Wednesday , 25th may 2016

facebook.com/easterntoday

@easterntoday

For business, mail at: md.easterntoday@gmail.com

cmyk

cmyk

www.eastern-today.com

ASSENG/2015/64205

PAGE 12

Vol. 1

Issue 346

Dibrugarh, wednesday, May 25, 2016

Price -

5.00

PAGE 7

Pages- 12

Team Sarbananda pose for a photograph with PM Narendra Modi and Governor P.B.Acharya after the swearing ceremony held at veterinary field, Khanapara in Guwahati today. Pic - UB Photos

Sarbananda Sonowal sworn in as CM of Assam 9 ministers, 5 from BJP and 2 each from AGP and BPF inducted in Sonowal A Staff Reporter Guwahati, May 24

Making history in Assam and the entire North east, the BJP formed the Assam government in style through a spectacular swearing in ceremony of the Assam cabinet, which was also addressed by Prime minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah, and was attended by senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, several cabinet ministers of the union cabinet, chief ministers of all the NDA ruled states in the country, chief ministers of all the North Eastern states, and

several senior BJP leaders.

Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi also attended by swearing in.

Altogether 11 ministers including Sarbananda Sonowal took oath and the oath was administered by Assam governor PB Acharya.

Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta both from AGP are first time ministers. Parmila Rani Brahma and Rihon Daimary both from Bodoland People's Front (BPF) found place in Sonowal's cabinet.

They were ministers earlier when BPF was ally of Congress post 2014.

Chandra Mohan Patwary senior BJP leader was inducted in the new cabinet. Patwary was minister in 1985 and in 1996 when AGP was in power.

Former BJP state unit president Ranjit Dutta and Parimal Suklavidya also found cabinet berth.

Two first timers Pallab Lochan Das and Naba Kumar Doley took oath of office.

Pallab a close aide of Himanta moved out of congress after Himanta quieted congress.

The cabinet including the chief minister can have 19

ministers. The expansion of cabinet will take place later.

AGP has sought five berths and BPF is demanding four. "Like you voted us to power with a thumping majority, I hope you'll support us through our term. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christian all will work towards a better Assam,” said chief minister Sonowal. "There are 14 NDA Chief Ministers here, and we are ecstatic that there is a BJP Chief Minister now leading Assam," said Amit Shah in his speech, ending with"Bharat Mata ki Jai" as did Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who spoke before him.

PM Modi reiterates his development promise for Assam ANI Guwahati, May 24

Expressing his gratitude to the people of Assam for giving Sarbananda Sonowal and his ministers an opportunity to serve them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said their job was not yet over because for the development of the state, they would have to work together with the state government.

“A leader belonging to the tribal community, a leader dedicated to serving society will now be the chief minister of Assam. I am sure Sonowalji will serve Assam and work

ET CAPSULES

Dead body recovered

cmyk

Dibrugarh, May 24: Police today recovered a dead body at Sunrise hotel in Dibrugarh. The person was identify as- Joydeep Dutta of Bhadoi Panchali, Duliajan. Police found Joydeep hanging from a ceiling fan.

Police said that he comes to the hotel on yesterday from Jorhat.

The body was sent for post mortem in Assam Medical College and Hospital. Police said that investigation is on.

(Staff Reporter)

Sonowal shares a point with Modi. Pic - UB Photos very hard to transform Assam and his team will do the same, said the Prime Minister, who campained actively in pollbound Assam to ensure the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory.

Prime Minister Modi, however, said, “India’s development has to be allround and inclusive, and eastern part of India cannot remains away from the development journey.”

“Assam jitna daudegi, Kendra sarkar bhi usse ek kadam zyada daudne ka prayaas karegi,” he added.

Saying that the Central government believes in cooperative federalism, he said, “I want to give the states maximum strength enabling them to progress. Democracy is about ‘Bhagidari’ (participation). The Centre and the states must walk shoulder to shoulder for development.”

Sonowal was sworn in as the chief minister of the first ever BJP government in northeast, replacing the 15-year-old Congress government led by Tarun Gogoi.

It was the first time after 1985 when a chief minister took oath in an open field. All arrangements were made by the administration to smoothly conduct the swearing-in ceremony.

In the 126-seat Assam assembly, the National Democratic Alliance secured an absolute majority, with the BJP claiming 60 seats, AGP 14 and BPF 12, while the Congress which had secured 78 seats in the 2011 assembly elections reduced to just 26 seats.

Air Force starts investigation, makes payment on behalf of the accused personnel at Tinsukia restaurant and bar Rishu Kalantri.

Tinsukia, May 24

Maintaining the high standards and discipline for which it is known for, the Indian Air Force on Tuesday started its own investigation in

The Eastern Today impact the waiter assualt case and nonpayment of food and alcohol bill by fleeing from the scene by drunken personnel from Chabua station of Indian Air Force.

This investigation, comes on the backdrop of constant reporting by The Eastern Today, Contd. on Page 4

IAF officials in Tinsukia police station today. Pic - Rishu Kalantri

Rise of Sarbananda Sonowal : From a regional student leader to the CM of Assam Avik Chakraborty Dibrugarh, May 24

Sarbananda Sonowal who was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam has a strong political history during which he rose from a local level

student leader to become the President of the influential All Assam Students' Union after which he took the plunge into active politics by joining the AGP and then shifted gear to the BJP. His journey of the young and vibrant student

leader to become the Chief Minister of the state is hailed by almost everyone in the state today. Sonowal started his journey from a small village, Bindhakata Muluck gaon in Chabua in upper Assam's Dibrugarh district.

Sarbananda, youngest son of Late Jibeswar Sonowal and Late Dineswari Sonowal, was born on October 31, 1962.

Sonowal completed his primary education from Muluk Gaon Primary School and then studied till Class-VI

at Bindhakata ME School. He completed his further schooling at the Don Bosco School in Dibrugarh. An Arts graduate from the Dibrugarh Hanumanbox Surajmal Kanoi College (DHSK), he completed his Master's degree

in English from Dibrugarh University. He subsequently completed Law from Gauhati University, besides obtaining a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.

participating in AASU during his college days. When he was studying at Dibrugarh University, he was elected as the president of AASU, Dibrugarh University.

Sonowal started actively

Contd. on Page 4

cmyk

“I want to congratulate the people of Assam, who have dreamt of development and given a chance to Sonowalji and his team to serve them.

But, I also want to tell the people of Assam that their job doesn’t end at voting, but for development, it is imperative that government and people work together,” said Prime Minister Modi, while speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Sonowal as the Assam chief minister here.

Fifty-three-year-old Sonowal was administered the oath of office by Assam Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP stalwart L.K. Advani, party president Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkiah Naidu, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi and others at a ceremony organised here.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

PAGE 2 ASTRO FOR YOU Aries You are to look before you leap. One hasty decision may undo a lot of hard work accomplished over a long period of time. After a tense morning, you may simply want an evening with kids, helping them grow the Dahlias.

Taurus You are likely to get extra passionate and fervent today. If your logic prevails over your heart, things will probably change for better during the course of the day. It is high time that you set into motion the poignant side of your character.

Gemini You will be filled with concern and sensitivity towards others, and will bestow your blessings upon many. However, being too emotional is not advisable. Your emotions could get in the way of your progress at the work-front. You need to listen to your head over your heart when it comes to professional matters.

Cancer You may be in one of your more frivolous moods today. Gossip, fun, laughter and some harmless flirting shall make your day interesting, yet these are not the pastimes you usually enjoy. Hence, as the day rolls on, you shall find yourself to your reserved, reticent self concentrating hard on getting the work done to make way for the early evening gym/ driving class. Good going, after all finding balance is just the right thing to do.

Leo You will give importance to your work and your style of functioning to get a promotion in the office. You will also increase the amount of work you put in. While the fruits of your labour may not be immediately available to you, in a very short time you can expect to make more gains than you expected to. Nothing worthy of note is likely to occur in your personal relationships today.

Virgo You are renowned for your leadership qualities and today they will be much appreciated for the way you manage your team. You will get a long-due promotion, and will come in for some extra cash. You received all this by wisely balancing work and home, so be careful not to slip up on this front.

Libra You never let a favour go unacknowledged or let ridicule pass by unanswered. So, it's time to settle those old accounts that are so important to you.. This will increase chances of interesting developments that will continue to surprise you throughout the day.

Scorpio Socially, you enjoy being in limelight as all the eyes are focused on you. However, beware of evil eyes that may not have good intentions towards you. You are a good soul and never hurt anyone. But, at times, it's important to know your foe's weakness to be on the safer side.

Sagittarius Brace yourselves; the day has a lot of uncertainties today. You may have to shell out money for unexpected expenses. But, this may also teach you to be economically independent.

Always look at the brighter side.

Capricorn The day calls for making amends and undoing the damage done to relationships, so you will most likely focus on improving rapport with relatives and peers. But despite your affable approach, family feud may occur. Keeping obnoxious neighbors at bay will save you some trouble.

Aquarius You are an excellent team player and your performance reaches a new high when you are a part of a group. Be an active member of your group, express your opinions, share your knowledge and see how your team becomes the winning team. Wind up your day by hanging out with friends and family.

Pisces You will be treading new ground at work. Exciting as that sounds, it merely means you will have to do a lot of travelling today. You will also find yourself swamped with drafting new business proposals, holding meetings, or otherwise networking over the phone. On the brighter side, your travels are unlikely to involve the cramps of flying economy class.

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 25-5-16 (WEDNESDAY) 5-35 A.M-Bhaktigeeti(Devotional Songs) 6-10 A.M-Swasthya Charcha (Health Programme) 6-15 A.M-Hindi Language Lesson 6-30 A.M-Vidyarthir Anusthan 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 Assamese Film Songs) 12-05 P.M-Surar Satsori (Request Programme of Assamese Songs) 1-10 P.M-Troops Programme 2-30 P.M-Western Music 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 6-15 P.M-Ganya Raijor Anusthan 7-15 P.M-Karpumpuli 8-00 P.M-Parikrama 9-30 P.M- Kramasha-"Jangam",Written by Debendra Nath Acharya Sd-/H.O.P

View of Muttock King Sarbanada Singha’s Death Anniversary observed in Tinsukia. Pic - Arjun mishra

"Historic Change" expected from Naba Doley

by Dhakuakhona, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji Ranjit Kakoty Lakhimpur; May 24: Today is one of the crucial day in the history of Assam. On this very day, Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and its Alliance constituted the State Government under the Leadership of popular leader Sarbananda Sonowal.

Team Sarbananda took oath today for the betterment and promotion of the people of Assam.

The voters brought the BJP-AGP-BPF Alliance into power establishing profound faith expecting all-round development of the State to wipe out their woes and miseries which they have suffered decade after decade. Undoubtedly it is a great and massive expectation from the newly constituted government, especially on Chief Minister Sarbanada Sonowal who is to control the rein of the rule of the State.

From this point the moral responsibility of each and every members of the government reaches the zenith. Such a responsibility, such a great expectation are being set by the people of Lakhimpur District upon Naba Doley, the elected MLA of Dhakuakhona LAC who took oath today as State Minister(Independent Charge). Lakhimpur District along with Dhemaji has got a minister in the Government in figure of Naba Doley. In this occasion, the people of Dhakuakhona as well as the other part of the two district filled with rejoice having him a minister.

The native people lit earthen lamps expecting historic change of the miserable conditions of the Dhakuakhona LAC. It is to be noted the constituency is one of the

Dead body found ET Correspondent Margherita, May 24: A dead body was found today morning at NH-38 near Railway Track Ledo under Margherita subdivision. The dead body has been identified as Daniel Chikutty 45 years of Age resident of Ledo Piru Line. The dead body has been sent for postmortem while Ledo police is investigating the case of the actual death of the deceased Daniel Chikutty.

3 robbers apprehended at Margherita

Tinsukia police arrests 2 gas cylinder robbers Spl correspondent Tinsukia, May 24: Tinsukia police on Tuesday arrested two person redhanded stealing gas cylinders from Hukan phukri area on outskirts of Tinsukia town. The duo has been identified as Naju Ali and Santosh Choudhury and recovered dozen gas cylinders from him.

Naba Doley area of Assam which requires much more importance on the part of Government for its allround development.

The people of the LAC hope that Naba Doley will draw out this importance from the Government. It is notable that Naba doley was the son of Padma Doley who was a Congress leader from Dhakuakhona. He had worked for the eradication of the miserable plight of the poor and the downtrodden through an NGO based on Guwahati before he came to the politics.

Then he joined Asom Gana Parishad(AGP) and was elected as MLA from the constituency in 2011 defeating the heavy weight Congress candidate cum former Cabinet Minister Bharat Narah. He joined in BJP in the later part of the last year and was potent enough to re-elected to the State Assembly this year.

He is popular as an active youth and an efficient public leader. Now the big question is- "Can Naba Doley fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people of Dhakuakhona as well as the people of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji Districts.

ET Correspondent Margherita, May 24: Three veteran dacoits apprehended from Ledo, Margherita and Habeda Gaon under Bordubi Police Station, namely Dhunu Doley s/o Rajeswar Doley of Ledu Tirup colery, PS Margherita, Bitupon Bora

s/o Jitu Bora no 2 Habeda Gaon, PS Bordubi, and Biki Singh s/o Mangal Singh of Namrup Milonpur, PS Namrup in connection with DBI PS case no-75/2016 U/S 394 IPC. They were involved in various banditry activities including recent Tingrai robbery.

Timber smugglers held, timbers seized

by SSB Mangaldai

ET Correspondent Mangaldai, May 24: Jawans of 37th Bn of Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB) deployed in Bongurum border out posts along the Indo - Bhutan international border in Udalguri district today seized illegally smuggled forest wood during an operation carried out early morning.

The SSB personnel who have been keeping regular vigil against the illegal tree felling and smuggling of forest wood and other forest goods succeeded in apprehending one smuggler identified as, John Daimary (23) s/o Bhagan Daimary, of vill-

Sangrapara under Harisingha police station .

The value of seized wooden logs, timbers has been evaluated to be more than fifty thousand. The seized wood and apprehended person have been handed over to the forest department. This was stated in a press release issued from the Battalion Head Quarter of the security agency here .

Earlier on May 20 last in a similar type of operation SSB personnel of Border Out Posts Bongurum and Barmakhuli seized wooden logs valued more than rupees

one lakh and apprehended one smuggler. SSB is committed to stop illegal forest cutting and smuggling of wood in the border areas, the release added It was further mentioned in the release that the bordering people, involved in illegal wood cutting enter into Khalingduar reserve forest in Bhutan and stay there for few days. After cutting the trees they transformed them into planks and posts with the help of saw. Thereafter, these planks and posts are smuggled into India and readily sold in markets in Udalguri district.

Women organizations voiced for ouster of corrupt officials ET Correspondent Haflong, May 24: The Shakti Mahila Mandol, a frontline women welfare organization of the district has lodged a complaint against Dr Jadav Gogoi, i/ c Addl. Director A H & Vety Department (Hills) Assam, Haflong, charge sheeted by the CBI and a morally corrupt and knavish officer to the Chief Executive Member, N C Hills Autonomous Council, Dima Hasao, Haflong recently.

The complaint signed by the President, Shakti Mahila Mandol, Sarkari Bagan, Haflong maintained that as a responsible organization of Dima Hasao District (Assam) they would like to bring before you the unscrupulous and fraudulent character of Dr Jadav Gogoi, former i/c Addl Director A H & Vety Department (Hills) Assam, Haflong charge sheeted by CBI for corruption etc. before taking the charge as Addl Director.

They stated that this man Dr Gogoi was a married man and has been living in ‘live-in’ relationship with Mrs Atricia Suchiang infa-

mous of having illicit affairs with many and who was also the former wife of Prabir Rajkumar. Both have been living in the Vety campus quarter shattering all the decent norms of a civic society. Mr Jadav Gogoi along with Altricia Suchiang was engaged in heavy corruption, bribery, fraudulency, nepotism and malfeasance and breach of trust of public and government money. Gogoi has appointed his wife Anjali Bora as tracer and brother– in-law Parag Bora as pig attendant who never at-

tended their duties but have been drawing their salaries sitting in Guwahati since their appointment depriving local deserving candidates. The coterie of both Gogoi and Suchiang are engaged in doing supply and contract in fictitious names and in names of close relatives and friends of Mrs. Suchiang highlight the amount of corruption that these two are engaged in. It appears that both Mr. Gogoi and Mrs. Suchiang run the department at their will.

Mr. Jadav Gogoi’s service

has been reverted by the authority of N C Hills Autonomous Council for his mischievous activities but at present the man is trying tooth and nail to come back to the department by convincing the district administrator and NCHAC authority as well as resorting to vandalism and illegal means.

They also do not understand how can a man charge sheeted by CBI for corruption can take the charge of i/c Addl. Director and other responsible DDO posts. It appears that other stake

holders are also engaged in rampant corruption helping Mr. Gogoi to dictate terms.

