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PAGE 12

Vol. II

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Issue 113

Dibrugarh, Wednesday, November 9, 2016

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25TH GRADUATION OF MARK BUNTAIN MISSION TRAINING CENTRE

P5

CM Khandu assures enhancement Sonowal addresses Lakhimpur for grant-in-aid to Arunachal by-poll rally in Dibrugarh Pradesh Police welfare Society Chief Minister Pema Khandu assurances to enhance grant-in aid to APP welfare Society from Rs 50 to Rs.100 per personnel per year and one time Grant-in-aid of Rs. 70,00,000/- for opening of the Subsidiary Canteen at various locations marked the celebration of 44th Arunachal Pradesh Police Raising Day today at Police Training Centre Banderdewa.

Funds raised for APP Welfare society is utilized for welfare loan such as medical treatment, marriage, education, accident benefits, retirement benefits etc. for the police personnel.

In his address to the smartly turned out contingents of Arunachal Pradesh police, Khandu said as peace is the

CM Khandu attended APP Raising Day held at PTC, Banderdewa barometer to gauge the social maturity of any nation or state, a peaceful State is one of the most important criteria for uninterrupted development.

He announced that strengthening of police department would be one of the top most priorities of his

government.

Khandu appreciated the immeasurable contribution of the state police force in maintaining peace in the society and keeping the citizens out of harm’s way.

“With the active cooperation of the state police force personnel

On the occasion, Khandu remembered the brave, honest and upright state police personnel who sacrificed their lives in pursuit of maintaining peace and fighting crime.

While recalling Dy SP Late Bomto Kamdak’s supreme sacrifice, CM informed that state government has framed a policy to recognise the selfless sacrifices made by the brave police personnel in line of their duties. Under the policy an exgratia to the tune of Rs. 50 lakhs for all the police personnel irrespective of ranks who sacrifice his or her life while fighting any terrorist, Contd. on Page 4

Bharatiya Janta Party has geared up for the by election in Lakhimpur seat and the party is very much sure that they definitely win the seat which was lying vacant after the resignation of Sarbananda Sonowal. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Sonowal had won by a huge margin of 2, 92,138 votes against the sitting Congress MP Ranee Narah.

Speaking on the election rally, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that their government is very much focused to solve the perennial problems of Assam and assured the people that their government will commit to work for the development of the state. “We are sure that like earlier election this time also the people will vote for us because our prime focus is on

2,000 crore will be spend in three years and we will develop every village roads of Assam,’’ he added.

“

We are sure that like earlier election this time also the people will vote for us because our prime focus is on all round development of Assam.

all round development of Assam”. Our government has been presently working on the railway infrastructure of the state and soon many developmental projects will come up here,’’ CM said.

Sonowal said that Lakhimpur is generally known as a backward constituency and our government would work for the development of the constituency. Sonowal added: “Under the leadership of Prime minister Narendra

He said that their government is very much committed to work for the identity and development of Assam.

Modi recently many developmental projects has come in Assam and he have assured us that many more new projects will come up in Assam,’’.

Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “For the development of villages our government will spend 30,000 crore and improve the road infrastructure of the rural areas of the state. For road infrastructure an amount of

State BJP has condemned the on-going electioneering Army Jawan Killed In Pak Firing In Jammu And Kashmir's Nowshera process in 45-Hayuliang assembly election and termed it as a spirit against democracy HIGHLIGHTS PTI Srinagar, Nov 8

ET Correspondent Hayuliang, Nov 8

Terming the on-going electioneering processes for the bye-poll election in 45Hayuliang assembly election as anything but against the spirit of democracy, the state BJP has come out strongly against a particular government official, Chief Engineer (Public Health Engineering), Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Lapalum Kri for violating service rules

and election code of conduct.

‘It is appalling that the District Returning Officer cum Deputy Commissioner directed Chief Engineer (PHE), Lapalum Kri who is the husband of independent candidate, Yompi Kri to leave the assembly constituency for his place of posting. Despite such official strictures, CE Kri is still stationed here and is taking active part in electioneering processes,’ the BJP release stated.

Claiming that earlier during in the chamber of Returning

Officer, CE Kri had threatened to shoot all the politicians when his nomination paper was rejected, BJP further warned that for any untoward incident on BJP candidate and any of the star campaigners, CE Kri shall be held responsible.

Buttering it claims of service rule violation of a serving Chief Engineer, BJP release stated that on November 05, 2016 CE Kri addressed a political rally in support of his spouse and independent

candidate, Yompi Kri at Hayuliang ground.

Stating that CE Kri’s photographs are displayed alongside his spouse in several of the electioneering posters across the assembly constituency, BJP has demanded the government to initiate strict action against CE Kri. 'We appeal to Khandu led NEDA government to ensure free, fair and smooth bye-poll election in hounour of former chief minister late Kalikho Pul,’ release stated.

A soldier died and two others were injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera area as Pakistan violated ceasefire this morning. Firing had started along the Line of Control since 8.45 in the morning.

As the shelling and mortar fire by Pakistani Rangers continued through the day, a mortar shell had landed near an army truck. The injured soldiers have been taken to a hospital, the police said.

Heavy firing is also on in Saga, Balnoi and Salotri area of Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch.

On Monday, Pakistani

Two other soldiers have been injured in the ceasefire violation by Pak Heavy firing is also on at Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch On November 6, two soldiers were killed and five others were injured. troops had also targeted Mankote and Balakote areas of Mendhar sector in Poonch district.

The day before, on November 6, two soldiers were killed and five others were injured as Pakistani army

opened fire in an attempt to facilitate two infiltration bids along the LoC in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors.

Since the army conducted surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control on September 29, there have been more than 100 ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

The worst-ever Pakistani shelling targeting civilian population took place on November 1 when eight persons, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the International Border and the LoC in five sectors of Jammu and Kashmir.

India to Confederation of Service Association of tell China Americans vote to elect president Arunachal Pradesh lambasted the to put after ugliest campaign government for taking insensitive decisions A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Nov 8

Taking serious exception to the news about enhancement of the pensions for the former lawmakers, the Confederation of Service Association of Arunachal Pradesh (CoSAAP) vehemently objected the move saying “the entire decisions reeks of self gratification by the legislators at large, all at the expense of state exchequer and common man’s hopes and dreams of better life.”

In a press conference held at Arunachal Press Club today, a visibly irked Pate Marik, President, CoSAAP lambasted on the government for what he termed as a “highly insensitive decision of the government.”

“When we, the CoSAAP members on behalf of all the government employees of the state asked for implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, which is rightfully entitled to us, the government consistently delayed the same months after months citing lack of funds with the state exchequer. However, when it came to their own, the legislators took no time to announce pension hike of whopping amount of Rs1 lakh as pension from the earlier amount of Rs 20,000 and another Rs 50, 000 as medical allowance against the earlier amount of Rs 5000, per month,” highlighted Marik.

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Also, raising it from an

ethical stand point, the CoSAAP president questioned as to “why, a retired government servant who rendered services for some about 30-40 years gets his/her medical allowances raised from meagre amount of Rs 200 to Rs 500 while those of an exMLA, who with all the added perks and privileges during a five years tenure in the office gets enhancement of the same allowances from Rs 5000 to whopping amount of Rs 50, 000?,” before adding that, “why can’t they simply avail the privileges of the Chief Minister’s Universal Health Insurance Scheme instead?”

Further continuing on the salvos against the government for the alleged “opportunistic decision,” Marik also lamented that “Earlier, the Chief Secretary had cited the invocation of the model code of conduct which is consequent upon the byeelection of Hayuliang Assembly Constituency as a reason for not being able to address the demands of the CoSAAP.” “Now, shouldn’t Model Code of Conduct rules apply to the current decision of enhancement of the exlawmakers pension and does it not amount to violation of the same?,” asked Marik before adding that “the Chief Secretary should answer for the same and set the record straight in the public domain.”

He was supported strongly

in his condemnation of the government by his Secretary General, Gonya Riba and president of the CoSAAPWomen Wing, N P Khirmey.

Meanwhile, asserting that the “move only exposes the lies of the government of running low on funds,” Marik went on to demand that, “If at all the government is adamant on pushing forward with the demands of the Former Legislator Welfare Association and thereby, enhance their pensions, the same privilege should be extended to the entire government servants who are at the service of the government day in and day out.”

“Also, the government should no longer make excuses and rather, concentrate on fulfilling the standing demands of the CoSAAP failing which,” Marik added, “the government will have to face a more intensified and rigorous protests from the service association members.”

Earlier on November 7 last, an Adhoc Committee under the chairmanship of Tamiyo Taga, Minister of Industries, Textile and Handicrafts along with members and legislator duo of Tumke Bagra and Tapuk Taku had unanimously decided and adopted to enhance the pension amount of ex-MLAs to the tune of Rs 1,50,000 per month as demanded by Former Legislator Welfare Association (FLWA).

Masood Azhar on UN list PTI New Delhi, Nov 8

India will take up with China the issue of backing New Delhi's move for placing JeM chief Masood Azhar on the UN sanctions list against individuals and groups linked to terror groups al Qaeda or Islamic State and check illegal supply of arms to insurgents in the northeast.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will also tell Meng Jianzhu, a top aide of Chinese President Xi Jinping, to stop the practice of Beijing issuing stapled visas to people of Arunachal Pradesh and discuss ways of enhancing anti-terror cooperation when the two leaders meet here over dinner tonight.

Meng, Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and have talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval tomorrow.

"All our concerns will be raised before the Chinese leader, Contd. on Page 3

PTI Washington, Nov 8

Millions of Americans today lined up at polling stations to elect either the country's first woman president in its 240-year history or a political outsider in the White House as the race between Hillary Clinton and her rival Donald Trump remains too close to call.

Fighting for every single vote at stake, Democratic nominee Clinton and her

Republican rival Trump made their last minute forceful argument before the American people with their own vision for the world's largest economy, ending the ugliest presidential campaign in US history.

minute scheduled stop in Michigan to address thousands of his supporters hoping that he might be able to swing this state from the Democrats.

Clinton, 69, was joined by husband Bill as she addressed a massive rally in Raleigh in the key battle ground state of North Carolina, which was entertained by Lady Gaga.

The two rallies ended around 1 AM (local time), just six hours before opening of the polling booths in the East Coast.

The first ballots were cast in a sleepy hamlet in New Hampshire,

Trump, 70, made a last

Contd. on Page 2

“You have voted Binod Hazarika to power and this time we are very much sure that you will vote for the BJP. In coming days BJP will develop the hospitals in Chabua,’’.

He said that after coming to power their government is serious to end the corruption from the government department in Assam. “Our main priority is that the youth of Assam should get jobs through merit and to end the corruption which was started during the congress rule,” Contd. on Page 4

Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes scrapped from midnight Tuesday: PM Modi

New Delhi, Nov 8: The currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currently in use will cease to be legal tender from midnight Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in a nationally televised address to the nation on Monday.

In an attempt to uproot corruption and black money, he further said that all the 500 and 1,000 denomination notes can be deposited in banks and post offices from November 10 till December 30. Rs 2000 denomination notes to be introduced, says PM. He also said, corruption, fake currency, and terrorism are festering wounds, holding back the economy and black money to the tune of Rs 1.25 lakh crore has been unearthed during last two-and-a-half years: PM. From across the border, our enemies running a racket in India through fake currency.

Mechukha, Nov 8

The poor are left to bear the brunt of a situation like this. Buying property or taking admission in higher education is hampered. The Higher transaction also leads to hawala trade, said the Prime Minister in a surprise address.

The second day of Adventure@Mechuka was marked by Adventure events like shooting, boating, horse riding, para gliding and various events for children as well.

Traditional songs and dances presented by various tribes of Mechukha subdivision, Nangbia Chanda IGT finalist, K-4 Kekho rapper, North East India Fashion R-1, Pawandeep Rajan Voice Winner, North East India Fashion Week R-2, Pawan Rajan Voice Winner and popular Adi Singer, Delong Padu spellbound the audiences.

People can deposit notes of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 in their respective banks from November 10 till December 30, 2016. Those unable to deposit their notes of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 by Dec 30 for some reason, can change the notes till March 31, 2017, by furnishing an identity (ID) proof.

He also expressed confidence that political, other sections and media will help make the new measures successful.

Meanwhile, all banks in the country will remain closed on Wednesday, said the Prime Minister.

Adventure sports continue on day-2 of Adventure at Mechuka

Sports enthusiast partcicipating in boating at Mechuka Adventure sports Popular singer Naheed from Assam also enthralled the big crowed on the first cultural nite.

The organizing committee, headed by Mechukha ADC

Tunge Loya, event organizer CCRD, local organizer engineer Komba Taso and Henrik Basar are on the move to take the celebration to a grand conclusion. (DIPRO)

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the state government can ensure that there is peace in the state and any fringe elements attempting to disrupt shall be dealt with iron hand” CM assertively said.

A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Nov 8

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Nov 8

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

P2 Villagers kill leopard in Dibrugarh A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Nov 8: A fully grown male leopard was brutally killed by locals at Saraihabi gaon in Madhupur area of Dibrugarh district on today morning.

According to locals, a 16year-old boy Bikash Das was attacked by the big cat at around 5.30am while he was on his way to fishing in a lake located on the outskirts of the village.

Two persons Lambudor Das and Debakanta Das jumped to his rescue but were also attacked by the animal.

Meanwhile, other villagers hearing their cries came out and gave chase to the animal. The leopard was finally cornered by the furious crowd which rained blows on him with sticks, rods and machetes till it died. After hunting it down, some of them chopped off the tail, paws and nails of the dead animal while a portion of the skin was also cut off.

Post-mortem of the dead leopard which was killed by villagers in Saraihabi village in Dibrugarh being done at the veterinary hospital at Barbaruah on Tuesday.

Photo by Manoj Pandey “Many a times leopard has been spotted in this area and after complaining to the forest official they did not do anything. Some days ago an elephant heard came from Madhupur reserve forest and created

HOROSCOPE Aries

Warm and sensitive by nature, Aries, today you could feel especially sensual. Sex and romance are likely to be on your mind. Romantic novels and movies may seem especially appealing now, as could cozy beds and warm baths.

Plan a romantic evening with the special person in your life, perhaps a special candlelit dinner at home.

Taurus

A minor accident might take place at home today, Taurus, but don't worry. It will ultimately provoke more laughter than harm. You will want the place to look great, Taurus, because a close friend or lover could come to visit. An intimate conversation or passionate encounter is indicated.

Curb the temptation to indulge in too much food or drink.

Gemini

An unexpected package could arrive, possibly shipped from far away. The circumstances could be rather strange. Friends or relatives that you might not expect could suddenly show up, and you could spend a frantic hour or two organizing an impromptu party. This can be very gratifying, Gemini, but don't wear yourself out. Everyone should have a good time no matter what.

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Today you might strategize ways to make a little extra money to prepare to move ahead with your life and ambitions. This might be in conjunction with your significant other or some close friends. Trips to the mall might result in impulse purchases, as gifts or perhaps for yourself. In the evening, plan some time alone with your partner or get out and look for one if you're single.

