bongaigaon through 31C National Highway was met road mishap at Barsangaon late last
bilities”.
World No Tobacco Day: Assam govt. urged to enforce pictorial warning on tobacco products The recent landmark move to implement 85 per cent pictorial health warnings on tobacco packets is a very strong and positive step taken by the Central Government and onus is now on the state government to strictly enforce it at the earliest, VHAA Executive Secretary Ruchira Neog said.
from April one last. This new rule has minimised the use of colourful logos and branding on tobacco packaging which serves as a key strategy used by the tobacco industry to make their products more appealing to the current and potential customers,
Timber laden truck seized at Kokrajhar ET Correspondent Kokrajhar, May 30: Just few days of post declaration for withdrawing some forest check gates across the state by Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma, forest department seized illegally carrying timber logs following a truck met road mishap late last night along 31C National Highway at Barsangaon near Karigaon in Kokrajhar district.
ET Correspondent Sonari, May 30: Sonari BJP Youth Marcha has organised a felicitation programme at Sonari Public Stage on 29th May where Tapan Gogoi, MLA, said that, “I have got the same felicitation from the people of Sonari when I was selected as the General Secretary of AASU. Today I have become the MLA of this Sonari Constituency, so now I have lots of responsi-
Assam Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma and BTC deputy chief, who is also in-charge for Forest department Kampa Borgoyary visited the spot. The forest minister said
stern action will be taken against illegal timber smuggling. She sought details report about the illegal timber smuggling. Borgoyary also said action will be taken against illegal functioning of timber smuggling and forest wealth. Dhiren Basumatary, Forest Ranger said that the forest department has been doing intensified patrolling through National Highway that is why the smugglers met road mishap on the road. The truck was bound for Bongaigaon.
including youth, Deka said. The Assam Health department had issued an order on May 11 last year to the Drug Controller of Assam and designated Food Safety Officers of all districts to enforce the 85 per cent pictorial
warning under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act ( C O T PA ) 2 0 0 3 , D r Deka said. Simultaneously, many tobacco products have been sent to the Regional Tobacco Testing Laboratory attached to the Regional Drug
This year WHO is calling on countries around the world to implement plain packaging of tobacco products without brand names to help end tobacco epidemic, she said, adding, plain packaging reduces the appeal of tobacco consumption and increases the ability to notice health warnings on tobacco packets.
Woman gives birth to child under the open sky ET Correspondent Tezpur, May 30: Though making health care service affordable for the common people has been a major slogan for each political party coming into power at the state till date no any government is seen achieving success in this sector in a real sense till date as the common needy people of the society are yet to enjoy the health care service properly despite launching of several health schemes by the by gone government. This became more
clear after the tragic incident of giving birth to twins under the open sky by an about 25 years old woman of Dhekiajuli Sirajuli area yesterday in the verandah of a business establishment of Sirajuli area creating a sharp reaction among the people. Mentionable that the victim “Puja” had to accept unwanted motherhood following illegal relation with one Amulya of the same locality who came into close contact with Puja with a commitment of marrying her. However, Amulya after knowing the fact that be-
cause of his physical relation Puja had to accept illegal motherhood had fled. Meanwhile, the victim after giving birth to the twins tried to eliminate the twins by firing fire-woods availably found from a nearby hearth. Meanwhile, two persons namely Mridul Das and Felauddin Ahmed of the area who were witnessing from a distance interrupted the woman from doing the act and recovered the twins. The woman was later admitted at Dhekiajuli 30 bed civil hospital in a critical condition.
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Manipur women Whenever the BJP comes to power at the Centre, there demand release of is always instability in Manipur : Okram Ibobi Singh student activists Manipur CM hits out at BJP govt for causing instability
Manipur women demand release of student activists Imphal, May 30:Scores of women held protests here on Sunday to demand the unconditional release of five Kangleipak Students Association activists arrested on charge of seizing packets of adulterated salt and questioning two traders in this regard. A KSA activist said police had failed to book a
trader who was accused of adulteration a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, angry women protestors tried to storm Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's office here on Sunday to demand the enactment of the three anti-migrant bills pending presidential assent.
Surrendered cadres await rehabilitation Shillong, May 30: After a series of surrender by militants recently, there is a fear that the delay in release of benefits under the rehabilitation package may create hurdles for future surrender of militants. The maximum surrender of militants was in the run up to the May 16 Tura by-poll, though the authorities had pointed out that the surrender had nothing to do with the by-election and that it was intended to create peace in the Garo Hills region. Hundreds of militants belonging to GNLA, LAEF and others surrendered before the police, but many grievances have come to the fore related to proper rehabilitation of the cadres. There are also reports that some surrendered militants are being used for anti insurgency operations in Garo Hills, which however was denied by the police. Unhappy with the delay in their rehabilitation, commander in chief of Liberation A'chik Elite Forces (LAEF), Mathew Momin, and ten others, who had earlier surrendered, met officials of the North Garo Hills district administration last week to press for their demands. They expressed concern over the delay in rehabilitating them even as the district administration assured that necessary steps will be taken. A cadre is granted Rs.1.5 lakh as one time financial package and Rs.3500 as stipend during the period of rehabilitation under the Centre's rehabilitation scheme of the militants. Earlier on May 17, an-
noyed over the delay in peace settlement including the financial package, a delegation comprising former chairman of ANVC, Dilash M. Marak and his adviser Saileng R. Marak submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister besides meeting the Union Home Ministry officials in Delhi. The ANVC and the ANVC-B cadres were disbanded in Tura in December, 2014 following the signing of a memorandum of settlement with the Centre and the Meghalaya government. During the disbanding ceremony, 748 cadres including 447 from the ANVC and 301 from the ANVC-B were present. A State government official said that the issue related to the release of financial package is pending with the State police headquarters. Another Garo Hills based militant group whose proper settlement is awaited is the UALA. It was on December 18 last year that the Agreed Text of Settlement was signed between the State government and UALA with a promise of proper rehabilitation package and other benefits. While the government had made elaborate plans to rehabilitate UALA militants on the premises of Baljek Airport, the verification of over seventy cadres of the outfit is yet to be c o m p l e t e d . E a r l i e r, the State government had fixed many dates for holding the disbanding ceremony of UALA. A new date is likely to be announced only after the verification of the UALA cadres. (Agencies)
Surrendered cadres
Imphal, May 30: Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Sunday hit out at the BJP-led central government for "causing instability" in the northeastern state. "Whenever the BJP comes to power at the Centre, there is always instability in Manipur," he said at an election meeting at Kwakeithel Moirang Purel in Imphal West district ahead of the June 2 municipal polls. Though he did not elaborate on his accusation, the Congress leader's ref-
erence was to the June 18, 2001 violence during which 18 people were killed and many others injured in protests following the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government extending the ceasefire with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-IssakMuivah "without territorial limits". Since last year, Manipur has been experiencing agitations demanding the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system. A student was killed and over 500 oth-
Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh ers injured. On the other hand, nine people were
killed in Churachandpur district during rallies pro-
testing against the demand for the ILP. For nearly one month, the state has also been under siege demanding enactment of the three antimigrant bills passed by the state assembly on August 31, last year. Attacking the Narendra Modi government, Ibobi Singh said: "The UPA government had introduced the Look East policy. The NDA changed it to Act East Policy. People have not seen any change in the past two years. "Whatever projects commissioned in Manipur were
AICC in dilemma over Mukul ouster demand Shillong, May 30: A beleaguered Congress which is facing serious internal problems almost everywhere seems to be in a catch 22 situation in Meghalaya with dissident activities coming back to haunt the party after almost half decade of stability an unusual phenomena in the hill state. In a virtual replay of the revolts that ended Congress's rule in Arunachal Pradesh and nearly uprooted its regime in Uttarakhand, the party's government in Meghalaya is facing a crisis with a section of ministers and MLAs pushing for the removal of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma after the humiliating defeat in his home turf Tura. The defeat is hitting the chief minister since the contestant was his legislator wife Dikkanchi D. Shira who was otherwise the right candidate at that point of time. Like in Arunachal and Uttarakhand, with the BJP waiting in the wings, the Congress dissidents have accused Mukul of
'acting in a dictatorial fashion' and 'taking decisions unilaterally'. The situation has been aggravated with the BJP's huge win in neighbouring Assam and its architect Himanta Biswa Sarma, arch rival of the chief minister, heading the BJP in the entire North East. Once bitten twice shy, the party high command, which faced criticism for its perceived inaction during the turbulence in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, appears to be taking the Meghalaya situation seriously. Both party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi have agreed to meet the dissident ministers and MLAs. In the 60-member legislature, the Congress has 30 seats, and has the support of the Nationalist Congress Party with two MLAs, besides 11 independent legislators. But there is a problem with the independents since the Congress candidates whom they had defeated are working at cross purposes including in the vital Tura by-poll
and the preceding election to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council. Soon after the Tura debacle, MPCC president D.D. Lapang and Lok Sabha member from Shillong, Vincent H. Pala met Sonia and Rahul and discussed about the problems of dissidents in Meghalaya. The dissidents argue that with this rate of falling vote share, Congress will not come back to power in the next assembly polls which is less than two years away. Both the party top brass agreed to meet the dissidents in New Delhi and accordingly Lapang and Pala went back to Shillong to meet the party legislators. Meanwhile, swearing in of AICC general secretary in charge Meghalaya, V. Narayanasamy, as Chief Minister of Puducherry and lobby of Secretary Vijayalaxmi Sadho for a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh has thrown a spanner in the whole imbroglio. Following this the dissidents postponed their
meet scheduled at Lapang's residence and are currently waiting for the new general secretary to take charge. The dissidents also are not able to project an alternative young leader and Lapang is not ready to give up his claims. BJP with its own Governor in the Raj Bhavan is waiting in the wings and can turn the table with the help of the NPP and regional parties plus the Congress dissidents, sources said. The Shillong MP Vincent H. Pala who is playing a vacillating role has denied joining the BJP but is said to be close to the ruling NDA dispensation. The just concluded visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Meghalaya and the huge crowd he drew everywhere has also unnerved the Congress top brass here. Everybody knows that after Assam and Manipur he will try to bring Meghalaya to his party's kitty. The only solace for the Congress is that BJP does not have a
single MLA in Meghalaya with its lone legislature A.L. Hek defecting earlier. And unlike Assam and Manipur, Meghalaya does not have a predominant Hindu population and infiltration from across the n e i g h b o u r i n g Bangladesh is not an important issue in the Christian dominated hill state. But despite these solace, Congress will face problems if they change the leadership and even if they do not change. Mukul Sangma is already peeved at the high command for not allowing him a reshuffle in his three year old cabinet which he says has affected the efficiency of the government.If they drop him there is no alternative leadership in the 24 member Garo Hills region barring Deborah C. Marak. But if they do not change Mukul Sangma the dissidents will wait in their wings to destabilize the government at the first available opportunity especially as the Assembly polls draws near. (Agencies)
73 government schools in Manipur have zero class 10 pass percentage Imphal, May 30: As many as 73 of the 323 government schools in Manipur have a pass percentage of zero in the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) or the class 10 examination whose results were announced on Tuesday. That is, there was not a single student in these 73 schools - 22.6 percent of the total number - who passed the HSLC examination conducted from March 1-19 by the Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BSEM). There was a total of 6,484 students from 323 government schools that appeared in the examina-
tion, and only 2,781 got through, a pass percentage of 42.8 percent. That compares poorly with the state's average pass percentage for HSLC 2016 of 61.52. Furthermore, there are 28 government schools that had just one student each who passed the exam. And there is not a single government school that has a student in top 20 achievers. What this clearly means is that government schools - on each of which millions of rupees of public funds are being spent - have been performing poorly as compared to the private
schools. Highly placed sources said, "The government has taken a serious note of the non-performance of the government schools. The only way out is to abolish some of these schools, so that students could get admission in private schools".
48 in 2014 and 70 in 2015. The examination results have dismayed the parents and the students alike. Romen Chingtham, who had had sent his son to a government school, told that he was disappointed by failure of his son to pass the exam.