They therefore prayed for a thorough enquiry into the system so that the guilty ones are brought to book and request your good self to take appropriate action against this man Mr. Gogoi and Altricia Suchiang so that they are kicked out of the district for good and also refrain them from doing further damage to the department of A H & Vety and the society at large.

It is learnt the NCHAC authority has responded positively to the complain and recorded the statements of the members of the organization and constituted an enquiry in to the matter.

The president of the Shakti Mahila Mandol Smt Parboti Thaosen said ‘I have already detailed the matter to the Principal Secretary, NCHAC and we are of the opinion that the NCHAC authority would do the needful and if the NCHAC authority fails to deliver the justice then we would resort to vigorous agitation to oust such corrupt and characterless officials from the district of Dima Hasao.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

PAGE 3

Chief Minister Kalikho Pul visits ABK E/Siang visits drug de-adSeppa to take stock of fire accident diction centre construction site ET Bureau Itanagar, May 24 : Chief Minister Kalikho Pul today visited the fire accident site here at the ALC colony, where 27 houses were consumed by the Friday’s raging inferno.

On spot verification, the Chief Minister decided to include partially damaged houses as fully damage increasing the fire victim count to 17. As per the earlier verification, fully damage houses were accounted to 12 and rest as partially damaged.

Accordingly, the CM handed over ex-gratia relief of Rs 101900 to each 17 fire victims whose house suffered full damage, with an additional Rs 1 lakh distributed from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

In addition to compensation to the owner of the house, the CM also distributed relief for the tenants acknowledging the losses they too suffer during the disaster.

He handed over Rs 1 lakh from CMRF fund for each of the 11 victims identified as the tenant.

Also acknowledging the service of ALC community to the state government and to the people, the Chief Minister donated Rs 2 lakhs from his salary for the 6 ALC workers identified as the fire victim. This in addition to the immediate fire

The CM further directed the district administration to conduct inquiry on the cause of fire accident since knowing the cause of the accident may prevent future occurrence. He also instructed the bazaar committee to install fire extinguisher in all shops.

relief of Rs 3800 distributed to them.

On repeated fire accidents occurring in different parts of state, the CM said necessary precautionary measures are to be taken by the citizens. He said blaming the government alone won’t work.

He recalled his last visit to Seppa when he was the Finance Minister, and had found numerous electricity theft cases in the town. Also the people didn’t follow necessary precautions or seek help of experts in electrification works. The CM therefore urged the citizen to cooperate the government in its effort to reduce the fire incident caused from carelessness.

He informed that his government is doing all possible deeds for betterment of the people, particularly the poor. He informed that

DDSE Inaugurates new Primary School Aalo, May 24: A new Primary School was inaugurated at Bagra Circle in Aalo West Education Block by Shri Tumto Lollen DDSE Aalo as Chief Guest and Shri Jumkar Karbi CO Bagra as Guest of Honour and Shri Kento Ngomdir BEO Aalo West Block as Special Guest on 22nd May last.

Shri Lollen and Karbi emphasized on participation of parents in educational developments of the children, preservation and judicious use of infrastructures and unconditional support to the teachers in

bringing out the best from the students.

The Guests, PRI Leaders and the GBs planted a tree each to commemorate the auspicious occasion. The Govt. Primary School Bushi Kamru will start functioning from academic session 2016-17 and will cater to the educational needs of Bushi, Kamru, Hiker, Higi Bagra and the adjoining habitation of Bagra Office. The small but impressive function was attended by retired academicians, villagers, PRI leaders, GBs and Youth.

whatever the financial assistance was provided is over and above the government prescribed norms. He himself is from poor family and once worked as labourer, he knows the necessity and hardships faced by contingency labour.

He assured them to build dwelling units for them besides the financial assistance as such distributed.

He directed the DC East Kameng to prepare a plan with estimates and forward it to him for immediate approval. He also suggested for construction of twothree storey-building units so that many can be accommodated in small area.

Saddened by recurring fire accident, he has suggested that there should be a provision of keeping fire extinguisher, particularly in every shop since market is the place where people movement is the largest and continuous. He directed the DC

to ensure compliance of the provision by shopkeepers.

He has directed the SP to ensure that fire tender vehicle should be in ready position 24X7.

He directed the DC and the SP to identify locations for construction of water tank so that fire tender vehicle could be refilled immediately during occurrence of any eventuality. He informed that his government has raised the emoluments of contingency workers, ANMs and others.

The CM said he did not come here only to compensate the loss, but to advice people on fire safety precautions. He said the new government is always ready to help people in need but in turn they also must cooperate.

He also said the new government has enhanced the fire relief from earlier existing Rs 5000 to Rs 101900.

The CM assured to work on the provision for overhead water tank in the bazaar with water hydrant for immediate supply of water to fire tanker during the fire emergencies.

The Chief Minister also promised to immediately construct the ALC barrack, which was made on appeal from several local organisations who feared of land encroachment on the site.

He appreciated the wholehearted and humanitarian gesture of civil society and NGOs such as EKSWCO, WWO, Changtam Aane, Mothers’ Group, Loving and Sharing Youth Network, AEKSU and others.

Meanwhile, BJP unit of the district led by its President L. K. Yangfo expressed gratitude to the HCM for his timely and generous assistance to the fire victims.

Affected families were jubilant on receiving the assistance and thanked the HCM for bringing immediate succour to them.

The CS shared her vision on the identified viable key sectors of the Persepective Plan under economic potential sectors viz. Tourism, Agriculture-horticulture and allied sectors , , Forest for tapping the economic potential of the state. On the Social Sectors, where in Health , Education and Skill Development has been given emphasis under the Perspective Plan , the CS said that our efforts towards Skill Development should

be in tune with the roadmap for economic development of the state. Skilled pool of manpower would be needed to meet up the demands of the Health, Education and Infrastructure sectors, adding that we need to scale up the skill development for these sectors, thus providing quality manpower. We need to train up our people for various skills, she added.

Calling for working proactively and time bound initiative towards promoting economic activities and creating enabling environment for creating gainful employment in the areas of Tourism through like Heritage Villages , eco-friendly resorts, and proper urban planning and amenities and proper public spaces like Parks ,floriculture, Agriculture, organic produces, upgrading our handlooms and handicrafts to meet the global markets. We have to work towards self-sustaining, composite, comprehensive and self-reliant kind of Development” Gamlin em-

The drug de-addiction centre which was sanctioned by former Governor, Nirbhaya Singh, by seeing

the need of the hours as anti drugs moment of ABK WW was not getting complete with the absence of one such centre, as addicted drug users though arrested or rescued were again falling into the addiction as there had no place to deaddict them. The ABK East Siang team was accompanied by District Medical Officer, Mandip Perme and AE WRD, B. Darin. The drug de-addiction centre will accommodate 10 male and 10 female approximately and will be ready within next 3 months, added

Perme and Darin.

The construction work of the said centre had began from last March and along with department concern of DMO and WRD, ABK East Siang with special attention from Women Wing team are ensuring for early completion of the project. The ABK East Siang Women Wing are urging the present Kalikho Pul led statement government to give emphasis on building such centre so that youths could be saved from drugs and other illicit substance addiction.

ADC, WASE, PRI leaders, GBs resolves to fight against drugs & IMFL menace

Posting of teachers, staffs demanded A Staff Reporter Itanagar, May 24 : The All Ato Goyor Ao Welfare Society (AGAWS) has demanded the Department of Education for immediate posting of teachers and other staffs at Government Residential School, Gehing under Monigong circle and Government Residential School, Rapum under Mechukha circle.

It is said that both the schools, which were once temples of learning for students of the area, were on the verge of defunct due to absence of teachers and other staffs.

In its representation addressed to the Deputy Director of School Education (DDSE), West Siang, the

society reiterated that despite submission of series of representation since 2015 for immediate posting of teachers and other staffs at the mentioned residential schools, the DDSE office Aalo has not initiated any steps to fulfill the genuine demands of the society.

It further claimed that the Education Department also failed to run the seven schools in the Goyor clan dominated areas, which include Government Primary School, Pangri, Government Primary School, Komte, Government Primary School, Sheet under Manigong Circle and Government Primary School, Rego and Government Primary School, Gapo under

Mechuka Circle.

While expressing deep resentment over the alleged non-fulfillment of their demands despite repeated submissions of representations, the society strongly urged upon the DDSE to initiate immediate steps to post adequate teachers and staffs at Government Residential School, Geching and Government Residential School Rapum within 15 days.

Further, it threatened to resort to democratic means if the demands were not fulfilled within the given time frame for the implementation of constitutional rights of the people of area under RTE.

Arunachal CS Chairs Coordination Meeting on State’s Perspective Plan A Staff Reporter ITANAGAR, May 24,2016: Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, Shakuntala D Gamlin has taken a coordination meeting on the Perspective Planning for sectoral planning of Arunachal Pradesh and hydro-power development here today at CS Conference hall. Led by CEO, Niti Aayog , GoI , Amitabh Kant , an Inter Ministerial team will visit the state in May 31, where the Perspective Plan of the state will be taken up.

Spl Correspondent Pasighat, May 23: To take stock of the construction work and its progress of the Drug De-addiction centre which is being constructed at SS Mission area by WRD department, Adi Baane Kebang East Siang Unit (both man and women wing) led by President Okom Yosung and Yalem Taga Burang visited the sites on Saturday.

phasized.

On the focus on creating enabling Infrastructure, in terms of Road, rail, Air and Telecom connectivity, she underlined the proper infrastructure is a pre-requisite for development of the State in various sector and all round development of the state.

Giving here opinion on the Initial appraisal on the Health Sectors on various indicators like Maternal Health, Child health, Immunization, the CS said that we need to boost the coverage of neo-natal care, arrest Infant mortality and provide neo-natal check up and called for proper data collection and mapping of health centers which gives a proper projection of our requirements. We must bridge the gap in health sector and push for reforms, she stressed and said that District hospitals need to be upgraded and Trauma Centres and ICU care are required for attending to criti-

cal patients. She also added that good health care facility is also necessary for the visiting Tourists underling the interlinkage of various sectors for development of the state.

She also called for increasing school enrollment.

On the occasion, calling for promoting the State Capital as Planned City , Itanagar as a Tourism Destination and Medical Tourism Centre.

Itanagar also need to developed I terms of city beautification, developing more parks, street lighting , garbage management and upgrading the tourist interest spots like Gekar Sinyik and Itafort, Gompa, she said that we need to work collectively for making our Capital City , a green, clean and livable place with urban amenities for our people and also to boost Tourism.

She upon the UD, DC Capital and Tourism departments to work as collaborative team towards this goal takes along the various

stakeholders like the residents welfare societies and markets welfare committees.

Also, on implementation of Swaach Bharat Abhiyan, she called to make it people’s campaign and explore various options to make it successful.

On Hydro-Power development, she called for appraisal of the projects adding that harnessing the potential would boost the growth of revenue deficit state like Arunachal Pradesh.

Earlier, The Secretary Planning, Dr. Joram Beda through Power Point Presentation, gave a broad overview of the Perspective Plan for the state. He also highlighted the various development indicators and development challenges. He asked the various departments to prepare their respective Perspective Plan, based on realistic, achievable and outcome based plan.

Senior Officers of various departments attended the meeting.

Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, May 24: In yet another initiative of Women Against Social Evils (WASE) to fight against drugs and IMFL menace, a meeting of Mebo Sub-Divisional administration, police, PRI leaders, HGBs, GBs was held at Doying Kudang Hall, Mebo, Romdum Town on Monday which was chaired by ADC Mebo Yemling Tayeng.

In the meeting jointly organized by WASE, East Siang and Addl. Dy. Commissioner, Mebo, thorough discussion on the ill effects of drugs and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) besides how to fight and find a solution unitedly of all

these problems was held.

After a threadbare discussion on the ill effects of drugs & IMFL and problem faced by the WASE members, Gaon Buras, police and administration in fighting against the growing menace, formation of a Village Level Vigilance Committee comprising GBs and WASE activists was resolved. To this effect, WASE team also wrote a letter to ADC Mebo to issue an order authorizing the Gaon Buras to check any premises suspected to be hoarding and selling IMFL and drugs like marijuana, opium and brown sugar in every village. Acknowledging their good work, ADC Mebo Yemling Tayeng ac-

cepted the letter and agreed to issue the order to stop drug peddling and others for the greater interest of the Mebo and Namsing block, informed WASE sources this evening.

WASE team was headed by its President, Omem Ering. Joya Tasung Moyong, General Secretary expressed their thankfulness to the District Administration, East Siang for the supports and cooperations given to WASE. PRI leaders attended the meeting was headed Mebo Banggo Anchal Block ASM Chairperson Dinesh Mepola and Monggu Banggo Anchal Block ASM Chairperson Kaki Ratan.

With NEDA, BJP embarks on mission northeast Guwahati, May 24 (ANI): In an attempt to further corner the Congress Party in the north-eastern region, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), buoyed by its victory in Assam, announced the formation of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) on Tuesday.

The decision was taken after the chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim had a meeting with BJP president Amit Shah, and general secretary Ram Madhav.

"A very important decision was taken in this meeting; we have decided to come together and form a new alliance and have named it 'North East Democratic Alliance' (NEDA). The NEDA will be an alliance of nonCongress parties in the north-eastern states," Madhav told the media

here.

Stating that charter and the statement of objectives of this new alliance will be drafted very soon, Madhav said the four chief ministers and the BJP leadership have decided to designate Hemant Biswas Sharma as the convener of NEDA. "Today, we are in power in four states, and there are four other states in the region, where there are also important non-Congress parties. All these parties will come together and will become the constituents of NEDA. The NEDA will be a constituent of National Democratic Alliance ( NDA)," he added.

Madhav further said the very purpose of this arrangement (forming an al-

liance) is to ensure greater development of the region through mutual cooperation within the region as well as the cooperation between the regional political parties and the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"This alliance will be new big political force in the region, it is a very important development for the region, all the non congress parties are coming together with the sole objective of developing north east and addressing all the problems faced by the states, in a better coordination with the Centre," he added.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal said the decision of froming NEDA is a great decision for overall growth of the north east.

"We are sure that with this political purpose the North East will prosper in a bigger way," he said.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

PAGE 4

Dead body of youth recovered A Correspondent Bajali, May 24: A youth was brutally killed by unknown miscreants at Pathsala in a bamboo rent house near NH-31 yesterday at around 8.00 pm on 24th May. The body was identified as Dipak Das (30), son of Lt. Balen Das and Lt. Priyamala Das from Pragatinagar, Bajali.

Motorcycle stolen from the VVIP area of Tinsukia the courts - the major VVIP area here in Tinsukia.

By seeing his dead body, his family suspected it to be a murder by some miscreants who might have stabbed him badly.

According to owner of the motorcycle, Sandeep Bhardwaj, he had parked his motorcycle as usual outside his factory shed no C-1 at the Industrial Estate at Borguri, distance away from the power centre.

However, at 11.30 he learnt his red and black bike was stolen. Sandeep Bhardwaj lodged an FIR with Tinsukia police station in this connection.

It is to be noted that Dipak Das was missing for the last five days and last night his dead body was found by the public and immediately police came to the spot at around 8.30 pm and started investigating into the matter. The body was sifted to Barpeta medical college for postmortem.

It is pertinent to mention here that, ever since blast rocked Tinsukia recently traffic police often sets up checking here and their randomly. Despite that the courage of vehicle lifters is a serious question Tinsukia police needs to answer. The recent incident has sent panic waves among the residents of Tinsukia.

Doc arrested A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, May 24: Eye specialist Simanta Konwar of Dibrugarh private hospital was today arrested by police for allegedly torturing his wife for many days.

His wife lodged a complaint at Dibrugarh police station and today police arrested him from his resident. His wife told the reports that her husband tried to kill her on last night. Police said that they have record the statements of both and investigation is on. Konwar was under police custody. (Staff Reporter)

Freedom fighter expires ET Correspondent Sivasagar, May 24: Veteran freedom fighter, scholar and journalist Chandra kanta Bhuiyan of Bhuiya Gaon of Amguri died last night.

Bhuiyan died at the age of 87 due to old-age ailments, when he was at his daughter's home at Foujdari party in Nagon town. Late Bhuiyan, who was Principal of Amguri Higher Secondary, was also a local correspondent of The Assam Tribune for long time.

He was also involved in various local social organizations. The funeral of Late Bhuiyan was held at his own village here at Amguri of Sivasagar, where a large number of mourners were present.

Spl correspondent Tinsukia, May 24: Giving an insight of their increasing courage and

capability, vehicle lifters on Monday lifted a motorcycle (AS 23 J 7681) in broad day - light,

that too, meters away from district police headquarters, deputy commissioner office and

President Mukherjee arrives in Guangzhou Guangzhou (China), May 24 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Guangzhou, China, on Tuesday from where he will begin his four-day state visit.

He was received at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport by the Vice Governor of China's Guangdong province, Mr. He Zhongyou, Vice Minister, Liu Zhenmin and other goverment Officials.