Your naturally passionate nature should be more aroused than usual today. The festive atmosphere around you gives rise to warm, intimate feelings that bring friends and couples closer together, Leo, so prepare for some good times out and excitement in the home tonight.

Optimism and enthusiasm should fill the air.

You will feel secure and comfortable yet crackling with ardor. Go for it!

An intense card, email, or phone call could come from a sibling or other relative today. Perhaps this is a good chance to patch up an old quarrel with this person, but don't be tempted to start another! Emotions are running high now, Virgo, and it wouldn't take much to set someone off. You might want to go out and do a little shopping, but be careful. Traffic could be bad.

Libra

A proposed visit to a friend's may have to be delayed, and this might worry you. It will be necessary to make a special effort to get almost anything done today, Libra. You could have some urgent chores to complete, but the streets and stores may be full of impatient people. Relax, breathe deeply, and summon every bit of energy you have. You don't want to put anything off now.

Scorpio

Your fairytale imagination of how your romantic life should run is hooking you up with many different opportunities, Scorpio. Whether you realize it or not, the optimal situation you seek is within your grasp.

Make sure that you aren't trying to manipulate a certain person into becoming the person you want him or her to be. If you're unhappy in your relationship, perhaps you need to find someone new.

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

The planetary energy might find you responding to a sudden sense of inspiration that arouses your creativity. You may feel an unexpected urge to write, paint, draw, or compose some music. You may want to sequester yourself, which could cause some problems with friends and family members who want to be with you. Don't ignore this impetus, Sagittarius. As you know, inspiration can vanish as quickly as it comes.

You've been very busy, professionally and socially, and now you're probably longing for a romantic encounter. If you're currently involved, you should schedule some time alone with the special person in your life. If you aren't involved, don't be surprised if someone new appears on the scene.

You could fall in love at first sight or an old friend could suddenly look different to you. Make sure you look your best!

You're likely to want to spend some time alone with your partner today, Aquarius, but with the current planetary influences at play, either you or your honey's career concerns could get in the way. An unexpected opportunity needs to be explored right away, so you might not be able to spend any time together now. Contact with friends could also prove frustrating since everyone is busy.

A co-worker might be away, and this could increase the amount of work that you have to do, causing strain and upset, especially if you aren't familiar with the work. Don't try to do it all at once. A distant family member you haven't heard from for a while could phone out of the blue, and you could spend a happy half hour catching up.

terror in our village by destroying our crops,’’ said a local villager.

Forest officials who reached the spot four hours later brought the carcass to the Dibrugarh range forest office for post-mortem.

The injured have been admitted to the Assam Medical College and Hospital.

Significantly this is the second such incident of leopard killing in the district in the last five days.

On November 4, a leopard was bludgeoned to death by angry locals at Rangajan village in Duliajan after it attacked and injured a villager.

“A heard of elephant came out from Madhupur reserve forest and created terror in the village on last Saturday and we are busy for that incident and managing crackers to drove the elephant in the jungles and suddenly the incident happened,’’ said a forest official.

According to forest officials, in the last 2 years, several leopards have been killed in human-animal conflicts in Dibrugarh district. Leopards (Panthera pardus) are protected under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Asom Jatiyotabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad protest against NECF Coal India Mithun Baruah Margherita, Nov 8: Asom Jatiyotabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad Margherita Regional Committee on 10 November shall burn the effigy of J K Borah General Manager of NECF Coal India Limited Margherita in protest against the long pending demands of AJYCP Margherita Regional Committee. Salil Neog

ET Correspondent, Margherita , Nov 8: Margherita Sub Division Primary Teachers Sanmehlon have slammed and Criticized Assam Government Directorate Primary Education Department as because from many months more than 500 Primary teachers of Margherita Sub Division

Embankment in Kaziranga approved

the Kaziranga National Park, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said on Monday.

Kaziranga director SN

Singh, who is visiting Delhi, told TOI over the phone that he has received information about the approval.

Sports ATPA Sheild: With Robert Khongjoh Lazong FC enters final Sport Correspondent, Jorhat, Nov 8: With the hatrick of Robert Kongjoh, Lazong FC able to write their name in the ATPA sheild final.

In the semi finals, which was held in Jorhat Stadium on Tuesday evening, Lazong beat Barbheta FC 3-0. In the first half of the tournament, Barbheta seems

quite dominating, though was unable to score due to lack of finishing move.

But as the second half proceed Lazang FC started to dominate Borbheta Sports Club and Robert Khongjoh hit the net in the in 61 minutes leading Lazong to 1-0. Robert Khongjoh transferred a move to

Tikak,Baragolai and Namdang Collieries.

Kanchan Bora said that due to illegal coal trade under NECF Coal India Limited Margherita have paralyzed the economic policy where both Assam and Central Government is suffering from huge royalty losses. AJYCP Margherita Regional Committee have been demanding to provide employment to unemployed

educated youths of Margherita Region at NECF Coal India Limited Margherita but all in vain said Kanchan Bora.So in this protest on 10 November AJYCP Margherita Regional Committee shall burn the effigy of J K Borah General Manager of NECF Coal India Limited Margherita said Salil Neog and Kanchan Borafor

Directorate Primary Education Department Slammed and Criticized Assam Government

Embankment in Kaziranga approved

ET Bureau, Jorhat, Nov 8: The Centre has approved the construction of an embankment in

and Kanchan Bora President and General Secretary of AJYCP Margherita Regional Committee said that NECF Coal India Limited Margherita which is the largest profit organizations have failed to provide employment to Educated Unemployed youths of Margherita Region and to stop Increasing illegal Coal trade at Ledo,Tirap,

have not received their salaries due to the negligence of officials of Directorate of Primary Education. Pran Borgohain and Utpal Konwar President and Secretary of Margherita Sub Division Primary Teachers Sanmehlon said that during the month of September the Education Officer was promoted and

Assistant education officer was given the charge but was not given permission of financial power.

Where a letter Number EAA10/2014/109 was submitted to Education Commissioner office but unfortunately from the last one month the letter has not been send to Directorate of Primary Edu-

cation office hence many official works have been pending said Utpal Konwar.If within 12 November their salaries were not released than on 14 November the deprived Primary teachers shall Gheraoed the Education office said Pran Borgohain and Utpal Konwar.

Americans vote to elect president after ugliest campaign Contd. from Page 1

traditionally the first in the nation to vote on Election Day, with Clinton winning the contest.

Clinton registered her first 'win' in the 2016 elections by four votes to two against Trump soon after midnight in the remote Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

While Clinton is close to victory mark, Trump must win most of the battleground states to clinch the magic figure of 270 Electoral College votes.

Arizona (11), Florida (29), Nevada (6), Nebraska 2nd Congressional District (1), New Hampshire (4) and North Carolina (15) are key battleground states.

An estimated 200 million people are eligible to cast their votes to elect the

country's 45th president along with hundreds of Congressmen and members of state legislatures and local civic bodies.

A record 42 million have already voted using the "early voting" provision of the American electoral system, surpassing the 2012 record when 32.3 million people had voted in advance.

Clinton and Trump crisscrossed several stops in key battleground states on the final day of campaigning which the US media has termed as the ugliest and the most divisive.

"This election is basically between division and unity in our country. It's between strong and steady leadership or a loose cannon who could put everything at risk. It is between an economy that works for everyone or one

that is even more stacked for those at the top," Clinton told a cheering crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"None of us, none of us, want to wake up on Wednesday morning and wish we had done more," she said, which she repeated in her other election rallies including the one in Philadelphia, which was also addressed by US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle.

Latest poll indicated that while the election seems to have tightened in the last few days, Clinton maintains a slight lead over Trump.

Almost all major polls are predicting a victory for Clinton, but Trump appeared confident of winning some of the key battleground states and thus wrest the White House from the Democrats after a gap of eight years.

Police raid APSC office, seal 3 rooms

goal again on the 72 minutes.

On the 79th minute Robert Khongjoh of Lazing FC scores another goal and gives his team a 3-0 win.

The final of the tournament will held on Thursday, where Lazing FC will face last year ATPA sheild Champion Oil India.

Cinema Galleria Cinema Dibrugarh Junction Mall

Police raid APSC office, seal 3 rooms

Screen-1

A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Nov 8: In the wake of reports of several APSC documents being burnt on Sunday, sleuths of CID, Dibrugarh Police, as well as city police, visited the APSC office on Monday evening and sealed at least three rooms where vital documents were kept.

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"We have sealed these rooms as they contain important documents which might be useful in the probe. The CID will grill APSC officials on Tuesday," said a senior CID official.

On Monday, police were granted extension of re-

mand of Nabakanta Patir and Mamud Ali Choudhury arrested in connection with the scam. "Patir's police custody has been extended by four days, while Choudhury's remand has been extended by another six days," SP (Dibrugarh) Gautam Borah said.

Earlier, the court had sent Patir and Choudhry to 10 and eight days of police custody respectively.

Sources said an APSC official, believed to be close to APSC chairman Rakesh Paul, allegedly asked his junior to set ablaze a number of documents soon after Paul's arrest. Half-burnt letter envelopes with names of

candidates appearing for various examinations conducted by the APSC were reportedly found from the debris.

Sources said Paul has named many government officials, including some top politicians and former ministers, for their alleged involvement in the scam.

"Paul seemed to have taken several tactics for damaging evidence. During the raids at Paul's properties, police found several empty jewellery boxes indicating that he might have shifted them after the arrest of Patir.

Paul even destroyed the mobile phone he used to contact Patir and others," a source said.(Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

P3

Govt to connect all the administrative circles of the Co-ordination state with all weather roads", DCM Mein meeting held A Staff Reporter Itanagar, Nov 8:"Govt to connect all the administrative circles of the state with all weather roads", said the Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein during the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of Steel Bridge with RCC Decking over River Papum at Ramghat,Tarasso today.

Emphasizing the importance of surface road communication, he said that without proper communication, development cannot take place and said that the govt is planning to connect all the administrative circles, not only in the foothills but along the international borders too saying that, "Construction of road is one of the priority sectors of the present government for connectivity and development of tourism industry in the state". He also said that the state has vast potential of tourism due to our vast cultural diversity and rich handlooms & handicrafts.

Mein further said that the State government will pay extra attention to the issues faced by the common man and efforts are being done to improve the economy of the people by bringing in innovative developments in construction and farming. He said that we need to promote our traditional handlooms and handicrafts, agriculture

and horticulture sectors to improve the rural economy. He also stress on harnessing of hydropower potential of the nearby rivers which has the capacity of generating 22 MW of power which would also meet the power needs of the locality and the surplus power can be shared with the neighbouring state of Assam. This way the water of the river can also be harnessed for the irrigation purpose of agriculture and horticulture crops.

He further said that the future of Balijan, Tarasso and Sangdu Pota is bright as the area is located near the educational hub at Jote-Poma in which National Institute of Technology (NIT),

Enterpreneur Development Institute (EDI), Proposed Film & Telivision Institute, Govt Law College and Regional Cultural Centre are coming up.

While emphasizing on development of Agriculture and Tourism Industry of the state, he mentioned of the Royal Project at Thailand which transformed the erstwhile drought land of Isan (North East) Region of Thailand in to a granary belt by bringing in irrigation project to be known as "Rice Bowl of Thailand". He also informed how the people of Thailand maintained and showcases their ethnic cultures, handlooms and handicrafts for tourism.

He stressed to strengthen

ties with the South Asian Countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Maylasia, Cambodia, Myanmar, etc to develop the tourism industry of the state.

While responding to the 6-points memorandum submitted to him by Minister UD & Housing, Town Planning and Law & Justice, Nabam Rebia who is also the local legislator of the area, the DCM on construction & widening of Balijan-Jote Road has assured that he would ensure topmost priority of the project in next AOP. On construction of bridge over Magoni and Dipu Rivers, the DCM informed that Rs 25 crores for 120 mtrs and 60 mtr bridges over Magoni and Dipu under

CRF 2016-17 has been already approved by State government and sent to GoI for sanction of the fund. Regarding the establishment of IRBn battalion headquarter at Tarasso, the DCM further said to discuss the matter with the Chief Minister and the Cabinet.

On widening of road from Itanagar to Sengdupota, he said that the government has already initiated work for its development. He also said to place the drinking water supply for Tarasso circle in the top most priority and also assure to look into the construction of multipurpose community hall.

Nabam Rebia, Minister UD & Housing, Town Planning and Law & Justice who is also the local legislator in his speech said that Tarasso is a historically important place and pilgrimage site for the Hindu's falling under adventurous tourist circuit. He said that it is also known as the granary belt of Papumpare District because of huge agricultural land. He further said that the place is not only important for the people of Tarasso but for the entire state as it is turning into an educational hub and urged the govt to give due importance to the infrastructure development of the area including roads. He submitted a six point memorandum to the Deputy Chief Minis-

ter on the occasion and urged the Executing Agency (PWD) of the bridge to complete all the formalities immediately and to start the construction work soon.

ZPM Upper Balijan (Sangdupota) GolloTakam, former Agency Council Member, Nabam Runghi, ZPM Tarasso, Nabam Eka and ZPM Lower Balijan, Tana Poona also spoke on the occasion.

The construction of the 120 metre long steel bridge with RCC decking over Papum river is being funded by NABARD under RIDF-XXI which would be executed by the Public Work Department. The bridge will connect the Tarasso Circle with Balijan ADC Headquarter and will serve as the lifeline for the people of Tarasso Circle paving way for major socio-economic development of the area.

Among others, present during the foundation laying ceremony included Chairman Science & Technology, Bamang Mangha, Deputy Commissioner Papumpare (Yupia), Tai Kaye, ADC Balijan, ChukhuTakar, SE PWD (western zone) Techi Rotu, HoDs, GBs, PRI members and public leaders.

Earlier, the Deputy Chief Minister were given a rousing reception at Magoni and Ramghat.

at Hapoli Ziro, Nov 8: A coordination meeting was held today at Hapoli under the chair of ADC Nending Chatung regarding the cleaning of Kley River in Ziro Valley on November 13.

The Kley River and its tributaries are the lifelines of the Ziro plateau, and all agricultural-based activities, including the famous fish cum rice cultivation depends upon this river and its tributaries.

Realizing the need to conserve and clean this river, all intellectuals, civil societies, NGOs, students and public residing in Ziro have taken upon the task of cleaning the entire 24km stretch of the Kley river and its tributaries every year under the banner ‘Mission Clean Kley River, spearheaded by Apatani Youth Association,(AYA) Ziro.

Concerned over the depleting water level of the Kley River, ADC Chatung also emphasized on conservation of the water body.

“The depleting water level of this river is a major concern. Coordinated Efforts in terms of awareness, a forestation etc has to be initiated to save this river,” he added and extended support from the district administration for the noble cause.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Kanki Darang, underscoring the importance of this river has She said that the week- declared 13th November, long programme will the Mission Clean Kley i n c l u d e g a m e s a n d River Day as a local holisport competition, culture and literary competitions, and alumni meet on November 12, while the valedictory function shall be held on November 14 next.

School principal To m a r N a m a k a l s o spoke on the occasion.

