Tuesday,october 20,2015

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Vol. 1

Issue 138

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Dibrugarh, Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Maoists

Two batches

are getting ready to leave after their 18-month training in Jharkhand and Odasha, who will soon be among the masses.

of Aditya Borah, naxal movements have been reduced, while instead movements have been detected in areas of mass gathering especially during the festival season

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The Durga Idol was today placed in all the pandals.

With Shashthi puja starting today the festival begins with great pomp and gaiety. To-

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morrow is Maha Saptami and the puja will begin with a four day ritual. Durga Puja festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Oct 19

Contd. on Page 4

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Durga puja festivities kick off

Contd. on Page 4

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Underground drainage, power cables, roads widening, parking complexes, parks, sufficient water projects, completing railway, zoo, ecofriendly adventure, re-development in Hi-region area etc are amenities required to con-

Jyotinagar Sarbajanik Shree Durga Puja

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vert Pasighat into a Smart City, suggested the local MLA Kaling Moyong while addressing the Smart City consultants yesterday in the Siang Guest conference hall. He asked the consultants to set up their branch office at Pasighat for smooth functioning of the project.

Contd. on Page 4

Spl Correspondent Pasighat, Oct 19

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Smart City Stage-II competition gets underway

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ABK East Siang gears up campaign for better preparation of Smart City

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have been planning to recruit youths from tea garden areas, tribals hailing from the tea belts using Whatsapp

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After the arrest

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accelerated due to shortage of man power in the camps.

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recruit new faces especially young blood and have chosen this festive season to realize its aspirations.

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Maoists have planned to The process has been

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Two batches

fully trained are likely to arrive this festive season or as of January

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File picture of COBRA unit of CRPF carrying out anti-naxalite operations in central India

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Seven upper

Assam districts of Dhamaji, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat and Majuli are believed to be the most vulnerable including the belt along the Brahmaputra

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technology these days, with information reaching them very fast and quickly

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Maoists are using latest

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AN IMPENDING THREAT

The Durga puja, along with other parts of the country, also began today in different parts of Assam today, and all the puja committees today opened their pandals after special rituals on ‘Maha Sasthi’. This year Durga Puja is being celebrated in 500 different puja pandals across the city, according to the puja pandal committees, they have received good support from the police and also the district administration. Police are also on their toes and special drive is being carried out to contain anti-social activities while vehicles are being frisked at different entry and exit points of Guwahati city. "Given the incidents of crime against women in the past during such celebrations, we asked the Puja committees today to deploy women volunteers, apart from men to make sure that women don't face any problem while visiting the pandals. The volunteers will be briefed about the security drill and trained by the local police station on how to co-ordinate with police in order to prevent crime," Guwahati police commissioner Mukesh Agarwala said. Many women fall victim to snatchers, taking advantage of the crowd. Durga Puja is observed in synchronization with the moon's movement. It virtually begins with Mahalaya marking the homecoming of the goddess a week before Bodhan.

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EXCLUSIVE

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Maoists have planned to recruit new faces especially young blood aging 12 years and above as the organization has fallen short on men power, and has chosen this festive season to realize its aspirations, informed police sources here. Sources among the police said, Maoists have been planning to recruit youths from tea garden areas, tribals hailing from the tea belts through their friends and sources after securing details about the potential recruit's education, family background and location through Whatsapp. The process has been on since a year now but now the process has been accelerated due to shortage of man power in the camps as two batches are getting ready to leave after their 18-month training in Jharkhand and Odasha, who will soon be among the masses, sources said. According to sources,

special branches of police of both from the centre and state need to work more seriously than before, because Maoists are using latest technology these days, with information reaching them very fast and quickly. The the seven upper Assam districts of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat and Majuli with the districts sharing borders with the hill states are believed to be the most vulnerable while the belt along the Brahmaputra is another vulnerable spot in terms of being breeding grounds of naxal activities. At present, it is believed that house to house grooming is over and a certain number of trainees is likely to leave for Jharkhand or Odisha.

However, the arrest of Aditya Borah from Merapani in Golaghat district, has been a big set back for the naxals.

The two batches fully trained are likely to arrive this festive season or as of January.

Contd. on Page 4

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Oct 19

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Bijoy Shankar Handique Jorhat, Oct 19

Pages- 12

Durga Puja festivities begins across the state amidst devotion, fun and frolic

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Maoists planning fresh entry during this festive season

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Sumeo Mining Private Limited employees under Tikok Colliery West Patch today staged Dharna in front of the office of General Manager of North Eastern Coal Fields, Coal India Limited Margherita. More than 50 employees of Sumeo Mining Private Limited were present at the Dharna and raised

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Contd. on Page 4

cmyk

Dhubri, Oct 19 Driver, Sariful Islam arrested with a truck having fake number by Chagolia police of Dhubri at inter-state check gate today.

Islam who belongs to Pokalagi village under Tamarhat police station of Dhubri district reportedly confessed the truck brought from West Bengal, a source said.(Correspondent)

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Contd. on Page 2

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Lakhimpur DC order raises eyebrows!

Financial condition One arrested for of State stable : Gogoi making obscene videos

Contd. on Page 4

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Portfolois distributed to newly inducted ministers ET Correspondent Itanagar, Oct 19

The newly inducted council of ministers in the state cabinet who were sworn in on October 16 last have been allotted portfolios today by the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh acting on the advice of the Chief Minister. According to the notification,

Jomde Kena has been allotted Transport and Civil Aviation, Co-operation, while Phurpa Tsering has been given the portfolios of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, Power (Civil) and Tirong Aboh shall be holding the charges of DoTCL and Mines. Meanwhile, the Governor acting on the advice of Chief Minister has allotted additional departments to the

existing cabinet ministers as Tanga Byaling, Home, Power (Elect) and Non Conventional Resources of energy has been allotted additional department of Horticulture while Shri Rajesh Tacho, Minister Health and Family welfare has been given the additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs.

Contd. on Page 4

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cember 22, 2012 and uploaded it in various social media. Police recovered the computer and many videos from the accused. A case no 756/2015 under section 67 of IT Act was registered at Dibrugarh police station. The accused was taken under the custody of police. Sources said the girl was the studying in XI standard at Dibrugarh School. Police said that further investigation is going on.

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A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Oct 19

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Angiraj Goswami, 23, an student of Oxford University of Engineering, Bangalore was involved in making obscene videos of a 17 year old girl was today arrested by Dibrugarh police from his residence at Chring Chapori in Dibrugarh. Police said that he made the first video on De-

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Chief Minister Nabam Tuki along with PWD Minister

Gojen Gadi, Minister DoTCL and Mines Tirong Aboh, Parliamentary Secretary Karya Bagang, Chief Secretary

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the financial condition of the State is quite stable and not grim as made out to be by the BJP. In a statement here today, Chief Minister Gogoi said the financial condition of the State is quite stable and that the State Government has been making regular salaries to the employees on time besides Dearness

Allowance at par with Central Government employees. “The financial condition is quite stable and not grim as painted by the BJP,” he said. Gogoi said the State has stabilised the financial condition through a slew of fiscal discipline and management measures.

NABARD projects worth Rs 750 crore have been sanctioned this year and the State has bagged Externally Aided Projects worth Rs 300 crore,

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ET Correspondent Guwahati, Oct 19

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In a devastating inferno at least 8 rental houses belong-

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Truck with fake number plate seized

ing to Sri Chownok Hopak of Solungtoo village were gutted today at Namsai town. The fire broke out at around 9:15 am this morning. As soon as news

Pisi Zauing Namsai, Oct 19

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Dhubri, Oct 19 : A body of a male person age around 20 was recovered by police from Brahmaputra river at Senaipar village under Fakirganj police station of Dhubri district today. Body would be brought to Dhubri Civil Hospital tomorrow for autopsy, a police source said.

(Correspondent)

ET Correspondent Itanagar, Oct 19

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Body recovered

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Guwahati, Oct 19 : In a major embarrassment to the media, former President of Assam Sahitya Sabha and senior Journalist Kanak Sen Deka was sentenced to three months imprisonment by a court in Guwahati on Monday. Deka, editor of ‘Dainik Agradoot’, was sentenced in a case filed by N K Production in 2007. Two others persons, D Deka and senior journalist Samim Ahmed, were also sentenced to imprisonment by the court.(Correspondent)

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Editor sentenced

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ET CAPSULES

CM takes stock on the new secretariat building

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Ranjit Kakoty Lakhimpur, Oct 19

The Lakhimpur district administration today issued prohibitory orders under section of the CrPC and banned many things to ensure public safety and security during the Durga puja festival which got under way today.

However, Contd. on Page 4 ○

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Vote for 'your best' this durga puja at Tinsukia through online voting on facebook Spl Correspondent Tinsukia, oct 19

One of the first of its kind in entire Assam, online voting is being organized through Facebook to choose 'your best' this durga puja at Tinsukia. At the moment voting has been called for seven categories.

This includes best pandal, best pratima, best lighting, best food court, favourite adda, most disciplined puja and best message to the society.

Speaking to ET correspondent, Manisha Nagori Kalantri, organizer of competition said that the idea is to ensure larger amd true participation of people by empowering them to vote for their choice of the 'best' in each category. One and all can participate as a voter by merely login to Facebook and than going to the event page titled "viewer's choice and ward 2015". One can either search the event or go to it through the profile of Manisha Nagori Kalantri, she

added.

Manisha said that the best part of this kind of online voting is that one can 'add an option' if he or she does not find their choice of option in a particular category and than just by a click can register their vote. She said one person can only register one vote in each category. The option, with highest number of vote will be the winner in each categories.

She said that it's a fairly new type of contest and hence possibilities of errors cannot be

ruled out. However, we are trying to improve things for greater transperancy and perfection, added Manisha and said for any query or suggestion one can reach us at 9435558000.

It may be mentioned that durga puja contest between various puja organizers through online voting on Facebook is unique.

Contd. on Page 4

cmyk

went to JN College, PWD Office and other organizations and NGOs for today convincing the students, staffs etc for their active participation in giving valued suggestion

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The Adi Baane Kebang East Siang Unit with their best social obligation has started their effort in campaigning and motivating people/stake hold-

ers for their active participation in making Pasighat well prepared for the competition among the declared 100 smart cities across the country.

Talut Siram, Secy. Administration ABK East Siang informed this evening that, they

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Spl Correspondent Pasighat, Oct 19

ET Correspondent Margherita, Oct 19

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Another inferno Employees of coal mining rocks Namsai company deprived of salary

PAGE 2

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Durga Puja celebration should think on abandoned women, say Guv CPC assembles religious leaders at Get-together Shillong Oct 19: Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan has stressed on the need to think those abandoned women while celebrating Durga Puja.

Addressing at the gathering of the Get-together of harmony organised the Central Puja Committee (CPC) held here at Namghar Laban, Shillong, Shanmuganathan said that during his journey to Jaintia Hills, he saw a lady selling fish in the road side and when he enquired he came to know that she was an abandoned women because of his husband left.

“We should celebrate Durga Puja with a thinking of those abandoned women.

We should not allow society to have a single abandoned women”, said Meghalaya Governor.

“When you worship Durga, please think to abandoned women”, stressed the Governor.

The Get-together as part of pre-Puja celebration was attended by different religious leaders including Muslim community, Christianity, Buddhist, Seng Khasi, Sikh besides political leaders among others who shared their thoughts and appreciation on the ef-

Prince William to give ivory trade speech as China's President Xi arrives Beijing, Oct 19: The Duke of Cambridge is to deliver a speech on the illegal ivory trade for broadcast on Chinese state TV, as the country's president arrives in the UK for a state visit. It is the third time Prince William has spoken on the subject in the past year.

President Xi Jinping will arrive later for a four-day visit, during which he will stay at Buckingham Palace. The visit comes as China's economy grew 6.9% in the third quarter, the weakest rate since the global financial crisis. Prince William, who has worked at forging a relationship with China, has recorded his speech for the Chinese state TV channel CCTV1. He raised the issue with

Souvenir for National Press Day

fort of the CPC to bring together in one platform.

Appreciating on the coming together of all section of religious domination, Shanmuganathan said that though Durga Puja belong to Hindu religious , it is delighted that all religions are assembled together irrespective of any cast, creeds or language.

“This is a respect for all religions as the truth is one in the world just like the sun, the fire”, he said adding that we are all human being with same soul, my soul is the same just like your soul and God is only

One”. He said that the Durga Puja celebration should convey unity which should come from heart inside. Stating that human being need strength, the Governor said that the message of Durga Puja is to seek power of knowledge, physical strength, and intellectual strength to combat against evils of the society. “We have to conduct Puja celebration in a disciplined and grand manner”, Shanmuganathan said. The Governor releases the book, “Our Puja Approaches the Centenary

& Diamon Jubilee of Namghar”. Earlier, CPC president Naba Bhatteercharjee said that the symphony of harmony had entered into 23 years since 1993 amidst ups and downs during the yesteryears. According to him, the success of the harmony is due to the support of the majority of community in the State. “In my view, the spirit of acceptance is more befitting than tolerance”, said Mr Bhatacharjee.

The function witnessed with songs and dances from Hindu community.

ET Correspondent Golaghat, Oct 19: A souvenir will be published on the occasion of National Press Day on 16 November in Golaghat. It was decided in a meeting held at the DC office Golaghat. The souvenir will be published by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Assam in association with Golaghat district administration. Interested persons can send in their writings to the DIPRO office, Golaghat before 5 November.

Foreign liquor shops closed on oct 23 ET Correspondent Dhubri, Oct 10: Dhubri district magistrate in a order issued today prohibited the sale of foreign liquor in retail and bonded warehouse in the district on October 23, the day of immersion, an official source said.

C&RD Minister inaugurates DBT workshop on MGNREGS Shillong Oct 19 : Workshop on electronic Fund Management System has held today in the Yojana Bhawan Auditoruim, Main Secretariat, Shillong for carrying out Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) using internet services & core Banking facilities of the Banks for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

The workshop conducted by the State Rural Employment Society (SRES) in collaboration with the Directorate of

Financial condition of State stable : Gogoi Contd. from Page 1

Gogoi said, adding that the State Government would avail whopping loans from BRICS New Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank soon.

The Chief Minister said the State has taken up a big plan for developing the Inland Water Transport infrastructure worth Rs 900 crore. The Chief Minister said the State Finance Department would soon release Rs 300 crore to the Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies. Gogoi said though the Central Government has stopped funds to the Zila Parishad, Anchalik Parishad, Autonomous Councils and 6th Schedule Areas, the State Government has been providing funds out of its own resources. The Chief Minister said though at the directive of Accountant General, Assam revenue and civil deposits have been taken back, provision has been made for the departments to place supplementary budgets from time to time so that the process of development is not affected.

“The Finance Department has made the flow of funds to the concerned departments smooth and hassle-free,” he added. Gogoi said the guidelines against schemes announced in the current Budget to the tune of Rs 1000 crore have been formulated and the selection process of beneficiaries is under way.

The Chief Minister said retention process has been simplified and to ensure transparency e-tendering has been introduced.

Community & Rural Development was inaugurated

by Community and Rural Development minister Prestone Tynsong.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister focused on the core issues that have been creating hurdles in the implementation of the MGNREGA & IAY. He said that tussles & misunderstandings between the VEC functionaries are creating problems in the implementation of the MGNREGA. He urged the officers that continuous efforts should be undertaken

to ensure smooth implementation and effective monitoring of the projects.

“The Blocks are overburdened with so many programmes and this situation needs urgent redress.

The State Government is trying to work out ways and means to revamp the system”, he informed.

He stressed on the officers from the Blocks & Districts to utilize the forum provided by the workshop to discuss on methods to improve the delivery mechanism. The workshop was attended by Project

Directors, DRDA, BDOs and officials of MGNREGA and IAY from the Districts and Blocks office, officers from the NIC, C & RD, partner banks and others.

During her keynote address, Smt. I.R. Sangma, MCS, Joint Secretary C & RD and Additional Mission Director, SRES informed that the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has constantly been working on mechanisms to reduce the delays in payment of wages, The State Government has

signed MoUs with various banks to increase the coverage of the Banks through Business Correspondents, she informed.

“Under the eFMS, we can effectively use the Information Technology tools and Core Banking Systems to transfer the entitlements to our beneficiaries account”, she added.

The workshop delved on the usage of eFMS and digital signatures for implementing the Direct Benefit Transfer System.

Employees of coal mining company deprived of salary Contd. from Page 1

various anti Margherita Coal India Limited slogans.

There are a total 116 employees at Sumeo Mining Private Limited and since the last three months they have been deprived of their salaries, 2-year leave salaries, bonus and over time dues. Sanjit Das, an em-

ployee of Sumeo Mining Private Limited, said that a few days back when he and three of his colleagues namely Monirul Mustafa, Mridul Paul and Himangshu Paul held protests against non-payment of salary when the officials of Sumeo Mining Private Limited registered a case against them as a result of which they now have to ap-

pear before the Court.

"When we met with Robin Thanuja, the agent of Coal India Limited, Tikak Coliery, he refused to forward and sign the payment bill and thus we were deprived of our due salaries since the last three months," added Sanjit Das. They are in pathetic condition and their family members are on the verge

of starvation, said another employee. Meanwhile, Dr Ranjit Dutta, General Manager (Personnel) of Coal India Limited, Margherita said that no assurance has been given to the employees of Sumeo Mining Private Limited with regard to releasing their due salaries from Coal India Limited, Margherita.