The situation has been steadily worsening year after year, according to official reports. In 2013 there were 28 government schools which did not have a single student who passed the HSLC examination. That number climbed to
"I am faced with Hobson's choice about his studies since I cannot send him to expensive private schools," he said. Officials of the education department declined to explain the failure of some of the government schools to have a single successful student. The
government's solution to the problem has been to close down non-performing schools.For instance, Tombisana high school in the heart of Imphal city was closed down and a marketing centre is now under construction there. Bengali high school here was also demolished and the building for Ramkrishna Mission school is now coming up at the site. The rich and the better off have long deserted government schools which are now left only with children of parents with modest means. (Agencies)
started during the UPA. Now rail line is extended up to Tupul in Manipur and it was done during the prime ministership of Manmohan Singh." The first-ever election meeting for the June 2 Imphal municipal corporation polls was held under heavy security arrangements after activists demanded that the political parties should go to New Delhi and meet President Pranab Mukherjee on the ILP issue instead of canvassing for the polls here. (Agencies)
Writers swap views at Agartala lit fest Agencies Agartala, May 30 : The two-day All India Young Writers' Festival, organized by the Sahitya Akademi in association with Tripura's department of information and cultural affairs, ended here on Sunday. The event, which was attended by around 100 literary activists from different parts of the country, was inaugurated by eminent Assamese writer Nagen Saikia at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Yuva Awas Auditorium here on Saturday. Renowned Bengali writer Brajagopal Roy and K Sreenivasarao, secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, took part in the festival which provided young writers with the platform to exchange their views on Indian literature. "I believe this programme will widen the scope of literary activity and young writers must cash in," Saikia said. Talking about the need to preserve local languages and cultures, director of the state department of information and cultural affairs Shantanu Debbarma recalled the contribution of vernacular press during the country's freedom struggle. "Vernacular press played a significant role in the country's freedom struggle, prompting the British to bring about the Vernacular Press Act. That's why local languages must be preserved and literary activities should curb the erosion of moral value," he added.
Nagaland hospital gets laparoscopic training centre Dimapur, May 30 : In a major boost to healthcare services in Nagaland, a laparoscopic training centre recognized by Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society of India (FOGSI) was formally inaugurated here at Nikos Hospital and Research Centre (NHRC) on Sunday. The launching of the laparoscopic training centre coincided with the happy tidings of accreditation of NHRC by the National Accreditation Board for Hos-
pitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH). With this, Nikos Hospital has earned the distinction of being the first hospital in Nagaland and the third in the North East Region to get NABH accreditation and also the first hospital in the Region to open a laparoscopic training centre. Nagaland Minister for Health and Family Welfare, P. Longon, who graced the 'accreditation and inauguration' programme as the chief
guest, in his address observed that private hospitals are coming up in Dimapur with a strong vision to provide quality healthcare services to the people. "Today, I am very proud to say that quality healthcare services are available at our doorstep, being provided by our own doctors who are equally qualified and experienced in their own fields of specialty like any other doctors in the rest of the world," he said. Stating that quality
healthcare is the need of the hour, Longon added that healthcare system cannot be compromised at any cost. However, Longon also stated that the doctor population in the state is still low and as of now, Nagaland state has to depend on other states to produce doctors to cater to the health needs of the people till the proposed medical college in the state comes up. Special guest and director, NABH, New Delhi Dr. Gayatri V Mahindroo, who
handed over the accreditation certificate to the managing director, NHRC, Dr. Victo A Wotsa, said 'Nikos' is synonymous to victory and getting accreditation is the first step in the NRHC's journey to provide quality healthcare. She said accreditation and launching of the laparoscopic training centre would also provide an opportunity for the hospital to serve patients from neighbouring states. Dr. Victo A Wotsa in his wel-
come address gave a brief account of hurdles faced in the journey of launching the centre and getting accreditation. Director, Health & Family Welfare, Dr. John Sweyievisa; president of Kohima Obstetrics & Gynaecology Society of Nagaland, Dr. K Keditsu; and Dr. Jyoti Ramadas also spoke on the occasion. Minister for PHE, Tokheho Yepthomi was among the dignitaries and well wishers who attended the programme. (ANI)
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NGT to hear Centre's plea against diesel car ban for other cities New Delhi, May 30: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday will hear the Centre's plea along with the petition seeking ban on the sale of large diesel-powered vehicles in 11 more cities besides the national capital. The Heavy Industries Ministry has moved the NGT not to extend the diesel vehicle ban to other cities. Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been
asked to respond. The NGT has said that all relevant and the latest data needs to be submitted by tomorrow and warned that if the said states fail to product the data, a bailable warrant against the chief secretary of the non responding state will be issued. According to reports, 11 cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad are likely to include metros. Earlier, the NGT bench after hearing a petition filed by Lawyers Environmental Awareness Fo-
Attack on African nationals: Rijiju says Govt. will try its best to avoid such incidents
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju New Delhi, May 30: Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday dubbed the recent attacks on African nationals of South Delhi as 'unfortunate'. Rijiju said the government will try its best to avoid such episodes in the future. "After what has happened with the African students in Delhi, we are holding regular meetings to come up with ways to sensitize the local populace," Rijiju said. "Arrests have already been made and the foreign ministry is also looking into the matter along with us. I also had a meeting with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the same," he added. A week after the killing of a Congolese man in the national capital that stirred a diplomatic row and instigated violence against Indians in Congo, four attacks on African nationals by the residents in Chattarpur were reported on Friday.
Five people were arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the four attack incidents on the African nationals on Sunday. The African nationals had sustained minor injuries in the attack that took place in South Delhi's Mehrauli area on Friday. The five people that have been arrested are identified as- Babu (32), Kunal (20), Om Prakash (24), Rahul alias Rocky (24) and Ajay (25). The police is carrying out search operations to nab the other accused persons. Yesterady, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to Rajnath Singh and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung about the attacks and said she was assured that the culprits would soon be arrested. "They assured me that the culprits will be arrested soon and sensitization campaign will be launched in areas where African nationals reside," she tweeted.(ANI)
Y. P. Singh for custodial interrogation of AIB comedian Tanmay Bhat New Delhi, May 30: Former IPS officer Y. P. Singh on Monday demanded the custodial interrogation of stand-up comic Tanmay Bhat for making fun of two of Maharashtra's best known legends Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar for what he dubbed as cognizable offence. The former top cop told that the accused is already facing criminal proceedings in this specific case. "The offence is being repeated, this is a very serious matter. Such an accused person should be immediately placed under custodial interrogation and should be put up for trial in the court of law so that he could be punished as per the provision of law," said Singh. "If this legal proceeding is not done immediately then it will appear that principle of rule of law is failing," he added. Singh further said this country is governed by the principle of rule of law, adding nobody has got the right to take the law in his own hands. "In this pacific case, there are clear cut violations of law. Now, number one is if
someone put abusive or obscene words on the internet, it is an offence under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which is a cognizable offence," said Singh. "Second offence is speaking obscene words, which the public can hear. So, this again is an offence under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code, which is a cognizable offence," he added. The AIB comedian earlier drew flak from the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders, who demanded immediate action against him. Several Bollywood celebrities, including actors Anupam Kher and Riteish Deshmukh, criticised the comedian for "insulting" the diva of Indian film music and the master blaster. "I am 9 times winner of #BestComicActor. Have a great sense of humor. But This's NOT humor. #Disgusting&Disrespectful," Kher tweeted. "Am absolutely shocked. Disrespect is not cool and neither is it funny," Riteish, who will be seen in the upcoming romantic comedy film 'Housefull 3', wrote on Twitter. (ANI)
Meanwhile, the NGT has asked various states to submit response to three questions:
AIATF cautions govt. over Khalistan terrorists planning to attack India
Which is the worst polluted city of the state? Give the number of vehicles in the city and provide a breakdown of petrol and diesel vehicles. What is the current population of the worst polluted city? The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday will hear the Centre's plea along with the petition rum (LEAF) ordered that diesel vehicles over 10-year-old may not be allowed to ply in six cit-
ies, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kothamangalam, Thrissur and Kozhikode.
The bench also directed the traffic police to take action and charge a fine of Rs. 5,000 as environment compensation from defaulters. The petition had de-
manded toxic gases by the old diesel vehicles such as lorries and buses should be immediately curtailed and a strict rule should be brought for it. (ANI)
Defence experts criticize A.Q. Khan's sabre rattling, say India much more capable New Delhi, May 30: Retorting to Dr. A.Q. Khan's comment that Pakistan could have 'targeted' Delhi in five minutes, Indian defence experts on Monday rubbishing the statement and said that India can give a befitting reply. Defence expert Rameshwar Rai dubbed Khan's statement as irresponsible and inconsequential. "There is no implication of this fact as presently A.Q. Khan in not involved in any kind of policy making nor is near any leadership which is taking such decisions. So I believe that his statements will make no difference," Rai said. "Coming to his five minute statement he should know that after those five minutes what would India had done, I think he has not pondered over the after effects. He has made an irresponsible statement," he added.
Another defence expert, Deepankar Banerjee, said,"If nuclear weapon capability exists and bombs are available it can be prepared in advance and launched at short notice but the question is not whether it can be launched in five minutes, the question is should this be considered at all. Because nuclear bomb is a political weapon, it is never to be used during a war and even it is considered for use it has to be discussed at the highest levels and that consultation should take much longer." "So, this sort of a sabre rattling in which A.Q. Khan continuously engages even after so many years of his being totally discredited by the international community is a state of affairs within in Pakistan of which we should be deeply concerned," he added. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, who is considered the father of
Defence experts criticize A.Q. Khan's sabre rattling that country's nuclear become a nuclear power programme, on Saturday as early as 1984 but the said that Pakistan has the then President General ability to target New Zia-ul-Haq opposed the Delhi from Kahuta, near move. Khan was disRawalpindi, in five min- graced in 2004 when he utes. was forced to accept reHe also said that sponsibility for proliferaIslamabad could have tion. (ANI)
"Coming to his five minute statement he should know that after those five minutes what would India had done, I think he has not pondered over the after effects. He has made an irresponsible statement."
Indian Army recovers huge cache of arms in Doda, J-K Doda (Jammu and Kashmir), May 30: Acting on specific information, the Indian Army launched a swift and surgical joint search operation in Sunarthwa Forest near Gosti Bowl in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. The team recovered a total of four weapons and war like stores, which included one AK 56 Rifle, two 9 mm Pistols, one country Made Pistol, seven AK Magazines, two 9 mm Pistol Magazines, one Pika Magazine, four UBGL Grenades, five Pakistan origin hand grenades, 1696 Rounds of 7.62 mm AK 47, 1340 Rounds of 7.62 mm CTN, 40 Belted Rounds of Pika, two Binoculars, one Telescopic Night Sight, one camera, ten recording cassettes and sustenance stores from a natural cave hideout in Sunarthwa Forest.
Indian Army recovers huge cache of arms in Doda
The Army had been getting information of suspicious unidentified movement of the personnel in the general area for the last three months and, therefore, a close watch was being maintained. The recovered arms likely belong to one of the terrorist tanzeems of the area, active in the past, which could have been hidden for later us-
age. The area due to its remoteness and rugged terrain makes it an ideal location for establishing a hideout. The dense forest and steep gradient increased the degree of difficulty in approach to the intended target area and subsequent search. The recovery of war like stores was possible only due to the
accurate intelligence developed by the Army and launching of well synchronised joint operation with SOG in the dense jungle, in a relentless day and night operation of 36 hours. Apart from the three columns of the Indian Army, the team also included one Head Constable with six persons of SOG from Thatri Police Station. The recovered arms and ammunition were handed over to the Thatri Police Station, wherein a FIR has been lodged. The recovery of a huge cache has given a major success to the Security Forces and a massive blow to the terrorists in the area, thereby preventing the arms and ammunition from falling into the hands of inimical elements, aiming at revival of militancy in Doda. (ANI)
Narayanasamy meets Kiran Bedi, stakes claim to form government Puducherry, May 30: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader V. Narayanasamy called on the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi today and staked claim to form the government in the Union Territory. The Congress Party has staked its claim to form the government, ten days after the announcement of results of the Puducherry Assembly polls.