Members of the school ET Bureau, management commit- Itanagar, Nov 8: 13 NSS and a tee and local residents, volunteers among others, were programme officer from also present on the oc- the state would be participating in Pre- Repubcasion. lic Day Parade Camp to be held at Salt Lake Kolkata from November 10 to 18 next. Pre-republic day camp is organised to select promising volunteers to participate in Republic Day at New Delhi every year.

This year team Arunachal is led by Nich Menia, Programme Officer-cum- Assistant professor of Geography, Dera Natung Govt. College, Itanagar. Team Arunachal comprises of

One day workshop of GBs School week celebration on Adi Kebang Ayon held of Green Mount School I t a n a g a r, 8 N o v ; Commissioner of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Indra Mallo today inaugurated the silver jubilee cum annual school week celebration of Green Mount School here today.

Speaking on the occasion as chief guest Indra Mallo sharing her own life experiences as a student and stressed that if one works hard, success is achievable.

Stating that Arunachal

Maksam Tayeng Pasighat, Nov 08: A one day workshop of all Gaon Buras of Mebo Sub-Division on implementation of Adi Kebang Ayon (Customary law of Adis) and delivery of justice through the traditional Kebang system was organized by Mebo Area Gaon Burah Association being coordinated

by Adi Baane Kebang, Mebo Block at Mebo IB compound today.

The workshop was conducted under the Chairmanship of Maliyang Perme, President, Gaon Burah Association, Mebo who briefed about the detail problems and complicacies faced by Gaon Buras in delivering justice as per Adi Kebang Ayon (AKA). While addressing welcome message, Odiyang Tayeng, General Secretary, Gaon Burah Association, Mebo an few other GBs like Obang Tayeng, GB, Sigar, Kangkong Borang, HGB, Ayeng and Okar Megu, GB, Motum village said that, they often faces lots of hurdle while following AKA. They said that, some of the wealthy men prefer to challenge the decision of the Kebang in the legal

court which often cause harassment to the GBs for attending hearing after hearings. The complicacy of fully implementing AKA often contradicts with the national legal systems where Kebang decisions are often nullified by legal courts.

While, resource persons from ABK like Yalem Taga Burang, President, ABKWW E/Siang, Todol Pertin, Joint Secy.

ABK (HQ), Opak Takuk Ering, Gen. Secy.

ABKWW, Oling Ratan, President, ABK Mebo Block, Oter Taloh, ABK WW E/Siang Advisor, Binggo Perme, Advisor etc spoke on length how AKA could be implemented for overall good of Adi villages.

Meanwhile, Bodong Yirang, Secretary General, ABK (Apex) attending as Chief Guest in the workshop advised the Gaon Buras to maintain certain formalities for delivering better justice to the people. He said that; a GB should not be lifted by the car/vehicle of both the Kebang parties (Complainant and Defendant), no money/ fees should be collected

does not lack talent, Mallo encouraged students to strive for excellence in their chosen fields and help out their peers as well.

In her address, school management chairperson Hegio Aruni elaborated on the 25 years of journey of Green Mount School in Itanagar and informed that the school started in 1990 with only five students and it now has more than 500 students.

by GBs either from complainant or defendant, there should not be biasness of judgment by undermining poor or afraid against rich and wealthy, a Banggo Secretary has to be formed to maintain all the Kebang proceedings, an unbiased judgment has to be pronounced and GBs should not eat or attend feast of both the Kebang parties to avoid themselves from any controversies.

Adis has been known for its democratic set of Kebang systems since time immemorial where there has minimal disparity between rich and poor as the Adi society has no division of societal status on cast, creed etc. But of late, there has been allegation of some of GBs favoring rich, kiths and kins, inclining toward money/bribe, suppressing poor etc. But the ABK is doing all out effort to maintain the traditional ethos of Adis by strengthening Adi Kebang Ayon from where Adis has been governed from ages so that poor people having problem in approaching legal court could be delivered justice in the very door of its village.

day.

AYA president Taku Chatung presented a detailed report on the preparations for the day.

Informing that Chief Minister Pema Khandu is also expected to volunteer for the cleaning mission, he sought support from all HoDs to make the event successful.

A comprehensive environmental cleaning plan for Kley and its tributaries was initiated by roping in a consultant but had to be halted due to political instabilities, he further informed and expressed hope that the present government would facilitate in saving river Kley.

The first edition of the mission was a grand success where more than 6000 volunteers participated. Today the river is much cleaner and the fact that people now hesitate to throw waste into this river is an achievement of the mission, he added, and assured that AYA will keep alive the spirit of the mission by making it a calendar event of the association.

Action plans for waste pick up and disposal, work and area distribution, refreshment for the volunteers was chalked out elaborately during the meeting.

Among others ZCP Hage Kojin, SP Tage Habung, all the HoDs, administrative officers, NGOs, PRI members and representatives from various schools attended the meeting. (DIPRO)

NSS team from Arunachal to participate in Pre-Republic day parade at Kolkata NSS volunteers from different schools and colleges of the state who were selected by state level selection committee.

Volunteers participating in the camp are Roshan Chetry, Tara Dakpe, Anita Sonar, RakheYagam and MihinYapi from Dera Natung Government College; Pill Yal, Jumpa Bagra, Metu Dada, Suju Givi Basumatary and Ngangwang Kakho from Don Bosco College and Arun Ram Chiary and Kai Rakshap from Govt Higher Secondary School, Doimukh.

Quiz competition as part of APP’s raising day celebration

India to tell China to put Masood Azhar on UN list Contd. from Page 1

who is incharge of internal security of that country," an official said.

China has twice blocked India's efforts to include Azhar, alleged mistermind of the terror attacks on Pathankot air base and an army camp in Uri, on the UN's sanctions list containing names of individuals and groups linked to the al Qaeda or Islamic State.

New Delhi had expressed concern in the past over

the supply of Chinese arms and ammunition to insurgent groups operating in the northeast.

India also strongly objected to the practice of China issuing stapled visas to people belonging to Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Home Minister and the Chinese leader will discuss how to enhance anti-terror cooperation, issues related to liberalisation of the visa regime and other issues

of mutual interest, the official said.

On the other hand, if China raises the issue of the Dalai Lama's proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India will tell the visiting side that the Tibetan spiritual leader is a guest and he is free to visit anywhere in India.

Beijing has already objected to the Dalai Lama's proposed visit to the Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims is a disputed territory.

ET Bureau, Itanagar, Nov 8: District Police, Papum Pare conducted a quiz competition as part of APP’s 44th Raising Day celebration on November 8.

The quiz competition was held on some important subjects, like IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act and other laws and general knowledge, which was conducted by Papum Pare SP Tumme Amo at Yupia on Monday.

Five police teams from Balijan, Doimukh, Kimin, Sagalee police stations and Crime Branch, Yupia took part in the quiz competition.

The Balijan team emerged the best team in IPC,CrPC and general

knowledge and also came first in aggregate with 76 marks and Crime Brance, Yupia team emerged best team in Evidence Act and other laws and came second in overall.

The district police is also organising a painting competition among the students of secondary schools in all police stations under Papum Pare (rural) district on the topic “Our environment and global warming”.

The winners of quiz and painting competition will be awarded cash prizes and commendation certificates by SP, Yupia on the occasion of APP Raising Day.

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State government failed to secure rights of the landless, instead favoured capitalists: ULFA(I) ET Correspondent Tezpur, Nov 8 : The United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) on Tuesday criticized the Sarbananda Sonowal led state government for paving the way to set up a Rs 1000-crore herbal and mega food park by Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurveda near Tezpur.

The ULFA(I) alleged that the state government had failed to rehabilitate the landless in the state and instead favored capitalist to venture into the state.

Patanjali Ayurved will hire around 5000 people at its upcoming Rs 1,300crore facility in Assam by the end of this fiscal year. The Patanjali Herbal and Mega Food

Park, which is being set up in an area of 150 acres in the AIDC complex at Balipara near Tezpur, will manufacture a wide range of products including cosmetics, nutrition

and kitchen essentials, an Assam government press release said. It also said that the 6.57 lakh MTPA food park would create direct employment for over 4,000 people.

NAAC B++ Grade to Moirabari College ET Correspondent Morigaon, Nov 8: Moirabari College, a premiere institution of higher education in the northern part of Morigaon district, has been accorded B++ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. The college was assessed by a peer team comprised of Prof.

Arunodoy Saha, former Vice-chancellor, Tripura University as Chairperson, Dr. Mangal Mishra, Principal, Shri Cloth Market Kanya Vanijiya Mahavidyalay, Indore as Member Coordinator, and Dr. Dhaneswar Hari

Chandan, former Director, IDOL University of Mumbai as member on September 14, 15 & 16 last. During its three-day visit the team interacted with the Principal, governing body, teaching and non-teaching staff, librarian, alumni, guardians, students, different cells and committees and other stakeholders of the college. In its report, NAAC has expressed its satisfaction on the healthy academic atmosphere of the college and its steady journey towards excellence.

Jamal Uddin Ahmd, president of governing body,

Dr. Samsuddin Ahmed, Principal, and Md. Rofiqul Islam, coordinator of IQAC, in a meeting held to celebrate the achievement of the college, conveyed their sincere thanks and gratitude to all the stakeholders and the people of the locality for their sincere efforts and unstinting support.

After the declaration of the grade by NAAC, there is an atmosphere of mirth and jubilance among the students, teachers and other employees of the college, informed Prof.

Sadiqul Islam, convenor of Publication Cell.

Aasu, KMSS stir against Subansiri dam ET Correspondent Guwahati, Nov 8: The All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti(KMSS) have renewd their movement against the 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri hydropower project along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

Aasu alleged that the Centre has expedited work on the mega dam keeping the people of the state in the dark. Even though the indefinite blockade to the dam site called by Aasu was withdrawn after talks between the students' body, Dhemaji district administration and NHPC later on Monday, KMSS said there will be no compromise on the issue. Aasu started the indefinite blockade from Sunday.

"Trucks loaded with construction materials continue to move to the dam

site. Before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP leaders vowed that they will continue to oppose the construction of the Lower Subansiri project which has lots of flaws as pointed out by experts. But after the saffron party's victory in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the BJP-led government at the Centre has gone all out to complete the dam that will wreak havoc in the downstream areas," said Papu Deka, secretary of the Gogamukh unit of KMSS. KMSS activists has started a four-day long hunger strike in protest against the construction of the mega dam in Gogamukh from Monday. Aasu said it has evidence that the BJP-led government at the Centre is gearing up to expedite work on the dam.

"In 2014, the Centre had

promised Aasu and 25 other organizations of the state that it will start an expert-to-expert dialogue to ascertain the truth behind the allegations on flaws of the dam. The Government of India was about to bring its experts to the discussion table, while our experts were ready with their views. But the Centre did not convene the meeting. Instead, BJP leaders are now advocating completion of the dam, which is unacceptable," said Aasu general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi.

On the other hand, Dhemaji district authorities refuted allegations that work of the dam has gained momentum.

"Only, maintenance and protection work is going on," said Dhemaji deputy commissioner Roshni Aparanji Korati.

State Congress backs Rahul Gandhi as AICC president ET Bureau, Guwahati, Nov 8: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has welcomed the Congress Working Committee's (CWC) move on Monday to push for Rahul Gandhi as AICC president.

APCC president Ripun Bora said the entire Congress team in Assam is looking forward to Rahul Gandhi becoming the AICC president. He added that time is appropriate for Rahul to head the AICC as this will help in boosting the party in Assam and other parts of the country.

"We have seen how the AICC vice-president has enthused party workers in

Uttar Pradesh and other states. We in Congress strongly feel that he should take over as AICC president. This is definitely going to infuse fresh energy into the party," Bora said.

AICC secretary Bhupen Borah added that Rahul represents the new generation of leaders in Congress. "We welcome the CWC decision. This is the right time for the AICC vice president to be Congress president. We are solidly behind him. He represents the new generation of Congress leaders. So, we want to see him as Congress president," said Borah.

The CWC on Monday said it will convey its decision to AICC president Sonia Gandhi for her views on the matter.

CWC member and former defence minister A K Antony said the CWC was unanimous that Rahul should take over as Congress president. Many in state Congress said they want to see Rahul leading the party against the Narendra Modi government.

In Assam, Congress is desperately trying to revive its presence at the grassroots level following its defeat in the assembly elections

ABSU reiterated demand to implement FRC Act-2006 ET Correspondent Chardwar, Nov 8: As part of the continued movement on demand of fulfillment of various demands including implementation of forest right act 2006 (FRC-Act-2006), immediate inclusion of non-panchayat villages under panchayatiraj Act1994 and protection of Tribal belt and Block with eviction of illegal encroachers and ensuring land rights to the indigenous tribal people, the Sonitpur District ABSU supported by its central committee today held a huge rally here at Nyokum Festival Ground near Chardwar in Sonitpur District. The rally participated by over ten thousand people alongwith all the office bearers of Sonitpur District committee ABSU, was addressed by the vice president, General Secretary and Education Secretary of All Bodo Students Union, respectively Jiten

Boro, Laurence Islary and Kastom Basumatary and General Secretary of Sonitpur district Tribal Sangha, Nagen Basumatary.

Demanding the government to address the aforementioned long pending issues faced by the Bodos, Laurence Islary said that though under Article 40 of Indian constitution the Directive Principle of State Policy directs to execute village panchayat for the self governance of the grass-root people, in Sonitpur thousands of Bodos have been deprived off the system and the facilities given under it. He said that the BJP government came to power at the centre with the slogan of “Sabka- Saath, Sabka Bikas” has totally failed to deliver their commitment to the Bodos. “For the interest of decentralization of power, the government of India established local self government through

Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI). However, it is a matter of great concern that till date these people are deprived off all facilities due to the non-implementation of Panchaytiraj System in most of the areas of the state including the northern belt of Sonitpur District. Ironically the same people can cast their votes in Assembly and Parliamentary Elections, but do not have the right to participate in the Panchayat election seeking their essential facilities which are possible only through the Panchayatiraj System.”

He alleged.

Addressing the gathering the vice president of the Students’ body, Jiten Boro reiterated that there have been a series of movement since decades in this part for the protection of the Tribal Belt and Blocks and it is the right time the illegal encroachers from the

Tribal Belt and Block area be evicted to ensure the security of the indigenous tribal people thereby providing the land rights to them living in the forest areas. “Although the chapter X of the Assam government Land and Revenue Regulation Act, 1886 has provision for the protection of the tribal belt and blocks in the state, this has failed to protect the land of the tribal people ensure their security due to the indifferent attitude of the state government to protect the notified Tribal Belts and Blocks in Sonitpur besides other districts of the state.” He said urging the state and central government to do the needful for the protection of the Tribal belts and block areas with an immediate effect.

On the otherhand alleging government agencies’ alleged negligence towards the issues of the Bodos, General Sec-

retary of Sonitpur Dist r i c t Tr i b a l s a n g h a , Nagen Bsumatary, said t hat t hough t he t hen Chief minister of the state Tarun Gogoi had committed in a public meeting held just ahead of the Assembly election to settle the issue, with the passage of time everything has become a false commitment. He urged the agencies concerned including the Assam government to pave a way for the solution to the problem without any delay so that the situation doesn’t worsen because of depression of thousands of people caused due to the government’s alleged negligence. The ABSU later submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Sonitpur, Manuj Kumar Deka that was addr essed t o t he Chi ef Minister, Government of Assam.