Earlier in the day, President Mukherjee embarked on a four day visit to China, where he is expected to exchange views on all aspects of India's ties with Chinese leadership.

The President was seen off

by Vice President Hamid Ansari,Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Speaker

of the Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan, the the three service chiefs and others.

Guangzhou is one of the most important industrial centers of China.

He is also expected to participate in an Indian community event this evening.

On the second leg of his visit, the President will reach

Beijing tomorrow where he will have talks with the top leaders of China, including with his counterpart President Xi Jinping, on bilateral, regional and International issues.

The President is accompanied by a delegation of top Indians academicians including Vice Chancellors of Central Universities and Di-

rectors of IITs, where they will sign a MoU with top Chinese research and educational Institutions.

Earlier, the pPresident had said,""We seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the boundary question and, pending the boundary settlement, to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Both sides should strive to ensure that the outstanding issues are addressed in a manner that demonstrates mutual sensitivity to each other's concerns, interests and aspiration."

President Mukherjee said both India and China should enhance the mutual trust and understanding through stepped-up dialogue on political, security and strategic issues.

Air Force starts investigation, makes payment on behalf of the accused personnel at Tinsukia restaurant and bar Contd. from Page 1

the only newspaper to have first reported this incident.

A team of senior air force officials led by officer Dharampal Yadav went to the restaurant and bar where the incident took place. The team met the owner and the staff and had a discussion in connection with the incident. There after the team went to Tinsukia police station and met the Officer - in - charge P. Gogoi and informed him about the investigation. The officer who led the air force team told the OC about compromise with the complainant and requested him to close the case.

However, stating himself helpless as the FIR has been forwarded to the court the OC of Tinsukia police advised the air force team to approach the court.

In the meantime, speaking to The Eastern Today the complainant brother Siddharth Singh said, a team of air force came to their restaurant and bar to enquire about the matter. The team in uniform was led by officer Dharampal Yadav, who introduced himself as officer from the investigating wing of Indian Air Force, he added.

Singh said, after enquiring about the incident the officer accepted the fault of their personnel and even

paid the payment of rupees 4720 by swiping card.

There after the officers requested him to withdraw the case as Air force has already ordered an investigation and soon their will he departmental proceedings against the culprits, added Singh and said, since my complaint was resolved and air force officers regretted the actions of the personnel I decided to withdraw the complaint and submitted a letter to this effect to the OC of Tinsukia police station in presence of air force officers.

However, their has been no official version by the air force till the filing of this report. On the other hand thanking The Eastern

Later, in 1987, he was elected as the District president of AASU in undivided Dibrugarh. For three years he was elected as the district president of AASU. In 1989, Sonowal was elected as the Vice President of AASU and in Namrup Conference (1993), he was elected as the president of AASU and for six years he remained the president of AASU.

He also became the president of North East Students' Organisation (NESO) and after that he joined active politics and for the first he got a ticket from AGP in the year 1999 and contested from Lakhimpur but unfortunately he lost that time.

"We are very happy that he was sworn as the Chief Minister of Assam. We never thought that he will become the Chief Minister of Assam. He was

ambitious and hardworking from his very childhood,'' said Dalimi Saikia, elder sister of Sarbananda Sonowal.

Sonowal is the younger sibling of his family. She added that they have high hopes with him.

However, Sarbananda got a ticket from AGP from Dibrugarh constituency in 2004 Parliamentary election and created a history by winning the seat against the powerful tea tribe leader Paban Singh Ghatowar. In 2011, he

joined BJP under the leadership of Nitin Gadkari and after three years he became the state president of BJP, and in 2014 Lok Sabha election under his leadership BJP have won seven seats in Assam. Sonowal too won from the Lakhimpur seat after which he was inducted in Modi's council of ministers. "Within a very short period, Sonowal has managed to leave his detractors much behind by becoming close to Modi as well as

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India addressing the delegates and the people of Assam duirng the oath taking of Sarbananda Sonowal as Chief Minister of Assam in Guwahati on 24th May 2016. Photo: Subhamoy

Sarbanada Sonowal shaking hand with governor P B Acharyya after taking oath as the chief minister of Assam in presence of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in Guwahati on 24th May 2016. Photo: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee

Today, Siddharth Singh said, it is the impact of news report published by ET that senior air force officers swung into action so promptly.

It may be mentioned that ET was the only newspaper who picked the incident on day one and continued reporting highlighting police investigations slow pace, senior air officers silence and the message by the intellectuals of the society.

Picture of Air Force officer Dharampal Yadav talking to the OC of Tinsukia police station. In yellow shirt present is the complainant. Exclusive pic

by Rishu Kalantri

Rise of Sarbananda Sonowal : From a regional student leader to the CM of Assam Contd. from Page 1

Sarbananda Sonowal along with Himanta Biswa Sarma after taking oath as ministers in the BJP allance government in presence of Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India in Guwahati on 24th May 2016. Photo: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee

Amit Shah. This is why the top BJP leadership not only brought him back as the state President before the parliamentary elections but also named as the Chief Ministerial candidate ahead of the recently concluded state assembly polls. By managing a clean sweep during the polls, Sonowal too have been able to keep the faith of Modi and Shah which will benefit him immensely in near future", a political commentator said.

Sarbanada Sonowal taking oath during the swearing in ceremony.

Pic - Subhamoy Bhattacharjee

Advt.

Lost of Original Sale Deed I, that undersigned hereby declared that the Original Sale Deed, being Regd. No. 1500 Serial No. 2022 dtd. 22/6/1996 in connection with the plot of land measuring 2 Katha 9 Lessa of PP No.199, Dag No. 144 & 152 of Marwaripatty Ward-Dibrugarh Town Mouza, Dist.-Dibrugarh, standing in my name (Md Anwar Ali) has been lost somewhere and I could not trace out the same inspite of my best efforts. I hereby father declare that the said Original Sale Deed has not been deposited by me or by my agent with any bank or financial institution for the purpose of certain mortgage thereof at any time what so cover.

Md Anwar Ali s/o Md Subhan Ali Graham Bazar: District - Dibrugarh Mobile No: 8011321745

REGION

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

Mizoram govt. mulls handing over Dec 14 dacoity case to CBI

Mizoram govt. mulls handing over Dec 14 dacoity case to CBI

PTI Aizawl, May 24: Mizoram government is mulling handing over the December 14 dacoity case, allegedly involving the then Commandant of an Assam Rifles battalion, to the CBI, state Home Minister R Lalzirliana said here on Tuesday.

The government is contemplating handing over the case to CBI as the accused Col Jasjit Singh, suspended Commandant of 39th Battalion, was yet to divulge details about the concealed gold bars, worth Rs 14.5 crore, allegedly snatched by the arrested eight Assam Rifles personnel from a vehicle on the night of December 14 last on the outskirts of Aizawl, Lalzirliana said.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state police did a commendable job by arresting 13 people including Col Singh, eight personnel and four civilians in connection with the case, he said.

"Reports of highly-

placed people involved in the case and also Col Singh's refusal to give details may force us to hand over the case to the CBI," the Home Minister said.

The arrested jawans allegedly waylaid a vehicle on the southern outskirts of Aizawl near 'Zampuimanga Memorial' with sophisticated weapons and allegedly decamped with 52 gold bars concealed inside the gear box of the vehicle, the investigators had said earlier.

The jawans allegedly told the interrogators that the gold bars recovered during the dacoity was kept by Naib Subedar K C Roy, Commander of the group, on the night of December 14 and it was handed over to Col Singh next morning at the latter's official residence in Tuikhuahtlang locality here.

The gold bars, believed to be smuggled from Myanmar via Champhai district, were worth around Rs 14.5 crore in the local market.

'LF partners should be careful with their remarks'

CPM flag Agencies Agartala, May 24: CPM, the main constituent of Left Front, on Monday reacted sharply to the statement of its front partner RSP on the party's poor show in the recently held West Bengal assembly polls.

RSP's Tripura state secretary Sudarshan Bhattacharjee on Sunday held CPM responsible for the poll debacle and alleged that forging an alliance with Congress did not go down well with the members of LF constituents. He also advised CPM to change its political strategy if it wants to survive in the country today. The decision of alliance with Congress in West Bengal was taken solely by CPM and imposed on its Left partners, he alleged.

Similarly, Forward Bloc has also accused CPM of taking wrong decisions in seat sharing ahead of the elections and has stated that the LF's poor results were the outcome of the pre-election understanding between CPM and Congress.

CPM state secretary Bijan Dhar have cautioned the Left partners to refrain from making harsh comments that might harm the future of the Left politics in India.

"If anybody has any ob-

jection or suggestion, he or she must discuss it among the members of the LF constituents. Every LF leader must keep in mind that the party's movement was against communalism, caste-based politics, capitalistic policies and the impending threat posed by the liberalization and privatization move of the present government," Dhar said.

He pointed out that the LF members had questioned the revolutionary character and politics of CPM, which is unexpected and irrelevant and added, "We must remember that CPM, RSP or Forward Bloc are different entities that are united for a common agenda. We should not intend to intervene in each other's functioning."

CPM has been carefully handling the present crisis and other front members also need to be passionate and serious, Dhar said and added that Left Front has been fighting against all threats to democracy and leaders should not make unnecessary comments on the issues.

"I request all the LF partners not to make strong comments that may further complicate the party's unity. The the long-pursuing battle of Left in India will be disrupted and weakened," Dhar mentioned.

PAGE 5

21,000 Nagaland Teachers to go on Mass Leave for 2 days Agencies Kohima, May 24: 21,000 teachers in Nagaland will be availing three days mass casual leave from May 24 to May 26 in protest against the State Government’s failure to bifurcate Secondary/ Elementary Education from Higher Secondary in the Department of School Education. The mass casual leave agitation will affect 2069 government schools across the state.

The agitation which has been spearheaded by the All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA) and Nagaland Secondary Schools Field Officers Forum (NSSFOF) has been demanding separation of

the two cadres in order to produce quality education.

ANSTA President Ponchulo Wanth said that in order to shape and mould the destiny of the future generation, a peaceful environment and good coordination is needed. Wanth however lamented that there are clashes and tussles between the two cadres.

“We are demanding for segregation of the two cadres so that we can function independently without encroaching in each other’s areas or interfering in each other’s affairs. We are hopeful that we can bring quality and systematic education. We are fighting for what is due to us,” affirmed Wanth.

21,000 Nagaland Teachers to go on Mass Leave for 2 days

Although the agitation will affect the students, the committee is of the view that its primary concern is for the welfare of the students and to produce quality education.

The teachers have tried

to reason why the Department of Higher and Technical Education was created when it had only three institutions.

Meanwhile, the government has failed to bifurcate the Higher Secondary section, when there

are already 41 Higher Secondary Schools in Nagaland with over 600 employees.

The problems, as outlined by the ANSTA and NSSFOF in a memorandum submitted to all concerned agencies ap-

Agartala among 13 new smart cities picked by govt Agencies Agartala, May 24: Lucknow, New Town in Kolkata, Bhagalpur and Dharamsala are among the 13 urban centers picked to be developed as smart cities under the Modi government’s ambitious plan for an urban overhaul.

Chandigarh, Faridabad, Raipur, Ranchi, Warangal, Agartala, Imphal, Port Blair and Panaji are the other cities chosen on Tuesday through a fast-track competition.

Meant to change the way urban India lives, smart cities will enjoy uninterrupted power and water supplies, internet connectivity, e-governance along with quality infrastructure.

In January, when the first 20 smart cities were announced the urban development ministry had come under fire for leaving out cities from nonNDA states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

Upset over the exclusion of the three potential

List of the all 13 NEW SMART CITIES

smart cities from Bihar, chief minister Nitish Kumar had said the urban plan promoted “regional inequality.”

Other state government also said the first list was tilted heavily in favour of the NDA-ruled state. All the 12 cities from Uttar Pradesh -- short-listed from the 98 potential smart cities -- lost out in the first round.

To stave off criticism, the ministry decided to fast track the selection pro-

cess to choose the second lot from a list of 23.

Two of the 13 cities are in Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow) and Himachal Pradesh (Dharamsala) that go to the polls in 2017. While the Congress is in power in Himachal, the Samajwadi Party rules Uttar Pradesh.

Four cities – Faridabad (Haryana), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Panaji (Goa) – are in

BJP-ruled states. The capital city of Congressruled Manipur, Imphal, too has made the cut.

The 13 cities have proposed projects involving a total investment of Rs 30,229 crore.

The ministry has also decided to allow seven capital cities -- Patna, Shimla, Naya Raipur, Itanagar, Amaravati, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram -to participate in the competition. The cities were

not on the list of 98 potential smart cities.

Smart cities are picked though a two-stage process. In the first stage, a state shortlists potential cities and send the names to the Centre. In the second round, these nominated cities compete with each other.

The selection is based on the scores cities get for carrying out urban reforms in areas including sanitation and governance.

While 20 cities were selected in January, 40 more will be added to the list by the yearend. Each city will be given R500 crore by the Centre over five years. The states will have to make a matching contribution.

Stalemate over J&K, UP cities The Centre has decided to allow both Jammu and Srinagar from the border state and Meerut and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh to make a pitch for the tag.

But, the ministry has made it clear that only one city will be picked from each of these states.

Chandel attack: Massive op launched, CorCom claims role Agencies Imphal, May 24: In the wake of the attack on an Assam Rifles convoy in the Joupi area in Chandel district, bordering Myanmar, killing six personnel on Sunday, the paramilitary force has launched a massive operation in the jungles along the porous IndiaMyanmar border.

The attackers had decamped with six weapons from the slain soldiers - Subedar Baldev Kumar (Himachal Pradesh), Havildar Suraj Bariya, Pawan Kumar (Jammu), Mahesh Gurung, Bhupendra Kumar (Himachal

Pradesh), A Pandey (Uttar Pradesh).

Minutes after news of the ambush reached New Delhi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh asked the Assam Rifles to take the 'strongest possible action' against the attackers.

"A team of various Assam Rifles units, under the aegis of Inspector General of AR (South), has launched a substantial military operation at various strategic places in the Samtal area along the IndiaMyanmar border," the public relations officer of Assam Rifles said.

"The operation will con-

tinue and so far, there has been no report of any rebels being pulled up," he said.

"Autopsy was conducted on the bodies of the six soldiers at the state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) here on Monday and a wreath-laying ceremony honouring the departed souls will be conducted in Imphal on Tuesday," he added.

stronghold of various rebel organizations before the Assam Rifles launched its two-phase combing operation about nine years ago.

Meanwhile, CorCom, the coordinating committee of some major underground outfits has claimed responsibility for the ambush, saying that it was carried out by a joint fighting force.

Joupi is close to Paraolon where underground cadres killed 18 soldiers of the 6 Dogra Regiment in an ambush on June 4 last year.

The Samtal area was a

Senior security officials said that many underground organizations in the northeast have taken refuge in Myanmar.

Taking advantage of the porous border and the difficult mountainous

terrain, rebels carry out subversive actions and scurry back to Myanmar.

Manipur alone shares a 380-km porous border with Myanmar and the Assam Rifles is guarding the boundary area in Chandel district.

Though a 10-km border fencing project along the Moreh sector was sanctioned by the Centre, it had to be stopped halfway owing to a longstanding border dispute.

In the aftermath of the Paraolon ambush, chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said the government had requested the Myanmar authorities not to shelter the militants.

Sumitra Mahajan to inaugurate 3-day NERCPA conference PTI Agartala, May 24: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan would inaugurate the three-day conference of the Northeast Region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (NERCPA) in the Assembly house here on May 30.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Prof P J Kurien, Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha Dr M Thambi

Durai and Secretary General of Lok Sabha Anoop Mishra would be present in the inaugural function apart from Mahajan, a senior official confirmed.

Speakers and Deputy Speakers of all the eight Northeastern states are expected to attend the conference, Tripura Assembly Speaker Ramendra Debnath told during a press conference.

Deliberations on two topics - to strengthen the NERCPA

for further development of Northeast region states and soil erosion in Northeast India and its impact on the local populace and how political intervention could help to resolve the issue - will be figured in the conference, Debnath said.

Debnath said Governor Tathagata Roy and Tripura Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tapan Chakraborty would remain in the valedictory session.

Sumitra Mahajan

pear to be quite a handful.

The different academic sessions has hampered the smooth functioning of the school where academic sessions, examination schedules and co curricular activities cannot be conducted together.

The different entry points into service have given a higher advantage to Higher Secondary teachers in matters of promotion, which is disproportionate.

The demands also mention that since ‘the cadre, seniority and promotional channel of the two cadres is different, they cannot be clubbed up together to work under one roof and there can be no meeting point in the service journey.

Mukul humbled

by Purno legacy Agencies Shillong, May 24: He had lost two electoral battles - once in 2004 and again in 2006 against his erstwhile political mentor Purno A'gitok Sangma in Tura.

In yet another by-election in 2008, Mukul Sangma had pitted his brother, Zenith, against PA Sangma's daughter Agatha, who had triumphed over the chief minister's sibling.