Congress - DMK alliance has 17 members in the 30 member Territorial Assembly. PCC President Namassivayam will accompany Narayanasamy, said AICC Secretary Chinna Reddy. Namassivayam was a contender for the post of Chief Minister but CLP elected Narayanasamy who is not a member of the house as its leader. Meanwhile, Chinna Reddy said that the party is aware
of the contribution of Namassivayam in bringing Congress back to power in
the Union Territory, in an obvious effort to pacify the PCC chief. (ANI)
AIATF chairman Maninderjeet Singh Bitta New Delhi, May 30: Expressing serious concern over reports that the Khalistan terror camp in Canada is plotting attacks in Punjab, the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to take strict actions against the people plotting terrorist activities through Pakistan's ISI funding. AIATF chairman Maninderjeet Singh Bitta told that more attacks would take place in the region if the ruling dispensation at the Centre doesn't do anything at the earliest."Narendra Modi's government is very strong and their fight against terrorism is quite clear. But I would like to caution the government that they need to take this seriously. Hence, I directly ask the government to take strict
actions against people, who are plotting terrorist activities against Punjab through Pakistan's ISI funding," Bitta said. The AIATF chairman's comment comes in wake of reports that proKhalistan terrorists are running a camp near Mission city in British Columbia to carry out strikes in Punjab. As per reports, Punjab Intelligence officers have prepared a document, which tells that Canadian Sikh Hardeep Nijjar has taken over as the operational head of Khalistan Terror Force (KTF) and formed a module to carry out the attacks. Nijjar, who is reportedly staying in Surrey since 1995, is a proclaimed terrorist in Punjab and wanted in connection with the 2007 Shingaar cinema blast in Ludhiana which claimed the lives of six people. (ANI)
SC requests Calcutta HC to hear Manoranjana appeal New Delhi, May 30: A Division Bench of India's Supreme Court has neither dismissed nor rejected the bail application of Manoranjana Sinh, one of the accused in the Sarada Chit Fund scam. Sinh's lawyers have clarified that the Supreme Court heard the listed matter on May 25 and has allowed their client the liberty to mention and list the matter of bail hearing before the appropriate bench of the Calcutta High Court. News reports had earlier incorrectly stated that the bail application of Manoranjana Sinh had been rejected or dismissed, but a certified copy of the Supreme Court record of proceedings conducted by a twojudge division bench of Justices Prafulla C. Pant and D. Y. Chandrachud states that the special leave petition is disposed of with the observation that the petitioner shall be at liberty to mention before the appropriate bench (of the high court) for early disposal. On being told that the hearing of the bail application had been listed as far back as January 19,2016 and was yet to be heard, the division bench of the Supreme Court observed that "We request the high court to dispose of the bail application as expeditiously as possible." Appearing for Manoranjana Sinh, Senior Counsel Rekha Palli had drawn the Supreme Court's attention to the fact that the petitioner is a single woman who has had two surgeries and discovered with multiple ailments for which she has been confined to hospital just after her detention by the CBI.
Palli said that two division benches of the Calcutta High Court changed but did not hear the matter for one reason or another. The senior counsel said that the supplementary charge sheet by the CBI regarding Manoranjana Sinh was filed on January 4,2016. But, the CBI claims the investigation is not complete despite a Supreme Court observation made around November 30, 2015 on another petition in the same case asking the CBI to deploy the necessary manpower to conclude the investigation. The CBI has been detaining several of the accused, while letting off others on bail. Some have never appeared despite being issued summons and notices. The senior counsel for Manoranjana Sinh said that over a course of nearly two years immediately preceding her detention, the latter had made nearly 15 submissions, personal appearances and supplied voluminous documents to the Sen Commission, SIT, Enforcement Directorate and CBI as a cooperating witness to support the investigation. On the date of her detention, Sinh was called by the CBI for further investigation and she voluntarily appeared but was summarily arrested. Manoranjana Sinh's case is likely to come up before the Calcutta High Court after the summer vacation ends June 6, 2016. It was last listed for hearing on March 10, 2016, but the Calcutta High Court Bench did not hear the matter and released the case on April 7, 2016, saying they did not want to hear the matter for personal reasons. (ANI)
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MAY 31
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NEIGHBOURS
Lanka to take part in 12th World Islamic Economic Forum in Jakarta Five UN peacekeepers Colombo, May 30: Sri Lanka has been invited to participate in the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) for the first time which is scheduled to take place from August 2-4 at the Jakarta Convention Centre, in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Chairman of World Islamic Economic Forum Foundation, Tuan Musa Hitam extended an invi-
Two people including a Chinese injured in Karachi blast Karachi,May 30: A blast in Karachi's Gulshan-e-Hadeed area left two persons including a Chinese national injured on Monday. Police were quoted as saying that the blast occurred due to a CNG explosion in the vehicle. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar was quoted as saying that a pamphlet in Sindhi was recovered from the site of the blast 's site which denounced 'foreign control over Sindh's natural resources'. The injured was a driver for a Chinese citizen who was residing in the area and traveling without security. The Chinese national was safe, said SSP Rao. Police cordoned off the area and collected evidence from the scene for investigation. Gulshan-i-Hadeed is a neighbourhood in Karachi's Bin Qasim Town. The town is situated near Pakistan Steel Mills and houses its workers.(ANI)
Saudi Arabia denounces Iran over decision to not send Hajj pilgrims this year Jeddah, May 30: Saudi Arabia has denounced Iran over its decision not to send its pilgrims to the annual Hajj and has also criticised Tehran's demand regarding right to organise demonstrations during the Hajj and to have privileges. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said this in a joint press briefing with his British counterpart Philip Hammond in Jeddah yesterday. He termed the Tehran's demand as unacceptable as it would cause chaos during the annual event. Jubeir said, Saudi Arabia annually signs a hajj memorandum of understanding with more than 70 countries to guarantee the security and safety of pilgrims. However, Iran this year refused to sign the memorandum. Earlier, Iran's Haj and Pilgrimage Organisation announced that the country's pilgrims would not attend pilgrimage. Iran has blamed regional rival Saudi Arabia for sabotage and failing to guarantee the safety of its pilgrims. Relations between the two countries plummeted after hundreds of Iranians died in a crush during last year's Hajj. Earlier, Iran had boycotted the Hajj for three years after 402 pilgrims, mostly Iranians, died in clashes with Saudi security forces in an anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Mecca in 1987. (ANI)
tation to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe through a courtesy call. Reports Lanka Page. Sri Lanka has enormous potential in key revenue earning sectors for growth and the WIEF will open many opportunities for the development of the micro and SMEs in Sri Lanka, Hitam said. Hitam said the WIEF will
Lanka to take part in 12th World Islamic Economic Forum in Jakarta
make an ideal platform for Sri Lankan business and industry representatives to explore areas such as sukuk for infrastructure financing, expansion of the global Halal food industry and the development of the global modest fashion industry amongst others. The 12th WIEF aims to further explore the crucial role of micro, small
and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in driving economic growth in economies around the world, in line with its theme of 'Decentralising Growth, Empowering Future Business'. Over 2,500 delegates and 60 role players from over 100 countries across the globe are expected to attend the 12th WIFE (ANI)
Japan looking to investing in India's infrastructure growth story: Jaitley Tokyo (Japan), May 30: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank and a number of investors of Japan, have shown a keen interest in investing in India's infrastructure growth story. Jaitley said this in Tokyo on Sunday, as he kicked off his six-day visit to Japan aimed at attracting investments from Asia's second biggest economy. After a meeting with Jaitley, SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son said he was also interested in Internet compa-
nies as well as solar energy sector, where he has already announced 20 billion US dollar investment through a joint venture. In June last year, the SoftBank had announced that the group was forming a joint venture to invest in renewable energy in India. The joint venture would aim to generate 20 gigawatts of electricity. Jaitley said they have made considerable headway and have identified location and it would probably be one of the largest investments in the energy sector. The Fi-
nance Minister will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today at the 22nd International Conference on 'The Future of Asia' organised by Nikkei Inc. He will also deliver keynote address at the round table on National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, NIIF. The 40,000crore rupees NIIF is an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled projects. The Government will have 49 per cent holding in the NIIF and the rest will be of private inves-
Afghan Govt. seeks extension for refugees to stay in Pakistan
Afghan Govt. seeks extension for refugees to stay in Pakistan Lahore, May 30: The Afghanistan government has requested Pakistan to give an extension of four years to the 1.5 million registered refugees, to legalise their stay till 2020. Quoting sources, that the legal stay of the registered Afghans will expire by the end of June. A high level delegation headed
by Afghanistan's Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi, had requested to extend the stay of refugees for another four years. The government had yet to decide whether to accept or reject the Afghan's government request. The request for yet another extension from the
Afghan government came at a time when relations between the two countries are uneasy because of mutual suspicions, especially border disputes and cross-border activities of the militant groups. Legal stay of registered refugees had expired in December 2015 and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while using his discretionary powers gave six months temporary extension to refugees in January. The government had adopted a tough policy regarding Afghan refugees after the terrorists attack on Army Public School and College Peshawar on December 16, 2014. Under the 20point National Action Plan, the government had decided to formulate a comprehensive policy to deal with the issue of Afghan refugees. (ANI)
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tors. During his stay, Jaitley is scheduled to meet several key inves-
tors. The Finance Minister will return to the Delhi on Saturday. (ANI)
US calls on Pakistan to go after Afghan Taliban leadership
Lahore, May 30: Family members of deceased taxi driver Muhammad Azam, who drove for exTaliban Chief Mullah Mansour, who was killed in drone strike by United States in Balochistan earlier this month, filed a First-Information Report (FIR) against the U.S. The FIR was lodged with by Azam's brother, Muhammad Qasim, at the Mal Levies station with the Mal tehsildar in the Noshki district. In the FIR, Qasim stated that his brother drove a taxi from Taftan to Quetta, and on May 5 Azam's vehicle was blown up in Kochaki area of Noshki. Azam was killed in a drone strike which was launched to target Mullah Mansour near Quetta. He was the driver of the car the Taliban leader was travelling in. Calling for
action to be taken against the US officials responsible for the drone strike, Azam's kin said that he was the father of four children and was the sole earner in his family. "My brother was innocent and extremely poor. He had four children and was the sole bread earner of the family," Qasim stated in the FIR. "US officials killed my brother while violating the Pakistani area. I do not know the names of US officials, but I want justice to be served," the FIR reads. "We want justice. We want to bring the perpetrators of the drone strike to justice. My nephew Muhammad Azam was innocent and had no links to any terror group." Azam's uncle, Haji Khuda-i-Nazar said. (ANI)
Five UN peace keepers killed in Mali Bamako (Mali), May 30: Five United Nations peacekeepers have been killed and another seriously injured in an attack in central Mali. The soldiers from Togo were travelling in the Mopti region when their vehicle came under fire before hitting a landmine. The area is known as a stronghold for the Macina Liberation Front, a jihadist group with suspected al-Qaeda links, reports the Daily Star. The UN mission was set up in 2013 to stabilise Mali following a rebel-
lion by Islamist and Tuareg fighters. Militants have been mounting sporadic assaults on peacekeepers in northern and central regions. No group has said it carried out the latest attack. It occurred near the town of Sevare, on the International Day of U N Peacekeepers.France, the former colonial power in Mali, initially intervened in January 2013 when the rebels seized the north of the country and threatened to march on the capital Bamako.(ANI)
Heavy rains to lash flood-ravaged south China: Met department
The United States has urged Pakistan to go after the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan Lahore, May 30 : The United States has urged Pakistan to go after the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan and asked for help in catching Tehreeki-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah. Fazlullah fled to Afghanistan in November 2007 when security forces captured his headquarters in Swat. Reports state that he is based in Afghanistan's Kunar province from where he directs TTP attacks in Pakistan. "We continue to cooperate closely with Afghanistan, certainly, but also
urge Pakistan to go after terrorists, especially (Afghan) Taliban leadership, and that cooperation continues," said US State Department spokesman Mark Toner when asked what efforts were being made to locate Fazlullah. The statement by the State Department statement also indicates that the United States wants Pakistan also to act against the Afghan Taliban leaders who are allegedly hiding inside its territory, in return for US help in targeting TTP leaders in Afghanistan. (ANI)
Baloch drone strike: Kin of Iraqi forces enter IS-held Mansour's deceased driver Fallujah: commanders files FIR against U.S Baghdad, May 30 : Iraqi forces entered the Islamic State group bastion of Fallujah from three directions on Monday in a new phase of the operation to recapture the city, commanders said. "Iraqi forces entered Fallujah under air cover from the international coalition, the Iraqi air force and army aviation and supported by artillery and tanks, said Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the commander in charge of the operation. "Counter-terrorism service (CTS) forces, the Anbar police and the Iraqi army, at around 4 am (0100 GMT), started moving into Fallujah from three directions," he said. "There is resistance from Daesh," he added, using an Arabic acronym for IS. CTS spokesman Sabah al-Norman told AFP: "We started early this morning our operations to break into
killed in Mali
Iraqi forces enter IS-held Fallujah Fallujah." The involvement of the elite CTS marks the start of a phase of urban combat in a city where US forces in 2004 fought some of their toughest battles since the Vietnam War. The week-old operation had previously focused on retaking villages and rural areas around Fallujah, which lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles)
west of Baghdad. Only a few hundred families managed to slip out of the Fallujah area ahead of the assault on the city, with an estimated 50,000 civilians still trapped inside, sparking fears the jihadists could try to use them as human shields. Fallujah is one of just two major urban centres in Iraq still held by IS. They also hold second city Mosul.(PTI)
Heavy rains to lash flood-ravaged south China Beijing, May 30 : Heavy rains and hailstones will lash south China, where rain-triggered floods have already displaced tens of thousands of people, in the next three days, a Met department forecast said on Monday. More rain and even hailstones are on the way for China's southwestern and southern provinces as well as regions along the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers, National Meteorological Centre said. The worst of the rain will come tomorrow and Wednesday with some parts of Sichuan, Henan,
Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai likely to see up to 130 millimetres of precipitation, the national observatory said. A week of rainstorms has displaced more than 27,000 people in Hunan Province and over 40,000 in Guangdong Province. At least eight people were killed and six others listed missing yesterday after heavy floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains hit two different provinces in China. China's meteorological authority has advised the public to stay alert for hazards.(PTI)
Nepali Congress halts House over 'budget leak' Kathmandu,May 30: The opposition Nepali Congress on Monday obstructed proceedings in Parliament over an alleged government 'leak' of an annual budget statement before it was presented for debate on Saturday. The opposition lawmakers demanded that the House form a probe panel to look into the issue. As soon as the Parliament meeting began this morning, lawmaker and former finance minister Ram Sharan Mahat spoke on behalf of the party and showed a newspaper article which had published information about the budget before it was presented.