Sarbananda Sonowal meets Small tea growers seek marketing help Rajnath to discuss citizenship bill ET Bureau, from Ramdev Guwahati, Nov 8: ET Bureau, Guwahati, Nov 8: Tea growers of Assam have sought yoga guru Ramdev's help in marketing tea produced by small tea growers (STG) in the state.

"More than 100 small tea growers in Assam are producing speciality teas like green tea, white tea, handcrafted tea, organic tea, traditional tea and other varieties. They are doing it at the cottage industry level and some of them have also been able to export their teas. But many of them are finding difficulty in marketing their tea. We appeal to Patanjali Ayurved to help them market their tea," North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) adviser Bidyananda Barkakoty said. Assam has more than

one lakh small tea growers.

A government statement on Sunday said the yoga guru, at the Patanjali herbal park's foundation stone laying ceremony, had said he would think about creating a viable market for green tea.

Ramdev had also on Saturday said that though projects on green tea have come to him, nothing concrete has been decided yet.

He added that he has not given any thought to the prospects of black tea.

Barkakoty said Assam mainly produces CTC tea and 90% of Assam's production is black tea. "We will meet Baba Ramdev and Patanjali MD Acharya Balkrishna soon and explain in detail the health benefits of black tea," Barkakoty said.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday met Union home minister Rajnath Singh to discuss the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

"The joint select committee of parliament will hold discussions with the representatives of various organizations of the state. On the issue of providing constitutional safeguards to the people of the state, both the state and central governments will sort it out," Sonowal told reporters in New Delhi.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was tabled in the Parliament in August, seeks to grant citizenship

Sarbananda Sonowal to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan in India. The bill, however, was referred to a Joint Select Committee of Parliament, following opposition to the bill on the grounds that it needed more scrutiny.

Back home, tribal literary bodies and students' organizations have voiced strong opposition to the bill. The Indigenous Tribal Sahitya Sabhas, Assam (ITSSA) during its convention at Diphu, has taken a resolution to oppose the bill.

Two-day biodiversity meet kicks off today CM Khandu assures enhancement ET Bureau, Guwahati, Nov 8: The two-day Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum, which will bring together biodiversity experts and policymakers together, has planned to set up a knowledge resource centre for management and conservation of Asian elephants. The forum kicks off on Tuesday."The Eastern Himalayan Naturenom ics Forum seeks to provide a platform to all stakeholders to engage with each other and collaborate for long-term solutions. The goal is to encourage interdisciplinary exchange of ideas," Balipara Foundationfo under and trustee Ranjit Barthakur said on Monday.

Balipara Foundation is the organizer of the event.

The Asian Elephant Country Secretariat will be a central repository of resources on the Asian elephant and will engage stakeholders to influence policy-making, secure financial support and built stronger network to protect the Asian elephant.

Participants from 14 countries, 12 states in the country and nine multilateral and bilateral organizations are taking part in the event.

The Eastern Himalayas is one of the most biodiversity-rich regions in the world. However, the region's biodiversity faces a threat. The foundation said that less than 25% of the region's biodiversity remains intact, with some 163 native species considered to be moving towards extinction.

Sonowal addresses Lakhimpur by-poll rally in Dibrugarh Contd. from Page 1

he said. Sarma taking a dig at Congress said that during congress rule no mid-day meal workers got their salaries on time but after BJP assumed the power in the state they are paying the salaries on time. He also added that in the tea belts education infrastructure has been very poor and there was no ME and High schools for the tea tribes people in the areas. So, after studying at LP schools they did not got chance to study.

We will open High schools in the area for the better education of the tea tribe children’s,’’.

The Congress has fielded Dr Hem Hari Prassana Pegu as its candidate for Lakhimpur

Lok Sabha constituency and Rupan Singh Ronghang from Baithalangshu assembly constituency.

They are pitted against BJP’s Pradan Baruah and Mansing Rongpi respectively.

Pradan Baruah is a sitting BJP MLA from Jonai Assembly constituency while former Congress MLA Mansing Rongpi shifted allegiance to the BJP after the last Assembly election held in April this year even though he had won from Baithalangshu as a Congress candidate. A senior BJP leader Dilip Moran has recently resigned from the BJP in protest against not being given the party ticket to contest from Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat.

for grant-in-aid to Arunachal Pradesh Police welfare Society

Contd. from Page 1

criminals or underground elements shall be given to the next kith kin and a suitable government job for next kith and kins of the martyr. Khandu revealed that the state government has decided to give Dy SP rank job to Late Kamdak’s wife as mark of respect to the brave soul.

CM also gave a brief on institution of the State’s highest award namely Arunachal Ratna which carries a cash amount of Rs. 1 lakh along with Gold Medal and a roll of honour. Late Bomto Kamdak was the first recipient of the award posthumously.

While talking about welfare measures initiated by the state government for police department and its personnel, CM said that all women police station will be established in all the district headquarters with 401 posts while 2400 posts of police personnel would be shortly filled. Khandu said that the ration money and uniform allowances of police personnel is being enhanced and shall be directly credited to their accounts.

In order to control crime and instil a sense of security in the twin

capital city of Itanagar and Naharlagun, city surveillance system would be put in place, informed CM. He further revealed that the state government has proposed for a state of the art Police Training Academy in line of NEPA, Shillong to Union Ministry of Home Affairs and pinned high hopes that it would be positively considered.

CM also pitched to upgrade the existing forensic science laboratory as proposed by the department.

Khandu shared that he was aware of the problems faced by the department and assured that their grievances would be looked into in phase wise manner.

He later inaugurated the exhibition stalls put by the police department.

Speaking as Guest of Honour, Home Minister Kumar Waii revealed that he has done extensive research on Police department and is aware of what problems they have been facing. He assured all out support to strengthen police department besides keeping in mind the welfare measures of its personnel’s. “I am always with you all” Waii empathically said and suggested that such police raising day event should be organised in

larger public gathering so that people could see the beauty and strength of the discipline force of the state.

Earlier, DGP in his welcome address gave a brief history about Arunachal Pradesh Police. He said APP had a humble beginning with handful of police officers brought on deputation in the year 1972 and now has expanded to four ranges with 20 districts police and more than 11000 police personnel.

On the day, President’s Police medal for meritorious services of police officers and personnel and Home Minister’s medal were given away by CM. Winners and runners up of CM’s Running Trophy (Football), Home Minister’s running trophy (Volley ball) and Director General of Police’s Running trophy for Marching Contingents were also given away by the Chief Guest, Guest of honour and DGP. CM enhanced the cash prizes of the football, volleyball and march-past running trophies.

Smart march -past display, band display by VKV students, PT display by women contingents of APP, Commando drills, SDRF and Fire Fighters display were other major highlights of the day.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

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25th graduation of Mark Buntain Many relief camps opened for flood affected people mission training centre

Rev. Dr. Steve Chandler, Rev. Moses Murry and others.

Dimapur, Nov 8: 25th graduation of Mark Buntain Mission Training Centre, Dimapur was held on November 6 at Bethesda AG Church centre with Evangelical Bible Translators, USA president, Rev. Dr. Steve Chandler as speaker.

Rev. Dr. Steve Chandler in his message encouraged the believers to trust in the Lord as He is the strong foundation of our faith and He watches over us at all times and protects us in all situations.

AGEI general superintendant Rev.

Moses Murry, in his short speech thanked the speaker and encouraged the pastors to be faithful in their calling.

Altogether six rural pastors from Assam graduated and were commissioned for the ministry.

(Agencies)

Governor for common gas grid among India, Bangladesh and Myanmar Agartala, Nov 08 : Governor Tathagata Roy on Monday strongly batted to have a common natural gas grid among three neighbouring countiesIndia, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

While speaking in an international conference on Present and Future of Natural Gas : Challenges and Opportunities in NE India at Prajna Bhavan here, the Governor said Tripura, Bangladesh and Myanmar have tremendous gas reserve.

"I have heard that some countries have common oil pipeline for mutual benefit. If this kind of arrangement is possible, we must have similar kind of gas grid spreading Northeast India, Bangladesh and Myanmar", he said.

Noting that India and Bangladesh are enjoying

best mutual understanding, Roy said Northeast India particularly Tripura has good amount of gas reserve. "We must focus on exploration to discover more gas reserve for the welfare of the country", he said.

The Governor said Northeast India would be benefitted the way connectivity is getting boost with the neighbouring country Bangladesh.

In his speech, ONGC Tripura Asset Manager SC Soni the ONGC would continue to intensify exploration drive in Tripura for better prospect. "We will do more as far as exploration drive is concerned. The ONGC has already allocated Rs. 5500 crore for boosting exploration drive in Tripura. It means, ONGC wants to do more in the days to

come", he said.

Anil Kumar Saikia, the secretary of SECONE, a Guwahati based NGO said the Centre has already initiated a process of ambitious plan- Hydrocarban Vision- 2030 to give a major fillip to the exploration and use of natural gas in NE region.

"If the plan is transformed into reality in proper way, both oil and gas production will be doubled in the region. This will obviously attract industry people", he said.

On the hurdle being faced

by Northeast India, Saikia said logistic problem appears major trouble for any venture here. "NE region will be path on development with the Centre working hard to improve connectivity with its neighbours", he added.

(Agencies)

Trained teachers needed for quality education: Yitachu Kohima, Nov 8: Minister for School Education and SCERT Yitachu in a startling disclosure on Monday said 42% of around 24,000 government teachers in Nagaland were untrained while 15% of government schools numbering 172 primary and middle schools were being run by single teacher.

This has been a major stumbling block to provide quality education, said Yitachu while addressing the two-day national seminar, sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), on "quality teacher education: issues and challenges of two year B.Ed programme" organized by department of teacher education school of humanities and education Nagaland University, Kohima held at Meriema campus.

He also said it would take 10 to 15 years to train up all untrained teachers since the current intake for B.Ed course in the state was less than 1000 seats annually.

Yitachu said it is a serious matter that recruitment of unqualified teachers in education department has only become like a source to solve the unemployment issue, compromising the careers of students.

On the other hand, he lamented that though Right To Education (RTE) policy of the Central government has improved infrastructures besides upgrading and opening of new schools, the enrolment in 622 schools were below 30 students.

Yitachu also expressed concern that the No Detention Policy has affected the education system in the state, where students get

Yitachu speaking at the two-day national seminar.

promoted to higher classes despite their dismal performance. In order to tackle the issues, particularly to provide quality education, he said the state government has taken the initiative to train the untrained teachers, wherein in-service teachers are given the opportunity to take up B.Ed training.

Despite the need for more institutions to accommodate in-service teachers to be trained, he said the government would not be able to encourage opening of more B.Ed colleges in the state, keeping in mind that institutions would only become commercialized and not focussed on imparting quality training. He urged upon the teachers to be truthful, sincere and to change their attitude to bring in positive change with commitment.

Dean faculty of education S.V University AP, Prof.

P.A. Reddy in his keynote address maintained that in order to sustain growth and development, quality education was a must and which placed great responsibility at the hands of teachers. He however added that the goal could only be achieved with trained teachers.

He called upon the teach-

ers to realize that teaching is a profession with responsibility and not just for mere for employment purpose.

Seminar convenor Dr. M. Rajendranath Babu in his address said the objective of the seminar was to create awareness on innovative teaching strategies and skills for sustenance of quality education in B.Ed programme besides developing relationship between theory and practices.

He further informed that seminar information was being published in IAEA newsletter in August 2016 including University News Weekly Journal of Higher Education in the AugustSeptember 2016 issue.

The programme was chaired by Narola Chuba, welcome address was delivered by HoD education NU Prof. Lungsang Zeliang; academic & administrative in-charge NU Kohima campus Meriema, Prof. Buno Liegise also addressed the gathering, while the vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Neizo-Ăź Mero.

The seminar was attended by teachers, lecturers, professors, research scholars from various parts of India. (Agencies)

Agartala, Nov 08: Hundreds of families were rendered homeless because of flooding in the eastern outskirt of Agartala since Sunday night due to heavy down pour over the last three days due to low depression in Bay of Bengal.

Several families adjoining areas of river Howrah were evacuated by the administration and volunteers form flooded area of Pratapgarh, Aralia, Jogendranagar, Kathashewla, Chandrapur, Baldakhal areas of the eastern part of the city including some parts of Dukli subdivision since Sunday and were sheltered in relief camps including some makeshift camps.

Sources in the Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sadar office said about 80 families of from Chandpur, Trinath, Baldakhal and Chandrapur areas of Agartala were

forced to take shelter in the wee hours of Monday due to heavy rainfall and flood for hike of water level in river Howrah.

Administrative authorities including local leaders visited the affected areas and monitored the rescue operations.

There are reports of heavy damages to crops and destruction of electric lines and tele-communication line due to flood as all the low lying areas near river Howrah were flooded with river water and incessant rain water.

The district magistrate (DM) West Tripura along with sub divisional authorities of Sadar subdivision also visited the affected areas on Monday and declared immediate relief of affected people.

The sub divisional administration has also started supply of relief materials to affected families including baby foods.

900 Bru families identified as genuine citizens of Mizoram Agartala, Nov 08 : Altogether nine hundred families comprising 4800 members sheltered in two relief camps- Kasku and Khagchanpara have been identified as genuine citizens of Mizoram, official sources confirmed.

They were identified by a team of Mizoram government on the basis of electoral rolls of Mizoram with a base year of 1995.

"The identification of two refugee camps has been completed today and the same process will be conducted at Hamchapara Bru refugee camp in Kanchanpur subdivision tomorrow", said District Magistrate (DM), North Dr. Sandeep Mahatme over telephone from Dharmanagar tonight.

It means at least nine hundred families are eligible to

return to their homelandMizoram after long 19 years.

As per the schedule, identification process of Bru refugees is supposed to get completed by November 25 next. Once the identification of refugees is completed, repatriation of Reang refugees will start next month.

However, Mizoram government wants repatriation of refugees to start in January next year as plots are required to rehabilitate them properly although the Centre will provide fund to Aizwal.

Now, it is to be seen when repatriation of Bru refugees gets started with the state government trying hard to push the process at the earliest. (Agencies)

NSCN (K) warns 3 against 'anti-national' activities Dimapur, Nov 5: MIP, NSCN/GPRN has declared two former members- Kughato Chishi of Phulesho village and 'sgt'.

V ikuto Zhimo of Xuivi village- of "anti-national activities" with "active patronage" of one kilonser Hokato Vusshe "of Khehoi Camp", the latter of who was accused of acting "acting as facilitator between the renegade cadres and Indian security agencies".

Further, MIP accused the three of running an extortion racket "using NSCN/ GPRN credentials" and then Hokato Vusshe issues "threatening counter extortion demands" by accusing victim's of nexus with NSCN/GPRN. MIP several "innocent victims and upstanding state government officials were constantly harassed and blackmailed on fake unsubstantiated charges."