List of hospitals in Dibrugarh with contact details & phone numbers, Assam Aditya Diagnostics & Hospitals Bordoloi Avenue, Paltan Bazar, Dibrugarh - 786005 Phone Numbers: 0373 - 2302219, 2302225

G M Hospital

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

AMC Road, Jalan Nagar Dibrugarh - 786 005

Archana Trauma & Orthopaedics Hospital

Brahmaputra Diagnostics & Hospital

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

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

Assam Medical College

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

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

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

Sanjivani Diagnostic & Hospital

Dr. Pawan Bajaj's Skin Clinic

Aastha Hospital

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

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

Paltan Bazar, Opposite Aditya Hospital Dibrugarh

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

Mr Xi when they met in Beijing earlier this year and his broadcast will form part of a series of programmes called Let's Talk. China imposed a one-year ban on the import of ivory in February, amid criticism that demand among Chinese consumers is fuelling poaching in Africa. The Born Free Foundation, a wildlife charity, says "tens of thousands" of elephants are killed for their ivory every year.

In an address in Washington, Prince William condemned the illegal wildlife trade as "one of the most insidious forms of corruption and criminality in the world". Large red flags of the People's Republic of China are already lining The Mall in central London,

along with the union jack, in preparation for the official welcome on Horse Guards Parade. The Communist leader and his wife Peng Liyuan will arrive privately at Heathrow Airport, greeted on behalf of the Queen by Viscount Hood, later. During their visit they will meet with the Queen and Prime Minister David Cameron, visit businesses and address members of the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. Amnesty International and other groups concerned with human rights issues in China are expected to protest in St James' Park on Tuesday and it is expected that there will also be a pro-China protest. (Agencies)

ASTRO FOR YOU Today, you feel free and liberated! And in that spirit, you want to travel or do things you loved doing as a child. A good time for a family outing. Keeping in mind your mood, you may even make plans for the future for your near and dear.

The competitive streak in you might relent today as you look for a lifestyle that is more relaxed and laid-back. The rat race is tiring and you will feel the urge to get away, far from the maddening crowd and the never-ending routine. Matters pertaining to your home may also occupy some of your time today.

You have a certain degree of equanimity when it comes to reacting to praise and criticism. Today, however, you will be emotional, and it won’t be too bad. You will get appreciated at work and your liberal show of emotions will only make others like you more. Your colleagues will say three cheers for you. But avoid an emotional outburst as it may turn cheers into jeers.

An awareness of optimism and idealism will mark your activities this day.

You may benefit by traversing from one terrain to another. You will be liberal and generous with ideas; your internal beauty will blossom.

It is good to be impulsive sometimes; but if one were to ask you today, you would be all for a meticulously planned approach to life. So much so that from now on, planning will become almost a part and parcel of your life.

So, it is expected that you plan everything to perfection today, although the execution of your plans may be a different story. But you can’t do everything, can you? At least the good thing is that you make a great display of your organisational capabilities.

You will start the day by scribbling down things to do. But don’t just jot them down; instead, set realistic goals and prioritise them. Items you mark highest will demand quick actions.

All things passionate seem to engulf you today. It is one of those moments when chance dictates every possibility of a new romantic love episode in your life. The last time a moment like this came by, Romeo met Juliet. Try hard to please your heartthrob. Also, you may want to spruce up and pay special attention to your looks.

A happening day where a lot may happen today. Grey hairs will teach valuable lessons, so keep your ears open to bosses and elders. Seniors will extend their best possible cooperation to you. Stay clear of courtrooms, lest the legalities sink you deep.

A paradigm shift in your temperament and your looks is on the cards today.

Your personality will get better as you don some chic attire, jewellery and a rather loud perfume today. You’re a magnet today, and will charm your way through a crowd of admirers who will clamour for your attention.

If wasteful expenditure has left your bank balance a tad below what you had anticipated, you will have reasons to rejoice today. Cash inflow — and a substantial amount of it — is likely and will make you feel nice about your finances. Work will go on as usual. The only change may be a discernible change in the work ambience; it may get a little more comfortable.

Lady Luck gazes lovingly upon you today! Bosses are pleased, colleagues are happy, and this makes work seem like leisure. You may want to get in touch with old friends who have moved far away. What are you waiting for, in this age of communication?

For those in the creative, marketing or advertising fields, today will likely bring about an important milestone on their path to progress. Your creativity and ingenuity will be at their peak. Remembering that confidence is the key to success will keep you from shying away from challenges, which when surmounted will bring you substantial gains.

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

20-10-15 (TUESDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti (Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-50 A.M-Saptamir Naam 7-15 A.M-Aajir Dinto (Morning Information Service) 7-30 A.M-Geetanjali(Assamese Modern Song) 8-35 A.M-Surar Panchoi(Composite Programme of Assamese Film Songs) 9-05 A.M- Antara(Composite Programme of Hindi Film Songs) 12-15 P.M-Teachers' Broadcast 12-45 P.M-Sponsored Programme-"Ei Path Hoise Bikashor" 2-30 P.M-Western Music Programme 3-45 P.M-Programme in Miju Mishmi 4-05 P.M-Programme in Khamti 4-25 P.M-Programme in Wancho 4-45 P.M-News for Arunachal Pradesh 5-00 P.M-Programme in Idu 5-20 P.M-Programme in Tangsa 5-40 P.M-Programme in Nocte 7-15 P.M-Chah Shramikar Aasor 8-00 P.M-Krira Jagat 9-30 P.M-Sahitya Kanan-1.Talk-"Adhunik Asomiya Kabitat Chitrakalpa" by Rajib Bora,2.Self Composed Poem Recitation

by Pranjal Kr. Lahon 10-00 P.M-Classical Music,Artist-Vilayat Hussain Khan Sd-/H.O.P

PAGE 3

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

administration overhauls PDS MLA appreciates BRO for timely District Deputes officials to act as food observers and sets up control room completion of Denning Bridge Bishnu Rana Tezu, Oct 19: Much to the delight of denizens of the township, a 20.40 m in length and 12 m in width Span Multi Cell Box Bridge over the Denning River was unveiled by Dr Mohesh Chai local MLA amidst presence of Tamiyo Tata DC Lohit, VP Surya SP Lohit, G Hazarika SDO, Kapriso Krong former Minister, Hawili Kri ZPM, HoDs, Colonel C Rajshekar Commandant 48 BRTF, Shankar Prasad OC 1446 BCC Dimbe and other local public leaders and GREF officials and the general public. In a gesture of appreciation towards the BRO, Dr Chai lauded the effort initiated by the organization which it gave due completion in time.

“The indomitable task accomplished by BRO to facilitate uninterrupted road connectivity in the face of hurdles deserves accolades. The quality and timely completion of road connecting inaccessible parts of interior border areas of Arunachal Pradesh thereby easing traffic movement stands to result in socio-economic development of the region. The

Roing, Oct 19: In a pilot initiative to streamline the Public Distribution System in Lower Dibang Valley District, Deputy Commissioner of the District, Ravi Dhawan has deputed officials as Food Observers against 44 Fair Price Shops out of 54 FPS in the district on receipt and distribution days for effective monitoring of distribution of PDS item under the

local leaders and public would always stand in favour of your endeavour to build better roads and bridges to connect this secluded region with the mainstream”, the MLA said further. The DC in his short speech praised the BRO and Bharat Infra Project Limited (BIPL) Guwahati for early completion of bridge maintaining high quality standard of work and at the same time urged them to complete the remaining incomplete road from Tezu River to Dimbe at the earliest. “Since my joining as DC I have been monitor-

ing every upcoming bridge and expressed zero tolerance against any sort of hindrance especially with regard to roads, bridges and airport. The Denning Bridge has strategic importance and kudos to the BRO for its timely completion," the DC said.

The completed bridge replaced the old and narrow structure of Class-9 specification of the road built during the sixties. The bridge has been commendably completed within 5 (five) months starting May 2015 and opened for traffic on 25th September 2015 last. The

NH Double Lane Specification of road traverses through the township covering a distance of 12.58 km from Digaru up to Tezu River. The road has been constructed under PM's package of SARDPNE district connectivity, sponsored by Ministry of Road Transport & Highway (MoRTH) GoI, Colonel C Rajshekar informed.

The commandant expressed deep gratitude to local MLA, DC, SP and public in general for their cumulative support and help to complete the bridge and road in a timebound manner.

Siram visits GTC Secondary School

Arunachal Pradesh Declaration of Stocks and Prices and Monitoring of Essential Commodities Act 2005. To ensure that the PDS items are being delivered to the FPS and distributed to the Ration Card Holders, the deputed officials have been directed to be personally present on the day of delivery and distribution in their respective FPS location. The officials

on duty will prepare a receipt of PDS items received on the day of delivery and the officers deputed on distribution day will cross verify the PDS items received and will personally monitor the PDS item during its distribution to the Ration Card Holders. Further, they have been directed to collect Mobile No. and Aadhar No. of each benefi-

ciary. A Control Room to monitor the same has also been set up in DC Office.

The Deputy Commissioner further directed all the FPS to remain open compulsorily on 9th and 10th of November 2015 with these days designated as ‘Distribution Days’ or ‘Rice Days’. Wide publicity has been ordered to generate awareness about these 2 days. (DIPRO)

Governor appeals for peace and harmony in the State

Itanagar, Oct 19 : The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa along with First Lady Smt Rita Rajkhowa graced inaugural function of the Shree Shree Durga Puja at Rajdhani Kali Mandir, Psector Itanagar on 19th October 2015. Speaking on the occasion, the Governor expressed hope that the festivity of Durga Puja will usher in tranquillity and amity in the society, which, in turn facilitate in development of the society and prosperity of the State and the Nation. He appealed to

the people for peace and harmony in the State.

The Governor cautioned the people on polluting the rivers after the Puja.

He advised them to clean the water bodies after performing their rituals. Suggesting against sacrifices during Pujas, He advised the people for opting other ways to observe the rituals.

The Governor lauded the Bharat Sevashram Sangha for their service during natural calamities, bringing social reforms and in development of tribal communities. He commended the

organisation for running a girls’ school with hostel facility at Pakke Kesang in East Kameng District and its future plans for starting Computer, Yoga and Handicraft Training Centre in Itangar and medical unit at Pakke Kesang. He expressed hope that the organisation will continue its good work in times to come.

Swami Mahatmananda Maharaj, Secretary, Arunachal Pradesh Branch, Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS) highlighted on importance of the Durga Puja and said that it is a

prayer for the betterment of the society. Swamiji also recalled the early phase of BSS and highlighted its initiatives for upliftment of the tribals and relief works during disasters.

Earlier, the first couple were accorded traditional reception with beating of ‘dhol’ on their arrival at the temple. They offered prayers at the Puja pedestals.

The Puja is being organised by Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Rajdhani Sarbojanin Puja Committee, P-Sector, Itanagar.

A NEW BEGINNING

Pasighat, OCT. 19 : In order to maintain the chain of efforts for ascertaining quality education in Pasighat Township, Advisor to Chief Minister and former Education Minister Bosiram Siram along with DC Isha Khosla, ZPC Kaling Dai, Chief Councilor Denong Tamuk, PRI leaders and councilors visited GTC Secondary School and held consultative meetings with the school teachers to know the difficulties being faced by them. While interacting with the teachers and students, Siram

said that well-maintained and attractive learning environment could assist in raising educational standards. Admitting that there were issues with challenges, Siram expressed hope that those could be overcome by tactful dealings and inculcating progressive mindset. He asked the school authorities to set priorities and assured to take up some issues related to minor maintenance and others activities with the concerned ministry soon. He expressed his satisfaction and appreciated the

teachers and students of the school for cleanliness, beautification, sincerity and discipline. While advising the teachers in particular to be punctual, he said they should keep the prestige of Education department high by devoting themselves in teaching and learning process adding that fair, generous, caring, and empathetic educators were always respected in the society. Students must be disciplined and attentive in studies to be worthy citizens of the nation. Earlier, the DC in

Opung Jerang elected as ZPC for Siang District Itangar, Oct 19 : The election for the Zila Parishad Chairperson (ZPC) of the Siang District was held today at DC conference hall Pangin. After doing all codal formalities as per the election norms of

the PRI election, two candidates filed their nominations. From INC is Mrs Opung Jerang Taggu and from (I) Independent, Mrs Osi Mibang. Out of nine Zila Parishad Members (ZPMs), two were ab-

sent and five ZPMs voted in favor of Mrs Opung Jerang Taggu while two votes went for Mrs Osi Mibang.

Mrs Jerang ZPM of 16 Jomlo Mobuk was declared elected ZPC of Siang District.

her speech, giving priority to education said that there was no shortcut to be successful in life without education and students must be sincere, dedicated and hard working to achieve good academic results. Contented at the cleanliness of schools and their surroundings, Khosla encouraged the teachers and students to maintain their surroundings green and clean by undertaking more plantation and called upon the teaching fraternity to serve the state with zeal and courage. DIPRO

First Minister from Dadam village Tirong Aboh, Son of Shri Lanmok Aboh with HE J.P. Rajkhowa and HCM Nabam Tuki at Raj Bhavan Itanagar.

PAGE 4

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Utpal Baruah's two books unveiled

Writer Lakhinandan Bora,Writer Nagen Saikia, ,Sarbananda Sonwal Union Sports and Youth Affairs minister and writer of the books Utpal Barua releasing the Assamese books Asomiya Jatir Bhobishyat and Alimuror Kekuri written by Utpal Barua at Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati.PiC - UB Photos ET Bureau Guwahati, Oct 19: In a function held at Rabindra Bhawan, the books Axomiya Jatir Bhabiswat (Future of Assamese community) and Alimuror Kekuri were inaugurated by former president of

Axom Sahitya Sabha Dr Nagen Saikia. The Assamese community has faced problems with regard to their identity due immigration, linguistic problem. The census report of 2011 revealed that,11 districts of the state have now

turned to Muslim dominated districts. The Assamese speakers had gradually decreased in the state, Utpal Baruah said.

Writer Dr Lakshminandan Bora, Phanidra Kumar Dev Choudhury, Director of National Book Trust Dr Rita

Choudhury, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Assam Education minister Sarat Borkotoky, proprietor of Dainik Janambhumi Subrato Sarma and few dignitaries of civil societies were also present at the book launch function.

Candle light march carried out in memory of departed soul

Brahma Kumaris to celebtate Puja as Dusshera Vijaya Dashmi Itanagar, Oct.19 : The local Raja Yoga Centres of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya will celebrate Durga Puja’ as Dusshera Vijaya Dashmi – Festival of the victory of Good over Evil,- a common festival of all religions for religious harmony in a befitting manner with spiritual ( not traditional religious ) piety, flavour and gaiety around the capital complex at Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli, Doimukh, Banderdewa, etc.. On the occasion, there will be a Living DURGA Tableau, Exhibition, etc on 19th -22nd October, 2015 at at Riba Mansion, Bank Tinali Bus Stop, Itanagar. There will be Live Durga Shows”, Exhibitions. etc. during said days to promote social harmony and Peace. *This will be inaugurated by many religious leaders

& dignitaries on 20th October, 2015 at 5.PM This programme will be followed by 3-days. Healing

crusade-cum Raja-Yoga Meditation training camp from 23rd October, 2015 onward from 7am to 8am

& 6pm to 7pm in Brahma Kumaris Center at Bank Tinali, Itanagar and Banderdewa.

Maoists planning fresh entry during this festive season Contd. from Page 1

Sources said that only after their arrival, a fresh plan is likely to be car-

Spl Correspondent Pasighat, Oct 19: In memory of late Aina Panggeng and late Gebi Boli, who died on the night of 17th September 2015 last following a fatal road accident at the turning point near Gandhi Sec. School and College of Horticulture & Forestry (CHF) gate, the family members and

friends of the deceased duo carried out a candle light march from GTC to CHF gate on Saturday, 17th October. The deceased duo hailing from Upper Siang district were 1st year JN College students whose bike had collided with a speeding winger after which late Panggeng died on the spot, while late Boli

died at General Hospital Pasighat though she was rushed to hospital immediately. The candle light march was carried out with a loud message “Safe Driving” to create more awareness across the youths of today who mostly doesn’t bother about safety drive.

The aggrieved family members of the deceased duo ex-

pressed their thankfulness to JNC students led by GS, AdiSU, DSU, ABK Women Wing, East Siang, ABK Youth Wing for joining into the candle light march. A 2 minute condolence was also observed at the accident site in front of the portraits of late Panggeng & Boli.and prayed for heavenly abode for the departed souls.

12-hr ANYA bandh passes off peacefully ET Correspondent Itanagar, Oct 19 : The 12hr (5 am to 5 pm) bandh called by the All Nyishi Youth Association passed off peacefully with no untoward incidents reported.

There were no vehicle movement except for a few administration and police vehicles on the roads. All shutters were down and Govt. offices witnessed low attendance of employees.

There was police patrolling in and around the capital complex. ANYA said that it will continue its agitation if

the State Govt. does not pay heed to its demands. The main point of their demand is immediate scrapping of the installation of prepaid meters in Itanagar and Naharlagun, followed by other demands including immediate creation of Kamle district and PakkeKessang district, immediate construction of 4-lane highway from Itanagar capital to Banderdewa, immediate release of Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) fund with State's matching share among others.