He urged the government to inform the House how the confidential information was leaked. Then lawmakers from the party protested chanting various slogans against the government, Speaker Onsari Gharti postponed the meeting for half an hour. The Nepali Congress on Sunday had concluded that the budget violated the fiscal discipline. Some members of the Parliament from the party had also demanded resignation of Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel claiming he was responsible for the leak of confidential information to the media.(ANI)
Nepali Congress halts House over 'budget leak'
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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MAY 31
Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi assumes charge Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi assumed charge as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. Senior judge of the Madras High Court Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh administered the oath of office and secrecy to 66-year-old Bedi at Raj Nivas. Bedi is the fourth (Photo: indiatimes) woman Lt Governor of the Union Territory, a post which was under the additional charge of Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Island for nearly two years. The LG's post in the Union territory had been lying vacant after the Narendra Modi Government removed UPA nominee Virendra Kataria on July 12 barely a year after he had been appointed. Chief Secretary to Puducherry government Manoj Parida earlier read out to her the warrant of appointment issued by President Pranab Mukherjee. Chief Minister designate V Narayanasamy, former Chief Ministers N Rangasamy, R V Janakiraman and M D R Ramachandran, PCC president A Namassivayam, elected legislators, Member of Lok Sabha Radhakrishnan, N Gokulakrishnan (Rajya Sabha), French Consul General Philippe Janvier Kamiyama and former Ministers were among those who witnessed the ceremony. Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Island Lt Gen Ajay Singh had been given additional charge of Puducherry. Born on June 9, 1949, Bedi, the country's first woman IPS officer, had led the BJP campaign in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections but had to face the worst defeat in her maiden political innings with Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP winning 67 of the 70 seats. An IPS officer of 1972 batch, Bedi had sought voluntary retirement from the service in 2007. She was then posted as Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development. A sports lover and an author, Bedi is a recipient of Ramon Magsaysay Award as well as UN Medal for outstanding service. She was one of the pioneers of anti-corruption movement in 2011 along with Anna Hazare and Kejriwal. Chandrawathi was the first woman Lt Governor and she held office for a short period from February to December 1990. The other woman who held the post previously was LG Rajendra Kumari Bajpai who held the office from 1995 to 1998 and she was followed by Rajani Rai from 1998 to 2002.
NE Connectivity Connecting People After the railway ministry gave hope to connect all the eight states in India's northeast by 2020, it bought in an soothing effect to all the people. All capital cities of North East states, including Sikkim, will be under Indian Railways map by 2020. The railway department has started 'Mission 2020' and it will implement it very strictly within the stipulated timeframe. By the next year, that is March 31, 2017, India will have railway connection upto Tupul in Manipur. Mizoram capital Aizawl and Manipur capital Imphal would be connected by railway network by 2018 and 2019 respectively. The capitals of the remaining states would be linked by 2020 and the works are on to achieve the target. Tripura's capital Agartala already connected by railway networks, even though line between Assam's Silchar-Agartala is meter gauge. Agartala came up on the country's rail map in 2008. Currently, northeastern states have around 2,700 km railway line comprising meter gauge and broad gauge (BG) lines. The total length of Lumding-Silchar BG line is 220 km and it consists of 17 tunnels (with longest one being 3.235 km long), 79 major bridges, 340 minor bridges, 28 railway stations and four halt stations. The NFR general manager (construction) said now the Silchar-Agartala railway track would be converted from meter gauge to BG by March next year. The foundation of the much-delayed gauge conversion project -- Lumding to Silchar and Silchar to Agartala -- was laid by the then prime minister HD Deve Gowda in Silchar in 1996. In 2004, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared the project a national one. The railways faced severe criticism for the delay in completing the Rs 5,185-crore project that is considered to be a lifeline for southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. An assurance was also givento its people that the Agartala-Sabroom line would be completed by March 2017, Sinha stated that boosting of rail connectivity in the Northeast was an area of topmost concern for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sanctioned in 1996-97, the 227-km new broad gauge track that connects Agartala to Badarpur in Assam for onward link to Lumding and Guwahati, has cost over Rs 7,751 crore. It has 31 stations between Badarpur and Agartala, apart from five tunnels and 44 major and 427 minor bridges. The Indian Railways alongwith connecting all the states of Northeast also did provided free WiFi service at the Guwahati Railway Station. The high-speed free WiFi service for visitors and rail users at Guwahati station is provided by RailTel in partnership with Google and this state-of-the-art world class service is the first of its kind in the Northeast. The service was first launched at Mumbai Central station in January this year. The service built over the fibre network of RailTel is designed to offer broadbandlike experience to users. Such WiFi network is now operational in nine more stations across the country. Such steps by Indian Railways have brought in good names for the Modi Government who recently completed two years of its terms.
India needs to do a lot more to align itself with OIE strategy on combating antimicrobial resistance A lot remains to be done Plan on Antimicrobial in India before it can Resistance (GAP). These align itself with new include harmonisation strategy released by the and inter-governmental World Organization for standards, training and Animal Health (OIE) on education, surveillance combating antimicrobial of resistance and use of resistance (AMR). animal antimicrobials, The OIE, availof an interRajeshwari Sinha ability governgoodmental quality organisation mandated to veterinary drugs, awareimprove animal health ness and communication, worldwide, held its 84th and good governance and General Session in Paris capacity building. from May 22-27 this year. One of the key high- OIE said that it lights was a technical dis- recognised that bringing cussion focused on com- these principles into action would require more bating AMR. On May 24, the OIE re- coordinated effort from leased a report, Combat- member countries, since ting Antimicrobial Resis- ground realties were oftance through a One ten different in each Health Approach: Ac- country. tions and OIE Strategy, In line with this, India outlining key actions be- needs to do a lot more to ing considered by it on align itself to the principles of the OIE stratthis front. The strategy identifies egy. six key directional areas The absence of standards to combat the rise of for antibiotic residues in AMR in consonance foods from animals such with the Global Action as chicken, egg and milk
or easy availability of antibiotics in bulk in the country reflect that ground level implementation of existing guidelines or regulations need greater attention. While established farmers knowingly use antibiotics as growth promoters (as in the case of poultry), small -scale animal farmers are often unaware of the long-term consequences of irrational antibiotic use and consider economic benefit over health concerns. A lot of effort will be needed to convince such farmers to use alternatives, or new technologies as replacement to their routine practices. There is lack of easy access to qualified veterinarians and their number is also low. Services of veterinarians are only sought in case of high mortality or when pathological diagnosis is needed. Also, not all veterinarians are aware of
Image for representational purpose (Photo: Flickr) the need to use antibiotics judiciously. Currently, there exists no national level surveillance system to monitor antibiotic use or resistance in animals. The laboratory infrastructure to aid in monitoring antibiotic use and development of diagnostics all needs relook and re-
vamping. In terms of veterinary education, the veterinary curriculum under the Veterinary Council of India has limited focus on the issue of AMR, with only the topic on antibiotic resistance being included as a part of general veterinary microbiology.
Present initiatives in India remain sporadic and fragmented. As OIE calls for "whole-of-society engagement through a OneHealth approach", India will need to make many more multi-dimensional efforts to be able to comprehensively tackle the rise of AMR. Courtesy: Down to earth
Foxconn: from Worker Suicides to Plastic Workers The controversial company is switching to robots, boding ill for China's labor market. Foxconn, the Taiwanese used for more mechatechnology-assembly nized activities, reprecompany infamous sev- sent a larger trend toward eral years ago for its the mechanization of laspate of worker sui- bor in China's work cides, has replaced force. According to the more than half its BBC's Jane Wakefield, Kunshan, China 505 factories in the city workforce of Dongguan in with robots. Sara Hsu southern China While this reduces have invested 4.2 billion Foxconn's labor costs yuan ($640 million) in and H-R headaches, it robots to replace thoualso pushes down em- sands of workers. This is ployment for migrant due in large part to risworkers, and does not ing wages, which have bode well for ongoing risen at a rate of 12 perchanges in China's labor cent per year since 2001 market. in the manufacturing sector. Foxconn wages averFoxconn was never age around $370 per adept in dealing with its month or $4,400 per employees. In 2010, 18 year. Robots cost around Foxconn workers at- $35,000 to purchase and tempted or committed would cost less than a suicide (14 died) due to worker after eight years excessive strain, includ- of use. ing long working hours, isolation, and punish- The government is atments. Foxconn's re- tempting to increase the sponse was to install number of robots per suicide nets and to force 10,000 people from new employees to sign about 36 toward develan anti-suicide pledge oped-country levels, at that states Foxconn will about 164 robots per not be held responsible 10,000 people in the in the case of worker U.S., and higher in the suicides. case of Germany or JaThe new robots at pan. The goal is to exFoxconn, reportedly pand the use and creation
of innovation to become a high-tech hub by 2049. This does not have pleasant implications for China's labor market. The government
als well be unable to purchase retail products. Furthermore, as the leadership has stressed that China is moving up its value chain, as it sheds low-
for an economy whose comparative advantage is in labor-intensive production. Already, China has a problem employing many of its college
Image for representational purpose (Photo: extremetech) has stressed that increasing consumption is an important component of the new economy, but without jobs many lower-income individu-
skilled jobs, inevitably a large body of the workforce will find themselves left out of the economic growth story. This does not make sense
graduates. There is insufficient job creation in high-skilled manufacturing and the service sector The unemployment rate is even higher
Swindling or What? charge one's Dish T.V, one finds to one's surprise that rate of recharge is enhanced. You keep on increasing the rate without any let and hindrance, there being none to raise voice. These agencies unilaterally and despotically keep on enhancing rate. It seems, these agencies are behaving in a way like an anarchist. Can't our Central Government bridle these agencies like Dish T.V.? Perhaps, the only option left to a hapless customer is to give up viewing these channels to get rid of the of the burgeoning burden. Yours etc. Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh
Indian Fishermen in a Quandary Image of Dish T.V For representational purpose (Photo: static6.shop.indiatimes)
Sir, Like other deposits in Banks, LIC etc. one can exercise option for recharging one's Dish T.V. or others of the ilk on specific mode. Mine is quarterly. Each time one goes to re-
Sir, Almost always we come across news about Indian fishermen being intercepted in the mid seas, by either Pakistan coastal guards or those of Sri Lanka, where quite a good number of Indian fishermen are languishing in jails. This has become a regular exercise. Our
Government appear to be quite indifferent to this vital issue. Poor fishermen have to go to the deep sea for fishing, thereby earning their livelihood, in doing so they get arrested. This game of arrest by Pakistan and Sri Lanka is quite one sided as we have not come across any news about arrest of fishermen of Sri Lanka or Pakistan by our coastal guards. On certain previous occasions, we noticed that our Prime-minister had to intervene diplomatically and was instrumental in releasing many fishermen from the jails of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We fail to understand, why our Coastal guards are sitting tight. We do not mean that our coastal guards, too, should act with a vengeance. But at least they can steer our fishermen to safe zone well within India to obviate the possibility of getting arrested. We appeal to the Government of India to take appropriate steps to arrange for releasing all the fishermen languishing in Jails abroad.