MIP has informed public that it shall in due course of time, "exact befitting action to the extent of capital punishment, shall be arbitrarily imposed without trial" against the three above mentioned on the ground that their "treacherous activities has caused irreparable mental and physical impairment on several committed national workers".

Further, MIP has also warned a former Naga army cadre "lt". Akahoto alias Hekato of Viyixe village,recently released from Central Jail Dimapur, to "immediately cease impersonating Naga army officer" and desist from seeking financial services from various offices, contractors and suppliers in and around Dimapur and Kohima by "using the credential of col.Isak Sumi".

(Agencies)

Five new social security schemes announced by state government Agartala, Nov 08 : Tripura government has unfolded five new social security schemes to give allowance to over ten thousand people belonging to five professional groups.

Bijita Nath, social welfare minister, informed district magistrates and social welfare supervisors of all the eight districts about launching of the new scheme and modalities for their implementations through VDO conferencing on Saturday.

The five trade comes under the new scheme are folk artist, carpenters, Kamaras, Kumars and cleaners. Each of the beneficiaries will get a monthly allowance of Rs 600. These are in addition to 25 social security schemes run by state and three run by the central government already in vogue. Already 2,86,736 people are getting social security allowance under these schemes. Another 9206 applicants are waiting for inclusion in these schemes. (Agencies)

Meteorological Department officials in Agartala said that the situation is likely to improve from Monday night.

An official of Tripura's Disaster Control Centre said that several hundred families in different parts of Tripura took shelter in relief camps, as their homes and villages were flooded following incessant rains.

Seasonal crops in different parts of Tripura were the worst affected by the

post-monsoon rain.

Seasonal crops like potato, cauliflower, cabbage and various other vegetables were badly damaged due to the rains in different parts of the state.

Vehicular movement was also hampered in some portion of National Highway-44 adjoiining to river Howrah and normal life

was severely affected in different parts eastern Agartala.

However, Meteorological Department officials in Agartala said that the situation is likely to improve from Monday night.

There would be no heavy rains in the next couple of days. Light or moderate rains are likely to occur in some places of Tripura, said Meteorological Department Director in Agartala Dilip Saha.

He said that the deep depression, generated in the Bay of Bengal four days back, has now lost its strength and it currently exists in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, southern Assam and adjoining northeastern Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, reports from adjoining areas of river Howrah stated that rain and flood water are now started receding and flood situations are also now improving. (Agencies)

Acharya graces Tokhu Emong Dimapur, Nov 8: Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya on Monday said it was now high time to showcase Nagaland as a vibrant Nagaland, since God has blessed the state with all the talents not only dance and drama but in every aspect of life.

He said this while addressing the Tokhu Emong festival at Wokha as chief guest, where it was celebrated with pomp and gaiety.

Governor said Nagas were second to none in every aspect of life, but added that at present they were known only because of their rich culture of dance and drama.

He also called upon the people to, as they celebrate, thank the farmers for the wonderful agricultural produces and the Almighty for all his blessings.

Acharya said if people understood the real significance of festival then their strength to march ahead will be more meaningful.

He also maintained that Wokha was blessed by God with plenty of natural resources and wonderful places. "If we make best use of the area and

Acharya and his wife along with others at the Tokhu Emong festival celebration in Wokha. given natural resources we can make the society prosperous," Acharya said. For any society or the nation to be prosperous, he said three important things -education, electricity and employment - were very important.

To address the needs of the state, the governor said the most important thing was peaceful. The governor appealed to the Lotha Hoho and all the Hohos at this crucial hour to come together and be united and see that permanent peace comes to Nagaland. He also reminded of the Prime Minister's assertion that unless North East developed India cannot progress.

Earlier, the chief guest released a booklet on the significance of Tokhu.

On the occasion, Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) vice president O.Shilu Jamir also delivered a short speech.

The Lotha Hoho also submitted at request memorandum to the Governor declaration of GolaghatWokha-Bokajan Road as National Highway.

Advisor, Treasuries & Accounts, Labour & Employment and Skill Development, Dr.T.M.Lotha, Ao Senden executive council and Rengma Hoho president Kenyuseng Tep and other host of dignitaries attended the festival.

(Agencies)

CNA not a Naga organisation: NPO Dimapur, Nov 8: On the expiry of deadline served on Council of Naga Affairs (CNA), Myanmar to substantiate the allegation, the Naga Public Organization (NPO) Myanmar has declared that from now on it would not consider CNA as Naga organization so long as the "painted/non-Naga is involved in the setup."

CNA had alleged that NPO was carrying out activities that were detrimental to the unity of Naga people at the behest of RAW and IB of India, and in Myanmar, they were closely supported by the embassy of India and junta-backed USDP. In a press release, NPO chairman, Harti Yangli, and general secretary, Jojo, said the Naga Public Organization, which focuses on the pledge of rural populace and

grounded on the mandate of all seven Naga major tribes of Myanmar, would never be moved by such cheap allegation. NPO said its stand and commitment was to serve Nagas "unconditionally and without any reproach". The organisation stated that on October 21, 2016, CSA information and public relation officer, Kejung Tangshang, called NPO chairman and told him that he resigned from the Council in August.

Further, on October 23, 2016, NPO said when one of its executives contacted CNA president, Athong Makury, he denied issuing the statement and expressed shock over the write up.

In the light of above, NPO said it was now clear that there were "opportunist outsiders" actively working to sharply divide

the Nagas.

NPO has called upon every Naga wherever they were to be watchful and to be aware of "anti-Naga in the form of so called CNA working very hard to suck the blood of innocent Nagas."

Asserting that the goodwill gesture of the Nagas was highly misunderstood by the "wolves in a sheep skin", NPO lamented that the Naga Yuya, one of the oldest Naga organizations, was being misused by "some vested interest individual for their own business in collaboration with tainted CNA." NPO affirmed that it was committed to safeguard and protect the unique historical birth-right of the Nagas and further cautioned that it would not tolerate such baseless allegation. (Agencies)

No takers for Govt's WiFi zone proposal Shillong, Nov 8: The State government's plan to create Wi-Fi zones has received lukewarm response from bidders.

DP Wahlang, Commissioner and Secretary in the Information Technology and Communications Department, said the department had issued tender for the project "but surprisingly only one bidder, Airtel" came forward.

The project is stuck as the state financial rules do not allow open bidding if there is only one bidder, Wahlang said, adding that the department is now thinking whether the tender should be refloated.

Under the programme, the Government intends to provide Wi-Fi in seven locations in Shillong and three in Tura

town.

He said the government intends to provide first 20 minutes of Wi-Fi as free and later the user will have to buy coupons to continue using the services. The State Government will have to spent around Rs 4 crore per annum to provide free internet to users for the first 20 minutes.

(Agencies)

EDITORIAL

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

Today's quote

“

Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Chasing a grand alliance E

ver since the Mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance, successfully stared down a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party in the Bihar elections last November, speculation about a possible replication in Uttar Pradesh has been rife. The buzz has grown over the past week, after Congress election strategist Prashant Kishor's meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Even more recently, at the SP's silver jubilee festivities in Lucknow, the air rang with calls for "unity of socialist parties" from assembled fellow-travellers from the Janata Dal days including Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad; former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, now of the Janata Dal (Secular); Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United); and Ajit Singh of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, which has a significant support base in western U.P. Through all this, Mr. Mulayam Yadav has been enigmatically tight-lipped, as have been Congress leaders. The other two big forces in the State, the BJP and the Bahujan Samaj Party, have been uninhibited in talking down the threat such a CongressSP-Lohiaite alliance would pose. This is not surprising as there are big challenges such a grand alliance would face in U.P. as compared to Bihar.

A pattern had taken shape in U.P. over the past many Assembly elections, that of the four main parties in the fray fighting from their corners, with smaller, more fungible parties including the RLD going with the best pre-poll deal they could get. In the four-cornered contest, each political party essentially aimed to maximise its outreach to its traditional vote base, and hoped to strike the best deal in government-formation in the event of a hung Assembly.

The previous two elections, in 2007 and 2012, broke this pattern with voters giving one party a clear majority, first the BSP and then the SP. In fact, the Congress and the BJP remained hopeless also-rans in this scenario - in 2012 they won just 28 and 47 seats respectively in the 403-member legislature. In the 2014 general election, the BJP did better than even its most optimistic projections by getting over 42 per cent of the vote compared to 15 per cent in 2012. In Bihar, after the BJP effected a similar sweep in 2014, its two main opponents, the RJD and the JD(U), buried their differences and put up a united secular front, pulling the Congress too in their embrace. In U.P., the BSP and the SP show no signs of striking any working understanding - and in its absence it is unclear how formidable an SP-led alliance can be, especially while the Yadav family feud keeps up the surround sound.

Solutions after the smog If Delhi's crippling pollution crisis is to end, at least in the coming years, the Centre and the States concerned need to adopt a two-pronged approach: make policy changes to help farmers stop burning crop waste and tackle problems created by urbanisation. Every measure to curb the release of pollutants is important since the weather pattern in the post-monsoon months causes smog to persist. The capital experiences the inversion effect of air pressure retarding the dispersal of the foul cloud. There has to be strong political will to implement a timebound programme that will stop the burning of crop residues - by one estimate about 90 million tonnes is burnt on-farm - and put them to commercial use. As the eminent agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan has pointed out, farmers are not at fault for trying to remove the waste from the land, and they need help.

In the northwestern States, they resort to burning straw to prepare for a wheat crop weeks after harvesting rice. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute published a guidance report four years ago on ways to use the residue, with an emphasis on converting paddy straw into livestock feed, compost, raw material for power generation, biofuel production and as substrate for mushroom farming. State support is vital for straw to be used as fodder, and farmers should be assisted with supplemental stocks of urea and molasses, green fodder and legume waste.

The air quality in Delhi and other northern cities is under severe stress also owing to factors linked to urbanisation. Smoke-generating brick kilns around the national capital need to be cleaned up through a state-guided modernisation programme, since they become active during the period when the weather is unhelpful. It is also important to pave all roads well to curb dust, and show zero tolerance to civic agencies leaving exposed mud after executing projects. A more diffused problem is the burning of waste and other materials by the poor who do not have access to cleaner forms of heating in the winter months. If that is unavoidable in the short term, it is certainly possible to clean up the transport sector. Delhi's bus fleet should be augmented, preferably doubled, with modern high-capacity zero emission electric vehicles of the kind being introduced in Europe.

Higher parking fees for private vehicles can pay for this. The capital - indeed, all Indian cities - can achieve better efficiencies if transport data are opened up to build smartphone apps giving users real-time service information. The Delhi government has responded to the crisis by shutting schools and banning waste burning. It now needs a sustained pollution control strategy to keep life normal throughout the year.

ong mentally?

P6

It's not about just national security 'National security' must mark the beginning of the debate over the one-day ban on NDTV India, not the end of it.

Our broadcast laws allow the government sweeping powers of censorship with negligible attendant costs Gautam Bhatia The Information and Broadcasting Ministry's direction requiring NDTV India to go off air for a day because of its coverage of the Pathankot terror attack in January has generated a storm of controversy, even though the government said on Monday that it was putting the decision on hold. Supporters of the government have accused their opponents of irresponsibly sacrificing national security at the altar of freedom of speech, and have pointed to Rule 6(1)(p) of the Cable TV Programme Code, which sensibly proscribes live coverage of anti-terrorist operations.

Supporters of NDTV India, on the other hand, have protested that the channel's broadcast took place long after the operations were over, that the footage was already available in the public domain through Google Maps, and that the government's singling out of NDTV India, which was just one among many channels broadcasting similar footage, smacks of both arbitrariness and vindictiveness against an entity perceived to be "anti-establishment".

This conversation is essential.

Democracy thrives upon intense scrutiny of governmental action, especially action that infringes upon basic liberties such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press. "National security" must mark the beginning of the debate, not the end of it. And ultimately, the issue might be taken to court, for an independent judiciary to hear

both sides and to decide whether, all things considered, the government's decision was necessary and proportionate.

All this exemplifies a healthy, functioning democracy, committed to security, individual rights, and the rule of law, without allowing one to swallow the others.

Wide berth for the state However, this conversation remains incomplete. NDTV's location at the heart of the national capital, and its primary channel's broadcasts being in English, the language of economic and political power, has cast a particularly acute spotlight upon the government's actions. The truth is that Central and State governments, past and present, have regularly forced TV channels to "go off air" for flimsy, and often politically motivated, reasons.

The fault lies with India's broadcast laws, which allow the government sweeping powers of censorship with negligible attendant costs, and in the perennial clash between the freedom of speech and the state's regulatory power, almost entirely subordinating the former to the latter.

The law that governs cable broadcasts is the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995. Section 5 of this Act prohibits any cable TV transmission that is not "in conformity with the prescribed programme code". The Programme Code contains a bouquet of blissfully vague, boundlessly manipulable, and entirely subjective terms.

Programmes may not "offend against good taste or decency", or present "half-truths", or

"criticise" any individual, or reflect a "snobbish attitude in the portrayal of certain ethnic, linguistic and regional groups". Such exquisitely vague language not only permits, but positively invites censorship and abuse of power.

Not only that, it goes far beyond Article 19(2) of the Constitution, which allows the state to limit the freedom of speech only through "reasonable restrictions" in the interests of specific, narrow-drawn categories such as "public order", "defamation", or the "security of the State".

Judicial reluctance The Programme Code constitutes a serious infringement of Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, and is evidently unconstitutional. Unfortunately, however, the prospects of having it struck down by the Supreme Court look bleak. In 1970, the court upheld the Censor Board guidelines, which were equally vague when it came to film certification. For example, the guidelines prohibited "sensuous" postures and "dual meaning words as obviously cater to the baser instincts". However, the Supreme Court was too caught up in its desire to ensure that Indian film-goers were exposed to good, "wholesome" cinema, and perfunctorily dismissed the constitutional challenge to both the Cinematograph Act and the guidelines.

It is yet to show any inclination to revisit that ruling. Furthermore, in the intervening years, even the court's speechprotective judgments have been based more upon the belief that films running into hot

water with the censors - such as Bandit Queen (1994) - serve socially useful purposes, rather than a conviction that the rights of artists and viewers to choose what kind of film they want to create, or watch, is paramount.

The Programme Code is likely to survive as long as this judicial attitude continues to predominate.

If the provisions of the Programme Code are destructive of the freedom of speech, then the procedure contemplated by the Cable Television Act creates problems of a different - yet equally severe kind. Section 19 of the Act authorises the government to prohibit cable operators from transmitting programmes or channels that are not in conformity with the Programme Code. The Act effectively vests the power of banning television with the government, without any judicial oversight.

Once the prohibitory order has been passed, the burden is then upon the TV channel or cable operator to approach the courts and attempt to have it invalidated.

Apart from the substantive content of speech that a legal regime might aim to restrict, the regulatory procedure that it

establishes can end up causing far greater damage to free expression. Regulatory procedure determines how and where the costs and burdens of censorship are located. For instance, if you think that I have defamed you, then it is your prerogative to file a case against me, and satisfy an independent court that I have violated the law. The burden of proceeding against me - the speaker - lies upon you, the person who considers herself to have been harmed by my speech. The Cable Television Act, however, reverses this burden by giving a carte blanche to the government to ban channels or programmes which, in its subjective assessment, have violated the Programme Code.