Contd. from Page 1

The Stage-1 of Smart City Challenge competition entails four broad criteria such as existing service levels in city/town, institu-

in making Pasighat as best smart city. Siram, who attended a meeting of such yesterday and had interac-

tion with the concern firm, informed that, Prime Minister himself will also view the suggestions which will be filled up/submitted online. He further appeals all concern who are active

and other officials visited the construction sites of the State Civil Secretariat and State Legislative

Assembly complexes here today. Insisting on timely completion of both the prestigious projects, Tuki told the PWD officials, implementing the projects,

funds are released to the top 20 cities and towns during the current financial year.

He appealed all the officers, leaders and common citizens of the township to cooperate the executing

DDF Consultants (Smart City Consultants), New Delhi.The meeting was attended by representatives of ABK, ABSU, DPYK, BBK,PMA, AdiSU and PMC councilors.

in social media activities to join in tomorrow’s programme on the subject at the office of District Information Officer so that everyone’s joint effort could lead to selection of

Pasighat among the first top 20. This suggestion section on the part of stake holders carries a total of 30 marks and hence, we need to score grab the full mark, added Siram curiously.

not to compromise with quality, safety and feasibilities of the buildings.

Officials informed that the Civil Secretariat would be completed by March 2016,

while construction of the Assembly building is being taken on a war footing.

APCC President Padi Richo also accompanied the CM on the visits.

Portfolois distributed to newly inducted ministers Contd. from Page 1

Education, Libraries, Textile and Handicrafts Minister Tapang

Taloh has been allotted department of Water Resource Development while Takam Pario has been allotted the addi-

Contd. from Page 1

According to Hindu tradition, Ram performed Durga puja during autumn, which is generally not considered an auspicious time, to seek her blessings before his battle with Ravan. However, the goddess heard his prayers. Goddess Durga, the slayer of Mahishashur, is lion-

Thus, Durga Puja festival epitomises the victory of Good over Evil.

The prominence of Durga Puja increased gradually during the British Raj in Bengal and erstwhile Assam. After the Hindu reformists identified

CM takes stock on the new secretariat building Contd. from Page 1

been detected in areas of mass gathering especially during the festival season, sources further added.

Durga Puja festivities begins across the state amidst devotion, fun and frolic

Contd. from Page 1

ABK East Siang gears up campaign for better preparation of Smart City Contd. from Page 1

ties in recent times, but after the arrest of Aditya Borah movements have been reduced, while instead movements have

borne and wields an array of arms, including chakra, gada, and bow and arrow in her ten hands. Meanwhile, the Puja pandals in Guwahato are being thronged by visitors from different parts of the state as well as the country.

"We are having a great time here and the Puja celebration is very nice and joyful here. We plan to visit all the important

Puja pandals here in the city," said Ranju Bannerjee, a 45 year old woman from Kolkata who has come to experience Durga puja in Guwahati along with her husband and two sons.

The immersion will be held on 23rd October and all the committees have to perform this ritual in Kasomari Ghat, Pandu, Sunsali, Phalasil, Jyotikochi and Basistha

Ghat of Brahmaputra by 10 am. All Puja Pandals have to get a No objection Letter from the Fire, PWD and electricity department to observe Durga Puja. Meanwhile, as an icing on the cake, the Kamrup metro district administration, city bus services within the city has been extended upto 2 am during the days of the Durga Puja celebrations.

Durga puja festivities kick off

Smart City Stage-II competition gets underway tional systems and capacities, self-financing and past track record and reforms and now we will be put through Stage-2 of the competition based on an elaborate criteria before

ried out. The AssamNagaland border areas, in and around Merapani in Golaghat district have witnessed Maoist activi-

tional charge of Disaster Management in addition to his already allotted portfolio of PHED and Water Sup-

ply. PWD Minister Gojen Gadi has got the additional charge of Department of Election.

Durga with India, she became an icon for the Indian independence movement. In the first quarter of the 20th century, the tradition of Baroyari or Community Puja was popularised due to this.

After independence, Durga Puja became one of the largest celebrated festivals in the whole

world. It is also the largest open Air Art Exhibition in the World. Durga puja mood starts off with the Mahishasuramardini – a two-hour radio programme that has been popular with the community since the 1950s.

While earlier it used to be conducted live, later a recorded version began to

be broadcast. Bengalis traditionally wake up at 4 in the morning on Mahalaya day to listen to the enchanting voice of the late Birendra Krishna Bhadra and the late Pankaj Kumar Mullick on All India Radio as they recite hymns from the scriptures from the Dev.

Lakhimpur DC order raises eyebrows!

Contd. from Page 1

the same order banning riding of two wheelers across the district from 4 pm in the afternoon to 5 am in the morning has raised many a eyebrows.

The order issued by Debeswar Malakar in his capacity as deputy commissioner and district magistrate states that plying of two wheelers has been banned during the specific time period. The order has been sent through press release issued by the District Infor-

mation and Public Relations Office DIPRO to the local media persons. The order has even baffled the media person of Lakhimpur. A couple of them infact, called upon Malakar to be doubly sure about the order or if there was any printing error in the release. However, much to their astonishment the deputy commissioner reiterated that indeed such an order has been issued. “Now, everybody knows that roads in the flood ravaged districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts are

never up to the mark, due to which many rely upon two wheelers, if the administration bans two wheelers that too at a time when people come out to witness the puja festivities is very much embarrassing”, a local resident said. The journalists of Lakhimpur have decided to meet the deputy commissioner on Tuesday to discuss the issue. The DC, however, informed that the order will not be applicable for security persons, magistrates on duty, media persons etc. the district so that the

festival passes off smoothly. The DC cum District Magistrate has issued prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC to maintain law and order throughout the district. Through this declaration, the plying of two wheelers is prohibited from 4 pm to 5 am during the days of the Puja.

Carrying weapons by common people is also prohibited. It is directed to keep closest notice to the abandoned bags and materials and to contact with police immediately regarding this.

Vote for 'your best' this durga puja at Tinsukia through online voting on facebook Contd. from Page 1

The organizer of this contest had come up with this idea in the year 2013 on trial basis and on the success of it had contin-

ued to motivate puja organizers and at the sa me time giving opportunity of people thronging from one pandal to the other to vote for their 'best'. Although, as not many people know about it last

year voter participation was limited upto 150 people approximately.

Contest organizers has requested puja committe to announce about viewer's choice award 2015 through online vot-

ing at their pandals for more and more people to participate. One can invite their friends to vote by going to invite options on the Viewers choice award 2015 event page.

Puja Special

PAGE 5

Jorhat Duga Puja pandals with variegated themes

Mega Durga Puja to be observed in Demow

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Bijoy Handique Jorhat, Oct 19: Maha Sasthi has been celebrated across 85 pandals in the city with pomp and gaiety. Every committee has come up with a unique theme highlighting their respective puja pandals this year. The puja pandal at Jorhat station has been designed in the shape of Vaishno Devi Temple. Walking down the tunnel is expected to be a big thrill for the visitors, said Gautam Hazara, president of the organizing committee.

"As the Jorhat Town Station Sarbajani Durga Puja Committee steps into the 68th year, we thought of creating a temple along the lines of the Vaishno Devi Mandir. There would be a raised platform where different types of cultural programmes like bhazans will be performed throughout the evenings, while a souvenir will be released on Tuesday." Mr Hazara

added. The theme of the Thakur Bari puja mandap is a natural waterfall with water flowing naturally besides Durga Maa from the hill top symbolically washing away the polluted earth

and telling about the good days ahead. It also symbolizes the climatic changes that have taken place posing threat to Nature. The theme for the Rupohie Ali Puja Committee is a Durga

Mandir decorated using the golden colour with a fine finishing touch given to it.

The Durga Mandir at Rupohie Ali too has stepped into its 71st year, said Prabitro Singh, one of

the organizers here today.

The mandap of the JPR is being prepared along the lines of a south Indian temple, in addition to making it a pollution free zone, informed the secretary Avijit Kundu here. Meanwhile, the theme of Lichubari Durga Puja Committee would also be a replica of a south Indian temple, with full of lights and diya at its tip, while in the front a rhino being killed by poacher has been displayed. Every evening aroti competition will be held and best performer award will be awarded, informed Bumpi Sarkar. With a view to hold free, fair, eco-friendly Durga Puja the district administration has requested the puja committees and general public to cooperate with the police and volunteers and requested them to inform the police control immediately in case of any eventuality, said Solanki Vishal Basant, DC Jorhat.

Arunachal Governor No Durga Puja at Majuli Island conveys Durga Puja greetings ET Bureau Itanagar, Oct 19: The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Shri JP Rajkhowa has conveyed his heartiest greetings to the people of the State on the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, which is celebrated across the country as an autumnal festival as well.

He also prayed that the celebration of the festive occasion would strengthen the spirit of unity, brotherhood, goodwill, sacrifice and compassion in the society, for the benefit of humanity. The Governor expressed confidence and belief that the celebration of this festival would also motivate the people to do good to the community, fight the evil forces and espouse the cause of the righteous in proper perspective.

Bijoy Handique Jorhat, Oct 19: At a time when the entire nation is celebrating Durga Puja, for the Majuli islanders there is no puja but instead the island is getting ready for the ensuing rass festival and pal naam, that is going to be held for over twenty days, informed Shri Shri Pitambor Devogoswami the sattra-adhikar (head-priest) of Aunie Ati Sattra. Shri Shri Devogoswami talking to this correspondent said, "We don’t worship devdevi, we believe in naam kirton etc. As sarodio

utsav, we observe the rass and paal naam from the first week of November." On the other hand, from the day of Karti Bihu, for one month 21 akash bonti are lit at the premises of the aunie sattra. i,e. till November 18 next. Meanwhile, preparation for paal naam is underway in full swing. This year, tourists from Germany, Japan, Europe, The Phillipines are expected to attend the paal naam day, which will be organized for seven days, at the sattra here, the sattra adhikar said. In almost 65 existing

sattras, community halls, public places, namghars and in the schools, preparations are going on in full swing; sounds of khol, flute, konkho and taal are being heard from far away which is the total opposite to the beats of the big drum during durga puja, said Sanjeev Asom the secretary of Rong Cultural Gosti, Goromur (Majuli). However, the people of Majuli are seen thronging various places at Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Jorhat to see the puja, said one Kamal Dutta who was on the way to see puja to Lakhimpur.

Pictures of two different Durga Puja pandals in Duliajan. Pic - Rafique Uddin Ahmed.

Assam CM extends festival greeting

ET Correspondent Guwahati, Oct 19: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi extended festive greetings and good wishes to the people and said Durga Puja signifies triumph of truth and righteousness in the struggle of good over evil. In a statement, Gogoi said, ‘Durga Puja unites us to serve the poor and deprived and work for humanity and well-being of everybody and working towards building a just society in which peace and harmony prevails keeping in view that service to

mankind is service to God.’ The Chief MInister hoped that the spirit of Durga Puja would bring to an end violence, intolerance, hatred and atrocities on women and children. Gogoi further hoped that the festival would spread the message of peace, prosperity and goodwill among the people and wished everybody a happy Duja celebration.

The Chief Minister invoked the blessings of Goddess Durga so that he can serve the people of State with renewed zeal and vigour in the days ahead.

Jaganath Gogoi Demow, Oct 19: The Durga puja festivities seem to have cast their spell on Demow town with people now in a celebratory mood. Various puja pandals have been constructed was one having a different theme. Preparations are in full swing in more than ten puja pandals in the Demow area. All the Puja samitis are trying to grab the attention of the people. Among all puja samitis, Santipur puja samiti has been organising durga puja since 1961. This year, the president Biraj Nandi and secretary Monjit Burshuk of Santipur puja samiti would organise Diha naam and dance competition with the support of Nabajyoti Youth Club of Santipur. The puja samitis of Demow have been around for many years with Demow central market puja samiti being 19 years old with the incumbent president being Bishu Vumik and secretary Sanjoy Bazaj; Demow public playground puja samiti being 12 years

old with the incumbent president being Bharot Gogoi and secretary Kukhal Dutta; Bank of Demow river puja samiti being 9 years old with the incumbent president being Syama Agarwalla and secretary Mohan Kalita.

Meanwhile, Janata path is a new puja samiti with the incumbent president being Dibojyoti Koch and secretary Dandi Chang Kakoti.

This puja samiti celebrates Durga puja with the support of all the people in Ekarani gaon, Lakhinath Chetia Path and Janata Path. On the other hand, all tea garden people in the Demow area celebrate Durga Puja including Rajmai Tea Estate, Kongiya Tea Estate, Krishna Bihai Tea Esate, Thowra Tea Estate, Athabari Tea Estate, etc. in a joyful manner.

Bhuvan Valley tea workers yet to receive Puja bonus ET Bureau Guwahati, Oct 19: Puja bonuses have been given at all the tea estates (TE) of Barak Valley except the one in Cachar district. The management of the ailing Bhuvan Valley TE is yet to give away this year's Durga Puja bonus. The garden has been locked out since October 1.

Bhuvan Valley TE was recently in the news because of the death of three workers, all women and one newborn allegedly due to starvation and lack of medical facilities. The workers have not been getting their wages and ration for the past four weeks, while the manager left the garden unnoticed.

Industry sources said Cachar deputy commissioner M Viswanathan has called a meeting of the management and workers of Bhuvan Valley TE on Monday in his office to sort out the issue. The commercial manager of the garden Ramesh Chand Tiwari on Sunday arrived

at Silchar from Kolkata to attend the meeting. "We are hopeful that steps will be taken to reopen the garden immediately and festival bonuses disbursed.

We are looking forward to the meeting with a lot of hope," said Intuc-affiliated Barak Cha Shramik Union assistant general secretary Dinanath Baroi. Sources said the about 1,000 workers (500 permanent and 500 casual) of Bhuvan Valley TE were all going through a hand-to-mouth time.

There are no signs of festivity in the garden. The three districts of Barak Valley - Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi - have 104 tea estates. Apart from Bhuvan Valley, the disbursement of Puja bonuses has been peaceful.

The rate of bonus ranges from 14 to 20 per cent. A number of gardens such as Dewan TE, Pallorbund TE, Koomber TE, Kumbhirgram TE, Kalain TE etc have given their workers bonuses at the rate of 20 per cent this year.

However, some of the gardens have given this year's bonus at one per cent less than the previous year, sources said.

Meanwhile, the Assam government has already paid this year's Durga Puja bonus to workers of 15 tea gardens owned by the state-run Assam Tea Corporation (ATC) at a rate of 20 per cent, in spite of the fact that none of the gardens are profit-making.

The ATC-run gardens in Barak Valley are Bidyanagar TE, Isabheel TE and Longai TE and are all located in Karimganj district.

However, Bharatiyo Cha Karmachari Union, Barak Valley branch, alleged that employees of at least four tea gardens in this valley Arcuttipore, Cragpark, Kalaincherra and Bhuvan Valley - are yet to get their puja bonuses.

On Sunday,the employees of Kalaincherra TE observed a pen down strike in protest against bonuses not being paid.

Puja revellers get into festive spirit ET Correspondent Guwahati, Oct 19: The more than 400 puja committees in the city are getting ready for the annual Durga Puja festivities with 'Budhon', or the ceremony surrounding the awakening of the Goddess, on Sunday, the eve of 'Sashti'. However, the Goddess's descend to Earth on a horse and her departure in a palanquin have been deemed inauspicious for the world, according to the Hindu almanac. Every year, the goddess changes her mode of transportation while descending on Earth and while leaving it as well. The mode of transportations accord-

ing to the Hindu almanac foretell what the world will witness and can either be auspicious or not.

"The horse is a symbol of war. In ancient times, kings used to mount on horses to go to battlefields and fought till death. So, Durga's descend on a horse foretells difficult times. According to the Hindu almanac, when the goddess mounts a horse to descend to Earth, a large number of people die and the world becomes a battlefield," said Tarun Sarma, one of the priests at the 126-year-old Uzanbazzar Barowari Puja Mandap Samity.

"The palanquin may appear to be a positive thing in the human world as brides go to their husbands' homes in it. But the goddess uses it to take everything from the world. It is an inauspicious mode of transport and bad news for human beings," he added. With the horse as the mode of transportation for descending to Earth portends gloom, soothsayers in the almanac have foretold that the world

may witness a bloody war in the days ahead. But Puja revelers in the city have not been influenced by the gloomy predictions in the almanac. Their festive spirit remains intact.

Most of the city's arterial roads remained clogged for hours throughout the day on Sunday. Towards the evening, the neon signage and electrical lights display from the brightly lit puja mandaps flared up the crisp autumn

evening sky. The positive energy of puja revelers was in direct contrast to gloomy predictions.