Yours etc. Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh
for college graduates, who are supposedly high-skilled, than for high school graduates. Those who have a college degree find themselves ill-suited for the labor market, with specializations that do not match most job descriptions. An increasing number of companies are planning to move to automated production processes. The switch to robotic labor in manufacturing will only serve to increase unemployment in an economy that is moving out of low-skilled manufacturing and into limbo. Opening up the services sectors such as health and education could be promising, but this is happening at a glacial pace as China's leadership strives to combat a massive economic slowdown and mounting debt. Until then, workers will continue to feel the pinch as their livelihoods are encroached upon at both ends. Courtesy: The Diplomat
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Letters to the editor and articles should be sent to : The Eastern Today Chowkidingee, Near Sankardeva Hospital Mancotta Road, Dibrugarh786001 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Email : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com
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DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MAY 31
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World No Tobacco Day, 2016 World No Tobacco Day is observed each year on May 31 and this year the World Health Organization is calling on countries around the world to implement plain packaging of tobacco products and help end the deadly tobacco epidemic.
mize the use of colorful logos and branding on tobacco packaging, which serves as a key strategy used by the tobacco industry to make their products more appealing to current and potential customers, including youth.
Plain packaging reduces the appeal of tobacco consumption and increases the ability to notice health warnings on tobacco packs. The Government of India has also come up with equally effective packaging norms for tobacco products with the introduction of the 85% graphic warning rules on tobacco packets with effect from April, 1, 2016. This new rules has mini-
More and more countries around the world are implementing plain packaging including the United Kingdom (UK) and France which both implemented plain packaging earlier this month. The tobacco industry fiercely opposes plain packaging and 85% graphic warning rules in India, because they
know it works. In Australia, the first country to implement this life-saving policy, public understanding of the dangers of tobacco use rose and smoking rates have fallen at their fastest pace in more than two decades following the implementation of plain packaging and other tobacco control measures in 2012. Australia's plain packaging law has been upheld against tobacco industry challenges by the country's courts and Philip Morris International's challenge to the law was dismissed by an international investment tribunal. Since then, the tobacco industry has launched other legal challenges world-
wide to block this strategy, including a challenge to new tobacco regulations in the European Union (called the Tobacco Products Directive) and against the UK - both of which the tobacco companies lost earlier this month.
trade-related challenge to Australia's plain packaging law. Plain packaging laws should continue to be upheld as they do not violate any intellectual property rights of the tobacco companies; they do save lives.
These legal victories set precedents and an international norm that should protect other nations against future tobacco industry attempts to block plain packaging that are sure to come. Japan Tobacco International recently launched a legal challenge against France's plain packaging law, and the World Trade Organization is due to issue a decision soon in a
Tobacco use is the world's leading cause of preventable death and claims about six million lives each year. More than 80 percent of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, disproportionally affecting some of the world's most vulnerable populations and creating costs many nations cannot afford. This World No Tobacco Day, it's time to put a stop
Tobacco use and its impact on Public Health Tobacco use is harmful to Even after incurring treathealth and can cause serious ment costs (including surillness to a person is a fact gery) averaging Rs 3.5 known to almost all people lakh per head, many paacross the society. However, tients are left horribly disstill millions of people have figured for life. fallen prey to the menace of A recent Study on the, tobacco every year. To- "Economic Burden of Tobacco use has already taken bacco Related Diseases in 100 million lives worldwide India" conducted by the in the 20th cenPublic Health tury and it can of Arup Saikia Foundation kill one billion India, in colpeople in the laboration with 21st century. the Ministry of Health & India has the highest inci- Family Welfare reveals dence of mouth-cancer in that the total economic the world - a clear correla- costs attributable to totion to the unique popularity bacco use in Assam of gutka (now panmasala amounted to Rs 541 crores mixed with zarda as gutka in the year 2011 for perwas banned in almost all the sons aged between 35-69, states) in this country. of which 47% was direct Of the 27 crore tobacco ad- medical costs and 53% dicts in India, 9 crore suffer was indirect morbidity premature deaths due to vari- costs. ous ailments, including can- In Assam the prevalence of cer. One third of India's tobacco use is 39.3% (Napopulation - about 27 crore tional Prevalence is people of all ages - are ad- 34.6%) 40.6% of urban dicted to some form of to- population use tobacco bacco consumption. Ciga- compared to 39.1% of the rettes account for 13 per- rural population. 51% of cent, bidis account for about adults are exposed to sec37 percent and gutka ac- ond-hand smoke at home, counts for 50 percent. 27.7% at work-place and Gutka, i.e. chewable to- 23.3% at public places. bacco annually causes 2.5 52.6% of male population lakh cases of cancer - about use tobacco whereas
addicted to tobacco products like Cigarettes, Bidis,Gutka, Khaini, etc. Before moving further on elaborating the health impacts of tobacco use it is worth mentioning a brief history of tobacco in India. Portuguese traders introduced tobacco in India during 1600. It was also believed that Portuguese traders introduce tobacco products to ruler Mohammed Adil Shah and very soon tobacco became a valuable commodity in barter trade and its use spread rapidly. Tobacco's easy assimilation into the cultural rituals of many societies was facilitated by the medicinal (and perhaps intoxicating) properties attributed to it. Health Impact of Tobacco Use India has the world's highest rate of oral cancer with nearly 2/3 of the world's oral cancer cases. Oral cancer is primarily caused by tobacco use. Tobacco Smoke includes more than 4000 chemicals, many are poisonous and some are radioactive, more than 50 are known to cause cancer and nicotine is the main cause of physical ad-
Healthy lungs (left) and smoker's lungs (right) (Photo: ak0.pinimg) half of all the tobacco-related cancer cases in the country, and about 25% of all cancer cases in the country. Annual cost of treatment of 2.5 lakh gutka patients is approximately Rs 87.5 billion or Rs 8,750 crore. (Just for comparision, this is roughly three times the annual plan outlay of a state like Meghalaya.)
prevalence amongst the female is 25.3% (according to Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2010). What is more shocking is the fact that 36% children in Assam (according to Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2006) are consuming tobacco and several thousands of children under the age of fifteen are
diction towards tobacco. Tobacco use - especially smoking tobacco - accounts for up to 90% of all lung cancer deaths worldwide. Smoking Related DiseasesMajor Killers -Lung Cancer, Coronary Artery Disease (IHD or heart attacks) COPD - Chronic bronchitis & emphysema, many other cancers ‌ mouth, throat,
bladder, and the list goes on. Diseases of Blood VesselsStroke, Peripheral Vascular Disease and Aortic Aneurysm. Pneumonia and other lung infections, Reproduction and Fertility Diseases - Infertility in Women, - Menstrual disorders: Pain, Amenorrhoea - Early Menopause - Underweight babies - Impotence - Oligospermia ( L e s s sperms),Osteoporosis, hip fracture, cataract, damage to "seeing cells" in retina. Health Effects of Passive Smoking or SecondHand Smoke What Is Secondhand Smoke (SHS)? Mainstream Smoke (MS): The smoke drawn through the mouthpiece of the cigarette when puffs are taken. Side-stream Smoke (SS): The smoke emitted from the smoldering cigarette between puffs. Secondhand Smoke (SHS) = Combination of SS and exhaled MS. Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, and chronic lung problems such as asthma. Exposure to secondhand smoke adversely affects the health of children and adults. There is also extensive research on secondhand smoke and adverse health effects. The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control states that "scientific evidence has unequivocally established that exposure to tobacco smoke causes death, disease, and disability." Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke in Children. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), risk increases with increased maternal smoking during pregnancy, Prematurity and low birth weight: both associated with maternal smoking SHS promotes direct irritation of the airways and respiratory infection. ( source: U.S. Surgeon General's Report. (2006) Summary Overwhelming scientific evidence concludes that tobacco is big public health menace and kills
more people that HIV/ AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. In India, chewing tobacco causes oral sub-mucous fibrosis, a precancerous condition, which can lead to oral cancer. Both active and passive smoking is dangerous and can lead to heart disease, lung cancer, and many other diseases. How to quit tobacco? Set your quit date, think about alternative activities to do instead of reaching for a cigarette/bidi or gutkha. Stop using tobacco on your quit date. Remind yourself the harmful effects of tobacco or the benefits and rewards of being tobacco free. How to sustain after quitting once? o Be positive - you should not get bogged by negative thoughts. o Distract yourself - engage yourself in some physical activity o Pamper yourself - when you quit, do not neglect yourself as this is the time when you need to pamper yourself. o Walk everyday to stay healthy & fight cravings. o Eat healthy - you should also improve your eating habits as it will help you feel better. o Drinks lots of fluids - will keep you hydrated, help you detox more quickly, and work as a craving buster. o Know quitting is long and hard - Quitting is a long process .As your body is coping with the withdrawal symptoms you need to be patient. o Reward yourself on every smoke or tobacco free day. Information used in this article was taken from the field reports and studies of Dr. B. Barooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, National Tobacco Control Proramme, Assam, Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2010, Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2006 and Voluntary Health Association of Assam.
Juvenile Justice Act imposes harsh penalty on sale of tobacco to Minors Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 of Ministry of Women and Child Development came into force 15th January, 2016. This is an Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to children in need of care and protection by catering to their basic needs through proper care, protection, development, treatment, social re-integration, by adopting a child - friendly approaches. This Act recognizes the harmful effects of tobacco and tobacco industry's sinister design to specifically target vulnerable children as their new consum-
ers. In a path breaking amendment to curb the growing menace of tobacco, the act has modified section 77 as follows -It is an offences against a child, if a person gives or causes to be given, to any child any intoxicating liquor or any narcotic drug or tobacco products or psychotropic substance, except on the order of a duly qualified medical practitioner, shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to a fine which may extend up to
one lakh rupees. Dr. Somil Rastogi, Social Activist said "The earlier law called Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 miserably failed to protect the sale to minors because the fine imposed was only 200 rupees. Mrs Maneka Gandhi needs highest appreciation for her noble effort that is already being seen as a game changer in the national and international tobacco control community. With this act, India has becomes the only nation in the entire world to impose such a harsh
penalty for selling to minors and selling by minors. Nearly 27.5 crore Indians are using tobacco and a vast majority of them start their habit in their childhood. As per Global Adult tobacco Survey, the age of initiation of tobacco habits in India is 17 years. As per Global Youth Tobacco survey, upto 20% of children in India are users of Tobacco. More than 5500 children / Adolescents start tobacco consumption daily. This act will save our future generations from this lethal habit. It is
proven beyond doubt that Tobacco kills every third user prematurely through cancer, heart disease, stroke etc" The efforts of the tobacco industry to attract young and gullible to the world of tobacco. "Catch them young" is their moto, and use of tobacco products is projected as synonymous with adulthood, modernity, affluence, social class norm, elegance, etc. The fear of falling sales, adverse articles and medical and media reports have prompted the tobacco industry to innovate new ways to promote
to the global tobacco epidemic. Countries must implement plain packag-
ing and other tobacco control measures now to save lives and prevent fu-
ture deaths. Without urgent action, one billion lives will be lost this century.