The most well-intentioned of governments tend to be wary of criticism, prone to overregulation, and (understandably) sensitive about the possibility of public disorder.

Governments whose intentions are less noble - and there have been such governments - can be paranoid, malicious, and unforgiving towards political opponents. By shifting the costs of censorship entirely from the government to the speaker, who must move the courts to get a ban overturned, the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act rewards state overreach. This is not only a problem with cable television. The Code of Criminal Procedure allows the state to ban books in a similar manner, and the Cinematograph Act contains an even more stringent regulatory regime for films.

Need for judicial vetting There is an easy way to remedy this. The Cable Television Act (and similar laws in other domains) should require that if the government wishes to ban something, it must first convince an independent court, in adversarial proceedings, that its request is justified. The court ought to carefully scrutinise the government's arguments, refuse to accord it undue deference, and grant its request only if it is convinced that a ban is both necessary and proportionate in the circumstances. In this case, the debate that is now raging in the public sphere over the correctness of the government's action in taking NDTV India off air would first be had within the courtroom. There may, of course, be emergencies where time is of the essence, and the government must act. In such circumstances, it must be nonetheless be called upon to justify itself in court after the fact, and compensate speakers if it is found that it acted wrongly.

No reasonable person would argue - in the words of the American Supreme Court in the famous Pentagon Papers case - that the freedom of expression extends to "publishing troop movements in wartime". However, reasonable citizens should also be wary of vague and ill-defined laws that confer censorial powers upon the state without any effective oversight. If one might damage national security, the other will certainly lead to tyranny. And what good are secure borders without the security of the basic rights that transform us from subjects to citizens?

Gazing at a longer horizon A national security doctrine, with political consensus, can prevent the unnecessary politicisation of national security issues. But is the government invested in drawing it up?

Happymon Jacob New Delhi's decision to get back at Pakistan by raking up Balochistan in various global fora goes to demonstrate how tactical considerations continue to trump strategic thinking in India. New Delhi, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stewardship, has displayed an exceptional, often admirable, amount of enthusiasm for foreign and security policy, and yet the country's strategic thinking continues to be guided by bureaucratic ad hocism, tactical considerations, and political expediency.

Mr. Modi's 'energetic' foreign policy has not gone significantly beyond catchy rhetoric and fanfare. Take, for instance, some of the early objectives of this government: neighbourhood first, selling India's growth story globally, and getting Sino-Indian relations on track. Half-way through its term, most of these objectives lay in tatters. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership continues to argue that having completed over 50 foreign trips in this period, Mr. Modi has energised India's foreign policy. But how does "energising" become a foreign policy achievement if policy and strategy are to be judged on the basis of outcomes, consistency and follow-up? Beyond these obvious issues, there is, however, a fundamental lacuna inherent in the country's strategic behaviour and choices today: it functions without a grand strategic blueprint.

Boxed up in South Asia Despite its stated global ambitions, India behaves like a country confined to its South Asian geopolitical space. By enhancing our involvement in a neverending battle with Pakistan and directing diplomatic and political energy towards fighting it, we have effectively withdrawn ourselves into our little favourite box called South Asia.

Increasing Sino-Indian disaffection would further prompt

Beijing to do what it can to confine India to where the former thinks it belongs.

New Delhi's new-found outrage about human rights violations in Balochistan is suggestive of misplaced priorities. Not only that, doing so is invariably running a fool's errand but more importantly, it is a sheer waste of India's diplomatic energy, limited as it is due to the acute lack of diplomats in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Yet, 'human rights violations in Balochistan' was Mr. Modi's profoundest policy announcement from the ramparts of the Red Fort this year.

Paradoxically, even as India is increasingly getting boxed up in the limited geo-strategic sphere of South Asia, its influence within it is steadily weakened

by Chinese economic and military power. The diminishing of American power and consequent strategic realignments in the region are bound to frustrate India's influence in the region furthermore.

Terror-fixated foreign policy New Delhi's diplomatic efforts increasingly seem to revolve around the issue of Pakistanbacked terrorism, and it leaves no stone unturned to talk about it at every major international forum. Getting the U.S. to say something about Pakistanbased terror seems to be an egotrip for New Delhi. It is a different matter that the Americans unhesitatingly make well-rehearsed statements about terrorism from Pakistan and then go back to doing business with Rawalpindi. But then, all we ask for is a statement!

Notwithstanding the fact that India's foreign and security policy concerns are far more than just terrorism, reducing India's foreign policy focus to terrorism to such an extent demonstrates how tactical we are in our approach. While this unrelenting focus on terror might benefit the BJP's political agenda at home, it is not in keeping with the country's longterm national interest: terrorism, let's face it, is not India's most pressing strategic or existential

challenge.

Second, New Delhi's disproportionate focus on terrorism has compromised India's strategic relationship with China. China's unwillingness to agree to India's line on Pakistan-based terror has made Sino-Indian relations thornier than ever. Is it smart to damage an important, though complicated, relationship with China because Beijing is unwilling to buy our line on Pakistan?

Third, the undue focus on Pakistan-based terror has also damaged Mr. Modi's global image as a leader focussed on governance, trade and growth. All attention has suddenly shifted to self-generated tactical concerns, instead of larger issues such as foreign direct investment, global partnerships, institutional reforms, economic diplomacy, etc. Much of the latter set of goals has, of course, remained merely well-worded rhetoric.

Consider, for instance, the fact that India is still ranked 130 in the World Bank Group's annual report on the ease of doing business. To think that growth and development are possible without institutional reforms is to daydream.

Fourth, by going on about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir, New Delhi has managed to facilitate what it has traditionally cared to avoid: internationalising the Kashmir issue. Finally, and most importantly, making terrorism the mainstay of the country's foreign policy can hardly ever lead to any tangible outcomes, except of course, in domestic politics.

Messy alliance behaviour New Delhi's foreign policy engagements in general and alliance choices in particular continue to suffer from a certain degree of 'attention deficit hyperactivity disorder'. It began by reaching out to China (with which it continues to have a strategic partnership) and then the focus shifted to China's rivals, namely the U.S. and Japan.

Over the past two and a half years, it sure covered a lot of ground, but much of it seems

impulsive than well-thoughtout.

New Delhi's relationship with Washington, especially the signing of the 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA) in August this year allowing the two militaries to work closely with each other and use each other's bases for repair and supplies, is a clear departure from its traditional policy of not getting into military alliances. While LEMOA, technically speaking, is not a military alliance, it's pretty close. What is New Delhi's grand strategic rationale behind it, and does it in anyway compromise India's traditional desire to maintain strategic autonomy? This question deserves to be asked especially because such a close military relationship with a declining power should not undermine India's ability to navigate the rough waters of the region's shifting balances of power.

Even if New Delhi overlooks China's concerns, it can't afford to dismiss Russian apprehensions at a time when Moscow is opening its doors to Islamabad. Shouldn't India develop its own grand strategy, rather than become a cog in the U.S. one?

India's recent efforts at counterbalancing China, especially through Vietnam, may also prove to be pointless. While India's interests in the Indian Ocean region should be articulated with more vigour, it should rethink the strategic rationale of its forays into the South China Sea. Even Vietnam might not want to get into an open squabble with China.

In short, it is wise to avoid alliance-games when charting strategic partnerships: fidelity is not a time-tested virtue in international politics.

New Delhi also needs more diplomatic subtlety when aiming to play a major role in the international system. Sustained and mature negotiations, for instance, are necessary for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership: public spats with coun-

The secret of happiness A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for 40 days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man's attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the

boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

"Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something", said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill".

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon.

After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

"Well", asked the wise man, "Did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create?

Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?"

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that

he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world", said the wise man. "You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house".

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

"But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?" asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you", said the wisest of wise men. "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon".

tries like China won't help.

Absence of long-term vision Long-term strategic thinking requires intellectual depth and an ability to look beyond the tactical considerations of everyday security policymaking so as to simulate alternative futures and potential responses. Besides, there needs to be institutional coordination and follow-up action on the government's key initiatives. This, of course, is easier said than done in an atmosphere where next State Assembly election, or the latest ceasefire violation, matters more than the next quarter century.

In New Delhi, despite the Prime Minister's Office's monopolisation of all strategic-security decision-making, there are hardly any attempts at intellectual investment in long view strategic planning. Generalist defence ministry bureaucrats and an understaffed MEA are clearly not in a position to do so.

This shortage of clarity on fundamentals has led to a lack of focus and prioritisation of the government's goals and objectives. Looking at the many things that the government is engaged in, one wonders whether there is actually a sense of purpose to them at all. Previous governments, including the earlier BJPled regime, regularly set up highly specialised groups to generate policy reports and perspective planning for policymakers. Successive governments recognised the importance of such intellectual inputs, and actively sought them. Not any more.

This government revels in blitzkrieg tactics than strategic planning.

There don't appear to be any carefully put-together structures within the government (over and above the regular bureaucratic apparatuses) tasked with grand strategic thinking in a purposeful manner, whose inputs are then taken on board. India

also does not have a comprehensive national security doctrine which could help pacify insurgencies, manage borders better or fight crossborder terror.

Sure, governments have a host of daily security related issues and crisis management to worry about, but in the absence of overarching strategic guidance they stick to ad hoc measures and firefighting, habitually missing the big picture. On the other hand, if there are wellarticulated strategic doctrines or a grand strategic vision in place, institutions will learn to refer to them and adjust their policies accordingly, leading to a lot more coherence in the country's strategic behaviour. Sometimes, however, governments find it useful not to have any well-articulated grand strategy as it would be helpful when acting out of political expediency.

A national security doctrine would require a great deal of political consultation, careful scenario building, and net assessment by experts. Such a carefully articulated national security doctrine, if generated by political consensus, can prevent the unnecessary politicisation of national security issues as we have seen in the recent past: but then would the government want depoliticisation of security, especially when it knows it can derive parochial benefits out of such politicisation?

The incumbent regime in New Delhi lacks "the art of the long view", to borrow Peter Schwartz's phrase. If it is serious about the long-term stability and security of the country, it needs to think beyond the wisdom generated by the 'specialised desks' in the ministries, and invest in grand strategic thinking. Such thinking can only flourish if and when the political class commits to institutional reform, intellectual investment and consensus building.

Ban on NDTV India The government's 24-hour ban on NDTV India raises questions, especially because the concerned channel is considered an eloquent critic of the government. It would have been better if the notice had been issued on the basis of an investigation carried out by an independent committee, or the News Broadcasting Standards Authority, rather than by an Information and Broadcasting Ministry panel. The action then would have appeared credible and reasonable to the general public.

As observed by Law Commission in 1955: "‌ the Executive may not, in a belief in its monopoly of wisdom and its zeal for administrative efficiency, overstep the bounds of its power and spread its tentacles into domains where the citizen should be free to enjoy the liberty guaranteed to him by the Constitution".

Ashok Kalita Milan Nagar, Dibrugarh

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

P7

ADVENTURE LAND - "LEHLADAKH" Tourism in Ladakh Ladakh a word which means "land of high passes", is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of Northern India sandwiched between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south. The Indian portion of Ladakh is composed of the Leh and Kargil districts. The Leh district is the largest district of India, covering more than half the area of Jammu and Kashmir, of which it is the eastern part.

Transport

Planning for your honeymoon? Check out these treasured destinations from India Now that you are almost done running after the wedding caterers, decorators, designers, and endless fretting over the logistics and managing the relatives who always tend to get super excited in the shaadis, it's time to focus on the postwedding plans. Yes, you got it right, your Honeymoon destination. Planning an unforgettable honeymoon

Trekking in Ladakh

Ladakh is one of the most favourite trekking destination, having some of the most picturesque and challenging treks.

Ladakh is a paradise for adventure lovers given by its world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Greater Himalaya and the Karakoram, and two others, the Ladakh range and the Zangskar range. The most important feature of trekking in Ladakh is it's High Mountain passes which comes on the trekking routes gives opportunity to have wonderful view of colorful mountains and amazing landscape.Popular treks The treks from Spituk to the Markha valley and Lamayuru gompa to Chiling village alongside the Zanskar River are the most popular treks in the region. Another trek route is from Likir to Temisgam.

Best Time to Trek Treks are open from the June end up to mid October. The passes for trekking are as high as 5,000 m in altitude. Many trekking agencies in Leh offer trek packages with a guide, packhorses, food and supplies.

Treks in Ladakh Trekking in Ladakh India.

The attraction here for the tourists are snow clad peaks, translucent lakes, barren terrain etc. The best season to go on trekking tours and expeditions in Leh Ladakh in this region is between June and September.

Hiking in Ladakh India is offer breathtaking, enthralone of the famous adventure ling trekking routes. In the sports awaiting the trekking vast amphitheatre of the Inenthusiast in Leh Ladakh dian Himalayas and Himalaya India. One who Karakorams, there are limare fascinated by the unex- itless possibilities for trekplored. The mountain king tours, mountaineering ranges of himalaya Ladakh and river rafting tours.

you are back from your honeymoon period to start your married life. Instead of taking a flight, you can take luxury buses to these destinations, to make it an unconventional, exciting and adventurous road trip that you'll cherish forever. Here some of the top honeymoon destinations in India we have handpicked for your ultimate romantic hiatus:

Kerala

Places to Stay

Ladakh has a large selection of mid-range accommodation, with some offering decent value. If you're coming from Manali you might find the selection somewhat limited, with attached bathrooms offering hot water somewhat hard to find. There are very few, if any, touts that are so common elsewhere in India, so looking around for accommodation here is much easier and less stressful as a result.

Also a visit to the famous Thikse Monastery is a must.

This monastery is the largest such structure in central Ladakh and is primarily known for its magnanimous statue of Maitreya (future Buddha) in its Maitreya Temple. This statue is 15 meters (49 ft) high and the largest such statue in Ladakh. The Buddha here is unusually portrayed as seated in the lotus position rather than his usual representations as standing or in a sitting posture on a high throne.

starts with choosing an ex- that ends up costing them a citing destination that fortune. What they are unmatches your dream expec- aware of is that our country tations of an ideal getaway. also has some of the incredA majorible desity of Rajashree Arandhara tinations times, that will couples zero in on popular enable them to leave everyinternational destinations in thing behind and soak up to South East Asian countries each other's company for or head to Paris, Switzer- those unlimited memories. land or Prague for that ulti- The best part, it won't go mate European Honeymoon heavy on your pockets once

The only two roads into the area from outside are the ZojiLa Pass and Kargil route from Srinagar District in the Kashmir Valley, and the high altitude Manali-Leh Highway from Himachal Pradesh. The Manali-Leh road is open only from May or June to October or November, when snow is cleared from several passes. The Srinagar-Leh road is open from April or May to November or December, and is generally blocked by snow through the winter only at Zoji La Pass.

Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport at Leh has flights from Delhi year-round on Jet Airways, GoAir and Air India. Air India also operates weekly flights to Jammu and Srinagar.