This time, too, his wife Dikkanchi D Shira of Congress failed to win against Purno's youngest son and NPP candidate Conrad.

Though, NPP had appealed to all political parties not to field their candidates against PA Sangma's son as a mark of respect to the undisputed public leader of the Garo Hills, Congress put up its candidate only to bite the dust. "The Tura bypoll proved to be a referendum of sorts on the public respect, sympathy and support that Late PA Sangma's family commands in the Garo Hills, with Conrad winning in 23 assembly segments out of a total 24 that comprise the Tura Parliamentary Constituency," a political observer points out.

In fact, the CM's wife polled lesser votes than her rival even in her own Mahendraganj constituency, which she represents in the state assembly, an indication of the continuation of the glorious political legacy of PA Sangma even after his death.

Even after a decisive victory of Conrad, Mukul Sangma had blamed mal-functioning of the EVMs for his wife's defeat, though the EC is yet to respond to his allegation. On the other hand, tension within the Congress, which rules the state is already brewing over the leadership issue following the decimation of the party in the Tura by-poll with the MPCC president DD Lapang scheduled to meet AICC chief Sonia Gandhi at New Delhi on Monday even as CM Mukul Sangma is already camping in the national capital.

Party sources said Lapang was likely to submit his report to the AICC High Command citing the reasons leading to the debacle of the party candidate in the Tura by-election.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

PAGE 6

NEET ordinance given firm statutory basis with states' concerns addressed: Centre New Delhi, May 24 : Putting to rest the speculations that the Centre was trying to defer National Eligibility-cumEntrance Test (NEET) this year by introducing an ordinance to keep states out of its ambit, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda on Tuesday said the ordinance has in fact been implemented and given a statutory support taking note of the concerns put forth by the various states.

Nadda told a press briefing that President Pranab Mukherjee has given his nod to the NEET ordinance sent by the Union Cabinet for approval.

Nadda said the BJP-led NDA government was always in favour of NEET, and overcame many hurdles to expedite the the matter.

Nadda, however, said the respective state governments could not put forth their views properly before the Supreme Court.

The Health Minister further said the main bone

NADDA SAID ON PRESS CONFERENCE The NEET ordinance has been given a firm statutory basis. I would like to clarify. Some sections of the media had reported that NEET has been deferred. In fact, NEET has been implemented. It has been given a statutory basis In fact, it was the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which had gone for a review petition.

We even wanted an early hearing. There were several hurdles, but we got it cleared and wanted that NEET be implemented

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda of contention was syllabus and regional language.

"Same was discussed in all-party meeting; the view was that NEET in principle is to be implemented. But at the same time, the issue of ongoing tests of various state governments should be taken into consideration and we should also address the issue related to language and syllabus," he added.

Nadda said the Centre

`Green flashing` UFO spotted before Egypt Air crash, claim Turkish pilots

`Green flashing` UFO spotted before Egypt Air crash, claim Turkish pilots

Melbourne, May 24 : The mystery revolving around thetragic crash of the EgyptAirFlight 804 into the Mediterranean Sea seems to be becoming more complex with two Turkish Airlines pilots claiming that an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) with green lights passed over their plane shortly before the downing of the Egyptian aircraft.

Quoting The Sun, news.com.au reports that the pilots, who were flying from Bodrum to Istanbul, reportedly saw the unidentified object last Thursday night close to Istanbul's Silivri District when the plane was at 17,000-ft at 11.30pm.

According to The Hurriyet Daily News, the Air Traffic Control at Istanbul was told by the Turkish Airlines pilots that an unidentified object with green lights passed two to 3,000 feet above them.

The pilots further said that the object, which they are guessing it to be an UFO then disappeared all of a sudden.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah elSisi has said a submarine has been deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to search the black boxes of the Egyptian aircraft that went missing en route from Paris to Cairo.

While searchers have recovered parts of the plane wreckage, including passengers' personal belongings, life vests, aircraft chairs and even body parts, scouring the Mediterranean is still on to find the fuselage and flight data and cockpit voice recorders that would likely reveal what went wrong on the flight.

So far, no survivors have been found, and authorities are still examining what have caused the plane with 66 people aboard to crash into the sea early Thursday.

Fathi has said that 30 passengers were Egyptian, 15 French, including an infant, and passengers from Iraq, Britain, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Canada and Algeria.

(ANI)

Charter plane crash lands in Delhi's Najafgarh area New Delhi, May 24 : A charter plane crash landed in Delhi's Najafgarh area on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident took place when the chartered plane, which is an air ambulance, belonging to Alchemist Airlines, crashed

at around 2:45 pm.

It is reported that out of the seven people onboard, five people have sustained injuries and have been rushed to the hospital.

The plane had taken off from Patna and was enroute to Delhi.(ANI)

came up with an ordinance after considering all concerns voiced by the states.

"We have tried to give a provision where we give an exemption to the states and an option to conduct the state examination (including those who have already conducted the exams). All private medical colleges come under the ambit of NEET. The states will get an option to either appear this year 2016-17 for un-

So, after the Supreme Court order, several states approached the Centre with their problems.

Later, this was echoed in Parliament and various MPs also raised their concerns. Even an all-party meeting was convened on May 16 to discuss the issue dergraduate exams (or join next year). The NEET for post graduate entry will be held in December this year. The seats will be filled either

by NEET or by the state exam quota. Even in the private colleges, the seats to be filled by state exams will continue to be done that way this year," he added.

President Pranab Mukherjee has signed

the ordinance, which was cleared by the Union Cabinet on May 20, to partially overturn a Supreme Court verdict which said all government colleges, deemed universities and private medical colleges would be covered under NEET. The President had earlier sought more information and clarification on few points from the Union Health Ministry over the

decision to bring an ordinance on NEET. Nadda had yesterday met President Mukherjee to answer his questions on the need for urgency in issuing the executive order, which bypassed the Supreme Court's ruling last month that NEET will be held across India.

Over 15 states were opposed to NEET and had raised concerns like different syllabus and languages during the recent State Health Ministers' meeting with Nadda.

The state governments strongly objected and asked the court to review its order, saying such an exam would place regional language students at a disadvantage.

Nadda had, however, earlier said the Centre was committed to implementing the NEET as per the apex court's order, but was also looking for ways to accommodate the concerns of the states.

The medical entrance test in the first phase of NEET was held on May 1. (ANI)

70 Pakistanis head home as Indians await clearance to visit families Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir), May 24 : Seventy Pakistanis headed home on Monday, even as Indians await Islamabad's clearance to visit their families across the border.

The Poonch-Rawalakot bus service was launched in 2005 to facilitate visits by Indian and Pakistani citizens who have relatives in both sides of Kashmir.

A Poonch Municipal Council official, Irshad Hussain, said Indians were not able to meet their kin, as Islamabad was not giving them clearance.

"This time as well, 70 Pakistani nationals are going back to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and there is no Indian going with them. It is our request to the Pakistan government to give clearance as no Indian is going there because their government is not providing us with the

70 Pakistanis head home as Indians await clearance to visit families No Objection Certificate," said Hussain.

Pakistan nationals bade teary-eyed farewell to their kin before leaving.

They also urged their government to issue permits to Indians wishing to visit their family members in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

"It is our appeal to our government that they smoothen out the clear-

ance procedure. They should also be given the permission to go there like we are allowed to come here. They should be allowed to come and go and meet their relatives," said a Pakistani national, Zaheer Abbas.

The cross-border bus service was started as a friendly gesture between the two countries.

However, the bus service

has often been suspended due to cross- border fire and tensions between the two countries.

In January last year, the bus service was suspended indefinitely, following New Delhi's tough stand on the killing of an Indian soldier, leaving passengers stranded on both sides.

However, it was resumed in about two weeks.

Earlier, another bus service was launched between Pakistan?s city of Lahore and India?s national capital New Delhi on March 16, 1999. Then Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, went to Lahore in the inaugural run of the bus and was received by his counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since becoming independent countries in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but rule in part. (ANI)

Indian-US groups allege discrimination by Yale New York, May 24 : A coalition of more than 130 Asian- American organisations, including two Indian-American groups, have sought an investigation into admission practices of the prestigious Yale University and two other Ivy League institutions, alleging that they discriminate against students from the community on racial grounds.

Indian-American groups - the American Society of Engineers of National Capital Chapter and the Global Organisation of Los Angeles Chapter have joined over 130 Asian-American groups and got the complaint filed yesterday by AsianAmerican Coalition for Education (AACE) group against Yale, Brown University and Dartmouth College with the US Departments of Education and Justice.

The complaint alleges that the three institutions are "engaged in unlawful discrimination against Asian-American applicants to their colleges" and participate in a "covert and insidious scheme to enforce racebased quotas in college admissions" in violation of the US Constitution.

"Although discrimination by elite colleges against Asian- American students is widespread, AACE and the joining organisations are bringing this complaint against the three named Ivy League Colleges because Brown University and Dartmouth College have maintained the lowest admission rates for Asian-American students, while Yale University not only maintains a relatively low admission rate for AsianAmerican applicants, but also engages in de-

stroying admissions records at its law school," the complaint said.

In May last year, a similar complaint was filed against Harvard University on behalf of AsianAmerican students by a coalition of 64 groups alleging that the Ivy League institution discriminated against Asian-American applicants in its admissions process and "unfairly" rejected well-qualified students because of their race.

Four Indian-American groups were part of the coalition which had complained to the Office for Civil Rights in the US Department of Education and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

The AACE compliant cited a 2012 complaint filed by an Indian-

American student against Harvard and Princeton and said there have been prior attempts to hold Ivy League colleges and other elite institutions accountable for their "illegal discrimination" against AsianAmerican applicants.

The complaint further alleged the AsianAmerican college- age population in the US has grown from 2.5 per cent in 1995 to 5.1 per cent in 2011.

In the same period, the percentage of AsianAmericans at Yale and most other Ivy League colleges has declined because of "negative stereotyping coupled with racial quotas and caps, maintained by racially differentiated standards for admission that severely burden Asian-American applicants". (PTI)

Barabanki police confirm arrest of controversial 'godman' Baba Parmanand

Baba Parmanand Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh), May 24 : Police in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday, confirmed the arrest of controversial 'godman' Baba Parmanand on charges of sexual exploitation of women.

They said that a first information report (FIR) had been filed against Ram Shankar Tiwari a.k.a. Baba Parmanand after several women filed complaints that accused

him of sexually exploiting them in the name of treatment for infertility.

Barabanki Police also said th a t t h e y h a d raided Baba Parmanand's ashram and seized several CDs containing obscene videos of several women, vulgar literature and porn movies.

They said Tiwari was brought to Barabanki from Satna in Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)

Respect Pakistan's ' sovereignty' but won't stop removing terrorists: U.S.

Respect Pakistan's ' sovereignty' but won't stop removing terrorists: U.S.

Washington D.C., May 24 : A day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the drone strike by the United States in Balochistan was a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty, the Barack Obama government responded saying that they do respect Islamabad's territorial integrity, but that will not stop them from carrying out strikes to remove terrorists targeting U.S. forces.

Speaking at a press briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman, Mark Toner said that the drone strike last week had had been about removing Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was actively pursuing, planning, carrying out attacks against U.S. and Afghan forces in the region.

"First of all, this was a strike directed against this individual, Mansour, in the Afghan-Pakistan border region. We certainly do respect Pakistan's territorial integrity, but as we've said before, we will carry out strikes to remove terrorists who are actively pursuing and planning and directing attacks against U.S. forces," Toner said.

Asserting that the drone strike sent a clear message that those who target the U.S. and the Afghan people, are not going to be given a safe haven, and that there's only one option for the Taliban, which is to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

"What I think it does send is a clear message, as I said, that if you're going to carry out attacks, if you're going to lead attacks against our forces and against Afghan's forces - Afghanistan's forces - then you're going to be targeted and you're not going to have safe haven," Toner said.

"And I also think that it sends the message that the

Taliban must decide what its future is going to be and whether it's going to be part of a peaceful political future for Afghanistan. And there is a path towards that. They can sit down with the Afghan Government and begin negotiations and talks.

We've encouraged that; we support an Afghanowned, Afghan-led process," he added.

He further said that following the drone strike, the U.S. has been in touch with Pakistan and have continued to talk about how they can collaborate and cooperate on rooting out terrorist organizations that continue to Pakistan's territory to carry out attacks.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sharif slammed the drone strike carried out by the United States in Balochistan saying that a strong protest had been lodged with the U.S. over the attack.

Sharif said that it was not clear that Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was among the two people reportedly killed in the air strike, adding that details of the incident were still being collected.

A statement by the Foreign Office in Islamabad said that while investigations were being carried out, "Pakistan wishes to once again state that the drone attack was a violation of its sovereignty, an issue which has been raised with the United States in the past as well".

People close to the Taliban said the strike took place as senior 'commanders' were travelling to attend a wedding in a Pakistani village.

The Taliban's chief justice official, Mullah Shaikh Abdul Hakim, could have been among those killed in the strike, they said.

(ANI)

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

NEIGHBOURS

China gives primacy to propaganda Beijing, May 24 : Propaganda. All governments clearly engage in it to some extent. The question is to what degree?

While Western democracies may invest in dedicated spin doctors and media experts, nothing compares with the sweeping propaganda that Communist regimes such as those in North Korea or China engage in.

This fact should send alarm signals. If Communism is such a good thing, why is it necessary to so stringently control the media and to promote itself through blatant propaganda?

Common messages such as "China seeks a peaceful rise", "China does not seek hegemony" and "China does not view the USA as a strategic adversary" have long been parlayed by Chinese officialdom. The truth is that these messages are being shown as hollow by recent rhetoric and actions in places such as the South China Sea. It was ironic that the PLA Daily, the newspaper of China's military, recently pointed out that the movie Zootopia was evidence of an invisible U.S. propaganda war against Beijing.

The author, a professor at a PLA academy in Nanjing, warned in all seriousness, "Hollywood has always been an effective American propaganda tool.If we are at the mercy of Zootopia and other films, how can our cultural territory not become eroded?"

Despite his criticisms, Zootopia was a hit in China, becoming the highest-grossing animated film in China's history.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is not immune to a bit of propaganda itself. Television series shown on state broadcaster CCTV regularly feature the military, which unfailingly tri-

Suspected Jaish-eMohammad 'leader' shot dead in Kashmir Karachi, May 24 : A suspected leader of the Pakistani militant group Jaishe-Mohammad and another suspected militant have been killed in a shootout with security forces in Kashmir.

The incident took place on Monday night in Srinagar after rebels shot dead three policemen in separate attacks in the city.

Deadly attacks on security forces are relatively common in the disputed Indian-controlled Himalayan region but Srinagar has been largely free from such incidents in recent years.

Two militants, including a JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammad) commander were killed after a brief encounter, Srinagar police chief Amit Kuma said reports Dawn.

Another senior officer, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, identified one of the dead as Saifullah, a Pakistani national and senior leader of JeM, one of the groups India blames for a 2001 attack on itsParliament.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in its entirety.

An insurgency to end Indian rule in the mainly Muslim region broke out in 1989 and has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians.(ANI)

China gives primacy to propaganda umphs over adversity and hostile forces. The number of patriotic war films surely peaked about the time of China's 1 September grand military parade last year. At one time, ANI counted around eight such patriotic wartime films playing simultaneously on different state-controlled channels.

In an online interview, Professor Anne-Marie Brady of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, commented, "The concept of propaganda as the lifeblood of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] and their rule is a long-standing one, but it has been really emphasized since the crisis of 1989 - the student protests and then the government crackdown."

She continued, "The resurgence of party control in China after that, because the Chinese government has recognized that economic development is important to political stability in China, but so is information management and having a message that unites the population."

The irony of the CCP's selective memory is shown in its strenuous

PAGE 7

criticism of Japan whitewashing its wartime past, while all the time expunging every reference to its own 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

In September 2013 the government introduced laws cracking down on online rumors, where posters could be jailed for defamation if posts containing "false information" were reposted more than 500 times. Beijing also cracked down on famous Big V posters, and one casualty was billionaire Charles Xue who was arrested for engaging a prostitute's services.

The effect of the new law was instantaneous on social media such as Sina Weibo. The number of posts dropped immediately and many stopped offering social commentaries. One ex-employee stated that the government "now rules Weibo with ease". There are some 10,000 sensitive words that invite censorship from within the company itself to avoid falling foul of the law.

The extent of China's propaganda efforts was recently exposed in a Harvard University report

entitled "How the Chinese Government Fabricates Social Media Posts for Strategic Distraction, not Engaged Argument". Released on 19 May, it reached the startling conclusion: "We estimate that the government fabricates and posts about 488 million social media comments a year."

In one sense, this estimate for 2013 is on average only one post per three people per year. With 100 million users posting on Sina Weibo on a daily basis, the proportion is not high. However, it should be noted that this is after the government has imposed subtle pressure so organizations will conduct self-censorship, as well as the threat of jail time for rumour mongering.