Journey of the new 85% Pack Warnings on both sides of all tobacco products " In line with its commitment to WHO FCTC (Framework Convention for Tobacco Control) and implementation of Section 7 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act, 2003; the Government of India had implemented pictorial health warnings on all tobacco packs in 2009. However, India is not FCTC compliant as the tobacco pack warnings currently occupy only 40% of the principal display on the front side of the pack i.e. only 20% of the total principal display area of the pack. " As per the tobacco law, the tobacco pack warnings were to be rotated in April 2015 and there was an urgent need to notify revised pack warnings in October 2014. In light of the above and in an effort to make India FCTC compliant for Article 11, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India constituted an Expert Group Committee for Development of Pictorial Health Warnings for tobacco products with representation from MoHFW, WHO Country Office (WCO) for India, Bloomberg Initiative partners, civil society organizations and experts. " In July 2014, MoHFW requested WHO India to provide support for designing/development of the revised pack warnings and field-test them for their efficacy. A set of 10 options of images was submitte for both smoking and smokeless forms based on inputs from the Expert Committee on pack warnings. The committee members shortlisted 6 options each for both smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco for field testing. " Prototypes were developed for cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco packs and in collaboration with Centre for Communication and Change - India (an affiliate of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Centre for Communication),these were field tested among both users and non-users. The study was conducted in a record time of 4 weeks and report for the same was submitted to MoHFW in early September 2014. " The main conclusions emerging out of the study were that Cigarette and Bidi packets displaying pictures of throat cancer patients and Smokeless tobacco packtheir products amongst children through food products and stationery products intended for use of children. Hence the purport of the said Act is to ensure by all means a complete protection to the children below the age of 18 years from exposure to tobacco, for it's a known fact and evident from several studies that if a person is not addicted to tobacco use till 18 years the chances of him taking up the habit thereafter is very slight. Some shocking facts about tobacco 1. The use of tobacco is a prominent risk factor for 6 to 8 leading causes of death and almost 40% of the Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) including cancers, cardio-vascular diseases and lung disorders are directly
ets showing mouth cancer patients were found to be most effective. Images which explicitly showed disease (mouth and throat cancer) resulting from tobacco consumption invoked fear among the respondents and attracted their attention relative to other packs which had no clear and direct depiction of a disease. Pack warnings which showed damage on the face or indicated a disease were found to be more impactful and were easily understood. Majority of the respondents found them credible as they had heard of people dying of cancer due to tobacco use. Overall, pack warnings which were able to invoke fear and explicitly convey damage due to tobacco consumption were chosen as the most effective packs. Further the study recommended usage of large font size so that the written
notification amending Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008 was to come into effect from 1 April, 2015. With this new measure, India would have emerged as a global leader alongside Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with one of the largest display of health warnings. " The announcement of this progressive step was also made at the sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP6) in Moscow. Acknowledging India's leadership role in this context, WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, has written to the Prime Minister of India in March 2015 congratulating the government for taking this historic step to display pictorial health warnings occupying 85% of the display area of the tobacco pack. " On 26 March 2015,
Pictorial warnings on various tobacco packets (Photo: cloudfront)
warning is readable from a distance and large, clear pictures that are not hazy or pixelated (as is the case with majority of the packs currently available in the market). " Based on the findings of the study, two options each of pack warnings for smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco were finalized by the expert committee formed by MOHFW.WCO India also provided assistance for translation of the tobacco pack warnings in 18 regional languages. " On 15 October 2014, the then Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, issued a notification making it mandatory for tobacco companies to display pictorial health warnings on 85 per cent of the principal area of all tobacco packs. Of this space, 60 per cent was to be for the pictorial warning and the rest 25 per cent was to be for textual health message in English, Hindi or any other Indian language. The gazette
based on the recommendations of the Lok Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) issued a notification keeping in abeyance the date of implementation of the Rules for increasing tobacco pack warnings. " On 24th September 2015, Government of India through immense pressure from court orders and media reports issued a notification for implementing the Pack Warning Rules, 2014, with effect from 1st April, 2016. " 1st April 2016, this notification comes in to effect in the midst of a huge and unprecedented national debate on tobacco control whereby the media aggressively pursued the angle of tobacco industry interference, conflict of interest etc. in the discussions that were telecast at prime time on several television news channels and also extensively covered by national, regional newspapers.
attributable to tobacco use. 2. A conservative estimates of tobacco attributable deaths in India are about 10 lakhs a year. Of the dead, about 70% (90,000 women and 580,000 men) will be lost during the productive periods of their lives-between the ages of 30 and 69 years.
in India" (2014) commissioned by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare the total economic costs attributable to tobacco use from all diseases in India in the year 2011 for persons aged 35-69 years amounted to Rs. 1,04,500 crores. 4. Studies report high prevalence of tobacco use amongst children and youth of the country.
(PrabhatJha Study ""A Nationally Representative CaseControl Study of Smoking and Death in India" published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2008). 50% of cancers in males and 20% cancers in females can be directly attributed to tobacco use(ICMR Study). 3. As per the findings of the study titled "Economic Burden of Tobacco Related Diseases
As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey-India (GATS -2010) conducted in the age group 15 years and above, over 35%(almost 29 crores) of the adult population consume tobacco in some form or the other and majority of the tobacco users are illiterate and semi-literate.
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MAY 31
BUSINESS
DLF targets up to Rs 3,500 crore in new sales booking in FY17 New Delhi, May 30: Realty major DLF is targeting new sales booking of Rs 3,000-3,500 crore in the current fiscal, similar to last year level, as housing demand continues to be low, a company's senior official said. The country's largest real estate developer achieved net sales bookings of Rs 3,150 crore in the last financial year ended March 31, up by nearly 7 per cent from the previous 201415 fiscal. "We are giving a sales booking guidance of Rs 3,000-3,500 crore for this fiscal as well. Housing sales are still slow although enquiries have increased," said DLF Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ashok Tyagi. The bulk of sales bookings during last
Solar zones policy to be launched by Govt in June Nagpur, May 30: To encourage solar power generators and equipment manufacturers, the New and Renewable Energy Ministry will unveil a policy on solar zones that would be spread over one or more districts of a state. "We have been working on a new policy for solar zones, which would be spread over one or even more districts of a state to encourage generators as well as equipment manufacture," said Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Joint Secretary Tarun Kapoor. "The work on the policy is almost complete and it will be launched next month," he added. Under the policy, the developer will be provided with inputs like land availability and power evacuation locations for planning his project, the official said. Unlike solar parks, the developer would have to acquire land for the project and the ministry in collaboration with the states will provide input about availability of land. The developer will be free to arrange land for the projects as he would have option of either buying or getting land on lease for the purpose. Government would develop transmission network in each solar zone for evacuation of power at different points to facilitate the developers, Kapoor said. He further said that each solar zone would have a central office, which will be set up with the support of state governments to guide the developers. Government plans to add 10,500 MW of solar power generation capacity during the current fiscal. Besides it wants to encourage solar equipment manufacturing capacity in the country. At present the solar module manufacturing capacity is 5 GW every year. Similarly the solar cell manufacturing capacity is about 2 GW. India plans to have 175 GW renewable power capacity by 2022, including 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind. (Agencies)
AIM HIGHER Realty major DLF is targeting new sales booking of Rs 3,0003,500 crore in the current fiscal, similar to last year level, as housing demand continues to be low.
The country's largest real estate developer achieved net sales bookings of Rs 3,150 crore in the last financial year ended March 31, up by nearly 7 per cent from the previous 201415 fiscal.
In the commercial business, the company expects to lease about 1-1.5 million sq ft in 2016-17 as against 1.02 million sq ft in the last financial year.
The bulk of sales bookings during last fiscal were in DLF Phase-5 at Gurgaon at Rs 2,940 crore.
The company completed 14.07 million sq ft in last fiscal as against 13.45 million sq ft in the previous year.
On the annual rental, DLF CFO said it should grow to about Rs 2,900 crore this fiscal from Rs 2,600 crore last fiscal.
fiscal were in DLF Phase5 at Gurgaon at Rs 2,940 crore. In the commercial business, Tyagi said the company expects to lease about 1-1.5 million sq ft in 2016-17 as against 1.02 million sq ft in the last fi-
nancial year. "We have almost exhausted our commercial space. So, we have started development of a new office building having about 2 million sq ft of leasable area," Tyagi said. On the annual rental,
DLF CFO said it should grow to about Rs 2,900 crore this fiscal from Rs 2,600 crore last fiscal. The company completed 14.07 million sq ft in last fiscal as against 13.45 million sq ft in the previous
year. In its analyst presentation, DLF said that "Except for DLF5, Gurgaon, soft demand conditions continue in most micro markets where DLF has presence." "Increased enquiries indicate that the market appears to have bottomed out, hence the call is in timing of conversion of these enquiries into actual bookings," it added. In the current conditions, DLF said its strategy would be to continue selling from the existing projects and focus on the execution of the projects thereby fulfilling customer commitments in legacy projects. "Additionally in 'live' projects, the company continues to create finished un-launched stock to be sold when the
demand scenario improves. As GDP picks up pace, higher income levels and the improved sentiment will improve the absorption levels," the presentation said. Last week, DLF reported 23 per cent fall in consolidated net profit for the quarter ended March 31 to Rs 132.39 crore, as against Rs 171.62 crore in the yearago period. Income from operations rose by 20 per cent to Rs 2,335.56 crore in the fourth quarter of last fiscal. On an annual basis, net profit rose to Rs 549.39 crore in 2015-16 from Rs 540.24 crore in the previous fiscal. Income from operations rose by 21 per cent to Rs 9,259.86 crore for the year. (Agencies)
14 ITDC hotels to be sold off by Govt New Delhi, May 20: Fourteen out of 16 perennially loss-making hotels owned by state-run ITDC will be sold off and the process to privatize them has already started, said Union tourism and culture minister Mahesh Sharma. The minister said the finance ministry is taking forward the disinvestment plan to totally offload government's stakes in all the ITDCrun hotels except the Ashoka and Samrat hotels in the national capital. He said the government decided to privatize the hotels to improve the financial health of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a public sector undertaking that currently runs 16 hotels in Delhi, Patna, Jammu, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Bhopal, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Guwahati, Mysore, Puducherry and Itanagar.