Cancellations and delays for two or three days are not uncommon and can happen at any time of year, so travellers must plan for that possibility when scheduling their onward travel.

Roads within Ladakh, except to Zangskar, are open all year round. Khardong-La Pass to Nubra has an alternate day schedule, is closed Mondays, and can get closed by snow for several days in winter and spring. Chang-La pass to Panggong Lake rarely closes, and if it does, rarely for more than one day.

Buses serve the whole area from Leh and Kargil towns.

Taxis are available in Leh and Kargil as well as in block headquarters like Trangtse, Diskit and Khaltse. Shared taxis to Nubra, Kargil, Srinagar and Zangskar leave Leh in the early morning.

If planning one direction by air and the other by the ManaliLeh highway, the option closest to safety guidelines is to fly into Ladakh and go out by road to Manali. All ManaliLeh runs involve the risk of having to steep up to one thousand meters higher than Leh, with a high risk for severe altitude sickness. Travellers already acclimatised to the altitude of Ladakh, however, should suffer less and be able to enjoy the scenery.

Easy Treks in Ladakh

Himachal Pradesh

As we all are aware that Kerala is known as God's own country, why not to enjoy its scenic beauty after your auspicious union. The backwaters and houseboats of Alleppy, the mountains, lakes & coffee plantations of Munnar, the jungle life &waterfalls from Wayanad hills, the tranquil and serene Bekal beach, Kerala has it all! The charm of Kerala will keep you coming back for more because there is no way you can get enough of the Keralan delights.

Andaman and Nicobar island

Hemis Rupsu Darcha Trekking (21 Days), Stok Kangri Trekking (18 Days), Remote Zanskar Trekking (18 Days), Darcha Lamayuru Trek (18 Days), Frozen River Trek (23 Days), Journey To Southern Zanskar (26 Days), Ladakh, Zanskar Trek (18 Days), Lamayuru Padum Trek (19 Days), Stok Kangri Climb-Markha Trekking (22 Days), Trans, Zanskar Expeditionl (27 Days), The Rupshu Trek (23 Days).

usual Shimla and Kullu-Manali. In fact, the state has some of the country's best honeymoon destinations. Visit Dalhousie, which is absolutely breathtaking and intoxicating with its colonial charm. The mesmerizing views and tranquility of Chail will allow you to spend quality time with your better half. You can also indulge in some nature walks or go paragliding while enjoying the spectacular vistas of Kasauli. Meanwhile, the ancient town of Chamba sitting on the banks of river Ravi and the temple town of Mandi, are some of the must visits in Himachal for all the lovey-dovey couples before they start a new life.

India Blessed with lush green surroundings, perfect beaches, ANorth-East n Incredible scenic beauty, pristine locales, affable people and an unconventional marine life, Andaman and Nicobar is a great place for the newlyweds enjoy a blissful vacation with each other and have the best time of their life without spending a fortune. So make that irresistible itinerary that includes watersports like scuba diving and snorkeling at Neil Island's Laxmanpur, Sitapur and Bharatpur beaches, getting romantic on the island of Great Nicobar, Campbell Bay, indulging in elephant safari, trekking, water surfing and boating in the Little Andaman Island and also witnessing the two gurgling waterfalls i.e., the White Surf Waterfall, and the Whisper Wave Waterfall. Nature loving pairs can experience the panoramic vistas, mangroves creeks, and mesmerizing beaches of Mayabunder or spend a peaceful evening on the Karmatang beach, amid its sparkling clean water, soft sand, and serene ambience.

and immaculate ambiance, don't you think this is all that is required in your idea of a perfect honeymoon destination. Let us give you the harsh reality that your honeymoon period may not be enough for you to cover the heavenly beauty of all the seven sisters but you can still manage to pack in as much in this one vacation. Make an itinerary to visit the spectacular Gangtok and Pelling in Sikkim, Haflong and Majuli in Assam, the sacred land of Tawang, Bomdila and Ziro valley in Arunachal Pradesh, the picture perfect Dzukou Valley and Pfutsero town in Nagaland and Jampui hills inTripura.

Goa

Sham Trek (07 Days), Spituk Trekking (06 Days), Indus Valley Trek (13 Days), Sham & Indus Valley Trek (14 Days) Moderate Treks in Ladakh Manali Ladakh Trekking (23 Days), Markha Valley Trek (11 Days), Spiti To Ladakh (24 Days ), Sangla to Leh Trek (13 Days), The Nubra Valley Trek (10 Days ), Tsomoiri Lake Trek (23 Days), Trekking in Zanskar (darcha-Padum) (18 Days), Lamayuru Alchi Trek (09 Days), Lamayuru Martselang Trekking (19 Days), Lamayuru Chilling via Dung-Dung La (12 Days), Ladakh Monastery Trek (17 Days), Wild Ladakh Trekking (23 Days)

Alpine or Tough Treks in Ladakh

Well, there is more to Himachal Pradesh than the

Darjeeling

T

his cozy and pretty little hill station must not miss from your honeymoon list. Boasting of the most breathtaking view of the sunrise over the horizon of Tiger Hills to a fun-filled toy train ride, everything about Darjeeling is magical and can make your honeymoon trip a lifetime reminiscence.

The breathtaking atmosphere of the sand beach shores and the mind blowing breezing waves make Goa a perfect way to raise the curtains of a new beginning. This tiny emerald land of Sun, Surf, Sea and Sand, possesses a unique Indo-Portuguese culture and architecture that is more than 400 years. Couples can explore the stunning South Goa beaches to enjoy their own sweet romantic moments and head to North Goa to relish the seafood and live the lively nightlife.

M

Gokarna ake your honeymoon moments extraordinary with

a trip to Gokarna in Karnataka. If you are only yearning to spend quality time with your better half to know each other more, there cannot be a better place than making it happen amidst a celestial setting. The town shares a long coastline with the Arabian Sea and has five beaches namely Gokarna, Kudlle, Half-Moon, Paradise, and Om that will make your honeymoon a nostalgic affair. (Courtesy : Travelyaari)

5 Reasons Which Make Ladakh Completely Irresistible

Zanskar and Ladakh Mountain Ranges: Stroll among the giants

Pangong Tso Lake: The unending lake from 3 Idiots

The large mountain ranges of Zanskar and Ladakh will be your companions through most of your trip to Ladakh. They may even be intimidating at times. These huge mountains can make anyone feel small.

However, the key is to enjoy the beauty that these mountains have to offer. The steep terrains covered with snow reflect the heavenly skies.

The loud rivers rush through these mountains making for an absolutely beautiful combination of view and sounds. Every point here is an echo point so if you find yourself in a safe area, you may want to risk a shout to hear the echos ricocheting from the hills.

Remember the breathtakingly beautiful lake from 3 Idiots where Chatur lost it all? It's the Pangong-Tso lake that traverses the boundary international boundary to stretch from India to Bhutan. The lake offers awesome site for camping and is the current hotspot for all people traveling to Ladakh. The rules do not allow boating on PangongTso Lake but when the lake freezes in the winters, if you're feeling too brave, you might want to ice skate at just the bank of the lake.

Khardungla Pass: Highest civilian motor road in the world

Nubra Valley: A desert among the snowy hills

It might not look like much of a road but it's the best that there is. Managed by the Border Roads Organization, Kardung-la Pass is the gateway to the north and can be considered by many as a tourist spot in itself.

However, being at such a height, one has to take extreme care of health while traveling through the pass.

On the fun side, the numerous Tibetan flags that are said to ward off bad spirits and keep you safe set up a beautiful contrast with the white snow.

A desert is probably the last thing one expects while planning a trip to Ladakh but there it is. The sand dunes of the Nubra Valley offer the tourists a very much Arabian Nights like experience. The famous two-humped camels are also found in the region and are often the highlight of the trip for those interested in animals. The origin of the desert is supposed to be from the Tethis Sea from the depths of which the Himalayas are said to have risen.

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

P8

INTERNATIONAL

Indian-American women making a mark in 2016 US general elections Washington, Nov 8: Indian-American women politicians are making a mark in this year's general elections in the US with Democrat Kamala Harris all set to be elected as the first Senator from the community.

This is seen as a direct effect of Clinton, 69, the first-ever woman candidate of a major political party and also a result of political success of twoterm South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who as the first IndianAmerican woman governor has made an impact at the national level.

Two top positions in the Clinton Campaign are held by Indian-American women.

Neera Tanden, who heads the Center for American Progress, a top American think-tank, has been appointed as CoChair of the Clinton

Kamala Harris all with the outgoing president of America.

Transition team. She is being speculated as a potential Cabinet nominee in a Clinton administration. She was a key member of the Democratic Platform team.

Clinton's closest personal aide Huma Abdein, whose father was from India and mother from

Pakistan, is the vice chairwoman of the Clinton Campaign. She is considered as one of the most powerful individual in the Clinton Campaign.

Mini Timmaraju, who once served as chief of staff of Congressman Ami Bera, is women's

Pakistan govt sets up panel to probe controversial news report A rift between the civilian and military leaderships on ISI's covert support to terror groups was the subject of a news report

Image for representation purpose.

Islamabad, Nov 8: The Pakistan government on Monday formed a committee to investigate who "leaked" a controversial news report about a rift between the government and the powerful army over support to militants in the country.

The committee headed by a former high court judge will complete its job in 30 days and submit its findings to the government.

Justice (retd) Aamir Raza Khan will be the chair-

man of the committee, which has representatives of security agencies ISI, MI and IB, according to the notification by the interior ministry.

Secretary Establishment Tahir Shahbaz and NAB Punjab's Najam Saeed will also be part of the committee, along with Director FIA Usman Anwar.

According to the notification, the probe committee will enquire into the circumstances of the alleged leak and establish

the identity of those responsible.

The government later sacked information minister Pervaiz Rasheed for failing to stop the story from being published.

A rift between the civilian and military leaderships on the powerful ISI's covert support to terror groups in the country was the subject of a news report on October 6 in the Dawn newspaper.

The widely read daily stood by the story saying it was "verified, crosschecked and factchecked".

A travel ban on Cyril Almeida, the journalist who wrote the story, had sparked massive criticism of the government and the military from media houses, journalist associations and civil society.

Almeida's name was put on the Exit Control List but the ban was later lifted after a backlash against the government. (Agencies)

Singapore magician cheats death twice Singapore, Nov 8: Magician Jeremy Pei has escaped the clutches of the grim reaper not once but twice and it is no illusion.

The first time was in June 30, 2012. Mr Pei was in his parked car when a truck slammed into it from behind. His car was damaged, but he was intact.

The second time was a few months later, when he discovered he had a brain tumour.

Mr Pei, 32, who started doing magic shows when he was 13, said the experiences changed his way of thinking. He said: "It used to be that magic was the No. 1 thing in my life, with my family maybe in third, but now, family is No. 1."

The car accident occurred when Mr Pei was on his way to a show near the industrial area at Tuas in the morning. He told The New Paper: "I parked by the side of the road to check where I needed to go on Google Maps."

He was sitting in his car one moment and the next thing he knew, he was on his way to National University Hospital (NUH) in an ambulance.

Mr Pei's mother, Madam

Wong Siew Soon, 64, told The New Paper in Mandarin: "I was hoping that nothing happened to him.

I didn't want to think about what the worst outcome was."

Mr Pei said that he heard later that a truck had hit his car from behind and he had blacked out.

He said: "I didn't feel being hit... and then when I opened my eyes, there were people all around my car and they were asking 'Are you okay? Are you okay?'."

The magician added that he was lucky that his seat belt was strapped on, although he found it curious that he was did not have any broken bones or serious bleeding because all of his props in the car were damaged. He told TNP: "It was almost as if a fairy came down to save me and kept me in one piece." But although he did not sustain any external injuries from the crash, the ordeal was not yet over. Mr Pei was warded at NUH for 14 days as his brain was hurt from the impact of the crash and he experienced difficulties walking and speaking. He said: "I couldn't move properly. I

couldn't walk fast or speak fast; I couldn't even make a Milo." After some physiotherapy, Mr Pei regained most of his abilities two months after the accident and he travelled and performed magic shows on a regular basis. In 2013, a few months after the car accident, Mr Pei went to have a check-up on his brain at NUH. It was then the doctors told him that he could have a lowgrade glioma, a type of brain tumour, and immediately wanted to arrange a biopsy. But Mr Pei instead decided to continue with his original plans to go to Europe with his wife for their honeymoon. When they returned in March 2013, Mr Pei visited six other specialists in Singapore.

Every one of them said that he had a brain tumour. During the period, Mr Pei said he felt depressed as he did not want to become a burden to his family and his new wife. He said: "Actually, we planned to have kids, but I don't know whether it's nice to have a kid and then the kid would have to send the dad away at four or five. (Agencies)

vote director at Hillary for America. She was also the women's outreach director for Clinton Campaign.

Maya Harris is one of the key policy advisors to the Clinton Campaign.

Based in California, Shefali Razdan Duggal is a key player in Clinton's national financial team.

She is Democratic National Committee's National Finance Committee and is a co-chair for the DNC Women's Leadership Forum.

Two Democratic leaders Kamala Harris and Pramila Jayapal are all set to make history this year.

Kamala, 51, is all set to be elected as the first Indian-American Senator from California while Pramila, 51, is all set to enter the US House of Representatives from Washington State.

Indian-American women

are also not far behind in the Republican party.

California-based Harmeet Dhillon is the National Committee woman in the Republican National Committee.

In the July convention, she had invoked an 'ardas' - a Sikh prayer - a first in the either party. She was the first vice chairman in California Republican Party history.

Mary Thomas, who currently serves as the General Counsel at the Department of Elder Affairs in Florida, lost the Republican Congressional primary in the State this year but she has her eye set on future political positions.

Similarly, Kesha Ram, 30, is a young legislature in the Vermont House of Representatives.

This year, she unsuccessfully tried her luck to run for the Vermont Lieutenant Governor. (PTI)

Obama's popularity rating hits new high ahead of polls

Gallup said Obama's approval rating hit 56 per cent. It is rare that two-term president has an approval rating of 56 per cent towards the end of his presidency.

Washington, Nov 8: US President Barack Obama's popularity rating has hit a new high, a latest poll has said, just before the polls to elect his successor at the White House.

Gallup said Obama's approval rating hit 56 per cent yesterday. It is rare that two-term president

has an approval rating of 56 per cent towards the end of his presidency.

It is also the highest for Obama since he was reelected in 2012. Shortly before his re-election, his popularity hit 57 per cent.

Obama's popularity has been rated high in other recent polls as well. This

is one of the reason why the Clinton Campaign has used his services in campaigning in key battleground states.

Obama has addressed as many as 17 election rallies in the last 10 days, including the last one in Philadelphia.

"Whatever credibility I've earned after eight years as president, I am asking you to trust me on this one," Obama said at an election rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

"He's urging people not to give into the temptation to not be as focused on this election just because he's not on the ballot. As you've heard him say many times, his agenda, his legacy is on the ballot," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters travelling with Obama on Air Force One. (PTI)

'Failed political establishment' India slams UNSC for 'taking has delivered nothing: Trump months' to sanction terrorist Masood Azhar

United Nations, Nov 8: India has strongly criticized the Security Council for taking months to consider sanctioning leaders of groups it has itself designated as terror entities, in an obvious reference to the "technical hold" on India's bid to get JeM chief Masood Azhar banned by the UN. Asserting that the Security Council is stuck in its own "time warp and politics", India's Permanent Representative to the UN ambassador Syed Akbaruddin on Sunday slammed the Council's inability to sanction the leaders of terrorist organisations.