On the other hand, it should be seen as an alarming level of interference to steer public opinion. This lists only the positive comments posted by lackeys, and there is no available estimate of how many sensitive comments are deleted annually. At the height of the Hong Kong protests in September 2014, for example, the authorities were deleting

an average of 152 posts per 10,000 messages.

Derogatorily known as the "50 Cent Party" (because they are rumoured to be paid 50c per post), it is suspected the government employs anywhere from 250,000 to two million people to surreptitiously write social media posts supporting the government line.

The Harvard report's authors were able to identify more than 43,000 50 cent posts using leaked data from a county in Jiangxi Province, and it found 99.3 percent were posted by employees of more than 200 government agencies. Analysis found they "highly focused on cheerleading and distraction rather than argumentation and criticism".

The report concluded, "In contrast to prior claims, we show that the Chinese regime's strategy is to avoid arguing with skeptics of the party and the government, and to not even discuss controversial issues. We infer that the goal of this massive secretive operation is instead to regularly distract the public and change the subject, as most of the these posts involve cheerleading for China, the revolutionary history of the Communist Party or other symbols of the regime."

Another recent item of news to receive ridicule was a post on the social media account of the Nanchang Railway Bureau in Jiangxi Province.

An article and photos showed a newly married couple on their wedding night copying the CCP's constitution by hand.

They apparently did so to "create fond memories of their wedding night". It reflects the "Two Studies and One Becoming" campaign that President Xi Jinping launched in February. This involves studying the CCP constitution and, of course, Xi's

speeches, in order to be a good party member.

The campaign encourages members to transcribe the 15,000-word constitution in 100 days. The South China Morning Post quoted official media as saying "the campaign is partly aimed at members whose confidence in communism has been shaken and who advocate Western values". It also targets members who have not paid their "tithes", for every member is required to hand over a percentage of their income to the party.

Although the newly-wed couple drew derision from many viewers, it is all part of Xi's efforts to reignite passion, loyalty and discipline in the party among its bloated 88 million membership. Soon after assuming the presidency, Xi held a meeting to discuss ways to "control the number of members while improving the quality".

The problem is that times have changed. In the preinternet days and during the Cultural Revolution, China was isolated and mostly uneducated. Now, its citizens are avid online users, its economy is locked into the global market, and many are travelling and studying abroad. People are clearly becoming cynical of the government.

This is certainly one of the key problems China is having with its Hong Kong territory. With a well-educated population and free access to the internet and all forms of media, Hong Kong citizens do not take kindly to the type of proclamations and enforced beliefs that Beijing is trying to impose. Nor are Hong Kong citizens allowed to join the PLA in case their liberality rubs off on the more faithful warriors.

Could intensified efforts to control the information fed to the populace cause a backlash in China? Certainly, efforts are redoubling to restrict access to the internet.

In March, the Cyber Se-

curity Association of China was formed to "serve as a bridge" between the government and public to "organize and mobilize forces in all aspects of society to participate in building China's cyber security". It consists of internet giants like Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and the telecom firms China Mobile and China Unicom, but it is ominous for its elected head, Fang Binxing. He is otherwise known as the father of the Great Firewall.

These companies signing up to this association is just a symptom of their willingness to abide by whatever restrictions the government chooses to impose. The new association falls under the oversight of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). In July 2015 the country's top legislature published a draft cyber security law to give the government full control over the internet and associated data.

The authorities have also been targeting virtual private networks (VPN), which many netizens use to get around the Great Firewall that blocks access to "unfit" websites.

Religion is another arena the government wants to control. "We must resolutely resist overseas infiltration through religious means and guard against ideological infringement by extremists," the Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying. More than 1,200 crosses were forcibly removed from churches in Zhejiang Province in recent months, for example.

Xi demanded that religious groups should "merge religious doctrines with Chinese culture, abide by Chinese laws and regulations, and devote themselves to China's reform and opening-up drive and socialist modernization to contribute to the realization of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation".

Beijing is also targeting foreign non-governmental

organizations (NGO) to prevent the insidious infiltration of China's hearty society. On National Security Education Day, a comic-style poster warned young female government workers against dating handsome foreigners who might be harbouring secret agendas!

While China is buttressing the internet at home, it is taking full advantage of vulnerabilities overseas.

Last year alone it is estimated sensitive data of more than 100,000 Americans was compromised by Chinese hackers. Whilst targets of economic advantage have long predominated, evidence suggests China is now focusing much more on national security-related areas.

Interestingly, Canada recently rejected the immigration applications of two Chinese employees of telecom giant Huawei.

Amidst a swirl of allegations surrounding the company, Canada cited the risk of espionage as the reason for its decision.

Huawei is banned in both the USA and Australia from bidding in broadband projects because of threats to national security.

The fact is that China is not liberalizing, as many hoped the country would.

Information is strictly controlled and the party message carefully crafted and repeated ad nauseam. The internet is merely a tool for the CCP's propaganda arm.

Again, it must be asked, if communism creates such a utopia, why do people needed to be shielded from the outside world?

According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, there were 712,157 Chinese students studying abroad in 2013.Of this figure, 225,464 were studying in the USA. Why does China have the largest number of students abroad, if the situation is so rosy in China?

Perhaps one just cannot believe all the hype!

(ANI)

First woman vice chancellor of Bangladesh UDMF declines to attend allparty meeting by PM Oli engineering varsity no more Dhaka, May 24 : Professor Khaleda Ekram, the first woman vice-chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), breathed her last at a hospital in Bangkok today.

Sixty-six-year-old Ekram was suffering from cancer and breathed her last at Bangkok General Hospital, reports the Daily Star.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier granted Rs. 20 lakh from her special fund to sup-

Professor Khaleda Ekram

port the treatment of the ailing vice-chancellor whose condition was deteriorating over the past week in Bangkok.

Professor Khaleda was flown into Bangkok from Dhaka in a critical condition by emergency air ambulance in the early hours of May 14 to be received personally by Bangladesh Ambassador in Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem, a former student of BUET. The Bangladesh embassy has been providing all assistance during the hospital stay of the deceased

Death toll in Lanka rises to 92

Death toll in Lanka rises to 92

Colombo, May 24 : With the Sri Lanka Army recovering seven more bodies from the landslide site in Aranayake in Kegalle district, the death toll from the flash floods and landslides rose to 92 Military Spokesman

Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera said the Army rescue teams by Monday have managed to recover 24 bodies, including a child, six women and seventeen males, reports the Colombo Page.

With the floodwaters fast receding and dis-

placed people returning to their dwellings, the Army Commander instructed all respective Commanding Officers to be alert to the post-disaster consequences.

Several medical teams have been set up by the army in Colombo region-based relief centers and elsewhere in Bulathkohupitiya and Aranayake areas.

According to the latest figures released by the Disaster Management Center (DMC), 107 people in the landslidehit areas are still missing and most of the deaths, a total of 59, occurred in the Kegalle district when two landslides struck three villages in Aranayake and

Bulathkohupitiya.

As of Monday, 126,666 people belonging to 26,536 families are still in shelters while 258,407 people from 63,377 families are affected by the adverse weather.

The Meteorology Department has said that south-west monsoon condition was gradually establishing over the country and more showers would occur at times in the Western, NorthWestern, Southern, Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces.

The Department has cautioned strong windy conditions over the country and in the sea areas around the island.

(ANI)

vice-chancellor in close coordination with her family members and Professor Khaleda's BUET colleagues and alumni in Dhaka, who had raised a substantial fund for her treatment.

The Bangladesh embassy in Bangkok is currently doing all that is required to complete the hospital release formalities and final rituals of the deceased vicechancellor.

Professor Khaleda's last remains will be sent to Dhaka

by Bangladesh Biman flight tomorrow. (ANI)

Kathmandu, May 24 : The United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) leaders did not attend an all-party meeting called by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister had called the all-party meeting to find a negotiated settlement of all the contemporary, as well as constitutional issues, reports The Himalayan Times.

Tarai Madhes D e m o cratic Party (TMDP) Chairman Mahantha Thakur said that they did not attend the meeting as the government was not seen serious towards addressing the

demands raised by the UDMF. Thakur said that they will hold the meeting within few days to decide whether to sit for talks or not.

Federal Socialist ForumNepal (FSF-N) Chairman Upendra Yadav had said that the agitating forces would not sit for talks with the government until the latter addressed their demands.

Their demands include rewriting of the recently promulgated constitution and release of cadres and leaders arrested across the Tarai.(ANI)

Afghan Taliban chief 'Mansour' used Pakistan airports Lahore, May 24 : Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who is believed to have been killed in an air strike by the United States in Balochistan, was reportedly a frequent traveller and is said to have used at least two Pakistani airports for his foreign trips over the past nine years.

According to Dawn, Mansour was coming to Quetta from Taftan when his car came under the drone attack, immediately killing him and his driver.

A passport and a computerised national identity card found near the burnt car bore the name of Muhammad Wali. However, it's suspected that Mansour carried fake travel papers.

According to an investigation agency official, Wali

Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour frequently travelled between Karachi and Dubai, and Iran via the Pakistani border town of Taftan.

He had returned to Taftan from Iran on May 21 and was killed the same day around 3 pm by the US drone in the Kochki area of Nushki district.

The official claimed that

Wali was a frequent flyer and 70 per cent of his travel originated from Karachi airport; once he flew from Quetta airport.

He started travelling abroad on Mach 12, 2006, and flew to Dubai from Karachi airport. His last travel on March 31, 2015 was also from Karachi to Dubai. (ANI)

PAGE 8

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

Financial Inclusion and Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana Zero Water Discharge City Jamshedpur will soon be Since we cannot create water. Re-Cycling of Waste Water is the Best solution to Water shortage and may in fact create safer drinking water too.

The initiative to recycle and reuse 100% waste water has already begun, (Photo: i.kinja-img) Jamshedpur is well on track to becoming the first city in the country to be a "zero sewerage discharge city."In order to achieve this, the city will use a Zero Liquid Discharge System, which prevents sewerage water from entering the city's waterways. The system recycles the sewerage water by removing dissolved solids and other waste to return distilled water.

Whereas Jharkhand in a year from now will be so revolutionary that all the major cities in the country have to adopt it! A year from now steel-city Jamshedpur will be the country's first Zero Water Discharge city.A Zero Water Discharge is an innovative and highly effective system that prohibits any sort of waste water venturing into major water bodies nearby.

The ZLD or Zero Liquid Discharge system separates dissolved solid and other waste is water waste and returns distilled water by recycling it. The initiative to recycle and reuse 100 per cent waste water that is sewerage water has already begun. JUSCO had been making efforts to minimize water leakage and reuse the sewerage water after being recycled at its two treatment plants located at Bistupur and Bara. The current water treatment plain in the city has the capability to treat 10 million litres of water per day. Currently at Bara water treatment plant, the amount of water this system can treat is 30 million litres of sewage water.

Once this system is implemented it is viewed that JUSCO will be able to recycle around 40 million litres of sewage water additional to the 30 million litres of water. And in the next one year, it is possible that JUSCO could reuse the 40 million litres recycled water per day for industrial and gardening purposes in the city.

India's Roads Roads and a shunning of safety As per reports, Indians under 18 years constitute 11.93 percent of traffic fatalities, according to a 2014 Save LIFE RTI query. The toll primarily stems from rash driving, below-global-standards roads and a shunning of safety - either deliberately or through ignorance. It was in February that Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari told parliament that 130,000 people die in 500,000 mishaps on Indian roads. Whereas in 2015, a World Health Organization (WHO) study said India did not meet international standards of road safety, the areas of vulnerability being over-speeding, not using helmets, not using or misusing seat belts (mandatory for the last 28 years) and the lack of child restraints. The study rated India's enforcements in these critical areas as 4/10. Also twowheeler riders most accident-prone, as the tide of vehicles grows: Two-wheeler riders are clearly most vulnerable, according to 2013 WHO data. As many as 34 percent of two-wheeler users who died in accidents - nearly three times the number who died in car accidents - did not wear a helmet.

India's rising, chaotic traffic makes them even more vulnerable. India had 15 million cars in 2014, or 13 per 1,000 people, according to 2014 report from The Energy and Resource Institute. Overall, that is not a lot - Brazil had 249 cars per 1,000 people, Thailand 206, China 83 and the US 797, according to the data. However, the density of cars is higher in burgeoning metropolitan cities: Delhi had 157 cars per 1,000 people, Mumbai 35, Bangalore 85 and Chennai 127.

Moreover the rise of distracted driving makes things worse: Apart from traffic density, distracted driving is becoming commonplace, despite the four-fold increase in crash risk when you drive while speaking on a mobile phone. It is to be noted that many of the current speed limits are based on road parameters that existed in the 1960s and 1970s. Battling addiction, a new challenge on highways: Harman Singh Sidhu, is one such man who is on a mission to make India's roads safer has been battling the state governments of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan - and liquor vendors in these states for three years in courts to prevent liquor sales on India's national highways. And this is despite evidence that 40 percent of India's accidents occur from drunk driving. There were as many as 185 unauthorised liquor shops along a 291-km stretch of the Panipat-Jalandhar National Highway linking Haryana and Punjab, according to an RTI response filed by ArriveSAFE in 2012. Also the latest estimate by the World Health Organization also shows that globally, world road traffic injuries are the number one cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years. Annually, about 3.4 lakh youngsters in this age group die in accidents. This shows that there is a need to pay attention to making young people more aware of road safety issues. Families should play a big role in sensitizing them on how to behave safe on roads. It's a mammoth loss and calculating the social cost would reveal how big it is.

Financial inclusion refers services, namely, Bank- India has showed a ray of to a process that each and ing, Savings & Deposit hope to the poor or low every citizen of a country, Accounts, Remittances, income group as this who is financially un- Credit, Insurance, Pension scheme of Jan-Dhan sound, underprivileged in an affordable manner. Yojana tried to cover each must be covered or deliv- Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan and every household unered that ensures the ease Yojana (PMJDY) focuses der the big umbrella of of access, availability and on the coverage of house- formal financial instituusage of the formal finan- holds as against the earlier tions to make them bankcial system for all mem- plan which focused on able. Apart from providbers of an economy. There coverage of villages. It fo- ing zero balance account is a direct relationship be- cuses on coverage of ru- opening, the scheme also tween economic growth, ral as well as urban areas. provides the various benfinancial dependency and Earlier plan targeted only efits of life insurance, acf i cidenn a n - Pranjal Bezborah and Manas Pratim Sarmah tal incial s u r i n ance, clusion as a key strategy villages above 2000 popu- ATM facility and small for development in any lation while under amount of credit with sateconomy. An inclusive fi- PMJDY whole country is isfactory operations nancial system has several to be covered by extend- within stipulated time. merits. It facilitates effi- ing banking facilities in Therefore, this scheme is cient allocation of produc- each Sub-Service area an overall package of varitive resources and thus can consisting of 1000 - 1500 ous financial products potentially reduce the cost households so that facility with no investment. Exof capital. In addition, ac- is available to all within a clusion of a large number cess to appropriate finan- reasonable distance, say of people from any access cial services can signifi- about 5 km. to financial services hincantly improve the day-to- Despite having a large ders the growth of the day management of finan- number of formal finan- country. cial needs. An inclusive fi- cial institutions, there are Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan nancial system can help in still hundreds and thou- Yojana (PMJDY) is a nareducing the growth of in- sands of people who are tionwide scheme launched formal sources of credit not covered by these insti- by Indian government in such as money lenders, tutions. It is often seen in August 2014. In this which are often found to the developing countries scheme financial inclube exploitative. Thus, an that a large segment of the sion of every individual all-inclusive financial sys- society, especially the low who does not have a bank tem enhances efficiency income group have least account is to be achieved. and welfare by providing access to various financial The scheme will ensure avenues for secured and services. As a result most financial access to everysafe saving practices and of them have to avail one who was not able to by facilitating a whole credit from informal get benefits of many other range of efficient financial sources like local money finance related governlenders at a very high rate ment schemes. These fiservices.

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan of interest or sometimes nancial services include Yojana (PMJDY) is the they have to deposit col- Banking, Savings & DeNational Mission for Fi- lateral against the loan. posit Accounts, Remitnancial Inclusion to en- The scheme offered by the tance, Credit, Insurance, sure access to financial present Prime Minister of and Pension which will be

Advertisement of Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) (Photo: ndia.gov)

made available to all citizens in easy and affordable mode. Under the Jan Dhan Yojana anyone who is an Indian citizen above the age of 10 years and does not have a bank account, can open the account with zero balance.

Account can be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitra) outlet, specially designed for the purpose of opening the accounts under this scheme.

According to the Prime Minister the target of this scheme was to cover 7.50 crore households with at least one account under the Yojana would be achieved by 26th January, 2015. Apart from this the Prime Minister said that the benefits under PMJDY was not a mere bank account, but had other benefits including an RuPay debit card, Rs.1 lakh accident insurance cover, and an additional Rs. 30,000/life insurance cover for those opening bank accounts before January

26th, 2015.

Some important features of Jan-Dhan Yojana are: Account holders will be provided zero-balance bank account with RuPay debit card, in addition to accidental insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh.