"These are traditional beliefs. We are quite fed up with such fables. We don't care about them at all. While on the one hand we cannot ignore what is going in the world, the Pujas come once a year, so why lose sleep over the ominous predictions?" asked Snegdha Sarma, a college graduate.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Ink attack on Engineer Rashid in Delhi New Delhi, Oct 19: Ink was thrown at Jammu and Kashmir MLA Engineer Rashid outside the Press Club of India here on Monday. The perpetrators have not been indentified yet. He was swiftly escorted to safety while the police took away the ink thrower. Rashid was recently beaten up by the BJP MLAs inside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for allegedly hosting a beef party. This comes close to the incident of ink being thrown at former BJP aide Sudheendra Kulkarni in Mumbai before a book launch of former Pakistani minister. The protestors, who threw the ink, were shouting that Engineer Rashid has insulted cow, considered to be mother. (ANI)

BJP rebukes Shiv Sena for BCCI protest

New Delhi, Oct19: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday admonished the Shiv Sena for attacking the BCCI headquarters and stalling talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), saying that they need to practice restraint and avoid intolerance. "The way there is a rise in the cases of intolerance, the Shiv Sena must avoid doing this. They should show some tolerance," Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy told ANI here.

Minister of State for Minor-

ity Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also condemned the agitation saying that despite the right to protest as mentioned in the Constitution, it should be done in a peaceful manner. The Shiv Sena was slammed across the nation for serving as an impediment in the BCCI-PCB talks. The talks, however, will continue tomorrow and the venue has been shifted to the national capital. The Shiv Sena showed no signs of regret for disrupting the talks and said that the protest had been done in patriotic fervor while asserting that they will not stop protesting against Pakistan. The Shiv Sainiks had earlier stormed into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office to protest against the meeting with the Pakistan Cricket board to discuss the India-Pakistan bilateral series slated for December. (ANI)

Eritrean Mistaken for Gunman Killed in Israeli Bus Station Attack Jerusalem, Oct 19: An Eritrean migrant, shot by a security guard and kicked by an angry Israeli crowd that mistook him for a gunman, was identified today as one of the dead from an attack on a bus station in the southern city of Beersheba.

The Eritrean agricultural worker was named by his employer as Mila Abtum. In what some Israeli media described as a lynching, captured on amateur video on Sunday, the attack on Abtum underscored a mounting sense of panic and anger over a wave of Palestinian attacks that shows no sign of abating.

The violence over the past two weeks has killed 41 Palestinians, including assailants and demonstrators at anti-Israeli protests, eight Israelis and now one Eritrean. It was set off in part

by Palestinians' anger over

what they see as increased Jewish encroachment on Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque complex. US Secretary of State John Kerry, due to hold separate meetings this week with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, said on Monday it was vital they clarify the status around the compound, also revered by Jews as the location of two destroyed biblical temples.

"I don't have specific expectations except to try to move things forward, and that will depend on the conversations themselves," Kerry told reporters in Madrid.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he seeks no change to the decades-old status quo in which Israel bans Jewish prayer at the al-Aqsa site in the walled Old City of East Jerusalem, captured along with the West Bank in a 1967 war. (Agencies)

Egypt Enters Second Day of 'Election Without Voters' Cairo, Oct 19: Egyptians appeared to be shunning the ballot box for a second day today in what one newspaper called "an election without voters", highlighting growing disillusionment since the army seized power in 2013 and promised to restore democracy. Voting got off to a slow start, a day after polling stations visited by Reuters correspondents pointed to a turnout of around 10 percent in sharp contrast to the long lines and enthusiasm in the 2012 election. Younger Egyptians who make up the majority of the population were virtually absent, with many people dismissing it as a sham or expressing doubt that new lawmakers

would change anything.

Coming a day after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Egyptians to cast their ballots, the low turnout suggested the former general, who once enjoyed cult-like adulation, was losing some of his appeal. In 2013, then-army chief Sisi overthrew Egypt's first freely-elected president, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, and promised a "roadmap to democracy". He then launched the fiercest crackdown on dissent in Egypt's modern history, jailing thousands of Mursi's supporters as well as activists at the forefront of the 2011 revolt. Last year's presidential election was extended for a third day in order to boost turnout,

An Egyptian woman at a polling centre with pro-government media pushing Egyptians to show up. Sisi won 97 percent of

Prime Minister Modi to put his moratorium on these organizations like Shiv Sena," RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha told ANI here. " Everyone wants India should not compromise but there is decorum. Shiv Sena is reducing India's level," he added. Following Shiv Sena's protest at the BCCI Headquarters, the discussion over reviving cricket

Mumbai, Oct 19: The Mumbai police on Monday arrested ten Shiv Sena workers, who had stormed into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office to protest against Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shahryar Khan's visit to the city. The police registered case against them under Section 141, 143, 149 of IPC and 37(1)/135 of Bombay Police Act. The meeting, which was cancelled in view of the protest at the BCCI headquarters for the proposed bilateral series, has been rescheduled in New Delhi for Tuesday. IPL Chairman and senior Board functionary Rajiv Shukla said, the talks have not been called off adding that Manohar and Khan will speak to each other in evening today and tomor-

of interest in the polls. Analysts say Sisi may try to spin the apathy to his

extended till Oct.31 Kolkata, Oct 19: The judicial custody of all the three accused in the high profile Sheena Bora murder case has been extended till October 31. The judicial custody of Indrani Mukherjea, the prime accused in the murder case, her former husband Sanjiv Khanna and driver Shyam Rai has been extended. Earlier toShiv Sena members charging BCCI Chief Shashank Manohar on Tuesday row they are coming to Delhi for another round of talks. Manohar had invited Mr. Khan for talks on the much-awaited series scheduled in December. Khan and PCB's executive committee

head Najam Sethi are in the city for the meeting after discussing the planned series with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur earlier on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai. (ANI)

Middle East Set to Become World Leader in Internet Devices Dubai, Oct 19: The Middle East is set to become the world leader in devices and consumer products connected to the Internet and expected to generate a revenue of USD 270 billion this year, according to a new research.

"Middle East organisations are ideally placed to become leaders in Internet of Everything innovation. The Middle East and Africa is set to post the world's second-fastest growing ICT market in 2015, reaching USD 270 billion," according to International Data Corporation, a market research, analysis and advisory firm. Internet of Everything is a broad term that refers to devices and consumer products connected to the Internet and

outfitted with expanded digital features. "Longer-term, the Middle East's IT market is set to grow by 23 per cent, from USD 204 billion in 2014 to USD 252 billion in 2019, according to Gartner, an American information technology research and advisory firm."

"Middle East is also engaging in digital transformations with application of Internet of Things in drones, robotics, and 3D printing that can transform the region's business."

"More than ever, Middle East businesses are engaging in digital transformations, as the Internet of Things is no longer a theory, but is impacting our daily lives and business practices," said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice

President, Dubai World Trade Centre. The 35th edition of GITEX Technology Week - the leading Information and communications technology (ICT) event in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia opened yesterday, featuring the latest in innovative IoT solutions, especially in drones, robotics, and 3D printing that can transform the region's businesses. In tandem with the Year of Innovation, the GTX Horizons Zone will showcase leading edge demonstrations of next generation disruptive technologies across 3D printing, autonomous vehicles, drones and robotics. (Agencies)

ties between the two nations has been cancelled.

The Shiv Sainiks had earlier stormed into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office to protest against the meeting with the Pakistan Cricket board to discuss the India-Pakistan bilateral series slated for December. The Shiv Sainiks charged into the office chanting 'vande

matram' and slogans against PCB chief Shahryar Khan. They cornered BCCI president Shashank Manohar and protested saying they will not allow any cricket ties with Pakistan. The BJP ally had earlier attacked Sudheendra Kulkarni, who heads the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Mumbai division, ahead of

a book launch of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

Earlier this month, Pakistani Ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali concert was also cancelled in Mumbai and Pune after Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt it.

Following threats from Sena, the organisers had cancelled the concert.

(ANI)

Hardik slapped with sedition charge over 'provocative remarks' Surat, Oct 19: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel has been booked with sedition charges over his provocative remarks where he had asked his supporters to kill policemen rather than commit suicide for the cause of reservation. "An FIR has been registered under Section 124 (A), 153 A, 505 (2), 506 against Hardik Patel. On October 3, he had

votes. This time, even Egypt's largely loyalist press focused on the lack

favour by arguing that Egyptians place far more faith in the presidency. "An election without voters," said a front page headline in the business daily Al-Mal. "Elections without queues," read a headline in Al Shorouk. Even the progovernment Al Ahram zeroed in on the absence of young people at the ballot box. In an apparent attempt to encourage voting, public sector workers will receive a half day holiday today. "We don't know anything about these candidates so I'm not going to give my vote to someone who doesn't deserve it," Michael Bassili, 19, from Alexandria.

"As youth we're trying to fix the country and we'll work to do this...but these guys are just interested in money and themselves." (Agencies)

10 Shiv Sainiks held Sheena Bora case: Judicial over BCCI attack custody of all accused

Ensure India's image doesn't sink lower: RJD to PM Patna, Oct 19: In the wake of Shiv Sena's protest at the BCCI Headquarters, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done enough lower the image of India in the past and must ensure it does not sink any further. "Shiv Sena is a goon like structure that can destruct the peaceful environment. It is a time for

PAGE 6

said something during the coverage of TV 9 which is very provocative. He has provoked to kill the policemen and commented in provocative manner. An offence has been registered and investigation has been started, Surat Commissioner Rakesh Asthana told ANI. "The Crime Branch is investigating the case and Patel is already under custody of Rajkot Police,"

he added. Earlier this month, Hardik had spoken to a Patel youth who had threatened suicide in a letter to the police if his demands were not met and allegedly told him, "If you have so much in you, kill 2-5 policemen but no Patel will die now." However, later in the day, Hardik clarified that he meant no harm. The Rajkot police had yesterday detained Hardik and his

aides near the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) stadium, which was the venue of the third one-day international between India and South Africa, where he had threatened to stage a protest. Following his detention, Patidar members torched a state transport bus near Morbi town and briefly blocked some highways at several places in Surat, North Gujarat and Rajkot. (ANI)

day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided nine places across the country, including three places in Mumbai, one each in Goa Guwahati and Chindwara, and two in Kolkata. The CBI team also raided the Guwahati residence of Indrani Mukherjea. The CBI had earlier moved an applica-

tion before a magistrate court seeking permission to interrogate all the three accused in the case. Indrani Mukherjea and two other accused were arrested in the August end in connection with the murder of Sheena Bora and disposing of her body in a forest in Raigad district in April 2012. (ANI)

Australian harassed: Will look into matter seriously, says DCP Bengaluru, Oct 19: Bengaluru police on Monday said that they will be taking into serious consideration the case of an Australian national allegedly harassed by a group of people over sporting a tattoo of a Hindu goddess, and will take necessary actions based on the progress of the inquiry. "It was brought to our notice that a foreign national was abused and harassed. A foreign national was having lunch in a hotel.

Other people sitting in the hotel objected to a tattoo of a goddess on his shin.

There was some kind of argument. As alleged by the

foreign national, if there was any abuse or harassment by the accused or even by the local police, Bengaluru city police will take the matter very seriously," Deputy Commissioner of Police(Central) Sandeep Patil told the media here. "A senior rank officer has been appointed to conduct an inquiry. Based on the inquiry we will take necessary action," he added. A group of people harassed an Australian couple at a restaurant here on Saturday, for sporting the tattoo of Hindu goddess on his shin. According to reports, the local police not only detained them but

also forced the man to apologise to the group for 'hurting their religious sentiments.' Meanwhile, the accused, Ramesh defending himself said that he had asked the foreign national to apologise as the tattoo on the young man's leg, hurts their religious sentiments."We tried to ask him to cover the tattoo and wear full sleeves pant. Since navratra is going on I asked him to cover the tattoo as some people may harm him.

We called the police after the argument. He abused us in English. We asked them to apologize," accused Ramesh told the media."(ANI)

Philippine Storm Weakens After Killing at Least 9, Leaving Thousands Stranded STA. ROSA, (Philippines), Oct 19: A typhoon swept across the northern Philippines killing at least nine people as trees, power lines and walls were toppled and flood waters spread far from riverbeds, but tens of thousands of people were evacuated in time. Officials fear the death toll may rise after Typhoon Koppu tore through the main island of Luzon on Sunday leaving several remote towns and villages isolated due to flash floods and toppled trees and boulders blocking roads. Power was down in many areas. The storm, downgraded to a category 1 typhoon from category 4, was moving slowly north today and was forecast to weaken to a tropical storm within hours. "We haven't reached many areas. About 60 to 70 percent of our town is flooded, some as deep as 10 feet (3 metres). There are about 20,000 residents in isolated areas that need food and water," said Henry Velarde, vice mayor of Jaen town in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila. The

File photo of Typhoon Koppo national disaster agency said two people died from falling trees and a toppled concrete wall. The coast guard said seven people died at sea. Villages far from rivers in Nueva Ecija were flooded as water from the mountains came rushing down plains and valleys.

"We were not expecting this. Flood waters suddenly swelled around us so we evacuated to higher ground," said Reynato Simbulan, 44, a village councillor who was among hundreds who fled to

schools and village halls in Sta. Rosa town in Nueva Ecija.

"We're seven kilometres away from the river but we were still inundated," Simbulan said adding five-foot floods swept away farm animals and some houses made of light materials. Nearly 183,000 people felt the impact of the typhoon, of whom more than 65,000 had been evacuated from low-lying and landslide-prone areas, the disaster agency said.

About 6,000 people were stranded in various ports across the main Luzon island.

(Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

President Sang urges VFF to promote unity Hanoi, Oct 19: The Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF) needs to focus on strengthening its organisational system and staff, and expanding movements, thus promoting the strength of the nation's unity to fulfill the country's development targets, said President Truong Tan Sang on Saturday. Addressing a conference in Ha Noi to honour 260 outstanding VFF chapter presidents in communes, wards and towns from 2010 to 2015, the State leader affirmed the Party, State and people always highly appreciated the role played by the VFF in national construction and defence. He praised the delegates for their service to the front, saying that with their tireless efforts, they contributed to national construction and defence, preserving and upholding the nation's cultural identity, protecting the environment, building strong political systems, promoting democracy, and improving the spiritual and material lives of the people. He said authorities needed to create favourable conditions for and work closely with the VFF to solve difficulties and meet the people's aspirations. He expressed his hope that the delegates' outstanding examples would be broadcast nationwide, and patriotic movements would become stronger in communities, becoming crucial motivation for implementing the nation's goals. While launching emulation movements within the VFF, VFF Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan underlined the importance of VFF presidents at the commune, ward and town levels, asking the VFF and its chapters to improve the efficiency of their activities.

The VFF committees and their presidents should concentrate on strengthening the nation's unity and diversifying approaches to match the reality in each locality, he said. (Agencies)

NEIGHBOURS

VDP member India visit clears air of killed mistrust: Nepal Dy PM Thapa

Dhaka, Oct 19: A Village Defence Party (VDP) member was killed when a patrol team of joint forces locked in a clash with a terrorist group and exchanged fire in Seprupara area in the deep forest of Roma in Bandarban yesterday. An army man and an Ansar member were also injured in the gunfight that began around 12:00noon, a press release of the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said. The joint forces members were patrolling as part of their ongoing antiterrorist operation. The criminals retreated in the face of the joint forces action, the ISPR said, adding that it had no immediate information about the casualty of the terrorist group. The dead is Meng Pong Mro, 42, said Sayeed Tarikul Hasan, superintendent of Rangamati police. The injured army member was rushed to the Combined Military Hospital (CMCH) in Chittagong by helicopter, he told The Daily Star. The ISPR release said the joint forces would continue their operation in the Bandarban region. (agencies)

New Delhi, Oct 19: The Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, said that his visit to India was successful in clearing the mistrust between the two nations. "Well. I am quite optimistic. I think this visit has been able to clear the air of mistrust and misunderstanding and it has also prepared the ground for further strengthening of bilateral ties," he told ANI. In the wake of

Colombo, Oct 19: Sri Lanka says the country is facing one of the worst financial crisis ever since a big part of the island nation's revenue is spent on servicing the excessive Chinese loans with high interest rates borrowed by the previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"Chinese loans are a big part of our problem. A bulk of the government expenditure goes into servicing them," Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in an exclusive interview. The Minister urged China to put their disputes behind them and help the country through one of its worst financial crises ever by adjusting the rates of the loans. "I urge China to put the acrimony of the past behind us and come and help us by adjusting the terms of the loans to make them more viable. We are

serious about putting our relationship on the right path and mending the pathetic finances we have inherited from a corrupt regime," Karunanayake said.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since Rajapaksa was defeated in January and the new government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has suspended several Chinese mega infrastructure projects including US$ 1.4 billion Colombo Port City Project alleging corruption. Beijing this month rushed a special envoy, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Zhenmin, to engage with the government to bring the bilateral relations to a higher level.

During meetings with the Sri Lankan government leaders, the envoy pledged China's support and cooperation for further strengthening

the friendly relations between the two countries.

Nearly 70 per cent of the mega infrastructure projects in the country in the last six years have been funded by China and built by Chinese companies. However, the Chinese-built infrastructure

with security personnel.

According to security officials, the militants were allegedly linked to a proscribed organisation. Security personnel have also recovered a cache of arms

and ammunition found to be in possession of the militants. "The militants were involved in acts of targeted killings and bomb explosions in the area," reported Khan Wasey. Secu-

rity forces have intensified their actions in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan after the announcement of National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country. (Agencies)

US F-16 struck by enemy fire in Afghanistan in rare attack Kabul, Oct 19: A US F-16 was struck by enemy fire in eastern Afghanistan, military officials have confirmed to the media, in a rare instance of an advanced fighter jet coming under a Taliban-claimed attack. The multi-million dollar jet sustained significant damage, forcing it to jettison its fuel tanks and munitions before returning to base, officials said.