Union tourism and culture minister Mahesh Sharma. (Photo: terrascape) "The process to privatise the 14 hotels has already been started. There are certain issues with the states and we are trying to address them," he said. During NDA's first stint in power between 1999 and 2004, the then Vajpayee government had divested its stakes in 18 ITDC hotels, bringing down the number of
state-run hotels from 34 to 16. Asked about the amount of money the government was eyeing to raise from the sale of the hotels, he refused to give any figure. The minister also said the issue of appointing a brand ambassador of "Incredible India" campaign was "not pending" before the government. He was asked
whether tourism ministry has put on hold appointment of Amitabh Bachchan as face of the Incredible India campaign after his name appeared in the Panama Papers controversy. "The issue of appointing a brand ambassador is not pending before our government," he said. On the new tourism policy, Sharma said the government has put it on hold for the time being as it was trying to make certain provisions more concrete and effective. The policy will lay out a roadmap for the tourism sector. India's share in the global tourists flow is around 0.68 per cent and government plans to raise it to one per cent by 2020 and two per cent by 2025. Sharma said the government is considering setting up a National Tourism University as part of a series of measures to boost the
tourism sector. "Our first target is India gets a major chunk of world tourism market. We want to make India a tourism friendly country. We are putting in all efforts to make tourist places clean and safe. Growth of tourism will spur overall economic growth and generate employment," he said. He said government's priority is to showcase the rich Indian heritage and culture to the world. On reports of cracks in the 12th century Sri Jagannath temple in Puri, he said the government has initiated the process of repair. "The Director General of ASI and the Culture Secretary has visited the temple along with a team from IIT Madras. They said there is no risk to the temple. Our Prime Minister has also directed us to do it at the earliest," said Sharma. (Agencies)
New technology adopted by Telcos to mask call drops New Delhi, May 30: Trying to deflect heat over poor service quality, mobile operators are taking refuge in a new technology to "mask" call drops that shows a call as remaining 'connected' even when the network connection is lost and the caller is unable to hear voice from the other side. Earlier, the call used to get automatically disconnected in case of the user moving to a poor network area, making it a 'dropped call' under the current regulatory framework. The new technology ensures the call remains artificially connected until the caller or receiver decides to terminate it and the user
is billed for the entire duration despite not being able to talk for full or part of the call duration. "Telecom operators are using Radio-Link Technology (RLT) which is helping them mask call drops while the consumer is being billed for the time he is on the call, although it can be said to be artificially connected to a network," said an official source involved in testing of telecom networks. "In such cases, the customer often disconnects call himself, which is not counted in call drops. If the call in such case is disconnected, the companies continue to charge customers. "While the RLT
Image for representational purpose. (Photo: timesofindia) is helping companies improve their quality of service parameters and revenue, it is also helping them mask the dropped calls," the source added. There was no reply to queries sent to industry
bodies COAI and AUSPI on this matter. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has fixed penalty of up to Rs 2 lakh for poor mobile service quality, including call drops. This penalty
kicks in for more than 2 per cent call drops in a quarter in one telecom circle. Trai had also mandated the telecom operators to pay consumers Re 1 for every call drop, subject to a maximum of Rs 3 per day, but this provision was recently quashed by the Supreme Court. Telecom operators have been facing intense heat over frequent call drops for many months now, although they have been blaming factors like lack of approvals for setting up mobile towers for this problem. Many of them claim to have made significant improvement on this front, but the menace continues, including in big cities. (Agencies)
Rs 2,500 cr revenue aimed by Sansui from TV segment in 2017
Sansui Chief Operating Officer Amitabh Tiwari. (Photo: googleusercontent) Mumbai, May 30: Japanese consumer durables brand Sansui is eyeing around 50 percent
growth in revenue from its television business at Rs 2,500 crore this calendar year, a top com-
pany official said. "We are expecting a revenue of Rs 2,500 crore this year. It was Rs 1,600 crore last year," said Sansui Chief Operating Officer Amitabh Tiwari. The television market is estimated to be around 1.1 crore units and the company expects to have a market share of 10 percent this year. "We are looking at doubling our sales this year and are looking at selling 10 lakh units of televisions this year," he said. 4K televisions contributed to 12 percent of the company's sales last year and Tiwari
said it is likely to increase to 18 percent this year. Asked if the lack of 4K content is a challenge for sales, he replied in the negative. "There is a roadmap for transmission to be coming in and maybe in 2-3 years time we will see a lot of channels getting introduced," he said. He pointed out that when full HD televisions were being sold, there was no transmission with full HD content, but it moved very quickly to full HD. "Sansui sells its products on e-commerce platforms and expects the online sales to
be 6 percent of the total sales this year from 4 percent last year," he added. The company has earmarked Rs 70 crore for its marketing activities for this year. "This year we will be investing around 18-20 percent on digital advertising. It was 7 percent last year. "In 2017, probably 60 percent would be on digital, because almost 72 percent people who buy TV research online and it is easier to reach the younger generation through digital than any other medium," he said. (Agencies)
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Revamped website launched by Myntra
Ananth Narayanan, the Chief Executive Officer of Myntra. (Photo: ciol) Bengaluru, May 30: Online fashion retailer Myntra unveiled its revamped desktop website after scrapping its app-only strategy. In May 2015, the Flipkart-owned company had shut down its desktop and mobile websites with a focus on mobile application. The company's decision to go 'app-only' was termed a wrong move by industry watchers. However, the company had justified it saying the move was a success with 70 per cent growth in its revenue through the mobile strategy. Myntra has rebuilt the website from the scratch and it works across various platforms like mobile phones, tablets and web browsers. As part of the lat-
est move, Ananth Narayanan, the Chief Executive Officer of Myntra, has communicated by e-mail to all Myntra users. "We listened to your feedback and brought the website back. We believe that customers should have maximum choice, be it in selection of clothes or the device they like to shop on. Hope that you will enjoy shopping on our revamped desktop site, mobile web and mobile app," Mr. Narayanan said in the e-mail. The company expects 15-20 per cent of its sales from the revamped website. Myntra recently unveiled home furnishings and fine jewellery segment and believes the new large-screen experience will help users shop more comfortably. (Agencies)
TECHNOLOGY 4G VoLTE smartphone Eluga A2 unveiled by Panasonic
Image for representational purpose. (Photo: techradar) Panasonic India has launched a new 4G Vo LT E - e n a b l e d smartphone -- ELUGA A2 -- priced at Rs 9,490. The device features a 5-inch display, 1 GHz quadcore processor, 3GB RAM, 16GB internal memory (expandable up to 128GB), 8MP rear and 5MP front camera and 4,000 mAh battery. VoLTE is voice calls over a 4G LTE network rather than 2G or 3G connections that are usually used. The dual SIM smartphone runs An-
droid 5.1 (lollipop) OS with Panasonic Fit Home user interface (UI) for single hand operation with quick access to the applications. (Agencies) ELUGA A2's SPECIFICATIONS Display: 5 inch Resolution: 720x1280 pixels Processor: 1GHz Rear Camera: 8 MP Front Camera: 5 MP RAM: 3GB OS: Android 5.1 Storage: 16GB Battery: 4000mAh
Q4 net loss of Tata Comm widens to Rs 205 cr Pune, May 30: Tata Communications reported widening of its consolidated net loss to Rs 205 crore for the fourth quarter ended March, mainly on account of impairment of equity in its sister concern Tata Teleservices. The company had registered a net loss of Rs 178.3 crore in the same period a year ago. "During the quarter and year ended March 2016, the company provided Rs 25,152 lakh as diminution in value, other than temporary, in its long-term investments in Tata Teleservices," Tata Communications said in its financial report. However, income from operations of Tata Communications increased by 6.8 per cent to Rs 5,145.41 crore in the reported quarter compared with Rs 4,815.52 crore in the same
quarter of 2014-15. During the quarter, Singapore Technologies Telemedia agreed to acquire a 74 per cent stake in Tata Communications' data centre business in India and Singapore for about Rs 3,150 crore. The deal includes Tata Communications' 14 data centres across India and three facilities in Singapore. For the year ended March 2016, the company reported a consolidated loss of Rs 211.8 crore while it posted a net profit of Rs 1.29 crore a year ago. The annual income from operations of the company at the end of 2015-16 increased by 3.47 per cent to Rs 20,605.5 crore, from Rs 19,913.3 crore at the end of 2014-15. The company announced a dividend of Rs 4.3 per share for 2015-16. (Agencies)
EXPANDING LOSS Tata Communications reported widening of its consolidated net loss to Rs 205 crore for the fourth quarter ended March, mainly on account of impairment of equity in its sister concern Tata Teleservices. The company had registered a net loss of Rs 178.3 crore in the same period a year ago. During the quarter and year ended March 2016, the company provided Rs 25,152 lakh as diminution in value, other than temporary, in its long-term investments in Tata Teleservices.
DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, MAY 31
Features
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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Take inspiration from Shilpa Shetty if you wish to lose that post-pregnancy weight! The joys of pregnancy have its moments of gloom too, that go by the name of pregnancy weight. We know how hard it is to go back to the pre-pregnancy figure and since the body goes through so many changes during pregnancy, even if you do manage to lose weight, it doesn't exactly remains the same. However, this Bollywood actress, who is known for her "perfect 10" figure, lost a whopping 21 kilos post her pregnancy! We're talking about the svelte Shilpa Shetty! The yummy mummy gave birth to her son Viaan four years ago in 2012 and within a few months, was back in shape, with some help of course! In an interview to the Times of India, Vinod Channa, the man behind Shilpa's post-pregnancy weight loss, revealed all her secrets and how he helped her get back into that slender figure. He said, "Shilpa Shetty's body type is ectomorph (a person with a lean and delicate build of the
body) and that is why she has been thin since before her pregnancy. But, because of wrong eating habits and lack of movement and exercise, she had gained weight and lost her strength and fitness. She also faced joint problems in her neck, knee and lower back. So, it was very difficult to make her workout in first place. I made her work on strengthening her immune system and innerouter thigh muscles, along with lower base and core strengthening workout." "I gradually added different techniques like functional, animal flow workout, conditioning workout, which she never did in the past. She followed a strict diet with limited carbohydrates - balancing the protein along with vegetables and fruits. I helped her lose 21 kgs in 3 and ½ months naturally. She worked towards a better shape than what people had seen her on-screen. So, anything is possible with the right guidance, dedication and sacrifices", he
said. So, there you go, ladies! All you need to do to get back in shape after your pregnancy is just a good exercise regimen and a little bit of dieting and you're good to go. However, do consult a fitness expert who can tell you what will best suit you. Talking about Shilpa's food routine, she says " I added whole milk and ghee to my pregnancy diet. But, the extra kilos didn't allow me to even bend or sit down. Though I wasn't used to so much weight, I did not diet. Nursing a baby allows the mother to burn 500 calories per day. Crash dieting slows down the metabolism, affects the child's health and makes it more difficult to lose weight. It can also leave you irritable and lead to postpartum depression. I ate everything I felt like and consumed about 2,200 calories per day. Now, since Viaan is seven months old, I do not need to consume fat to provide him nutrition. I focus on eating a bal-
anced diet and my daily calorie intake has come down to 1,800." " She believes on balanced diet than crash diet for weight loss " Her balanced diet is framed for 1800k cal and she follows it strictly " Every day she starts with a glass of amla juice / papaya " For breakfast , two whole eggs (in a half an hour interval) with a bowl of fresh and dry fruits " Lunch consist of a bowl of brown rice, 2 rotis, daal , fish, green vegetables and egg bhurji (oooh..A complete Lunch) " Dinner with veggies salad, a turkey slice and salmon streak (everything cooked in olive oil) " She has replaced regular sugar with brown sugar for tea and other drinks " 2 hours after her breakfast and lunch, she drinks tender coconut/ slim milk dahi. " Shilpa is not just a Yoga girl, her workout
plan includes gym, training, aerobics (cardio). After becoming a mom, she didn't find time for her exercise regime. Then she made a practice of working out in the afternoon when her son sleeps. (Aww..cute !!). She says "Losing baby weight for me was not about fitting into an outfit, but about doing the right thing for my health and my baby's" " It's normal for women to feel insecure about their looks post pregnancy, she says. "The pressure is two-fold for celebs. Fortunately, I was comfortable with the extra kilos and never thought about fitting into my old wardrobe. My baby's health was more important." Shilpa's Fitness routine " After delivery, she worked out for 25 minutes a day for 3 days a week. " Then, gradually increased it to 45 min - 1 hour of exercises which indulges different body parts " Now, she spends 1 and a half hour a day, 5
ingesting urea include indigestion, diarrhoea, acidity, malfunctioning of kidneys, damage to the intestinal tract and digestive system, ulcers and impaired vision. Formalin is a solution made up of water and formaldehyde. Formaldehyde, incidentally, is chemical widely used to embalm human and animal remains. Formalin is added to prolong the shelf life of milk. Side effects of drinking milk adulterated with formalin include mood and balance alteration, liver and kidney damage, and abdominal pain, among others. Detergents may also be added to milk diluted with water. This is done to mimic the foamy appearance of unadulterated milk. (Note: detergents may also end up in milk as a result of not properly washing the vessels and containers in which milk is stored.) Possible side effects of consuming milk laced with detergents include gastro-intestinal complications, hypoten-
days a week for fitness. She includes weight training (Ladies !! Listening..) along with yoga and training. " Weight training she believes is the key to keeping her body toned at all times. Light weights will help you achieve a fit look without getting too bulky she says. Most women believe that weight training adds body mass and results in a more masculine look. She proves to us that the right amount of weights combined with the right regime is what is needed! " Yoga is the way to give your body the flexibility and agility that will complement the toned shape perfectly.
Apart from that yoga is also a wonderful way to make sure that your entire system is well taken care off! " Meditate to give your mind the calm it needs for your body to stay healthy. A healthy mind is a healthy body after all. Shilpa's Yoga DVD After winning the Big Brother show in UK, she was all over in the news. She became the overnight celebrity in UK and everyone wanted to know the secret to her amazing body. That is when Shilpa released her yoga DVD, which is 2 hour long video talking about the right way to perform the various asanas. The DVD ex-
plains balanced connection between the mind, body and soul. Shilpa Shetty has performed 35 different and distinct asanas or postures that focus on various parts of your body and which cumulatively lead to the feeling and actualization of overall well-being. A Piece of Advice from Shilpa's desk: Follow a healthy diet. If you don't have time to work out, try and walk from your home to the station or use the stairs instead of the lift. Walk at least 2 km a day. There is nothing wrong in eating sweets, only eat them in proportion. For mental happiness - be positive. Courtesy: zeenews
Summer Special: Give your skin a natural detox with these five amazing foods!