Those who open accounts by January 26, 2015, in addition to rupees 1 lakh accidental insurance, they will be entitled to a life insurance cover of Rs 30,000.

After six months of opening of the bank account, holders can avail Rs 5,000 loan from the bank if the holder fulfils the requirements of operating the account after opening.

With the help of the new technology introduced by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a person can transfer funds, check balance through a normal phone which was earlier limited only to smart phones.

Every new scheme to

implement in large scale requires determination and attitude for its success.

The scheme of PMJDY can be considered as a grand success as it has started with a target and before its stipulated time it has crossed the target.

Financial Inclusion is one of the top most priorities of the Government. Exclusion of a large number of people from any access to financial services inhibits the growth of our country.

More importantly, people in the unbanked areas do not fully appreciate why they need a bank account at all, or why loans from the formal sector are more useful than borrowing from the informal sector.

They can realize the significance of banking habit only after entering into the formal financial sector. So, it is the duty of the educated section of the society to make the under-privileged and poor section of the society aware of the benefits of PMJDY.

Indian Politics Is Virtually Everywhere In India, even the number of Facebook "likes" counts for politicians.

Does it matter how many "likes" does your Facebook post gather when you are a powerful politician? Or how many followers do you have on Twitter? It does in India.

Dozens of parliamentarians from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have recently been chastised by their leadership for not being active enough on the Net. This is one of the many examples of the immense growth of t h e Internet market in India.

Not surprisingly, the world's second most populous country is registering rapid growth in netizen numbers. Back in 2013 it was estimated that India had some 200 million Internet users, and that number was expected todouble by the end of 2015. The rise of dot-com companies is a foregone conclusion. Mobile phone applications to call in cabs - from companies such as Uber and Ola - unheard of 10 years ago, are becoming part of ordinary life, despite certain initial problems.

Projects that provide slum children with Internet access through hole-in-the-wall computers or that give farmers access to vital information

such as market prices in nearby cities have been around for a while and may have served as positive game changers for at least some individuals. Indians and Pakistanis have also been found to be top users of marriage matching websites, although this data could well be inflated by those living outside their countries and may also be a curious example of blending tradition and modernity: The Internet is helpful to families trying to arrange a caste marriage when the marriage partner lives far away. And while Facebook's Free Basics campaign failed in India despite a vigorous campaign, Google is busy providing Wi-Fi at selected railway stations. In these circumstances, it is hardly surprising that Indian politicians also took note of their electorate's online life.

You know Internet is important for the people when leaders start to promise Wi-Fi. In 2014, Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party promised free public access to the Internet to the citizens of Delhi. In January 2015, his party crushed its rivals in the Delhi Assembly elections. Hundreds of kilometers east of Kejriwal's turf, the

Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, has introduced wide access to the Net in Patna, the capital of Bihar. He then proceeded to win the elections in his state in the fall of 2015. The difference, however, is that Kejriwal first promised Wi-Fi and then won the elections (and he has yet to fulfill his promise) while Kumar first provided Wi-Fi

reported to spend four hours daily reading e-mails. The techsavvy and PR-driven politician also used the Internet to address various election rallies while appearing on 3D screens. As prime minister, Modi also went viral with a selfie he took with China's Li Keqiang, a move promptly dubbed as "selfie diplomacy." At the time of writing, Modi's Facebook profile

Krzysztof Iwanek

Image for representational purpose (Photo: tej9) and then won. By no means I am claiming that Wi-Fi has become the most important political issue or that it substantially weighed on the election result. But its appearance is election manifestoes is nonetheless noteworthy.

One of the leaders in the virtual race is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even before he took power, Modi was

already has more than 33 million likes. As such, Modi is the world's second most followed politician on Facebook after Barack Obama. The same is true on Twitter. But Facebook and Twitter are too obvious. Before his visit to China Modi had also started running an account on the Chinese social media website Weibo. While some Chinese netizens used his first post as an

occasion to remind him that "Tibet is China," somebody else asked "Where is the Weibo account of the Chinese Prime Minister?" This is a strange paradox: In a country where freedom of speech on the Net is severely limited, the head of government of a foreign country has joined Weibo more freely than many Chinese politicians would. And if you are a troubled Indian - for example a child in stress - the Indian prime minister is even promising to console you with his advice once you download the Narendra Modi app on your smartphone.

Even more interestingly, the ruling party leadership decided in April 2016 to survey its 280odd Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian parliament) members regarding their Internet activities.

The BJP wanted to check whether its representatives used their social media handles to popularize government undertakings, how often they interacted with Internet users, how many likes their Facebook posts received, and how many times their tweets were shared.

While some were praised it was discovered that a number of politicians did not even have a Twitter account and those were presumably asked to change this. Soon every party's line will

Good Luck To The New Chief-Minister

Image for representational purpose (Photo: media-cacheak0.pinimg) Sir, There is a saying, 'whosoever goes to Lanka behaves like Ravana'. Now that the saffron party along with its alliance could destroy the citadel of the congress that ruled Assam for 15 years in arrow it is for the winning leders of the party to show that the saying is not appropriate to them. (BJP) Needless to say that the last term of the congress is fraught with

corruption, indiscipline and the highhandedness of the top leaders. The body language and words of the Chief-minister and the APCC President smacked of arrogance. Surprisingly, the ministers are not lagging behind, rather in their show of arrogance they are one step ahead. Whom will we take into reckoning, the great chandan Sarkar, Goutam Roy, Rockibul Hussain, Atuwa Munda, Bismita Gogoi and the rest? People can not afford to forget the likes of Goutam Roy for his shallow, cheap jokes and buffoonery. These leaders by embezzling tax-payers' hard-earned money, amass fabulous wealth for their next few generations brought about their own downfall.

The leaders of the saffron party along with those of its allies should be meticulous while discharging their duties. They must refrain from taking cue from their predecessors. An international survey suggests that since taking over charge of the rein of administration in New-Delhi by Narendra Modi led NDA, the corruption-rate in India has come down substantially.

Sarbanabda Sonowal with the ministers of his Cabinet must live upto the expectation of the people. Good Luck to Sonowal and his ministers.

Yours etc.

AshokBordoloi Dibrugarh

Avaracious M.L.As Sir, We all understand, how congress fell down in Assam due to its own misdoings, particularly the magnitude of corruption and arrogance of the top leaders eased the way for the downfall, a fact corroborated by some leaders like Prithivi Majhi. We are surprised to note that even after seeing the causes of the downfall of the congress, the way some M.L.As scramble for being 'Minister' makes us raise our eyebrows. Some M.L.As of the allied parties specify what portfolio they should like to hold. We remained stupefied, when we came across news about Bijoya Chakrabortty's pleading for her daughter for a ministerial berth that shows the Guwahati's M.P. in poor light. Does she like to bring the tradition of the dunastic rule to BJP from congress? Again, the M.L.As of BPF are trying to resort to arm twisting insisting on ministerial berths with lucrative, prolific portfolios. We find no difference between the congress and those M.L.As who run after ministerial berths with lucrative portfolios. We cannot help pitying AGP's Ramendra Narayan Kalita for his way of insisting on a berth in the Cabinet. The state of affairs that surfaces just before the swearing in ceremony must be sorted out amicably.

Yours etc.

Ashok Bordoloi Dibrugarh

be to be on-line.

The way Suresh Prabhu - the current Railway minister - is using his Twitter handle is far less virtual. He has become known for addressing grievances and calls for help through the microblog website. From a hurt child on a train to a search for a lost family member, the railway ministry has often responded to tweets by promptly pushing his relevant subordinates to solve the problem. The Internet has thus become not only a quicker (albeit informal) way of registering complains but also, due to its nature, a more visible one, and thus one that is especially important for politicians. Of course, this sort of rapid-fire reaction is obviously only possible for more personal issues. It would hardly work for calls to introduce bullet trains.

Although more than half of Indians still do not have regular access to the Internet, the virtual revolution promises to be a way for ordinary citizens to contact their leaders and push them to act for hundreds of millions. India has already seen the rise of the "no toilet, no wife" motto. Will "no WiFi, no wife" be next? "No WiFi, no politician" is certainly around the corner. Courtesy: The Diplomat

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, Dibrugarh786001 (Assam) Ph: 0373-2328944 Email : editor.easterntoday@gmail.com

p O

Page 9

d e Why I Feel My Cultural Identity Has No Place

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

In India (And Soon Yours Won't Either) 'The Scotland of India', much as my identity as 'The Land of Coffee' - a South Indian, or the Coorg - is more than a misplaced one of being great travel destination. a Tulu speaker. Of For those who haven't course, when I grew up heard of it, it's a small hill I realised that no idenstation in Karnataka, tity matters as much as tucked away in the West- my identity as an indiern Ghats. While these vidual, one that's betitles definitely help get yond locality, language travellers and genand tour- Sahitya Poonacha der. But ists to seeing come to Coorg and also that part of my identity helps the layman identify has drifted away from it and place it on India's me makes me sad, for map or should I say 'In- old times' sake I supcredible' India's map, it pose. The more I get inalso reduces the district's volved in my life the identity to just that much. more I see being My identity as a Kodava Kodava as irrelevant has been a largely ignored and it seems scary. one.

I constantly have to exI have tried a lot to pay plain being a Kodava, in attention to being a fact, not a Kodava but Kodava, I have gone a 'Coorgi' just to aid my through the run of the mill explanation because cultural integration pro- then people realise "Oh, cess within myself. But it you're from Coorg". I really bothered me that don't blame them, there my identity as a Kodava are lots of places I don't didn't really matter as recognise either. But

just like I would like to learn about those places I hope there are people who'd like to learn about Coorg. Being a Kodava, I am painfully aware that some might not even acknowledge me as that because I was born and brought up outside the hills, but I can assure you that I have spent a long time researching about the place I belong to and have been eager to engage with the culture.

Coorg is what we call 'Kodagu' and I feel a twinge whenever I have to fill up a form and I can't identify my mother tongue as 'Kodavatak' or my hometown as 'Kodagu' because it's not even an option. Not that I mind because it's just a form, but to adjust to the form I have to go with the nearest option available knowing full well that there will be no accuracy in the information

I share with the Government or other Institutions.

Coorg has been coming to the fore because of the Tourism industry and that's great! But I always wish people knew it for its culture and not because it's just a hill station, 'just like Ooty'.

Coorg has a History, but the problem with it is that it hasn't been recorded or delved into enough.

Much of the documentation of the origins of Coorg and Kodavas cannot even be found in India which is rather unfortunate. If I have to study about Coorg, it would be best to go to Britain or America. Does this make sense? Not to me!

While for me it might not matter because I have a larger identity than that of being a Kodava I am worried that there soon won't be a Kodava identity at all because of the

lack of awareness or the widespread globalisation that forging into India.

We were a small enough community to begin with which over generations has been restricted to the hills and we could never really strongly put forth an argument in the context of integration. But losing the Kodava identity would also mean losing the Pandi Curry (Pork Curry, unique to Coorg), Valaga music (traditional music mostly played at weddings), Kailupodh (Agricultural Festival) and so much more. What's frightening is that when it does disappear nobody might even notice it or remember it. So much for tourism. So much for the world making its way to 'explore' our land.

Cultural integration is a complex process and while I do love the idea of a global identity one

Image for representational purpose (Photo: andito.wordpress) that tries to encompass everyone equally and look beyond the narrow purview of a regional identity but I do find it to be utopian. People hold on to their differences for a reason, because it makes you, you. To put it simply our differences are what make us 'unique'.

While I can't really lift up my land on my shoulders

complete with its cultural exclusiveness, I can still write this article in the hope that one day I won't hear some academician say "Haan Coorg Pune ke paas main hi to hai"(Yes, Coorg, just next to Pune, I think).

This isn't just about Coorg. My hometown stands only as a strong example to drive home the point. Instead, it's

about the millions of cultures, music, clothes, food, spices, jewellery and what not that add layers and layers of texture across India. In the hope that one day we (a billion others like me) don't wake up to realise that we have all been neatly homogenised with an insipid wash of Justin Beiber (or some such).

Courtesy:Youthkiawaaz

Groped In Broad Daylight, I Realised "You Are More Than Just A Marksheet": From One ' No Time Is Safe For Women Something horrible hap- had by now driven away pened today. I don't know in full speed. I was in if you are going to judge shock, I just couldn't unme after reading this or derstand what happened are going to derive plea- to me in this minuscule sure out of my traumatic span of time. For those experience but I don't who say clothes are to blame, care. I w i l l Submitted anonymously let me point share this anyway. It was a fine out that I was wearing day and I returned home a t-shirt and full-length from college in the after- pyjama. Clearly it's not noon. The exam sucked as about clothes. I've so ofusual and I spent the rest ten advocated women's of the afternoon sprawled empowerment but today I experienced the on the bed. trauma myself. I As a daily ritual, I accom- couldn't stop him, I panied my roomie to have shouted but he was gone juice at 6 p.m. (evening before anyone could get still, not night let me remind to him. you) and then went on to meet a friend from our lo- I couldn't run and grab cality. Her home is in front him from behind as he of a park and it's one of was on a bike. He was

safe struck me hard and straight on my face. I realised this was no place to breathe freely. I realised how heightened the emotions of a rape victim must be, how helpless they would feel when they aren't able to fight back as I found myself in only a partially similar sport. The fact that he touched me didn't affect me as much as the fact that I couldn't do anything about it. I can't tell my parents because they'll call me back home if I do (but my hometown isn't safe either!). This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Back in my hometown, I had experienced something similar during Ganpati Visarjan when I

circumstances, etc.

What pleasure do such people derive from touching someone without their choice and by violating someone's personal space? And I wonder why we never come across cases where a woman ran after grabbing a man's penis!

I felt so helpless that I couldn't tell my parents about any of this because they'll be worried about me more than anything else after hearing this. For them, all that would matter is that their daughter isn't safe in the capital city, despite being only 300 kms from them.

I don't want my young siblings to be afraid of

Image for representational purpose (Photo: timesofindia.indiatimes) Delhi's "safe" colonies.

We sat at our friend's place for about ten minutes and then took leave.

While we were coming back home, laughing and talking, a man sped up on his bike from behind, reduced the speed the speed of his bike suddenly, groped my breast and before I could react, sped away again.

I shouted so hard that people on the road turned to look at us. The felon

free after affecting my emotional balance to such an extent. How can someone touch me without my permission?

How come people even think of doing something so immature, insensible and unethical? What if he would have come in a car instead of bike and taken me along? Could anyone have done anything in that case? Probably not.

The feeling of being un-

was in class 9.

I felt as helpless then as I did now. I couldn't shout that time because I was too young to realise what had happened, but this time, I did, and still nothing had really changed. It doesn't matter how loud you shout because no one is bothered about you. It doesn't matter if you are in Delhi or a small Indian town, disgusting men will be disgusting, irrespective of location, time, clothes,

studying in an outstation location. I don't want anyone to cage them because of what I experienced. One call at home and my mom and dad will be worried about my safety so much that they will not let me go anywhere on my own. Dad will want to make me pack my bags telling me that no daughter should be sent outstation, especially to Delhi to study.

Mother would ask me not to tell anyone some-

thing like this happened to me because there are people who enjoy listening to such 'stories' of molestation.

So I couldn't call home when all I wanted was to hear them say 'It is not your fault, you don't have to feel embarrassed about it'. When I returned to my room, I cried a lot and the girls gathered around me. My roomie told them what happened but they wanted to hear it from me so I told them, and I was shocked to see how people kept coming back, again and again, asking questions that made no sense.

For instance, a girl who already knew the entire episode came to me and asked (again) "So how did it all happen, where did he touch you? Did he just touch you or grope you? On the left side or the right?" Another one told me I am too well endowed and that's why something like that happened to me.

So I am a female and that's my fault! What are these people thinking in their heads? It's not just about men; it's about the whole mentality of disrespecting women; first by touching and then by mocking. I shifted from a small town to a metro city just to come out of the cocoon of narrow thinking and live a good life, now should I build a city just for women to be safe and free there? Or learn self-defence to such extent that I can stop a moving bike? Or carry a revolver every time I go out? (I am sure if all the girls started carrying one, there might be thousands of deaths daily) Or should I walk with a knife or pepper spray in my colony at evening? Or every time I step out? Or should I stop going out altogether? Tell me what to do for God's sake, please do. I want answers and I want them soon. Courtesy: Youthkiawaaz

Average' Student To Another

CBSE Toppers, you've tiful things you're going to school assembly, with my outshone your next door do with the rest of your nerves in a knot I someneighbours or maybe your life. The classroom is how found the courage to childhood friends. Your perhaps a remarkable do my best. And even hard work and consistent place which witnesses how well my friends and commitment paid off in the birth of many ge- I planned a farewell party the end. Congrats! You niuses. But who gave the for our seniors. The list will be a role model for CBSE and the class- would be incomplete withmany sturooms the out mentioning how I dents who right to set amazed my mother was will appear Rithika Krishna such stan- with the strength I for their dards that showed as my father was boards the next year. You decide who is a 'genius'? wheeled into the operamust be very proud and With such a doomed edu- tion theatre three years have the right to celebrate today. You can finally flaunt your marks before those who said you couldn't do it. But I am not here to talk on their behalf. I am the average student's voice instead.