The attack occurred last Tuesday in the Sayid Karam district of eastern Paktia province, much of which is under control of the Taliban, who have been waging an insurgency against US-led NATO forces and government troops since they were forced from power in 2001. The militant group claimed they had downed the jet in a statement

shortage of essentials in Nepal, Thapa said the Indian government has assured smooth supply of necessities. "We have requested them for the smooth flow of fuel and resume the supply line.

The leaders and officers have assured us that India will not obstruct and will help to maintaining the smooth flow supply lines." he added. While talking about the various protest by Madhesi and other ethnic groups, Thapa said that the Nepal

Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa speaking to reporters after meeting Narendra Modi on Monday.

government will soon bring the agitating parties on the table for talks.

"The government has already set up a dialogue team. PM Oli has written to the agitating political parties to come for dialogue. I think very soon we will start negotiation," he said. Thapa, during his three day state visit to India, also met the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and discussed range of issues of mutual interest including the present border blockade. (ANI)

Sri Lanka asks China to adjust terms of loans to help overcome financial crisis

Three suspected militants and two security personnel killed in Balochistan Quetta, Oct 19: Two security personnel and three suspected militants were killed on Monday in an explosion and armed clashes in Balochistan's Panjgur and Harnai districts. "Two security personnel were killed in Khost area of Harnai district," said Khan Wasey, spokesperson for Frontier Corps (FC). The FC spokesperson added that security forces were conducting a search operation in the area, when security personnel stepped on a landmine. "The security official died on the spot, while another sustained serious wounds as a result of the explosion," added the FC spokesperson. In another incident taking place in the Panjgur area of Balochistan, three suspected militants were killed in an armed clash

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posted on Twitter that evening, but when contacted for comment, the US military initially said it had no "operational reporting to support the Taliban claims". Photographs of the site obtained by AFP and seen by J. Chacko, an open-source military analyst based in London, indicated the jet had lost two "drop-tanks" -- fuel tanks used to extend flight time -- an air-to-ground missile, and two other unguided bombs. They also show masked militants posing with the hardware. When presented with the images, the US military confirmed in a statement to AFP late Saturday: "On October 13, a US F-16 encountered small arms fire in the Paktia Province in Afghanistan.

The surface to air fire impacted one of the aircraft's

stabilisers and caused damage to one of the munitions. "The pilot jettisoned two fuel tanks and three munitions before safely returning to base.

The pilot received no injuries and safely returned to base." The Taliban have shot down several military helicopters using smallarms fire, but never an F16 -- an advanced jet capable of supersonic speeds and reaching heights of 50,000 feet, which have been deployed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the US-led military in 2001. Since the 2014 drawdown, the US Air Force has maintained one squadron of F-16s at Bagram Air Base. In April 2013, a US F-16 crashed into a mountain near Bagram while flying low in bad weather, according to

a US military investigation, and a Dutch pilot was killed when his F-16 crashed in 2006. The latest generation of the F-16 has a price tag of more than $100 million per jet according to a deal reached with the Iraqi Air Force last year, which included spare parts and a support package. Tuesday's incident underscores the risks foreign forces still face at the hands of the group as Washington extends its military presence in the country beyond 2016. "An F-16 would have to be flying very low altitude at close to minimum speed for it to receive actionable fire from small arms," an ex-military source said. "Small arms fire could reach a maxium height of around 1,500 metres (5,000 feet)," a third analyst said.

(Agencies)

facilities including the harbor and the international airport in Hambanthota, Rajapaksa's home district, are sitting idly and not generating sufficient revenues to payback the money borrowed from China for their construction. With foreign

debt shooting up since China started pouring concrete and money into Sri Lanka, economists now say the country is heading into a debt crisis. "In 2010, foreign debt was 36 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product). By the end of 2013, it was about 65 per cent, and is estimated to rise to 94 per cent this year," said Palitha Ekanayake, a former director-general at the ministry of rural economy. "Debt instalment and interest obligations already exceed government revenue. That means we have to borrow to square existing loans." The Finance Minister, who will be presenting the 2016 budget later this month, is looking for foreign direct investment (FDI) to overcome the financial crisis as the revenues are slowing and the fiscal deficit widening. "The focal point of our coming

budget will be FDI. We need foreign participation and we will give very specific incentives to encourage FDI. It's a good opportunity for Chinese companies to invest here," Karunanayake told the SCMP. China, however, has made it clear that it first wants to see an end to the impasse over its existing projects, especially the Co-

lombo Port City project, before making fresh commitments. Asked what Sri Lanka is doing to address Chinese concerns over its investments, the minister said: "We did not create the problem, we inherited it. But it has to be fixed all the same. Any country would want FDI. But in accordance with the laws of the land." (Agencies)

Relations between the two countries have been strained since Rajapaksa was defeated in January and the new government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has suspended several Chinese mega infrastructure projects including US$ 1.4 billion Colombo Port City Project alleging corruption.

Beijing this month rushed a special envoy, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Zhenmin, to engage with the government to bring the bilateral relations to a higher level.

Minimum marriage age for girls in Bangladesh to remain 18 Dhaka, Oct 19: The government is mulling over ways to deal with the issue of marriage of girls aged between 16 and 18 in special cases such as elopement and unwanted pregnancy, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki said yesterday. Not allowing registration of marriage under such special circumstances would make a girl's future uncertain, she said at a discussion, organised jointly by Manusher Jonno Foundation and We Can, an alliance of civil society and organisations to end domestic violence, at The Daily Star Centre in the capital. The state minister, however, reassured that the minimum age of marriage for girls would remain 18 in the upcoming Child Marriage Restraint Act, and the government wouldn't enact any law that would have a negative impact on the lives of women. Too much debate on the issue made general people think that the minimum age of marriage for girls would be 16 under the new law, she said at the discussion titled "Child Marriage: Review of the Situation". "I request you not to say this even once. It [the minimum age] was 18 years and it will remain 18," she said.

Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), observed that laws are not enacted to accommodate exceptions. She pointed out that the Children Act 2013 defined all Bangladeshis aged below 18 as children. "There-

Meher Afroze Chumki, state minister for women and children affairs, addresses a discussion, titled "Child Marriage: Review of Situation", organised jointly by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and We Can at The Daily Star Centre in the capital yesterday. MJF Executive Director Shaheen Anam, on her right, and We Can Chairperson Sultana Kamal, on her left, were among other discussants. fore, marriage of anyone below the age of 18 would be a child marriage." Referring to Section 18(4) of the 2014 draft of the upcoming law, which states boys aged above 18 and girls above 16 can marry with the consent of parents and court, human rights activist Sultana Kamal said, "We humbly request the government not to keep any such sub-clause in this law." Though law alone cannot stop a crime or practice, it provides a protection against such

incidents, said Sultana Kamal, also chairperson of We Can. Abul Hossain, project director of Multi-Sectoral Programme on Violence Against Women, said a government survey found that besides Imams and Kazis (marriage registrars), other people conduct marriages in the country. "They are mostly Madrasa teachers." The government plans to run an awareness campaign for these groups of people for preventing child marriage, said the head of the project under the

women and children affairs ministry. In reply to a query from Argentina P Metavel, country representative of the United Nations Population Fund, on the status of National Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, he said the plan would be finalised this year no matter whether the proposed law is passed or not. UNFPA Country Representative Metavel said child marriage cannot be a way to protect girls from sexual harassment, as many parents often reason. (Agencies)

Early Voting Problems in Myanmar Election Bangkok, Oct 19: Myanmar Embassy officials in Singapore have extended early voting there through at least Wednesday amid criticism of alleged voting manipulation at Myanmar embassies in various countries. Officials on Sunday had told potential voters in Singapore - some camping overnight on sidewalks that only the first 3,000 in line would be able to cast

ballots. Some 20,000 Myanmar nationals in Singapore had requested to vote in advance of their country's November 8 general election. Myanmar embassies in various countries, including Singapore and Thailand, have faced a backlash of angry voters complaining about delays and being denied the right to cast ballots. Thailand is home to an estimated several

million Myanmar citizens but less than 700 were deemed eligible to cast ballots - and a number of those faced difficulties when they actually went to the embassy in Bangkok to vote. "Embassy officials said there are no ballot papers from constituency in Ton Tay township," explained Aung Myo Kyaw, a migrant worker in Thailand. "I couldn't complain at all. They stopped me. I'm

an eligible voter on the early voter list but I'm not allowed to vote." Nwe Nwe Win, an engineer training in Bangkok, said she was also on the early voting list but was not allowed to cast ballots. "I'm very unsatisfied with the results today," she told VOA. Similar complaints were listed on social media by early voters who went to embassies in Canberra, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington. (Agencies)

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China-US Climate Change Cooperation: Beyond Energy Reservation for women Karnataka raises reservation for women Whatever the form and shape of the women's reservation law is, we cannot overlook the tragedy inherent in the fact that 67 years after Independence, women need to seek the quota route to entry in politics. This acquires more poignancy because, when the Constitution was coming into force, most prominent women leaders refused to accept the principle of reservation as a route to political power. They did so in the belief that as in the Mahatma Gandhi-led freedom movement, they would be able to carve out a respectable space for themselves without being offered crutches. While in post-Independence India women have been successful in entering all other professions on the basis of merit, politics is one field where they have remained marginalised. This is because a polity where money and muscle power dominates doesn't make space even for honest men, and is therefore intrinsically hostile to women as a group.

Only those who can outperform or gang up with men in crime and corruption are likely to survive in the existing scheme of things. Modi understands better than anyone else that radical governance and electoral reforms are needed to cleanse our politics of crime and corruption. That alone will make politics women-friendly. The Karnataka state government has made an important announcement that will benefit women. It has now increased the reservation of government jobs for women from 30 to 33%.

Of the 5.56 lakh government employees in the State, 1.60 lakh are women.The government order to this effect issued on September 11, was gazetted on September 14. The Karnataka Civil Services Rules, 1978 have been amended to increase the job quota for women. Prior to that, the government had invited suggestions and objections from the public and given 15 days time. A leading daily reports that this quota is across all departments except for services like energy and the police. Thus, one in every three jobs in the government will be given to a woman. The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah said that this is a move necessary to empower women.

Though the increase is 3%, in all likelihood it will translate to about a 10% increase said Congress MLA Malikayya Guttedar. According to him, this is because many posts are still not filled by woman to reach the 30% already set aside for them. Since the state government has made the reservation a mandatory 33%, they will fill the vacant seats well now.

In the education and health departments, there will be an increase in the reservation quota for women. It will now be upto 50% he told the daily. 28000 school teachers will now be hired for the state. In the police force, the quota for women has been increased from 10% to 20% for the ongoing recruitments. Gujarat too made a similar revision in women's job quota in October 2014 but however there is no reservation for women in central government jobs.

Internet Blocked in Garo Hills A helpful means against any anti-scoial elements At a time when the whole of world is totally dependent on internet, be it for educational purpose or any other purpose. In order to check the flow of information prior to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) polls, the Meghalaya State Government has allegedly influenced the internet providers to block the connections for 24 hours and thus thereby affecting the people who were depending on cell phones and other devices including computers, laptops, tablets and ipads in the entire Garo Hills region. The police were earlier keeping a watch on the posts in the social networking sites which heavily depended on internet service. The fear of the police was that the social networking sites can be used by anti national elements to influence the people to abstain from voting at a time when the mainstream media is barred from publishing news related to bandh and agitation.

A few residents from Tura said the move of the Government to resort to censorship by blocking the internet brought to mind the days of Emergency when Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was in power.

But despite criticism from several quarters for blocking the internet in the entire Garo Hills, the administration had justified the reason behind blockage of internet. The only intention of the Government was to ensure that the protestors of the polls including pressure groups and the militants do not use internet which is available even in mobiles to send messages through social networking sites to prevent people from voting. From 8 pm on Sunday to 9 pm on the day of poll, the Government blocked the internet to prevent inflammatory messages in view of GHADC elections.

However, the action of the home department had faced criticism with several Garo Hills residents questioning the blanket ban on internet for 24 hours. Media houses, banking sectors and other business establishments which depended on internet were badly affected by due ban on internet for a day. It was later disclosed in front of all that the action of internet blockage was based on reports from the intelligence agencies that transmission of certain information which is misleading or unconstitutional on the eve of elections will create panic which would not be healthy in the interest of all. And it seems that the end justifies the means.

It was a conscious decision based on reports and if there is a conspiracy to do something by vested interests during elections, there is anxiety on our part.

Now the question arises that will our government be able to take such a bold step in the coming election so as to put an eye on any kind of anti-social activity happening during the time of poll. One can never deny the fact that internet is an necessary evil for people living in the 21st century.

The two countries need to think beyond the energy sector in their joint efforts to tackle climate change.

Zhang Hongzhou The Paris Summit in December 2015 is being seen as the "last chance" to save the world from the worst ravages of climate change, yet whether the international community can reach a new climate change agreement remains to be seen. The United States and China, the two biggest economies and largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world, hold the key to the success of not only the Paris Summit but also longterm global efforts to combat climate change.

Thankfully, unlike most aspects of SinoU.S. relations where tensions are rising, bilateral cooperation on climate change has made remarkable progress, highlighted by the historic climate change agreement signed by the two countries in November 2014. During Xi Jinping's first state visit to the United States last month, the two sides announced a new set of policies to combat climate change, including a national cap-and-trade program in China and a $3 billion fund from China to help developing countries curb global warming.

Energy Cooperation: The Key Success Factor The remarkable success in Sino-U.S. climate change cooperation can be attributed to a wide arrange of factors, including growing domestic pressures, stable and flourishing non-official exchanges, and a change of attitude towards some of the key climate issues, to name but a few. Nonetheless, the solid foundation which has been laid on bilateral energy cooperation, clean energy in particular, is the key driving factor. However, relying on the energy sector alone is risky, and efforts in the energy sector might not be sufficient to sustain Sino-US climate change cooperation and curb global warming.

The two countries' commitment on clean energy should not be taken for granted. In the U.S., the Obama administration certainly has put curbing fossil fuels top

of its policy agenda and has made very real efforts to enact policies and regulations to achieve these goals.

However, whether those measures can survive political opposition remains uncertain. The 2016 presidential election could be a critical moment in the trajectory of U.S. climate policy.

Moreover, the shale gas revolution not only enables the U.S. to achieve energy self-sufficiency, it may also make America the world's top exporter of fossil energies. This means energy security concerns might no longer be the top policy issue for the United States, which could then weaken the government's commitment towards developing clean energies.

In the case of China, the current economic slowdown, if it persists, could force the country to rethink its ambitious plans for carbon emission reduction. For years, the bottom line for China on climate change mitigation has been to strike a balance between economic development and climate concerns.

While in recent years, amid rapidly worsening pollution, China has been more willing to take decisive action such as breaking away from cheap coal and closing down energy intensive factories to curb domestic greenhouse gas emission at the expense of

economic growth. However, it does not mean that climate change concerns will prevail over economic development.

With hundreds of millions of people still living in poverty and percapita incomes lagging far behind those of the developed countries, China's development needs are immense and the government's top priority is to maintain stable growth. Therefore, if the economic situation in China worsens, it will be no surprise if the Chinese government retreats from efforts to curb emissions in favor of stabilizing economic growth.

Agriculture and Food Systems In seeking potential areas to expand Sino-U.S. climate change cooperation, agriculture offers great potential. For starters, agriculture is both a major contributor to and victim of climate change. On the one hand, while the exact contribution of the agricultural and related sectors to total greenhouse gas emission remains debatable, studies show that emissions generated by agricultural and related sector activities could be much higher than the public perceives: The overall food system could contribute 25-50 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, reducing agriculture's GHG emission should be cen-

tral to limiting climate change. On the other hand, agricultural production and the food system are highly vulnerable to climate change.

Certainly, global warming is not uniformly problematic - it could lead to improved productivity in certain tropical regions and extend the cropping period or allow multiple harvests in temperate zones. For the world as whole, however, climate change poses a dire threat to agricultural production and global food security, an assertion widely supported by findings from numerous studies. Climate change will trigger or exacerbate global food insecurity, which might eventually lead to hunger, famine, social unrest, the rise of terrorism, and refugees. Next, as the biggest agricultural producers and traders, the U.S. and China are also among the world's top agricultural emitters. This highlights the critical role the two countries have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the farm sector. Moreover, unlike Canada and Russia, where agriculture may well benefit from global warming, the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sectors of both China and the United States are negative. Extreme weather brings uncertainty to future food production and threatens food security.

China and United States are already deeply locked in the food-climate nexus, given their strong agricultural ties.

Those close ties bring both opportunities and challenges to the efforts of the two countries to deal with climate change. On the one hand, given that China's farm sector is heavily reliant on fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemical inputs and is dominated small household farming, importing soybeans, corn, and other agricultural products from the United States, apart from contributing to China's food security, allows China to implement its afforestation and land restoration plans, which are important steps in reducing greenhouse emissions in China. On the other hand, close agricultural ties also mean that the climate impacts in one country will have repercussions for the other. To take a somewhat more obscure agricultural product, alfalfa, as an example, the United States, the largest alfalfa producer in the world, accounted for nearly 95 percent of China's total alfalfa imports in 2012.