Milk, Or White Poison? When I was growing up, my danger the lives and well mom used to make me drink being of hundreds of mila glass of milk every morn- lions of children. ing. Millions of mothers all A 2011 study conducted by over the country follow this the Food Safety and Stanpractice, and with good rea- dards Authority of India son. Milk is, after all, con- (FSSAI) found that of the sidered to be a super-food. samples tested, 565 conThe problem is that a large formed to its standards, amount of the milk in India while a whopping 1226 is adulfailed Dushyant Krishnan to do terated w i t h so. The substances from water to study also noted that urea and detergent. While samples taken from rural some adulterants just re- areas tended to fare better duce the nutritional value, than those taken from urothers can do some serious ban areas, with non-comdamage to people's health. pliance levels at 31% and The Department of Bio- 68.9% respectively. The chemistry, Bhavan's study revealed that water is Vivekananda College, the most common adulterSecunderabad, conducted a ant. study on the different adul- The effects of the various terants present in milk in adulterants used can vary Hyderabad. The study from relatively mild, such found that samples tested as reducing the nutritional positive for sucrose, skim value of milk, to potentially milk powder, neutralizers, fatal, like cancer. For exsalt, urea, formalin, hydro- ample, milk adulterated gen peroxide and deter- with water would naturally gents. be less nutritious than unBy allowing milk to be so adulterated milk. However, easily contaminated, we en- the potential side effects of
Shilpa's Pic Post Baby Weight Loss (Photo: fitnessvsweightloss)
Photo for representational purpose (Photo: theblondevegan) sion, respiratory irritation and cancers. Another common adulterant added to milk is urea, which is added to improve the whiteness of milk, and to improve its consistency. However, urea overburdens the kidneys as they have to filter out more urea content from the body. Given the fact that milk is one of the most consumed food products in the country, it is essential to ensure that milk adulteration is eliminated. The dairy industry must be subject to strin-
gent quality tests. I believe that every locality should have an authorized food inspector, who ensures that the provisions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act are properly implemented, and milk quality is up to the mark. By allowing milk to be so easily contaminated, we endanger the lives and well being of hundreds of millions of children in this country. We need to act now. There is no tomorrow when it comes to the health of our children. Courtesy: huffingtonpost
Detoxification is essential because we live in a world filled with toxins and chemicals. Perhaps, we need to detoxify our body not just because it is important, but it is absolutely critical for our health. Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the process of eliminating toxins from the body. Detoxification can literally reverse the symptoms of illness and change your life. It boosts your energy, helps with weight loss, clears
ber one food for a summer detox, watermelon is packed with antioxidants you need to fight back against free radical damage and prevent inflammation. Watermelon, which is extremely alkaline-forming in the body, contains high amounts of citrulline which helps to create arginine. Arginine removes ammonia and other toxins from the body. It is also a good source of pottasium that balances
phorus, is is an ideal thirst quencher. Lemons stimulate bile production and helps cleanse the kidneys. Drinking lemon juice mixed with warm water and honey first thing in the morning helps to clear the bowels and to eliminate accumulated toxins from the body. Green tea: Drinking green tea is always good. And drinking it in summer in particular has additional benefits - antioxidants in
Not most fashionable but carry myself well: Fawad Khan
It's not your clothes that make you look nice but it's you who makes clothes look nice, believes Fawad Khan (Photo: ste.india) Style is personal expression and it is not confined to any trend, said Pakistani actor Fawad Khan at an event in the Capital. Fawad Khan, who has found a place for himself in
the Bollywood industry, has also garnered appreciation for chic and classy appearances but the Pakistani actor doesn't count himself as the most fashionable one in the industry. He however
agrees that he carry himself pretty well. "Kapde pehnane ki tameez hai (I have the sense of dressing). I am not the most fashionable but I carry myself pretty well," he told reporters during the meet and greet session with the loyal customers of the brand Giovani, the quintessential Suits and Jackets brand, from Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd. The customers not only got an opportunity for an informal chat with Fawad, but also garnered some interesting style tips from the Giovani man himself who feels that style is a personal expression. "Style is personal expression and it is not confined to any trend. It's not your clothes that make you look nice but it's
you who makes clothes look nice," he said. Earlier this month, Giovani ran #MEETTHEG IOVANIMAN contest across social media platforms and in store. On FB and Instagram the contest was all about fans uploading their Fawad's moments through dubsmash videos. On Twitter, the followers were asked to complete a saying "I love Fawad Khan because‌‌". At store level, customers were asked a few interesting questions about Fawad; if answered right they stood a chance to meet the Giovani man! In total, seven winners were selected through a lucky draw. These seven fans got their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of sharing some real candid moments with their
style icon. Fawad took the opportunity to speak about Giovani's Spring Summer collection and also shared his personal style tips with the audience. Giovani's latest range of Spring Summer collection 2016 is designed considering varied style preferences of the discerning contemporary man. One could choose from a variety of colours in jackets, suits, bandhgalas, Nehru jackets, waistcoats, shirts, trousers, pocket squares and scarves. In the women's collection one could choose from belted jumpsuits, lacy sheer tops, palazzo pants, knit light capes, casual tops and trendy long dresses. The colours are neutral to drive away summer blues. Courtesy: indianexpress
Photo for representational purpose (Photo: vixendaily) your mind, promotes healthier hair, and clarifies your complexion. With a large variety of fresh fruit and vegetables easily available, summer is an ideal time to detox the body. Moreover, the warm season makes it easier for the body to be in a detox process. But, knowing the correct techniques as well as choosing the right foods is crucial for a successful detox. Here's how: Watermelons: Considered as the num-
the high amounts of sodium in our diets which supports your kidneys and is great when cleansing. Cucumber: Loaded with essential vitamins, cucumber contains contains 95% water content that helps flush toxins from your body as well as keep you hydrated. Lemons: Lemon juice, with its abundant vitamin C and minerals like potassium, magnesium and phos-
green tea help protect you from the harmful UV rays. It will also help keep you hydrated in the hot summer sun. Mint leaves: Mint water is one of the most refreshing summer drinks. With a unique aroma, cooling sensation and other medicinal qualities, mint improves the flow of bile from the liver, to the gallbladder, to the small intestine, where it breaks down dietary fats. Courtesy: zeenews
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`Gutted` Kohli takes blame for Royal Challengers' IPL defeat 1st Dist. Badminton Open ANI Bengaluru, May 30 : Taking the blame for the defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli has said that his and AB de Villiers' dismissal was a `big blow` for the side. The RCB's hopes of clinching their maiden IPL title were dented after they suffered an eight-run defeat at the hands of David Warner's side at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. "We knew one big partnership would have set the tone for us. But me and AB getting out close to each other was a big blow. I was really disappointed to get out on that stage. I knew I had things under control and we would have achieved the
target had I stayed with AB a little longer, but this is the way a game goes," Kohli said after failing to reach the 1000-run milestone in a single season. Chasing a daunting total of 209, Gayle (76) and Kohli (54) did provide the Bangalore franchise a ray of hope to clinch their first IPL title by sharing a 114-run partnership for the opening stand. However, once the duo got dismissed, the team kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and fell short of the target in their stipulated 20 overs. De Villiers got dismissed after scoring mere five runs. Kohli admitted he is gutted by the defeat, but added he is extremely proud to see his players play as a unit. "Definitely proud of the way we played as a team this season. I mentioned it
Virat Kohli before the finals, this was for people of Bengaluru. We wanted to do that for them. They have come out to support us in worst of seasons. I feel gutted that we have not been able to cross the line for them. I know the guys wanted to cross the line. We have reached finals twice once in
Champions League as well. We would have been loved to be on other side of result," he added. The Indian prolific batsman, however, congratulated Warner's side for clinching the title and insisted that they highly deserved the victory. After receiving the `Or-
ange Cap` for scoring maximum runs in the IPL season, Kohli said it is a special achievement on a personal level, but added that it would have been much better if he had received it in his side's winning cause. "It is a nice incentive for the way we have gone throughout the season, but it doesn't feel really nice on the other side of the results. Obviously as a personal achievement, this is very special knowing there are eight teams in the competition with world-class batsmen. It feels nice to have scored more runs than anyone else, more importantly because we reach finals," he said. Kohli notched up a total of 973 runs, including four centuries and seven halfcenturies, in the 16 matches he played this season.
Championships concludes Result
Pasighat, May 30: The 1st East Siang District Badminton Open Championships concluded at Pasighat Town Club this evening. The sixday tournament was organized by the district administration in collaboration with East Siang Badminton Association with technical support of DSO(Sports) N Apa. The crowded hall witnessed Junior Single Boys
and girls, Men's Single and double matches.
1) Junior Girls: Yang Jerang 2) Junior Boys: Kayin Rome 3) Women Single: Ingam Potom 4) Men's Single: Gumjo Lollen 5) Men's Double: Ajay Singh and Modak Kadu
DC Isha Khosla graced the valedictory programme as the Chief Guest and encouraged the young budding talents to preserve and work hard and to start from basics. While congratulating the winners, Khosla also appreciated the runners up quoting "You are never a
loser until you quit trying." She gave away certificates to the participants along with cash prizes five thousands and three thousands to (all categories) the winners and runners up respectively.
No comparison with legend Warne, says Zampa Djokovic on brink to smash
Adam Zampa ANI Melbourne, May 30 : Australian spinner Adam Zampa has dismissed his constant comparison with Shane Warne, saying he is not clone of one of the greatest bowlers to play the game.
Zampa's casual approach to wicket and his bowling style has been considered as similar to Warne, with broadcasters using the split-screen technology to highlight the similarity between the pair. Recently, Indian all-
rounder Yuvraj Singh also likened Zampa to the Test cricket's second highest wicket-taker. Quashing the comparison, the 24-year-old Australian leggie insisted that there could only be one strong and big player
like Warne. "There's only one Shane Warne and there's probably only ever going to one guy like him who can bowl as many strong leg breaks all day for five days straight. It's pretty unheard of," Zampa was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. Zampa further described Warne as `unbelievable` and admitted he still has a long way to go to reach the legend's level. "It's something to strive towards, but I'm a long way off that. My run up is similar but that's about it," he said. Zampa will now play in the ODI tri-series against the West Indies and South Africa, starting from June 3 in Guyana.
100 million USD barrier ANI Johannesburg, May 30 : World number one Novak Djokovic is on verge to become the first man to win 100 million dollars in prize money as he aims to book his place in the quarterfinals of the French Open for the 10th time. The Serbian champion, who is bidding to complete his career Grand Slam at the Roland Garros, stormed into the fourth round after beating Briton Aljaz Bedene 6-2, 6-3, 63. Djokovic entered at Roland Garros with prize money of 99,673,404 dollars, but he can cross the 100 million dollar mile-
Novak Djokovic stone by making to the last-eight. Currently, Roger Federer is
Djokovic's closest rival in the prize money stakes, but the Swiss maestro is cur-
rently out of the tournament due to an injury. However, Djokovic, who is also aiming to reach the quarterfinals for the 28th straight Grand Slam, believes the world's top four tennis players (including him) could not dominate the game for long, especially because of some really talented young players coming in. The 29-year-old, who is in quest to complete career Grand Slam at French Open , will lock horns with 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarterfinals of the second major of the season.
Spieth wins, Lahiri finishes sixth at Colonial National Invitational
Anirban Lahiri ANI New Delhi, May 30 : Ace Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri produced an astonishing performance as he finished tied sixth in the US PGA Dean and Deluca Invitational golf tournament, thereby registering his first top10 position of the ongoing season of the PGA tour. The 28-year-old fired a closing round of 68 to finish the tournament with a total of nine-under 275 at the Colonial Country Club. The finish also saw Lahiri better his previous best of tied 21st at
the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and climb up to 88th spot on the FedEx Cup table. World number two Jordan Spieth shot a 65 in final round to clinch his first victory since a Masters meltdown. He finished with a total of 17-under 263 and a three points ahead of Harris English (266). With the win, Spieth also captured his first PGA crown in his home state of Texas. Meanwhile, Ryan Palmer and Webb Simpson (267) finished at the third spot ahead of Kyle Reifers in the fifth at 268.
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