There is no need for the average Indian student to sit with dashed hopes because you did no better than 'Sharma Ji's son'.

Remember, you are more than just a number. You are more than just a mark sheet. I bet you've done things you can be proud of timelessly which has nothing to do with those two digits on your answer Image for representational purpose (Photo: sheets. How can you dekumarans) cide a person's character or personality with board cational, I have seen ago. many students whose Some of you are not half results?

I will tell you about real wings were cut before as proud as I am of these achievements. Selfless they even learnt to fly. tiny accomplishments. It's achievements. It is your When I reflect upon my not that I don't judge creativity. It is your gen- greatest achievements, people, I do. But unlike erosity to help someone in marks don't figure in that you, marks are not my need. It is the smile you list. I recall the first short prerogative to gauge geflash unconditionally to a story I wrote when I was nius. Courtesy:Youth stranger. It's all the beau- 12. My first speech in the kiawaaz

Image for representational purpose (Photo: kumarans)

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

BUSINESS

100 million to be crossed by domestic passenger traffic by year-end: DGCA to post the growth of over 20 per cent over the next few years, which is what we expect, you can imagine the number of aircraft flying in the sky," she said.

According to the DGCA chief, scheduled Indian carrier shares operate from across 80 airports in the country, adding that "of these 22 are joint user aerodromes (used both for civil and military purposes)". More than 25 percent of the aerodromes are joint user aerodromes, she added. According to an industry report presented at the India Aviation Conference in Hyde r a b a d i n M a r c h this year, India is set to become the third largest aviation market in the world by 2020.

(Agencies)

Noida, May 24: Sounding bullish, DGCA expects more than 100 million domestic passengers to fly by the year end, especially as India has outstripped passenger traffic growth in this sector across major global economies including the US and China last year. The number of passengers flown by the Indian airlines stood at 81.09 million in the January-December period last year, a jump of 20.34 percent from 67.38 million they had flown in 2014, as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data. "We have now crossed in the past four months of the current year (January-April) 30 million domestic passengers and growth is 23 percent. At this rate, we will

cross 100 million domestic passengers by the end of this year which perhaps is the highest in the entire world," DGCA Chief M Sathiyavathy said at an aviation event last week. "The country which is second (in passenger growth terms) is nowhere near us," she said in an apparent reference to China, which logged 10.9 per cent growth in domestic traffic last year.

Net FDI flows of India to hit USD 38 billion this fiscal

Branding, niche play breathe new life in handloom sector

New Delhi, May 24: India's net FDI flows are expected to rise further this fiscal to USD 38 billion on emergence of some "positive signs" such as regulatory easing in select sectors and reform measures initiated by the government, says a report. "Net FDI flows in 2015-2016 stood at around USD 36 billion as against USD 31 billion for 2014-2015," Kotak Institutional Equities said in a research report. The significant improvement in foreign direct investment (FDI) profile is a reflection of progressive policy reforms and the recent regulatory liberalisation in select sectors and the country is likely to see a net FDI flow of USD 38 billion this fiscal, provided some of the announcements made in recent times materialise, the report added. The country's position in terms of foreign investment inflows is expected to further improve in the current year with some "positive signs" already emerging, it said. In recent times, some of the major FDI announcements include Foxconn's investment in projects valued at USD 5 billion in over the next 2-3 years, while GE and Alstom signed a USD 5.9 billion worth of joint venture with Indian Railways, which will boost railway infrastructure. "Accordingly, we see upside to our base-case estimates of around 4.5 per cent growth in net FDI flows in fiscal year 2016-2017 (USD 38 billion) if some of the announcements made in recent times materialise," Kotak Institutional Equities said. The recent regulatory liberalisation in select sectors, like raising/ easing the foreign investment limit for some sectors, and allowing many others through the automatic approval route has helped in the uptick in FDI levels. The sectors that benefited from the relaxation include defense, real estate, construction, private banking, civil aviation, single brand retail and news broadcasting.

"With continued progress on the reform front in terms of legal, regulatory, governance and labor market, India's position in terms of foreign investment inflows should improve further over time," the report said. While surge in ecommerce/startups helped software to be the top FDI equity recipient in calender year 2015, flows in the infrastructure sector have improved and the sustained trend could partly fill for lack of domestic capex appetite, the report said. "Within manufacturing, India is yet to move beyond assembling units in the FDI value chain; however, we are seeing encouraging early signs with some foreign investments directed towards establishing full-fledged manufacturing facilities," it added. (Agencies)

Air traffic has been posting more than 20 percent growth over the past several months with travel demand in April surging to 20.93 percent over the same month of 2015 driven by lower fares. Earlier this year, Sydneybased aviation think-tank Centre for Asia Pacific

Varanasi, May 24: After fighting a losing battle with powerlooms in the mass segment for several years, the Ministry of Textiles has decided to totally exit from mass production of handloom fabric and focus on the premium segment.

For this, it is looking to build on its India Handloom Brand (IHB) to remove the distress among the lakhs of underpaid weavers. This move is paying off. Not just in improving the earnings of the weavers but also in terms of sales numbers of the IHB, whose perception has changed with better quality, competitive pricing and easy availability.

Alok Kumar, development commissioner, handlooms, said that from the time the IHB was launched, in December 2015, to March this year, it garnered Rs 15 crore.

He is projecting it to jump to Rs 100 crore by the end of this year. This, according to Kumar, is a revival of sorts for the fabric, which had lost the favour of consumers because of sheer neglect that had led to its quality slipping and prices being uncompetitive compared to powerloom textiles.

CROSSING LIMITS Sounding bullish, DGCA expects more than 100 million domestic passengers to fly by the year end, especially as India has outstripped passenger traffic growth in this sector across major global economies including the US and China last year.

DGCA have now crossed in the past four months of the current year (JanuaryApril) 30 million domestic passengers and growth is 23 percent. At this rate, it will cross 100 million domestic passengers by the end of this year which perhaps is the highest in the entire world.

The number of passengers flown by the Indian airlines stood at 81.09 million in the January-December period last year, a jump of 20.34 percent from 67.38 million they had flown in 2014.

Earlier this year, Sydney-based aviation think-tank Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) had in its forecast said that India will have over 100 million fliers by March 2017.

With scheduled airlines, DGCA have more than 400 aircraft and if they are going to post the growth of over 20 per cent over the next few years, which is what they expect, you can imagine the number of aircraft flying in the sky.

Aviation (CAPA) had in its forecast said that India will have over 100 million fliers by March 2017.

Sathiyavathy said that the domestic aviation industry has about 1,200 aircraft, leaving aside microlites

and hand gliders. "With scheduled airlines, we have more than 400 aircraft and if we are going

"That (mass segment) space will have to be vacated sooner or later by handloom industry because the same cloth can be manufactured by private sector power-loom industry very competitively," said Kumar, who is spearheading the transformation of IHB. According to him, today two-third of weavers were distressed because their products were getting priced out by powerlooms. The government has undertaken to train these weavers to upgrade their skills for highend handloom fabrics like Patola, Champa Silk, Chanderi, Ashawali Silk, Salem Silk, Uppada Jamdani, Kinnori Shawl, Kullu Shawl, Tangaliya Shawl, Kutch Shawl, Banarasi, etc.

"We have given them (weavers) new designs and contemporary colour combinations. It has succeeded," said a jubilant Kumar. Over the last 10 years, the government has taught new weaving skills with contemporary designs and reliable dyes to 80-90,000 weavers. This, Kumar said, had pushed up their earnings to Rs 800-900 per day from Rs

Air traffic has been posting more than 20 percent growth over the past several months with travel demand in April surging to 20.93 percent over the same month of 2015 driven by lower fares.

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: thehindu) 150 a day. The ministry will be training another 35,000 weavers this year.

As per the last census, carried out in 2010, there were 43 lakh weavers in the country. Of this, around 65% were in the Northeast who produced handloom fabric for household consumption.

According to it, around 20 lakh weavers were involved in commercial production of handloom cloth. This number had been dwindling because of unviable pricing and dropping sales. However, recent government efforts at putting life back into the handloom sector have helped weavers return to it. Kumar said many weav-

ers had returned to their villages in Chanderi of Madhya Pradesh with the resurgence of handloom's worth. "Many of them (weavers) have left their jobs in Mumbai and gone back to Chanderi. They say Rs 500 per day is good enough earning in their village. It is also more dignified than living in a Mumbai shanty, he said.

The transformation exercise was started by the textile ministry after a recent market research done

by Majestic MRSS Ltd on the dressing habits and fabric preference of youth in the age group between 20 years and 30 years.

The survey revealed that for 58% of the target

group quality of the fabric mattered when it came to formal wears. They leaned towards branded products for assured quality even if they were priced higher than non-branded ones. In what was an eyeopener for IHB, a large number of those surveyed perceived its brand as "different and unique with respect to its overall look and texture". At the same time, it came out from the research that IHB was not easily available and was expensive. ".. comfortable but sparsely available and expensive," says the executive summary of Majestic MRSS Ltd. Kumar has addressed the accessibility issue by boarding on to the e-commerce marketplace. IHB is already there on nine ecommerce platforms.

Since then its revenues has surged significantly.

Compared to the Rs 40 lakh that it earned in oneand-a-half years, it's climbed to Rs 1.25 crore in the last few months.

The ministry has spent Rs 2-3 crore till now on the promotion of the brand this year. It is looking to spend another Rs 20 in the current fiscal.

(Agencies)

Auditors red-flag Tata Steel ancillary TRF Nagpur, May 24: With construction and equipment sector reeling under slowdown, auditors have raised doubts over the financial health of Tata Group company TRF Ltd and its subsidiaries. TRF Ltd, in which Tata Steel holds 34.12% promoter's stake, has reported accumulated losses of Rs 174 crore, and consolidating its subsidiaries and JVs, the losses have touched Rs 211 crore, forcing the auditors to question the future of the company.

"The group has incurred recurring losses and has accumulated losses of Rs 211.93 crore as on 31 March, 2016. The group, continuing as going concern, is dependent on the group's ability to successfully complete existing contracts and generate cash flows from operations including realisation of retention receivable to be able to meet its obligations as and when they arise," Deloitte Haskins & Sells has said in its audit note. The TRF group in-

cludes TRF Ltd, its five subsidiaries and one jointly controlled entity. In response to the observations of the auditors, TRF said it expects to generate cash flows from liquidating retention money relating to contracts that are in advanced stage of completion and expected dividend remittances from its wholly owned subsidiaries, which, the company claimed, will be sufficient to meet future obligations. As per the audit note, retention money re-

ceivable aggregated to Rs 255 crore as on March, 2016, which is receivable on the completion of the performance guarantee tests. Auditors have also expressed concern over the reasonableness of the assumptions made to estimate the future cash flow projections of subsidiary Dutch Lanka Trailer Manufacturers Ltd. "Sales revenue projected by Dutch Lanka Trailer for the next five years are achievable considering improve-

ment in market conditions in port and road trailers segment. Further, Tata International DLT Pvt Ltd, a 50%-50% JV, has been performing well and has shown 26% growth in FY16 in terms of numbers of trailers sold. Considering the improved sentiment in the trailers market in India, this improved performance will continue in coming years also," the company said in response to the audit comment. (Agencies)

PAGE 10

2.2% fall witnessed by Gulf remittances, offset by slide in oil imports

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: earthtimes) Dubai, May 24: Remittances from the Gulf nations to India declined for the first time in six years due to sliding oil prices, according to a Crisil report. It fell by 2.2 per cent in 2015-16 but the slide had also resulted in a contraction of oil imports, which offset the drop.

"Falling oil prices have had a sweeping impact on the oil producing economies of GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), severely denting their oil revenues and spending by both governments and households," according to the report.

"This has had a negative impact on remittances

from the region, which declined for the first time in six years, falling 2.2 per cent." More than half of India's remittance income comes from the GCC. Remittances to India from the GCC amounted to $35.9 billion in 2015-16 down from the $36.7 billion seen in the previous year. However, the report points out that India's imports from the GCC have fallen sharply, down 34.5 per cent in financial year 2015-16. "This has helped alleviate some stress from lower remittance and export income," according to Crisil. (Agencies)

New regional centre to be opened by Daimler in Chennai Chennai, May 24: Daimler AG announced the opening up of a new regional centre for commercial vehicles in Chennai as part of its strategic exercise to realign its global sales and services organisation. This centre will cater to the needs of markets such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Maldives. This centre will oversee sales and service of BharatBenz trucks, FUSO trucks and buses, and Mercedes-Benz

trucks, buses, and vans.

The realignment process began seven months ago.

The Chennai centre is the last of a total of six regional centres that Daimler has set up in Southern Asia. "This will also enable us to offer tailored products and services from a single source to our customers in markets such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar or Nepal," a release quoted Wolfgang Bernhard, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, as saying. (Agencies)

Price of Asus ZenFone Max cut by a huge margin Pune, May 24: The price of Asus ZenFone Max (ZC550KL) smartphone in India has got a 10 percent price cut. The phone is now available at Rs 8,999 on Flipkart as against its launch price of Rs 9,999.

The ZenFone Max, which was launched in India in January this year. The highlight of the phone is its Jumbo 5000 mAh battery that can also be used as a power bank. Asus says, the phone "has the stamina and smarts to charge other devices! Just connect your

gadget to turn ZenFone Max into an instant power bank for juicing up on the go." The device promises 37.6 hours of talktime on 3G, 32.5 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing and 22.6 hours of video playback.

The Asus ZenFone Max has 13 MP rear camera and a 5 megapixel front shutter with f/2.0-aperture lens.

ZenFone Max is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor featuring LTE Category 4 for download speeds up to 150Mbps. (Agencies)

HUGE DISCOUNTS

Husqvarna's soon-to-be-launched power cruiser spotted testing

The price of Asus ZenFone Max (ZC550KL) smartphone in India has got a 10 percent price cut. The phone is now available at Rs 8,999 on Flipkart as against its launch price of Rs 9,999.

Husqvarna's soon-to-belaunched power cruiser, the 1301. Based on the KTM 1290 Super Duke R, the test mule was snapped near the Austrian automaker's headquarters and essentially seems to be a reworked or rather, reimagined rendition of the street-fighter. Similarities include the main frame, upside down front forks, wheels, disc brakes, single-sided swingarm and importantly, the 1301cc engine too. Unlike the Super Duke R though, the number plate bracket sits on a tyre-hugger and the bike gets a plus-sized belly-pan as well, which

The ZenFone Max, which was launched in India in January this year. The highlight of the phone is its Jumbo 5000 mAh battery that can also be used as a power bank.

Image for representational purpose. (Photo: asphaltandrubber) Mumbai, May 24: The Ducati Diavel may soon

have a reason to sweat.

Spotted testing is

could be a part of the camouflage. Compared to the KTM, the 1301 also has a different exhaust, a new single-piece tail light, new handlebars (possibly clipons) and the riding position does appear to be more aggressive. Word isn't out on what specifications we'll see on the bike, but the LC8, twin-pot engine on the 1290 Super Duke R produces 173PS of power and 144 Nm of torque, while the motor tips the scales at just around 62kg. In the same state of tune, the powercruiser will be able to look the Diavel in the

eye, since the latter's 1198cc engine makes 162PS and just over 130Nm of torque.

Whether or not, and how the engine is reworked, only time will tell, but the Husky does seem to be something of a conjunction between the Ducati and the Yamaha Vmax, given the Jap's output figures of 200PS of power and 167Nm of torque. KTM is expected to make Husqvarna motorcycles through partner Bajaj's facility in Chakan, Pune.

Let's hope this muscle machine is offered to us as well. (Agencies)

The phone has the stamina and smarts to charge other devices! Just connect your gadget to turn ZenFone Max into an instant power bank for juicing up on the go.

The device promises 37.6 hours of talktime on 3G, 32.5 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing and 22.6 hours of video playback.

The Asus ZenFone Max has 13 MP rear camera and a 5 megapixel front shutter with f/2.0-aperture lens.

ZenFone Max is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor featuring LTE Category 4 for download speeds up to 150Mbps.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

Features

PAGE 11

HORTICULTURE From your taste buds to the backyard: Make way for Kiwi vine Kiwi is among the very few recent introductions which have surpassed in popularity due to its tremendous commercial potential in the sub Himalayan region of India.

A native to central China, it is being grown commercially in New Zealand, Italy, USA, Japan, Australia, France, Chile and Spain. In India, kiwi was first planted in the Lal Bagh Gardens at Bangalore as an ornamental tree.

With extensive research and development support its commercial cultivation has been extended to the mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nilgiri hills in India.

Planting Land having very gentle slope is ideal for it.