As alfalfa requires substantial volumes of water, the Sino-U.S. alfalfa trade has come in for criticism amid a historic drought in Californian the largest alfalfa producing region in the United States.

The potential climate impact of the evolving Sino-U.S. agricultural ties would not be limited to those two countries alone; rather, the whole word could be affected. The United States has long been the biggest supplier of agricultural products to China. Increasingly, however, there are concerns in China that an over reliance on U.S. for food will jeopardize China's food security and even its national security. Thus, China has been pursuing a diversification strategy. This is especially the case with soybeans. In the late 1990s, China imported more than 80 percent of its soybeans from the United States; now, it is importing more soybeans from Latin American countries, particularly Brazil and Argentina. In 2014, the U.S. share of China's total soybean imports declined to about 40 percent. While diversifying imports away from the U.S. is beneficial to China's food security, it has negative repercussions for global climate change mitigation because China's soaring soybean imports from Latin America are contributing to deforestation in the Amazon, considered to be the biggest carbon sink in the world. As deforestation progresses, it releases carbon, with a direct impact on the entire world, helping to drive climate change. The U.S. and China should prioritize agricultural and food security in their bilateral efforts to combat climate change. The two countries could play a major role in shifting agriculture from being part of the problem to being part of the solution to climate change, by expanding bilateral agricultural trade and investment cooperation, stepping up efforts in agricultural research and technology, and strengthening global food systems.

Zhang Hongzhou is an Associate Research Fellow with the China Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Garbage disposed daily gienic manner. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may want a "Swachh Bharat" (clean India) by 2019, but sweeping the streets does not address the enormity of India's real garbage challenge. Hence, people in India as well as local municipal bodies should change their casual attitude towards waste management.

Yours etc Priyanka Dutta Dibrugarh

As a result we have to face a lot of trouble. At night the whole area jumps into total darkness and our electronic media turns out of order. Patients really suffer due to absence of electricity.

Many times we have already given complaints to our local authority. They are always giving us empty promises and doing nothing. So these kinds of problems needs to be tackle at the earliest Yours etc Neha Gogoi Tinsukia

Irregular electric supply Sir, India generates about 60 million tonnes of trash every year. Ten million tonnes of garbage is generated in just the metropolitan cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata.

Urban India is now the world's third-largest garbage generator. However, it's not the amount of waste generated that's as much of an issue as the fact that more than 45 million tonnes, or 3 million trucks worth, of garbage is untreated and disposed of by municipal authorities everyday in an unhy-

With a total of hundred families residing in our locality, the severe problem of growing instances of power failure for the last three months in our locality is creating a great difficulty. In our locality there are many students who are preparing for their upcoming semester exams as well as for other final examinations. But, this irregularity in electric supply is causing obstacles in their preparation. This year the summer is extremely hot so the old people facing it very difficult to tackle the problem. The problems of current supply also lead to some other illegal activities in our locality.

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

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

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At arm's length: What selfies say about our society Marisha Karwa What do macaque monkey Naruto, NaMo and Kim Kardashian have in common? They're all part of the selfie brigade (Yes the monkey too - in fact, PETA has sued wildlife photographer David Slater to ensure Naruto gets the copyright for his selfie shot on a camera that Slater had set up in 2011. More on that later).

The penchant for the self-portrait has become so ubiquitous that there is hardly a verb left in the dictionary that has not been archived as a selfie.

For selfie lovers, every event, however significant or ordinary, transforms into a backdrop for one. Wake up? Selfie.

Eat? Selfie. At work?

Selfie. On vacation?

Selfie. Spotted a squirrel? Selfie. Drink? Selfie.

Party? Selfie. Drive?

Selfie. Got into an accident? Definitely a selfie.

In hospital? Selfie. TLC from the nurse? Selfie.

TLC from your pet?

Selfie. Back home?

Selfie. Not doing anything? Selfie.

A recent study by Google found that Americans who spend more than 11 hours a day on their phones click an average of 14 selfies per day.

That's more than 400 photos in a month! No comparable data is available about the number of selfies shot by Indians.

But for the snap-shareswoon generation, clicking selfies is as de riguer as sporting bell bottoms was for the 1970s hippie generation.

"I take a selfie if I like the backdrop of a place I am at or if I'm with someone or if my pet is around. I also take selfies when I don't have access to a mirror," says Reshma D'souza, who prefers the side profile selfie. "Taking a selfie is a very personal thing... it comes naturally to me."

D'souza estimates that she clicks about 500 selfies a month. That's an average of 16 a day. "I don't take that many every day," she protests,

but one look at her photos and it is easy to tell that she derives much pleasure from photographing her self. "They are just multiple shots to see which ones turn out well. I edit the best one using different apps, such as picsart, and then upload them on Instagram, Whatsapp or on Facebook. I usually get a lot of comments," says D'souza.

Journalist Shubhankar Chakravorty, who changes his profile picture on various social media platforms once a week, says he took his first selfie five years ago at the age of 21 when he was trying out new clothes. "I take selfies for my own amusement and then share them on social media," says the Bangalore-based news agency reporter. "Reaction from others in the form of comments and likes feels good. But unlike a lot of others who delete photos that don't elicit reaction, I don't bother."

Manoj Sharma, additional professor of clinical psychology at Bangalore's National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), says that sharing moments from our lives online has taken precedence over sharing in the offline context.

"We shared aspects of our lives with our peers earlier too. But we now seek opinion from them online," says Sharma, who also founded India's first internet de-addiction centre, Service for Healthy Use of Technology, or SHUT, clinic.

Neither new, nor narcissistic Indeed, this is not a novel phenomenon. The 'selfie' is nothing but the self portrait rediscovering itself in contemporary times. The word was first used by an Australian youth who took a photo of his swollen lip after a drunken fall in 2002. The term was first hashtagged on Instagram, the single most popular platform for selfies, by Jennifer Lee, an American life coach from Oakland in

January 2011.

Two years later, in 2013, Oxford Dictionaries determined it the International Word of the Year for the "phenomenal upward trend" in its use throughout that year. It defined 'selfie' as 'a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website' - making it distinct from the self portrait in its characteristic of being shared on a massive, public scale.

Pointing out that the word was initially spelled with a -y but was later widely accepted with -ie because of Australia's affinity for 'ie'-suffixed words, Oxford Dictionaries' editorial director Judy Pearsall then noted: "...

The use of the diminutive -ie suffix is notable, as it helps to turn an essentially narcissistic enterprise into something rather more endearing."

The 'narcissistic enterprise' prism is one through which many view the selfie clicking phenomenon. "Selfies reflect consumerist narcissism," says poet, cultural theorist and curator Ranjit Hoskote. "They celebrate a sense of arrival and being there...

One tracks one's own experience and archives it. Besides, technology allows us to amplify it."

Lev Manovich, who helmed the pioneering selfiecity.net project, a theoretic, artistic and quantitative study of 3,200 Instagram selfies from five cities in 2014, counters by saying that there has been no research that links selfies with "narcissism" in academic writing. The computer science professor at City University of New York (CUNY), who has been listed among the 50 most important people of 2014 and also among the 25 people shaping the future of design, attributes "such language" to attempts by journalists to catch readers' attention.

"The selfie is a typical product of the present

day global culture," say Manovich and his research assistant, Selfiecity team member and art history candidate, Alise Tifentale. Drawing on photography historian Geoffrey Bacthen's "burning desire" concept (a human need and desire to make certain types of images that influence and inspire development of corresponding technologies), the duo state that the selfie "is a new subgenre of vernacular photography, closely related to the availability and accessibility of smartphones and internet connection, but also part of the history of photography and history of selfportraiture." In this context, they point out, the selfie phenomenon raises questions about self-representation, self-fashioning and interpersonal communication through visual means.

No semblance of time, place D'souza, of the 16selfies-a-day-average, adds credence to this when she admits to changing her look for selfies she clicks for her profile image. "Either I change my hairstyle or eye makeup or wear different earrings," says the 28-year-old and a proud selfie stick owner. "Keep clicking until you get that perfect selfie. Explore with your looks and angles too," she offers heartily. But such is the enamour of the selfie that it is critical to understand the fine line that distinguishes it from being a harmless act to being a risky, even destructive enterprise.

Several fatalities and many more injuries have been reported from around the world by those attempting the modern day self portrait.

Just last month, Japanese tourist Hideto Ueda, 66, died after a fall while taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal in Agra. In August, David González Lopez, 32, was gored to death by a bull when he attempted a selfie during the annual bull running festival in Spain's Villaseca de la Sagra.

The risk of loss and injury has prompted authorities at more than a dozen institutions and organisations to ban the selfie stick on their premises. The extension paraphernalia is now forbidden on 1,195 stations, including Osaka, on the West Japan Railway line, at Beijing's Forbidden City, at Disney theme parks across the world, at Rome's Colosseum, at Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum, at Wimbledon and at Manchester United's Old Trafford in the UK as well as at Brazil's carnivals and at soccer matches. Among the religious centres that say no to the selfie stick are the Sistine Chapel in Italy and the Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Closer home, district authorities went a step further by designating 'no-selfie zones' on the ghats of Nashik and Trimbakeshwar on certain days during the 2015 Kumbh Mela.

"We realised that taking selfies could be one of the most dangerous things that could happen at the Kumbh for its potential to snowball into a stampede," says Sandip Shinde, who along with Mahesh Gujarati, Sachin Pachokar and volunteers of innovation platform Kumbathon Ventures was instrumental in instituting the ban. "In the run up to the Kumbh, we saw people indulge in risky behaviour to take selfies... they would stand on the barricades and atop the Gandhi Jyot. In the context of a crowd of lakhs of people, such behaviour can be disastrous," says the 34year-old. On August 29, September 13 and September 18, with a collective turnout of about 117 lakh devotees for the shahi snan, the ghats and a few other areas were designated no-selfie zones.

Unlike in Nashik, where the authorities sought to regulate human behaviour, there've been many instances that have resulted in cringe-worthy images. For instance, the thumbs-up or duck-face selfies clicked at former

concentration camp sites, such as AuschwitzBirkenau, the 9/11 Memorial or the Chernobyl disaster site; funeral selfies too are deemed to be equally inappropriate.

This was amply evident when US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and then Danish prime minister Helle T h o r n i n g Schmidtsnapped a selfie on Thorning-Schmidt's phone during apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's memorial service in South Africa in December 2013. The media storm that ensued was not just over the 'worldleaders-having-a-normal-people' moment but about their gleeful smiles at a sombre event.

Stretching the limits And if comprehending funeral selfies is not bizarre enough, there's the case of animal rights group PETA slugging it out with photographer Slater over the 2011 'monkey selfie'. The controversy erupted after Naruto's selfies went viral. Wikimedia then posted the monkey's images on their website, distributing them for free, contending that non-human animals can't hold copyright. Slater, obviously, viewed this as a copyright violation, but in December 2014, the US Copyright Office stated that works created by a non-human are not

subject to US copyright.

Adding to his woes, PETA has now filed a lawsuit against Slater, saying Naruto should own the copyright to her selfies, and that all proceeds from the images be spent on macaque conservation.

In the end...

Whether it is a monkey or the Danish prime minister, it is undeniable that a self-image shared on a social platform is as good a confidence-shot as any. NIMHANS' Sharma feels that selfies are beneficial for introverts and those with anxiety issues. "In a way, selfies help them gain social acceptance. Online platforms, where they post their images, help such people open up and have interactions that they would otherwise shy away from participating in, in the real world," he says but quickly warns that while "online validation is rewarding, it should not be at the cost of the offline context".

For Manovich, Tifentale and the rest of their team, selfies and other social media images, are pools of data that can unlock the answers to an array of questions about ourselves and our environment. For one of the components of their ongoing research project Do Happy People Take Happy Images? Measuring Happiness of Cities - the team will study

selfies shared on social media in order to "develop new ways to understand the well-being of a society, and the what, when and where of a society's needs".

As vernacular and family photography, selfies have a history as long as the history of photography itself, they contend. "Over the course of this history, there have been numerous different sub-genres and types of images that become popular at a certain time and later are forgotten, pushed out by more up-to-date ones. We believe that the present-day selfies belong to this history, and it's a matter of future scholars to see how long- or short-lived this sub-genre will be."

Snapshot view More photos are now taken every two minutes than the whole of humanity took in the 1800s.

93 million selfies are taken every day, according to a 2014 Informate Mobile Survey.

Selfie sticks are passe; the selfie brush and the selfie spoon are the latest 'it' accessories. A selfie comes in many avatars: a helfie is a picture of one's hair, a belfie is a picture of one's butt, a drunken selfie is called a drelfie, a workout selfie is called a welfie and so on. Kim Kardashian, the selfie queen, posted a nude selfie to shut up rumours that she was faking her second pregnancy

Mumbai, The City Of Dreams. But Not For Migrant Workers Atharva Pandit "I came to Mumbai about three months back. My brother works here, he told me that he would find me a job. We are still trying to find one. I had one for a month, as a worker at a construction company, but then I wasn't needed. I was given 200 rupees for the month I worked.

Now I am trying to find a job. I was going to Dadar, and from there to Ghatkopar because my brother works there. He says his manager had called me. I know basic Hindi, and I don't know anything about the First Class and Second Class thing. I just got into a compartment which had less crowd. The TC caught me. He asked me whether I was new, and I told him yes. I pleaded with him, be-

cause I didn't know anything about this. He asked me to pay the fine. Where can I get the money? I am very poor, I only want to work…", says Lal Singh, a migrant worker.

He reminds me of the poet, Lal Singh Dil, who would have quickly penned a poem on his namesake. But I am no poet, and all I could do was listen. Lal Singh sits on the little, uncomfortable bench with this writer and an old man. The Ticket Checker is out, perhaps trying to score some more money for himself. Before he went, however, he told me to sit aside on a bench, because I had already paid my fine, and told the other two- both migrant workers, new to Mumbai, by the looks of it- to empty their pockets. "What-

ever you have," he bellowed, "is a fine now."

After that he lapsed into obscenities for some time, muttering about the consequences, and darted out of the small, wooden and smelly room. A wooden table,

a chair, two benches facing each other, a bunch of files and a bored constable stare back at us.

"You know what I do?

I clean dishes for a Chinese hotel, and they pay me five rupees per utensil. And then some-

times they cut my pay because I broke some glass or dropped some plate, even when I haven't. And then on Fridays I go to Dadar, where I clean the fan of an Irani kitchen. If its only the fan, he pays me ten, but if I sweep the

floor, he pays me twenty. Today I was called at 11, but I woke up late and got into the first class by mistake.

Next thing I knew that bastard was dragging me here. But not all of them are like that. I have been caught like this many times. Some are nice, sympathetic…That Irani is going to be mad at me. Last time he called me and then sent me back because he didn't need the cleaning. The rotis that his cook fries, you know, the smoke darkens his fan, and then he needs me. He calls me, nobody else. No. Just me."

Krishna Kumar is unhappy about sitting here, because he knows that it would probably stretch on for most of the day. My assumption that he is new to Mumbai is wrong- he

has been here since before I was even born.

But he has been shuttling between several other cities- Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Mount Abu, Silvassafor the past two decades, trying his luck as a coolie, as a rickshawpuller, as a dishwasher, rag-picker…the list goes on. I don't know how much of what he says is true, but he seems genuine. And he has led a colorful life, too. Now he keeps himself limited between Dadar and Vile Parle.

Lal Singh and Krishna Kumar are only two of the millions of migrant workers residing in Mumbai. In the last three years, the migrant workers residing in Mumbai have shifted more to Central Mumbai, considering the job openings there.

Living in slums and hastily made shanties-

sometimes not even that- the condition of the migrants in Mumbai is dangerous- and not just for social reasons, but also because they are more vulnerable to diseases. Out of every 1000 migrants coming into the city, 198 are from states outside Maharashtra.

But for what? The employment, evidently, is decreasing, and according to several data sources, nearly fifty percent of migrants reported unemployment and lack of opportunities, the reasons for which could be, but are not limited to, closure and self-employment.

Moreover, the laborers have to travel for work in harrowing conditions and in an unfamiliar space. Terribly crowded local trains are, therefore, the only option available.

Mumbai hasn't

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

BUSINESS

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Govt. takes measures to curb alarming 'pulse' prices ANI New Delhi, Oct 19: With the common man crying out over the alarming hike in prices of pulses, the Government on Sunday enabled imposition of stock limits on pulses sourced from imports, stocks held by exporters, stocks to be used as rawmaterials by licensed food processors and stocks of large departmental retailers.

In its earlier order extending the imposition of stock limits on pulses, edible oils and edible oil seeds, for one year up to 30.09.2016, the government had granted exemption to four categories of stocks i.e. stocks sourced from imports, held by exporters, by licensed food processors and large departmental retailers.