Steep land should be contoured into terraces for planting vines. If possible its rows should

be oriented in a north south direction to avail maximum sunlight. A thorough preparation of soil is essential for the successful establishment of its vineyard. Preparation of pits, mixing of farmyard manure and filling of pits should be completed by December.

Chinese gooseberry is a dioecious plant; therefore, inter planting of male plants is essential for fruit production. Adequate pollination is essential for the development of good sized fruit while poor pollination may limit productivity.

For an effective pollination, to have a male clone blooming at the same time as the fruiting variety is grown is essential. In India, only 2 male clones-Tomuri and Allison-are generally interplanted. To have the male plants evenly spread throughout the area, so that every female plant is in direct "sight "of a male, is also

essential. Planting male and female plants in a 1:9 ratio is common.

Kiwi plants are pollinated mainly by insects, honey bees being most important ones. A large population of honey bees is required in its orchard for a rapid and effective pollination.

Training of kiwi vine Training of kiwi vine is very important, requiring constant attention.

The main aim of training is to establish and maintain a well formed framework of main branches and fruiting arms. Training also facilitates soil management, spraying and harvesting properly A single wire fence is commonly adopted though another wire is sometimes provided by some growers and then structure takes the form of knife in system. One 2.5 mm thick tensile wire is strung on the top of pillars which are 1.82.0 m high above the

ground. The pillars are made of wood, concrete or iron and are erected at a distance or 6 m from each other in a row. The wire tension at installation should not be overstrained otherwise wire can break at knot due to crop load.

A cross arm (1.5 m) on the pole also carries two outrigger wires. This training is known as Tbar or overload trellis/ telephone system. The laterals arising from the main branch are trained on canopy of three wires.

A flat topped network or crisscross wires is prepared to train vines on pergola or bower system. The system is costly and difficult to manage but gives higher yield.

Pruning Knowledge of growth and fruiting habit of kiwi vine is essential for its pruning. The vine should grow 2-4 m every year which may be-

come crowded and unmanageable if not controlled by both summer and winter pruning. The fruits develop only on current season's growth, arising from the buds developed in the previous year. Only basal 36 buds of the current season's growth are productive. The shoots developed on older wood by heading back do not fruit normally in the first season. Good quality fruits develop on the exposed vines. A shoot dies gradually if it is pruned just beyond the fruiting bud.

Thus pruning in kiwi should be carried out in such a way that the fruiting areas are available every year requiring the wood to be young. This is achieved by following a 3-4 year lateral replacement system which becomes a pruning cycle. In the beginning, a lateral arising from main rod is cut back in winter that provides

A vine yard of kiwi (Photo: trumatter) enough space for 4-5 fruiting shoots at 4-5 bud intervals between two such shoots. The strong uprights or the shots arising at undesirable points are pruned in spring when they have not grown too long.

This is more applicable to Hayward variety, in which the shoots of only medium vigor bear fruits. In others, vigorous shoots can be pulled back to horizontal position to convert them into fruiting wood. Thus the summer pruning constitutes in shortening back

of fruiting arms, thinning out of crisscross and shading shoots. The secret of successful summer pruning is in the selection and encouragement of correct laterals to bear fruits in the next year and expose and vine to the sun.

Manuring and fertilization The quantity of fertilizer varies with soil fertility, age of vine and fruit production. The nutrient removal by kiwi plants is much higher because of more yield, and removal of summer and winter

pruning. Thus N, P and K should be applied on yearly basis, while the other elements on requirement basis. Generally, a basal dose of 20 kg farmyard manure, 0.5 kg NPK mixture containing 15% N is applied each year.

After five years of age, 850-900N, 500-600g P, 800-900 g K and farmyard manure should be applied every year. Irrigation at 10-15 days interval is quite satisfactory for good economic returns.

Courtesy: Fruitpedia

The Power of Recycling Human Waste The Dirt on Public Gardening On a yearly basis a human produces roughly 500 liters of urine and 50 liters of feces. These two products contain enough nutrients to grow most of the plants that this person needs as food.

But instead of utilizing these 550 liters as a re-

prices rise throughout the world, and as water becomes an increasingly scarce commodity, this unsustainable approach makes no sense.

Modern agriculture gets the nitrogen it needs from ammonia-producing plants that utilize

If we are serious about achieving sustainability in this regard, our first, and perhaps most important duty, lies in not mixing urine with feces.

Within the human body these two wastes are produced and stored separately, they are excreted

do not even use a toilet of any kind. There are enormous environmental and health problems in Vietnam associated with outdoor urination and defecation.

Urine could be collected from urine-diverting toilets, diluted and directly

Photo for representational purpose (Photo: Ourworld) source, we mix it with roughly 15,000 liters of water, and all goes down the drain. Before it reaches the sewage plant, if there is one, this slurry gets mixed with hundreds of pollutants along the way.

The conventional sewage plant rarely retains or destroys all bacterial and viral contaminants, it produces a large amount of sludge generally unfit for agriculture, and it causes severe pollution in freshwater and seawater ecosystems.

This end-of-pipe solution recycles nothing. It takes valuable resources and transforms them into pollutants. As fertilizer

fossil fuels such as natural gas, LPG or petroleum naphtha as a source of hydrogen. This energy-intensive process dumps carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it consumes a finite hydrocarbon resource, and it is not sustainable.

Modern agriculture gets the phosphorous it needs from phosphorous-bearing rocks. But these reserves are rapidly dwindling and increasingly contaminated with pollutants such as cadmium. In as little as 25 years apatite reserves may no longer be economically exploitable and massive world-wide starvation is predicted to follow.

separately, and afterwards they should be contained and processed separately.

A double-outlet toilet, one for urine and the other for feces, is all that is needed.

The feces receptacle, except for the lid, is exactly the same device used for the mesophilic storage of household bio-waste, and if carefully utilized and cleaned out, the one bin could receive all biowaste from the household, including human feces.

Such a toilet is ideal, especially in a rural setting where a toilet in many cases is nothing more than a platform above a catfish pond or a hole in the ground. Quite often people in a rural setting

applied to certain crops as a source of NPK. Simple soil insertion techniques prevent the volatilization of ammonia. Urine, or a mixture of bio-char and urine, can be used as an important source of nitrogen in thermophilic composting operations.

However, if the transport of urine is not feasible, there is another approach, and it allows for the complete processing of urine on site.

This approach involves a tiny aquatic plant that is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. As it floats on the surface of the water, it extracts NPK and other nutrients

from water through all surfaces of its leaf. Given sufficient sunlight, it can reduce quantities of NPK in water down to almost undetectable levels. This amazing plant, found throughout the world, is called duckweed.

Under optimal conditions, certain duckweed can double in mass within a period of only 16 hours. Its protein content is one of the highest in the plant kingdom (sometimes as high as 45%). It is also rich in beta carotene, xanthophylls, as well as vitamins A and B. It contains very little fiber and indigestible matter.

The logic of the sustainable processing of human waste has certain parallels with the logic of the sustainable processing of residential bio-waste.

Both demand separation at source. Both employ mesophilic bins, BSF and red worms. Both refuse to define themselves as independent large-scale waste disposal activities, and both are intimately connected to the sustainable production of food, feed and fertilizer. Human waste, like pig waste, is far too nutrient-rich for the production of fuel by means of methanogens.

We talk a lot about sustainability, but we will never achieve true sustainability until we learn to give back to nature in a closed loop everything that she needs to sustain us. Giving back to nature all of the nutrients within our own waste is perhaps our first and most important duty as citizens of planet Earth.

Courtesy: A Growing Culture

There are entire crews of garYou have to do as you deners who work in public are told; no going rogue. spaces, yet not all are public More often than not, you will employees. Be it the local learn a lot and benefit from conservatory, cemetery, bo- their direction, but if you are tanical garden or museum used to working solo and landscape, many public gar- have strong opinions about design dens are Jennifer Smith plants, and garden tended by methods, you people just like you and me-gardeners may bristle under the need to who wanted just a little more follow orders. space to play. Those who garTeamwork. You are not den in public spaces fall into going this alone, you are one of two categories: the working with a team, and this team player or the indepen- requires flexibility. Some perdent gardener. sonalities are not conducive Team Players: Most public- to teamwork. gardening opportunities are The Independent Gardener part of a volunteer program That's me-the Landless Garestablished by zoos, botani- dener. I work 95-percent incal gardens, cemeteries, dependently of others. I call schools and even hospitals. all the shots, I pick all the Why this is a great option: plants and I design all the You work with a team. gardens. I work when I want, Working side-by-side with for as long as I want and if I other gardeners builds friend- arrive at a garden only to sit and enjoy the view, no one ships and plant knowledge.

Learn as you go. Most knows or cares.

and decorative items will go missing.

Damage: Many times I have arrived at the park to find people standing in my garden so their photographer can get the perfect shot. Sigh.

Loss of control: If the irrigation goes out, a tree needs to be cut, a stump needs grinding, you may not have any say as to when these tasks are taken care of.

Lack of control: Sometimes you need to check on a new garden or plant each day.

When it is your own back yard, you can do this. When it's a public garden space, you may be there just a few days a week. You have to learn to let go and assume the garden will carry on without you, to the best of its ability.

Policy Changes: Now it has never happened that I

Photo for representational pupose (Photo: drwillard) likely you will not be turned loose and told to get to work.

Instead you will work under the direction of a paid gardener or horticulturist and/or with a tenured team leader.

This is a great option for those who are new to gardening, new to a type of gardening or new to the area and unfamiliar with the region's plants and growing conditions.

Equipment. Many sites will provide the large tools needed for the work along with all the plant material.

You may need only to bring gloves and hand tools.

Cons: You garden when they set the time.

But here are downsides: Plants: I buy all the plants!

Tools: I use all my own tools, with the exception of a wheelbarrow that a florist stashes for me to use at one park garden.

I am often alone. Sometimes this is not a good thing. I enjoy the company of other gardeners. Depending on where you garden, there may be an issue of personal safety.

Pitfalls of Gardening in Any Public Space I do not want to discourage you from adopting a public place to garden. But there are some drawbacks: Theft: Plants will be stolen, flowers will be cut off

was given a public garden space to care for and a year later I was told I could no longer garden there. But I assume this will happen someday. Why? It is best to keep in the back of your mind that one day all those plants: your shrubs, trees, perennials, will no longer be under your control. The park, the arboretum, the botanical garden will have a policy change and your adopted garden will be under the care of another.

With all this said, I would never trade gardening in public spaces. It is incredibly rewarding, challenging and a lot of fun.

Courtesy: Hortmag

cmyk

cmyk

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

PAGE 12

Gayle banished from BBL club amid latest controversy Marwari Hindi & Sampoorna shines ANI Melbourne, May. 24 : With Chris Gayle struggling to set aside an array of controversies surrounding him, Big Bash League club Melbourne Renegades have decided to not re-sign the West Indies controversial batsman for the T20 tournament's next season.

"We'll unveil our international signings soon and Chris isn't part of those plans," Renegades chief executive Stuart Coventry was quoted saying by cricket.com.au.

Gayle's chances of playing in the sixth edition of the BBL now seem highly unlikely with the other seven clubs either having already locked in imports

Chris Gayle or looking elsewhere for tactical reasons.

This development comes a day after Gayle launched a scathing attack on

former cricketers Chris Rogers, Ian Chappell and England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff in his forthcoming autobiography

"Six Machine: I Don't Like Cricket... I Love It." Earlier this year, Gayle was fined USD 7,500 and was censured heavily by these former cricketers over the big-hitting batsman's infamous comments to a female journalist during last year's BBL. He was seen asking the reporter out on a date during a broadcast interview before adding the 'Don't blush baby' remark.

Although the Jamaican had offered a qualified apology to the reporter, he insisted that it was 'a simple joke' that had been blown out of proportion.

Earlier this week, Gayle sparked a nother controversy after making taste-

less remarks to a female reporter during a recent interview, which touched upon subjects like sex, women and equality.

According to an article published by the Londonbased journalist, the 36year-old, who calls himself the 'Universe Boss', asked her whether she had ever had a threesome and claimed to have "a very, very big bat, the biggest in the wooooorld" before adding, 'You think you could lift it? You'd need two hands.

Gayle, who is currently playing for Royal Bangalore Challengers in the Indian Premier League, was the leading scorer for Renegades with 260 runs in eight games last season.

Sports Reporter Sidhant Sharma took two scored 20 off 24 balls with Dibrugarh, May 24: wickets each by giving two boundaries.

Marwari Hindi High School away 8 and 14 runs respec- For Sampoorna Kendra defeated Sikh National tively.

Vidyalaya, Akash Chetri High School by five wick- In reply, Marwari Hindi HS, bagged three for 10 in 4 ets in the inaugural match losing five wickets scored overs. Manash Saikia and of the Phapram Das memo- 52 in 9.2 overs. Suresh Parangam Sharma shared rial inter two wickets a school cricket Dibrugarh Inter-School Cricket piece contournament, ceding 9 and organised by Dibrugarh Sahania scored 11 off 10 18 runs respectively.

District Sports Association ball with one boundary and In reply, Sampoorna at DDSA stadium here to- one six.

Kendra Vidyalaya scored day. Altogether, eight teams Rashid Afridi took three 73 by losing seven in 18.5 participated in the tourna- wickets for 21 in 4 overs for overs. Manash Saikia rement.

Sikh National High School. mained unbeaten on 16 with Opting to bat, Sikh National In another match, two fours and one six while HS were bundled out for 48 Sampoorna Kendra Chinmoy Markary scored in 12.1 overs. Sunil Shah Vidyalaya beat ST. Mary’s 12 off 25 balls. and Rahul Singh scored 8 High School by three wick- For ST. Mary’s High School, Upamanya Saikia runs each. ets.

For Marwari Hindi HS, Electing to bat, ST. Mary’s and Rishikesh Sharma took Mritunjoy Yadav scalped High School scored 72 be- two wickets each by giving three for 2 in 2 overs. fore being bowled out in away 8 and 10 runs respecNishan Singhania and 16.4 overs. Priyanshu Mech tively.

Man Utd part ways with Van McIlory may skip Rio Olympics amid Zika fears Gaal as Mourinho waits

Rory McIlroy ANI Johannesburg, May.24 : World number three Rory McIlroy has suggested that he may pull out of the

forthcoming Rio Olympics amid fears over the rapid spread of the Zika virus in the host nation.

Brazil has been most af-

fected by the mosquitoborne virus that has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean. It is known to cause

the head-shrinking microcephaly and other birth defects.

While expressing that he was eager to compete in the Brazilian capital, the fourtime major champion, however, voiced his concerns about detrimental effects that the virus could potentially have on his future family plans, Sport24 reported.

The Northern Irishman further said his concerns were emanating from some articles that say the situation could be actually worse in Brazil than how it is projected.

Meanwhile, McIlroy's preparations for Rio received a major boost as he sealed his first tournament of the season by winning the Irish Open at the K Club recently.

ANI Johannesburg, May.24 : Manchester United have confirmed that the club have parted ways with manager Louis van Gaal, while a decision on his successor to be announced soon with Jose Mourinho being considered favourite to take charge at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal came under constant criticism amid United's failure to qualify for the Champions League. However, the Dutchman's hopes of staying at the helm for the final season of his threeyear contract with the club ended despite winning the FA Cup. United ended their troubled season on high

by United, van Gaal said he was very disappointed to be unable to complete his intended three year plan, but added that the FA Cup glory would give the club a boost for next season and enable them to move forward and achieve greater success, Sport24 reported.

Meanwhile, Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes is believed to tie up the deal for his client today in Manchester.

Mourinho, who was sacked as Chelsea boss in December last year, had Louis van Gaal served as van Gaal's aswith a FA Cup victory as since the retirement of sistant at Barcelona from van Gaal became the legendary Sir Alex 1997 to 2000. He had club's first manager to Ferguson in 2013. won 21 major trophies in win a major silverware In a statement released his glittering career.

Duliajan FA win Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, May 24: Duliajan Football Academy defeated Golden Boys’ Academy by 3-1 in the ongoing Jadhu Sharma U-13 football tournament organised by organised by Dibrugarh District sports Association

here today at Chowkidinghee playground. Duliajan FA opened the account in the first halves.

In another match between Namrup Football Academy and Naharkatiya Football Academy was drawn by 1-1 goals.

Back injury forces Chameera to end England tour

Sri Lanka fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera ANI London, May.24 : Sri Lanka have dealt another major blow as fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera was on Tuesday ruled out of the England tour with a back injury.

The 24-year-old bowler suffered a stress fracture to his lower back and has been advised rest for four months, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Chameera, who bagged

three wickets in the opening Test, became the second bowler after pacer Dhammika Prasad to return home to continue treatment, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Sri Lanka are currently trailing 1-0 in the threematch Test series after losing the first match by an innings and 88 runs at Headingley in Leeds.

The second match will be played at Chester-leStreet on Friday.

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

Editorial Adviser: Subir Bhaumik

Editor: Ripunjoy Das

cmyk

cmyk

Tele : Dibrugarh, 0373-2328944, for circulation contact: 8471896580, Telephone & Fax: 0373-2328944.