The Government has now withdrawn exemptions to stocks of pulses held by

To tackle hike in prices of pulses, the Government enabled imposition of stock limits on pulses sourced from imports, stocks held by exporters, stocks to be used as raw-materials by licensed food processors and stocks of large departmental retailers Several measures have also been taken for increasing the availability of pulses by banning export of pulses, extension of zero import duty on pulses and also import of 5000 tonnes of pulses from Price Stabilization Fund To increase production of pulses, the minimum support price for Urad and Arhar dal have been increased to Rs.4625 per quintal and for Moong dal to Rs.4850 per quintal Finance Minister ArunJaitley has taken major decisions like creation of a buffer stock by procurement and imports of pulses, strict action against hoarders and black marketers, bearing transportation, handling and milling charges of imported pulses from the Price Stabilization Fund and encouraging States to lift stocks of imported pulses, among others The Cabinet Secretary has also been reviewing the price situation on a daily basis apart from directing all Departments to keep a close watch on prices of essential commodities, especially pulses and work in close coordination with all States to control price rise All States have been advised to intensify anti-hoarding operations and keep in check black-marketing and profiteering by traders 500 tonnes of Tur dal have been allotted to KendriyaBhandar and 200 tonnes to Safal for distribution through over 400 outlets

HCL Technologies consolidated net profit falls 3% New Delhi, Oct 19: India's fourth-largest software services provider HCL Technologies today reported 2.7 percent fall in consolidated net profit at Rs 1,823 crore for the first quarter ended September 30, 2015. The figure was up 2.2 percent on quarter.The company had posted a net profit of Rs. 1,873 crore in the year-ago period, it said in a BSE filing.HCL had already warned of a "tepid" September quarter on account of adverse currency impact and a client-specific issue.Without the adjustment, the reported quarter's revenues stood at Rs 1,726 crore.Consolidated revenues grew 15.6 percent to Rs 10,097 crore (ex-adjustment) in July-September of this fiscal as against Rs 8,735 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal.In dollar terms, net profit declined 9.3 percent to $278.5 million (ex-adjustment) in the period under review as against $307.2 million in the year-ago period.Revenues rose 7.7 per cent to $1.54 billion during the review period, from $1.43 billion in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.Revenues from Europe grew 18.2 percent y-o-y while those from the Americas jumped 12.3 percent during the said quarter.Vertical growth was led by lifesciences and healthcare at 40.5 per cent, telecommunications, media, publishing and entertainment at 23.2 per cent, retail and CPG at 6.6 per cent, public services at 22 per cent, manufacturing at 12.7 per cent and financial services at 7.7 per cent y-o-y.HCL Technologies saw an exit of 536 employees during the September quarter, taking the total headcount to 1,05,571.It signed 10 transformational engagements with more than USD one billion of Total Contract Value this quarter.The company has declared an interim dividend of Rs. 5 per share of Rs. 2.The stock was trading at Rs. 824.20 on BSE today, down 2.04 per cent from its previous close. (Agencies)

Sensex up 100 points, Nifty reclaims 8,250 New Delhi, Oct 19: The S&P BSE Sensex was trading rangebound after surging over 100 points in trade on Monday.The Nifty50 was testing its crucial psychological level of 8250.The broader market remained positive with the BSE midcap index trading higher by 0.23 per cent while the BSE smallcap index up by 53 per cent.The sentiment on Street remained upbeat with six of ten BSE stocks trading in the black.The scrips of RILBSE 4.53 % surged 5 per cent after above-estimate Q2 results while that of HCL TechBSE 0.36 % slipped about 2 per cent after the company reported Q1 numbers largely in-line with estimates.The rupee appreciated by 6 paise to

these four categories.

Several measures have also been taken for increasing the availability of pulses by banning export of pulses, extension of zero import duty on pulses and also import of 5000 tonnes of pulses from Price Stabilization Fund.

To increase production of pulses, the minimum support price for Urad and Arhar dal have been increased to Rs.4625 per quintal and for Moong dal to Rs.4850 per quintal.

Finance Minister ArunJaitley had chaired a high-level Inter-Ministerial meeting and taken major decisions like creation of a buffer stock by procurement and imports of pulses, strict action against hoarders and black marketers, bearing transportation, handling and milling charges of im-

RESPONDING TO COMMON MAN'S CRY

64.75 against the US dollar on Monday, as China's weak factory output numbers and sub-7 per cent GDP growth, which is lowest since 2009, stoked global economic concerns, raising bets that a rate hike could be off the US Fed's agenda at least in its forthcoming policy review on October 27-28.Most other Asian markets traded cautious as China GDP data allayed fears of a hard-landing in the second largest economy of the world. Japan's Nikkei traded flat while South Korea's Kospi traded lower by 0.15 per cent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index inched lower by 0.08 per cent. China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.5 per cent. (Agencies)

ported pulses from the Price Stabilization Fund and encouraging States to lift stocks of imported pulses, among others. The Cabinet Secretary has also been reviewing the price situation on a daily basis. He directed all Departments to keep a close watch on prices of essential commodities, especially pulses and work in close coordination with all States to control price rise.

All States have been advised to intensify anti-hoarding operations and keep in check black-marketing and profiteering by traders. 500 tonnes of Tur dal have been allotted to KendriyaBhandar and 200 tonnes to Safal for distribution through over 400 outlets. Distribution has already started from 16th of October in New Delhi through these outlets.

Square Yards to focus on NRIs for investments in India ANI New Delhi, Oct 19: 'If you have money, invest in real estate and make good returns on your investment' is the general mood of the public in India these days. The return which one makes in real estate surely betters the gain that one makes from mutual funds or stocks. Interestingly, the government has led to a revival in investment sentiment in India with the general perception of non-resident Indians (NRIs) aiming at strong investment scenario.

Square Yards, a technology enabled transaction platform for real estate, has with the same thought process opened its new office in Doha, the richest GCC nation in terms of per capita income. With maximum focus on the NRI populace living in Qatar, the company opened its third office to introduce well structured real estate investment deals from India and other parts of the globe to the prospective investors and home buyers.

"The opening is an integral part of the Square Yards' strategy to capitalize on penetrating further into the NRI section living in the GCC nations," KanikaShori, COO Square Yards, told ANI in an exclusive interview.

The Modi government has been initiating to enhance networking and reinforcing commercial linkages be-

tween 25 million people of Indian origin outside India.

Several flagship events were introduced to woo NRI's towards the country, which included Digital India, Make in India, Clean Ganga campaign, Swachh Bharat and skills development initiative.

Adding to the influence that these programmes have globally, Kanika said, "To lead more focus on the NRI populace living in Qatar, the company opened its third office to introduce well-structured real estate investment deals from India and other parts of the globe to the prospective

investors and home buyers."

With its global presence in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and many others, Kanika feels that real estate is a section that is still underserved and has greater scope of improvement in the years to come.

Adding more onto the success strategy, she added "Our business mantra lies in offering the right advisory about where and what to invest and putting in place a systematic framework that can handhold the investors and take them through the entire transaction process in a hassle free and

transparent fashion.

On being asked about how well can Qatar contribute to the investment plan, Kanika added that the GCC nation has recently evolved as one of the richest and vibrant economies in the world and the nation is investing towards a diversified economy that also involves a very well regulated and transparent real estate industry.

"The total Indian population comprises of over 500,000 with nearly 30 percent qualifying in the middle, uppermiddle income category with an average monthly salary of around QAR 20,000 (INR 360,000). This reflects a massive potential that wasn't being utilized well," she added.

Encouraging the government's trends in broader economic parameters such as reducing inflation and interest rates and GDP growth coupled with the development agenda, Kanika said, "Modi government is doing an excellent job. I would want them to work more closely to bring the home and global buyer back and boost market volumes that will further draw investors to invest inIndia."

As part of its future expansion internationally, Square Yards will soon add other international offices in Canada and Australia. Likewise, there are international offices in the pipeline to be sited in the countries of Kenya, South Africa and USA.

Defence exports will be doubled this year, says Parrikar ANI Panaji, Oct 19: Addressing participants at the Global Business Forum event organised by the IIT Alumni Association at Bambolim on the outskirts of Panaji, Defence Minister ManoharParrikar said India's defence exports are likely to double this year.He said that there was a need to tap friendly countries to increase the sale of indigenous military equipment.Parrikar said that he was of the opinion that improving exports of Indian defence products could further strengthen bilateral ties with nations receiving such goods.He said that in 2014-15, defence exports was pegged at Rs.630 crores, and it was the government's desire and intention to double it in the current fiscal.During his speech, Parrikar referred to the government's 'Make in India' initiative."Export should be encouraged as we have

Growth can't improve without supply reforms: RBI Governor

Mumbai, Oct 19: India cannot expect to accelerate its economic growth to 9% per annum unless it improves its supply chain to prepare to the increase in demand that a higher growth rate could lead to Reserve Bank of India governor RaghuramRajansaid.

"We have to create the underlying supply conditions to adhere to much high demand. If you ask me whether 9% growth is possible, my answer would be no," Rajan said replying to a question after a speech he delivered here. He added that besides supply of goods and services India must also improve the quality of its human capital. "This

Infosys all set to acquire Noah Consulting for $70m Chennai, Oct 19: Infosys has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Houston-based consulting firm Noah Consulting that provides advanced information management consulting services for the oil and gas industry for a consideration of $70 million. Noah Consulting is the company's third acquisition this year after it bought US-based digital experience provider Kallidus (which does business under the name Skava) for $120 million and US-based automation technology company Panaya for $200 million with a valuation that was six times the multiple of its revenues.

Founded in 2008, Noah Con-

sulting helps upstream oil and gas companies, independents and oil field service companies plan, architect and deploy information solutions to unlock the value of their oil and gas assets. Noah's deep domain expertise in upstream oil and gas, coupled with their tools, solution accelerators and proprietary methodologies, makes them a leader in driving strategic data management engagements. This acquisition combines Noah's deep industry knowledge, information strategy planning, data governance and architecture capabilities with Infosys' ability to provide technology and outsourcing services on a glo-

bal scale to oil and gas clients.

Noah has offices in Houston and Calgary, as well as projects in other global markets. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the third quarter of FY 2016, subject to customary closing conditions.

Commenting on the acquisition, Rajesh Murthy, EVP and global head of energy, communications and services, Infosys said, "The upstream oil and gas industry is facing unprecedented challenges that demand faster and better ways of achieving return on investment. This requires a well-defined and executed information and data management

strategy that will allow companies to increase efficiencies across the lifecycle - from exploration to production. With this acquisition, we are uniquely positioned to offer end-to-end data management services to oil and gas companies globally."

"Our oil and gas clients are adjusting to a new normal of lower oil prices. There is an urgency to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations in a safe and reliable manner. This acquisition is part of Infosys' strategy to bring next generation data analytics solutions to the oil and gas industry," said Sanjay Purohit, EVP and global head

of Infosys Consulting.

John Ruddy, president of Noah Consulting said, "We are excited about the new capabilities that the combination of Noah and Infosys will bring to our clients. Together, we can effect transformational change for our oil and gas clients by using information management to integrate supply chain, safety, environmental and financial data with geoscience, engineering and other operational and technical data - an industry challenge that has never been addressed effectively. We look forward to making a difference together." (Agencies)

Walmart paid millions of dollars in bribe in India, says a report Washington, Oct 19: America's multinational retail corporation Walmart is suspected to have paid bribes worth millions of dollars in India, according to a media report.In a major report, The Wall Street Journal said Walmart's "suspected bribery" unearthed in India involves thousands of small payments to

low-level local officials to help move goods through customs or obtain real-estate permits."The vast majority of the suspicious payments were less than $200, and some were as low as $5, the people said, but when added together they totalled millions of dollars," the daily said.In 2013, Walmart shelved plans

to open retail stores in India by severing a joint venture with Bharti Enterprises Ltd and instead decided to become solely a wholesaler there, the report said.Walmart, who was pushing the previous UPA regime for opening of the multi-brand retail sector was also involved in lobbying before the US Congress in this

regard, Congressional disclosure reports have said in the past few years.According to the report, Walmart's massive bribery efforts is unlikely to bring in any penalty on it as its Indian operation does not yield any profit under the provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of the United

States."Because penalties under the FCPA are often connected to the amount of profit the alleged misconduct generated, the payments in India wouldn't be likely to result in any sizable penalty, since Walmart's operations there haven't been particularly profitable, said people familiar with the matter," the

daily reported.There was no immediate response from Walmart's corporate headquarters here on the Wall Street Journal's report on its bribery in India.According to The Wall Street Journal, federal investigators "found evidence of bribery in India, centering on widespread but relatively small payments made

friendly relations with many countries. These countries look towards India for their defence needs and if India does not give them the required equipment, it does not make you real friends," Parrikar said."Export not only gives you economic benefit but also enhances your friendship," he added."It would be economically beneficial if the money is spent in India, as it may generate skill, employment and technology for defence and also civil application", he said.Union ministers PrakashJavadekar and JayantSinha also attended the event. (ANI)

to local officials there," during the course of its "high-profile federal probe" into allegations of widespread corruption at Walmart Stores Inc's operations in Mexico.The investigations though have found little in the way of major offenses in Mexico, and is likely to result in a much smaller case than investigators first expected, the daily said. (Agencies)

will need steady progress rather than an overnight elimation of constraints," he said.Rajan said that though aspirations for a 9% growth rate is good the political class must becareful of not promising too much.

Rajan said India has to stay "within limits" because "promising too much may come back to haunt you."He urged moderation through sustainable growth. Rajan said the current government's Make in India slogan rather than micro managing things will work better if it just creates an enabling environment like easier tax structures and allow companies to select what they want to do. (Agencies)

Global cues render Gold prices below Rs 27,000 per 10 gm Mumbai, Oct 19: Gold prices eased below the Rs 27,000-mark on Monday, falling Rs 178 to Rs 26,972 per 10 grams in futures trade amid a weak global trend.At Multi Commodity Exchange, delivery in December contract was trading lower by Rs 178, or 0.66%, at Rs 26,972 per 10 grams in a business turnover of 377 lots.Also, the precious metal for delivery in far-month February next year contracts shed Rs 173, or 0.63%, to Rs 27,185 per ten grams in 7 lots.Analysts attributed the fall in gold futures to a weak global trend where it retreated from three-month high as signs of a buoyant US economy revived expectations that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates and data showed that China expanded quicker than economists forecast in the third quarter.Globally, gold fell 0.5% to $1,171.38 an ounce in Singapore as the Federal Reserve moved closer to boosting US interest rates for the first time since 2006. (Agencies)

"The Justice Lodha committee interim report will be implemented fully. The two franchisee teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals remain suspended for two years. BCCI will float tenders and invite bids for two new teams to replace CSK & RR in the Indian Premier League for 2016 and 2017 (2 years)."

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

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BCCI

Superb Morkel inspires Proteas to 18-run win over India in third ODI ANI Rajkot: South Africa produced a terrific turnaround to claim an 18-runwin over India in the third ODI, thanks to Morne Morkel's superb spell and Quinton de Kock's ton at Rajkot.

Although the tourists struggled against the Indian bowlers, De Kock (103) and Faf du Plessis (60) helped their side post a respectable target of 271 after electing to bat first.

Despite losing Shikhar Dhawan (13) early, India looked well poised for a victory after both Rohit Sharma (65) and Virat Kohli (77) had scored halfcenturies. However, South Africa executed their plan of bowling short deliveries

efficiently and cleverly placed their fielders to restrict India to 252-6 in their allotted 50 overs. Morkel, who was adjudged as the Player of the Match, claimed four wickets, including India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (47) and seized the momentum when he dismissed Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (four) on consecutive deliveries in his final over.

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina continued to struggle with his batting woes as he was dismissed for his second consecutive duck. With the win, South Africa have taken a 2-1 lead in the fivematch series and will aim to seal the ODI series in Chennai on Thursday.

Wijnaldum shines as Newcastle claim first PL win

ANI London: Georginio Wijnaldum's four goals helped Newcastle to claim their first win of the Premier League season as they outclassed Norwich City 6-2 at St James' Park. Wijnaldum netted his first goal in the 14th minute to put his side in lead, before Norwhich forward Dieumerci Mbokani equalized the score just six minutes later. Wijnaldum's second goal came in 26th minute of the game followed by Ayoze Perez goal in the 33rd minute that placed Newcastle in a commanding position.

But just one minute later, midfielder Nathan Redmond smacked another goal for his side to make it 2-3 against Newcastle in the first half. In the second half of the game, the hosts continued their dominating performance as forward player Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the fourth goal for his side followed by Wijnaldum's brace to make it 6-2 against the visitors. Newcastle will play their next match against Sunderland on October 25.

Shuttler Sindhu loses to Xuerui in Denmark Open final ANI Odense: Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu's hopes of securing her maiden Super Series title were dashed when she suffered a straight-sets defeat against reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui in theDenmark Open women's singlesfinal. The two-time World Championship bronze medallist lost 19-21, 12-21 against China's Xuerui in a thrilling summit clash that lasted 47 minutes at the Odense Sports Park. Although Sindhu maintained a six-point lead, the Chinese defending champion produced a resilient performance as she fought back strongly to clinch the opening set. Subsequently,

Agencies Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for a period of two years from the Indian Premier League as per recommendations of the Supreme Courtappointed Lodha Committee and will include two new teams in their place for the next two seasons of the IPL. "The Justice Lodha committee interim report will be implemented fully. The two franchisee teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals remain suspended for two years. BCCI will float tenders and invite bids for two new teams to replace CSK & RR in the Indian Premier League for 2016 and 2017 (2 years)," the BCCI said in a media release after the Working Committee in Mumbai, on Sunday. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court-appointed high-level Committee, headed by former Chief Jus-

tice of India Rajendra Mal Lodha, proposed identical two-year suspensions on Indian Premier League franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the sixth edition of the T20 tournament in 2013. Chennai and Rajasthan would be allowed to come back after serving their two-year suspension, making IPL a 10team affair from 2018. The BCCI also added that the annual general meeting of

the Board would be held in Mumbai on November 9, during which "BCCI rules regarding conflict of interest and the amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Board" will be taken up for discussion. Among other major decisions, China's Vivo Mobile was named the new IPL title sponsor in place of Pepsi, who decided to pull out. Nike's contract as the official apparel sponsors of the Indian team was extended.

DC, Commandant grace sports valedictory function

Xuerui continued to maintain pressure on her Indian opponent in the second set before cruising to victory.

Sindhu, the 20-year-old from Hyderabad, had been on a sensational form

throughout the tournament, defeating third seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, sixth seed Yihan Wang of China and world champion Carolina Marin in her previous three encounters.

BCCI-PCB talks to resume in Delhi tomorrow ANI New Delhi: The much anticipated talks between BCCI president Shashank Manohar and his Pakistan counterpart Shahryar Khan on the proposed bilateral series have been rescheduled in New Delhi for Tuesday after the talks were halted by the Shiv Sena in Mumbai. The meeting was cancelled in view of the protest at the BCCI headquarters during which hundreds of Shiv Sainiks stormed the Board office and gheraoed President Shashank Manohar in his office. IPL Chairman

BCCI won't terminate CSK, Rajasthan; 10 teams in IPL from 2018

and senior Board functionary Rajiv Shukla said, the talks have not been called off adding that Manohar and Khan will speak to each other in the evening today and tomorrow they are coming to Delhi for another round of talks. Manohar had invited Mr. Khan for talks on the much-awaited series scheduled in December. Khan and PCB's executive committee head Najam Sethi are in the city for the meeting after discussing the planned series with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur earlier on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai.

Momong-A edge past United Teluliang 9th Chongkham Champions Running Trophy

Khonsa, Oct 19 : The week-long tribal games and sports held in different Block of Tirap district conducted at Deomali on 18th October. Speaking on the occasion Tirap Deputy Commissioner Ravi Jha appreciated the effort of AVP adding that games & sports would help the youths of the district in utilizing their time gainfully. He said that more games and sports would be conducted in the district to create an environment of sports to generate interest in sports amongst the youths. In his speech, outgoing Commandant of 1st Assam Rifles Col. Prashant Nair lauded the Arunachal Vikas Parishad for conducting the tribal sports meet in the insurgency-hit Tirap district adding that engaging the youths in games and sports would wean away them from going astray. He said that the youthful energy of the youths should be channelize towards constructive purposes. Col.

B.B. Pun Commandant designate of 1st Assam Rifles appreciated his predecessor Col. Nair for his active involvement with the hilly people and for creating an ambience of peace through effective counter insurgency operations and civic action programmes. He assured that he would continue and carry forward the legacies left behind by Col. Nair. The prizes for winners of different events in games & sports

held for Khonsa, Lazu, Dadam, Deomali and Soha circles were distributed by the dignitaries. Earlier, in his welcome address President of Tirap unit AVP Ngasah Tangjang threw light on the activities of AVP and extended his warm welcome to the participants. The SDO, Deomali, ZPM Deomali, Officers and Prominent Public leaders attended the function. (DIPRO)

Younis wants Pak to `bounce back` against England ANI Abu Dhabi: Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis believes that his side will definitely bounce back and play as a team in the upcoming Tests against England despite almost losing their first Test in Abu Dhabi. The first Test of the three-match series ended with a dra-

matic draw after Adil Rashid claimed a fivewicket haul to dismiss Pakistan for a paltry 173 in the second innings. Expressing his views on their draw, Younis admitted that it was a big relief that at least they are not 0-1 against England, insisting that his side needs to stage a comeback

against the opponents.

Younis, however, said that his side allowed the Alastair Cook-led team to threaten them.

The head coach, who was not happy with his side's performance in the second innings of the Test, asserted that their batting was completely unacceptable.

Lavishing praise on En-

gland, the 43-year-old said that England brilliantly placed pressure on his batsmen and used right tactics during the match. Besides three Tests, England will also play four ODIs and three T20s against Pakistan. The two sides will now lock horns in the second Test on October 22 in Dubai.

Railways win by 3 wickets C.K Naidu Trophy

ET Correspondent Chongkham, Oct 19: Momong-A defeated United Teluliang 3-2 in a match of the ongoing 9th Chongkham Champions Running trophy at the Chongkham mini stadium. The tournament is being organised by the Chongkham Youth Welfare Association. The Chongkham camp of the army is helping the organizers in publicity of the

event which has become a popular event of the locality. The match was a closely contested one.

Momong-A took early control of the game with Sunil Mungyak scoring back-to-back goals in the 3rd and 9th minutes.

Thereafter they kept possession of the ball and launched numerous attacks on the United’s goal, but were denied.

However, in the 26th

minute, the United Teluliang team managed to score on the counterattack when Lumang got the ball past the diving goalkeeper. In the second half, Supingta Langkhun of Momong-A scored in the 48th minute to make it 3-1. Thereafter, both the team were engaged in some heated moments with both the teams not giving up. The United Team were successful in

scoring in the 78th minute when Gara’s free kick found the back of the net.

However they were unable to get the equaliser in the stipulated time. Lumang was shown the yellow card for a foul on an opposition player in the 83rd minute. Sunil Mungyak was adjudged as the player of the match for his skilful football. Tomorrow, 2IRBN, Diyun will take on IGGC, Tezu.

Amit Nagri Golaghat, Oct 19: Railways defeated Assam by three wickets in a match of the C.K. Naidu Trophy.

Resuming at 54/4, the away team strolled to their target losing three more wickets. Their cause was helped by the knocks of S. Anand and S.S Mishra, who scored 28 and 27 runs respectively.

For Assam, Jogeshwar Bhumiz took four wickets while Mantu Das claimed two wickets . Win the win, Railways managed to claim six points.

DIBRUGARH, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Features

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ENVIRONMENT

A lifeline for Sumatran rhinos The Sumatran rhino -one of the most critically endangered mammals on the planet -- may have just received a lifeline.

A new scientific publication from WCS and the University of Massachusetts -- Amherst (UMass) applies an enhanced population survey technique to identify, for the first time, priority forest patches for intensive rhino protection of the remaining populations of Sumatran Rhino - one of the most endangered large mammals on the planet. The paper is published in the September 16th edition of the open-access journal Public Library of Science and provides vital data to support a final attempt to prevent the extinction of the

Sumatran rhino.

The Sumatran rhino once ranged from northeast India to Indonesian Borneo and may have numbered in the tens of thousands only 200 years ago. However, the unyielding demand for rhino horn in traditional Chinese medicine has reduced this species to perhaps less than 100 wild individuals, with no viable populations occurring outside of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The study provides urgently needed information on where the remaining rhinos are distributed. Using rhino sign data collected in 3 presumed strongholds covering more than 3 million ha, a spatially-explicit habitat model was developed. The model predicted that rhi-

nos now only occupy 237,100 ha in the Leuser landscape, 63,400 ha in Way Kambas National Park and 82,000 ha in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park.

In total, they occupy only 13 percent of the surveyed area. However, the study identified five "Intensive Protection Zones" that are of unrivalled importance in saving Sumatran rhinos. As lead author Wulan Pusparini of WCS and Eco-UMass noted, "With so many unknowns on how to manage Sumatran rhinos in the wild or in captivity, our study definitely shows where we must protect them at the source."

The paper's authors recommend four vital actions achievable with strong po-

litical will: 1. Formally establishing the five Intensive Protection Zones identified in this study, and ensuring zero-poaching is achieved by significantly scaling-up law enforcement efforts. 2.

Ensuring the viability of the Intensive Protection Zones by preventing several planned new roads from bisecting them in the Bukit Barisan Selatan and Leuser landscapes. 3. Consolidating the small and scattered rhino population in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park and the outside core population of Leuser landscape identified by this study. Recognizing that this will require strong political will and major financial support. 4. Recognizing that Sumatran Rhino is likely

to go extinct if no actions are taken, as happened with the last Javan Rhino in Vietnam in 2010.

The Director of Biodiversity Conservation of the Indonesian Ministry of Environmental and For-

estry and chairman of Joint Rhino Conservation Secretariat of Indonesia, Bambang Dahono Adji, commented, "We welcome these important new results in supporting Indonesia's ongoing endeavors to fully

implement its Sumatran Rhinoceros Action Plan."

Joe Walston, WCS's Vice President for Global Programs urged, "For the first time we have a clear idea of where the priority rhino's sites are, we have

the tools and techniques to protect them, and now must ensure a concerted effort by all agencies to bring the Sumatran rhino back from the brink of extinction."

Courtesy: Science Daily

How a frog's molecules 'leaped,' Naturally occurring 'GM' butterflies and 'crawled,' to evolve violet vision produced by gene transfer of wasp-associated viruses

Research teams from the University of Valencia and the University of Tours have discovered that genes originating from parasitic wasps are present in the genomes of many butterflies. These genes were acquired through a wasp-associated virus that integrates into DNA. Wasp genes have now been domesticated and likely play a role in in protecting butterflies against other pathogenic viruses. These results, published in PLOS Genetics on the 17th of September 2015, reveal that butterflies, including the Monarch, an iconic species for naturalists and well-known for its spectacu-

lar migrations, constitute naturally produced GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) during the course of evolution. This finding relativizes the novelty of producing GM insects, since such insects already exist in nature but also highlights that genes introduced in GM insects can be transferred between distant species.

To reproduce, braconid wasps lay their eggs inside caterpillars and inject a 'giant virus' named bracovirus to circumvent the caterpillars' immune response.

Bracoviruses can integrate into the DNA of parasitized caterpillars and control cater-

pillar development, enabling wasp larvae to colonize their host.

Bracovirus genes can be detected in the genomes of several species of butterfly and moth, including the famous Monarch (Danaus plexippus), the silkworm (Bombyx mori) and insect pests such as the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and the Beet Armyworm (Spodoptera exigua). The integrated genes that have been identified are not only remnants: results obtained suggest that they play a protective role against other viruses present in nature, baculoviruses. Strik-

ingly the domestication of genes harboured by bracoviruses is not limited to " viral " genes, some of them originated from the wasp: in armyworm species, a group of genes transferred was shown to be clearly more closely related to genes from hymenoptera, including the honey bee, rather than lepidoptera.

Given that tens of thousands of parasitic wasp species, each associated with a unique bracovirus, parasitize virtually all lepidopteran species, it is likely that the described phenomenon is general and that different gene transfers occur regularly in nature. Beyond the interest these lateral gene transfers evoke in evolutionary biology, these results highlight the risk gene transfers could cause, in case GM-parasitoid wasps are produced, as genes artificially introduced into wasp species used for biological control could be transferred into the genomes of the targeted pests. Production of GM wasps expressing insecticide resistance for biological control of pests, for example, could lead to involuntary transmission of this resistance to the herbivorous insects.

Courtesy: Science Daily

Ocean's wildlife populations down by half A new WWF report reveals an alarming decline in marine biodiversity over the last few decades. According to WWF's Living Blue Planet Report, populations of marine vertebrates have declined by 49% between 1970 and 2012, with some fish species declining by almost 75%.

In addition to fish, the report shows steep declines in coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses that support marine food webs and provide valuable services to people. With over 25% of all marine species living in coral reefs and about 850 million people directly benefiting from their economic, social and cultural services, the loss of coral reefs would be a catastrophic extinction with dramatic consequences on communities.

According to the report, the biggest drivers of these declining trends are from human actions -- mainly overfishing,

habitat destruction, and climate change. Although the report paints a dim picture of ocean health, it also provides solutions and opportunities to turn the tide. It highlights the need to protect critical marine habitats, manage fish stocks more sustainably, improve fishing practices, and redirect financial flows to support these needed initiatives.

"The good news is there are abundant opportunities to reverse these trends," said Brad Ack, senior vice president for oceans at WWF. "Stopping black market fishing, protecting coral reefs, mangroves and other critical ocean habitats, and striking a deal in Paris to slash carbon pollution are all good for the ocean, the economy, and people.

Now is the time for the US and other world players to lead on these important opportunities."

One immediate opportunity for international action happens

later this month when world leaders meet in New York to discuss the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. At the meeting, it's essential that political leaders support the goals with significant investment and meaningful implementation plans to address the habitat destruction, illegal fishing, overharvest, and marine pollution driving the degradation of our

oceans.

"The ocean is a renewable resource that can provide for all future generations if the pressures are dealt with effectively," said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International. "If we live within sustainable limits, the ocean will contribute to food security, livelihoods, economies and our natural systems." (Agencies)

The African clawed frog is tongue-less, has long, curvy toes and eyes that are perched on top of its head, but that's not all that's odd about it. This species of frog also took a strange evolutionary path to change from ultraviolet to violet vision: Some of its visual pigment molecules kept trying to leap ahead, but other molecules shut them down and kept the process moving at a crawl.

Science Advances published the complete molecular interactions in-

Ultraviolet (UV) vision gives a bi-chromatic, high-contrast view of the world that can be useful for many basic behaviors.

Mice, for instance, are mainly nocturnal and mark their territory with urine and feces that reflects UV light for other mice. Unfortunately for mice, however, many of their predators are also UV sensitive so they, too, can spot these signs of mice more easily.

Violet vision, or the ability to see blue light, provides better resolution and detail for colors in a

volved in the pathway, as detailed in a study led by Shozo Yokoyama, a biologist at Emory University who specializes in adaptive evolution of vision.

"It's the most bizarre, and sophisticated, case of color vision evolution that I've ever encountered," says Yokoyama, who previously headed up efforts to construct the most extensive evolutionary tree for vision, including 500 species of animals, from eels to humans.

"This frog had these quirks for rapid molecular change, but it also had something to control these quirks," he says. "In fact, it had triple protection."

Five classes of opsin genes encode visual pigments for dim-light and color vision. Bits and pieces of the opsin genes change and vision adapts as the environment of a species changes.

scene. Among the possible reasons that frogs evolved from UV to violet sensitivity may have been to give them a better view of potential mates. It may also have improved their ability to pick out predators -- such as a green snake amid green leaves.

In previous research on the African clawed frog, Yokoyama and collaborators had identified some of the genetic mutations involved in the process of the frog's switch from UV vision to its current function of violet vision. They also noticed that amino acid site 113 on this pigment of the African clawed frog had changed from glutamic acid to aspartic acid.

"Out of all the species in the animal kingdom that have been studied, site 113 is made up of glutamic acid, but this frog had changed site 113 to aspartic acid," Yokoyama says.

"Why did it do that? This question was very mysterious and interesting to me. What is so special about this frog?"

Yokoyama studies ancestral molecules to tease out secrets of adaptive evolution. The lengthy process involves teams of collaborators to first estimate and synthesize ancestral proteins and pigments of a species, then conduct experiments on them. The technique combines microbiology with theoretical computation, biophysics, quantum chemistry and genetic engineering.

For the current paper, he and his co-authors found that 12 mutations were involved in the frog's vision shift. These 12 molecular changes could have 500 million possible combinations of pathways that connect the ancestral UV vision and the frog's violet vision. The researchers narrowed the problem down and focused on changes in the six layers of transmembranes where the 12 molecules in the process are located. That focus reduced the number of possible evolutionary pathways to 720.

They then assembled molecular "chimeras" between the ancestral and frog pigments for all of these pathways. They tested how the molecules functioned in all the different combinations, to hone in on the right pathway.

The results showed that the mutations that occurred on transmembranes four, five and six happened early during the evolutionary process. It was not until eons later, however, that these mutations came into play. The mutations occurring on transmembrane two caused small shifts in the range of the light spectrum that the pigment detected. The mutations occurring early in evolution on transmembrane three,

however, where site 113 resides, caused a big jump in the light-wave range -from 400 nanometers to 600 nanometers.

"Rapid change is not convenient evolutionarily," Yokoyama says. "In fact, it can be a disaster."

He uses the example of emerging from a darkened movie theater on a sunny day, and being temporarily blinded until your eyes adjust to the new environment.

Three times, molecules on transmembrane three mutated to cause a big jump toward violet sensitivity. The first time it happened, transmembrane five came into play, shrinking the molecular structure of the pigment and making it non-functional.

The second time that transmembrane three mutated, launching another jump, transmembrane six sprang into action, again shrinking the molecular structure. The third time transmembrane three tried to make the evolutionary leap, number four shut it down by destroying a critical chemical structure of the pigment.

The frog pigment essentially put on the brakes early during the evolutionary process for the mutations from glutamic acid to aspartic acid at site 113. Only towards the end of the process did the pigment accept the site 113 shifts. By then, Yokoyama explains, the changes to the frog's light spectrum were no longer a big jump. Instead, they were just 15 nanometers.

"The human process for evolving from UV to violet vision was far more simple and straight-forward," Yokoyama says.

"The story of this frog is full of mysterious twists and turns. A series of strange coincidences happened at the right time, at the right spot, for the right species."

Courtesy: Science Daily

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