"While our collective conscience is ravaged everyday by terrorists in some region or another, the Security Council gives itself 9 months to consider whether to sanction leaders of organisations it has itself designated as terrorist entities," Akbaruddin said at a session on equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council here.

Earlier this year, China had extended the "technical hold" on India's move to get Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN. The sixmonth validity of the technical hold lapsed in late September and China sought another three-month extension on India's bid.

He lamented that the snailpaced and "never-ending carousel of discussions" on United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms, saying "it is time to break the impasse" to urgently reform the body that is "unre-

sponsive" to the current global situation.

The inability to respond to humanitarian situations, terrorist threats and peacekeeping vulnerabilities during this year itself are part of the price that is being paid for the international community's lack of progress on the critical matter, he noted.

"On issues pivotal to international security such as Syria, there is inaction, and on other situations like dealing with the peacekeeping crisis in South Sudan we see fragmented action which is not implemented even months after being agreed upon," Akbaruddin said.

"The Security Council, stuck in its own time warp and politics, can only be described as working randomly on the basis of a mix of ad-hocism, scrambling and political paralysis.

Need one say more about the urgency of the need for reform of this relic which has long been unresponsive to the needs of our time," he said.

Akbaruddin said the neverending carousel of discussions on UNSC reforms leaves many in the international community perplexed as the crucial reform of the Security Council has been delayed despite both its importance and its urgency.

He pointed out that the Council's global governance structure does not cease to surprise the international community with its persistent inability to even effectively engage with the tasks at hand.

(Agencies)

Tourism minister pitches for India as tourist hotspot London, Nov 8: Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma pitched for India as a tourist destination, saying the country has a rich and diverse natural, cultural, and religious heritage which provides a unique opportunity for tourism. Addressing the 'World Travel Market (WTM) 2016' in London, he said, "the architecture of India's temples, palaces, forts, the grandeur of its sculptures, and the beauty of its paintings, all offer an unparalleled experience." Besides, he said, "the desert circuit in Rajasthan, snow-bound Himalayas, backwaters of Kerala, and the beaches of Goa are very popular with international tourists". India has 35 World Heritage Sites including cultural properties and biogeographical zones, he added.

"India has a rich and diverse natural, cultural, and religious heritage which provides a unique opportunity for tourism," the minister said. 'World

Travel Market (WTM)' is one of the largest international events of the travel and tourism industry. India is the official Premier Partner at WTM 2016 with the theme 'India - The Land of Eternal Heritage'.

Around 42 co-exhibitors and partners including state and union territory tourism departments, tour operators, hoteliers, resort owners, Air India, IRCTC, ITDC, and other stakeholders are present at the India Stand, to showcase their diverse tourism products and services. Sharma said the Indian tourism outlook is "certainly very promising" with an upswing in the growth of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India in the recent years. The minister said that India has set a target to achieve one per cent of international tourist arrivals through a multi-pronged approach, including proactive marketing strategies in partnership with the tourism stakeholders. (Agencies)

Washington, Nov 8: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has alleged that the "failed political establishment" has delivered nothing but poverty at home and disaster overseas, as he asserted that it is time to reject the media and political elite who have "bled" the country dry.

"Our failed political establishment has delivered nothing but poverty at home and disaster overseas. They get rich making America poor. It's time to reject a media and political elite that's bled our country dry," Trump told his supporters in Sarasota, Florida -- one of his campaign stops yesterday.

He repeated his closing arguments at a series of meetings throughout the day."It's finally time for us to fight for America. We're going to fight for America.

I'm not a politician. My only special interest is

you," he said amidst chant of "USA! USA! USA!" from his supporters.

Trailing slightly behind in polls against Hillary Clinton, Trump claimed that he is doing good in a number of battleground States and there is a surge in his support.

"We're gonna win Michigan. We're gonna win Minnesota. We're leading big in Ohio. We're leading in Iowa. We're leading in New Hampshire. We're leading in North Carolina.

We're doing very, very well in Pennsylvania. Very well.

Florida, he said, has lost one in four of its manufacturing jobs since NAFTA, a deal signed by Bill Clinton and supported by Hillary Clinton.

"America has lost, hard to believe this, 70,000 factories since China entered the World Trade Organisation, another Bill and Hillary-backed disas-

ter.

We are living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of our world," he said.

"Look, no country has ever lost jobs like us.

They're sucked out of our country, the companies leave, they fire everybody, they go to Mexico and many other countries," he added.

Trump said if elected, he will cancel billions and billions of dollars in global warming payments to the United Nations where those payments disappear.

"We are gonna use all of that money to invest in the infrastructure and we could even say the environmental infrastructure of our country.

"Remember this, remember this. When it comes to environment because I receive many environmental awards people don't wanna talk about that, that's OK," he said. (Agencies)

Israel tells France it opposes its peace initiative Jerusalem, Nov 8: Israel on Monday reiterated its firm opposition to a French plan to hold an international conference before the end of the year to restart long-stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians.

France's envoy for the plan, Pierre Vimont, met in the morning with Israeli acting national security adviser Jacob Nagel and diplomatic envoy Yitzhak Molcho before holding talks with the Palestinians.

The Israeli officials called for "direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority" and said "any other initiative only pushes the region further away from this process," according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

"It was made clear to the French envoy that Israel will not participate in any international conference convened contrary to its position."

The statement added that "promoting such a conference will make the possibility of advancing the peace process much less likely since it will allow Abu Mazen (Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas) and the Palestinian Authority to continue avoiding the decision to

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (R) meets with his French counterpart Francois Hollande at the presidential compound in Jerusalem enter into direct negotiations without preconditions."

The Palestinians strongly support France's international approach, saying years of negotiations with the Israelis have not ended the occupation.

On Monday afternoon, Abbas asked Vimont to issue invitations to the conference, senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said after the meeting.

Erekat said the Israeli government had opted for "dictation rather than negotiation".

"They want to continue with their settlement activities, torpedoing the two state solution, believing they can replace the two state solution

with what we call one state, two systems.

"Status quo means apartheid and that (is) what exists out there," he said.

Peace efforts have been at a complete standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Netanyahu has spoken out against "international diktats" and repeatedly called for direct negotiations.

He has expressed concern that President Barack Obama could break with recent US policy before leaving office in January and support -- or at least not veto -- a UN Security Council resolution laying out parameters for resolving the conflict. (Agencies)

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

EDUCATION

P9

Put Your Creativity To Work: Becoming a Graphic Designer What Is a Graphic Designer?

Simply put, a graphic designer is a professional that works in the graphic design industry.

For those of you who are looking for a more detailed answer, graphic designers work with images as well as text in order to design and create visually appealing elements, including brochures, logos, advertisements, and websites. In order to create these items, graphic designers will often work with a variety of different types of images, including photographs, paintings, and digital media. Photo and image editing software is often used

to manipulate images and create the designs.

Not only do these artists need to make their creations look great, they also usually need to make their creations speak in a way. Most clients hire graphic designers to create something that sends a message.

Sometimes this message is loud and clear, but other times it is meant to be subliminal.

What Are Some Job Opportunities For a Graphic Designer?

In today's world full of splashy visual elements and subliminal elements, graphic design is a grow-

ing industry, and good graphic designers are highly sought after.

One of the most common and obvious - places where a graphic designer is with a graphic design firm. These firms hire several graphic designers to work on a variety of different projects for several clients.

Some companies also hire their own graphic designers. Advertising agencies often have several graphic designers on staff, for example. Graphic designers may also be able to find work with other companies, such as newspapers, magazines, publishers, websites,

soft drink companies, museums, and restaurants.

You can also work as a freelance designer.

Freelancers are self-employed individuals who work for themselves. Although they do have the option of picking and choosing which types of projects they work on, freelance graphic designers are also responsible for looking for and procuring their own clients. This can be a lengthy and time consuming process, and steady work is not always available.

What Type of Education is Necessary For Becoming a Graphic Designer?

Technically, anyone with graphic design skills can become a graphic designer, regardless of their education. Most graphic design firms and large companies will not usually hire a person with no graphic design education. An Associate degree or Bachelor's degree in graphic design is usually recommended in order to be successful in this field.

Graphic Design degrees can be earned at specialty art schools as well as more traditional universities.

Choosing between an art

school and a traditional university is largely based on a student's personal preferences. Students at most art schools generally have a more focused education, while design students at traditional universities have the option of receiving a more well rounded education.

Artistic individuals, who are interested in becoming graphic designers but have no formal education, can also break into the field, but it may be a bit more difficult. An impressive portfolio, packed full of stunning graphic design pieces, is usually a necessity in this situation.

What Can I Do With a Graphic Design Degree?

After earning a graphic design degree, the possibilities are endless! As mentioned above, you can look for work at graphic design firms, advertising agencies, or other large companies.

You can also go into business for yourself.Some graphic designers might work as logo designers, advertisement designers, web designers, photograph editors, book layout artists, magazine layout artists, illustrators, or art directors.

Top 7 Graphic designing colleges in India

National Institute of Design - [NID], Ahmadabad , and Gujarat affiliated with AICTE

National Institute of Fashion Technology - [NIFT], Mumbai , Maharashtra affiliated with AICTE

5 Best Website Designers in India

Pearl Academy, New Delhi , Delhi Ncr Mandeep Singh Over 6 years experience Lead Website Designer with specialization in high end "Luxury responsive Web Design, Graphic Design and WordPress Development". If you need responsive website design, branding and a website that looks both beautiful and converts visitors, feel free to get in touch. I am proud to be the part of MandyWebDesign, TOP Web Design Agency in India that has an extensive portfolio of creating 8000+ websites.

Curenlty working : Lead Website Designer at Mandy Web Design Total Experience : 6 Years Location : Chandigarh, India Website : mandywebdesign.com

Prejit Daniel Varghese I have more than 9 years of experience in the field of Graphic/ E Learning/Web Designing. Specialized in Adobe web & graphic designing tools and also in other multimedia tools. Professional in Corporate branding, Graphic designing, Web Designing, visualization, GUI, graphics & animations for e-learning, illustrations, web icons, flash web banner, flash intro animations, logos, brochures, posters etc.

Curenlty working : Senior Expert (Graphic Designing) at Allianz Total Experience : 9 Years Location : Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India Website : prejitdaniel.co.in

Neelam Sharma

Curenlty working : Graphic and Web DesignerEdit at Curion Education Pvt. Ltd Total Experience : 10 Years Location : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Website : behance.net/ Graphitude

Symbiosis Institute of Design - [SID], Pune , Maharashtra affiliated with NAAC, UGC

Parth Sharma Ashfaq Bagwan Dedicated professional 8 years of experience in the fields of Graphics, and Web Designing A Post Graduate Diploma in Web Multimedia Experience spans over various domain like Graphic, Web / UI Design, Animation and Print Media Curenlty working : Freelance Web Designer Total Experience : 8 Years Location : Pune, Maharashtra, India Website : behance.net/ashfaq_bagwan

Creative Solution Provider as a Freelance Graphic Artist and a Dedicated, Team worker to Induce the Creative Juice among the colleagues with a View to deliver the Best and New in the business. Looking Forward to invent, discover and apply New Stuff in Creative Designing. Specialties:Corporate Identity Creation aka Logo Design, Flyers and Promotional Materials Designing and Everything that can be designed Curenlty working : Devil Designz & TinTunez Studios Total Experience : 9 Years Location : Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India Website : behance.net/devildesignz

National Institute of Fashion Technology - [NIFT], Hyderabad , Telangana

5 Web Development Tips for Increasing Online Sales Some merchants might not realize it, but the design of their online storefronts-from the landing page to the shopping carthas a direct effect on sales. Even the smallest of design elements can improve or harm conversion rates, and this tutorial will tell you five things you can do as a web developer to increase online sales.

Think about it from a shopper's perspective. It seems pretty clear that you want your shopping process to be as intuitive as possiblebut a lot of online storefronts don't practice what they preach.

Sometimes, web stores get too artsy with their designs. Others use flash animations that can slow down the shopper's browser.

Still others use color schemes that send the wrong signals to shoppers.

Performing A/B testing on your online storefront is an important part of making sure your site appeals to customers and makes shopping as intuitive as possible.

There is a range of ways that different design elements can affect online users, and testing helps put those ways in perspective. With more than ten years of experience designing online storefronts, we've seen enough to know what the "dos and don'ts" of web store design look like.

Here are five tips on how you can turn more visitors into customers and seriously improve conversion rates using some simple design techniques.

Make sure your shopping cart is visible If the customer adds an item to their cart, they want to have the peace of mind that the item was actually registered. Therefore, somewhere on the page at all times during the shopping process, your store should have an area listing the number of items in the customer's cart and other relevant check-out information.

Having checkout data visible and readily available also helps ease the transition from shopping to checkout. No matter where the customer finishes shopping, it's important to have a quick link back to the checkout page.

It isn't enough to simply have shopping cart information somewhere on the page, however.

Make it pop so it's easier to find.

Contrasting colors from the color scheme on the rest of the page is a good way to help the cart stand out.

Optimize your "add-to-cart" buttons Site visitors and customers respond differently to different calls to action. For instance, if your "add-to-cart" button says "more

details" or "learn more," our experience has been that customers don't react as well to this kind of indirect call-to-action. In contrast, an "add-to-cart" button that says "buy now" is a specific, direct call to action that elicits a much more positive response from shoppers.

Coloring is also an important design element here. Blue and green are gentler colors that usually cause people to follow up, whereas orange and red can hurt the performance of your "addto-cart" button. Using colors that flow with your site's color scheme helps further clarify the call-toaction.

Clean up your product pages The organization of your site's product pages is a crucial part of ensuring that your customers are drawn in by the information that is most appealing to them.

Have you ever thought about where your customer reviews reside on the product page? Sure, customer reviews are an important part of gaining the customer's trust-but they don't have to be the first thing that the shopper sees. So many elements on any given page mean a complex organization process.

The first element should always be the product images. The shopper wants to see exactly what he

or she is getting for the money.

After that, make sure to feature the product name, description and the price to get the customer's attention. Keep elements like customer reviews and links to similar products closer to the bottom of the page.

Clarify your navigation paths Hidden menus and other elements on the page are very ineffective and can sometimes lead to shopper frustration. One of the most important parts of clarifying your navigation is by avoiding hidden elements on the page.

If you have too many categories, this can be a difficult task.

However, fly-out menus (that "fly out" when you mouse over them) are an effective way to keep your page from getting too cluttered while giving the shopper the opportunity to access any category page at any time.

Don't get caught up in getting too artistic about how you design category and other navigational elements; shoppers will always thank you through better conversion rates when you make practicality a priority.

Using bread crumbs so shoppers can trace their way back from where they came is another way to ensure the shopping experience is a smooth one. Make a

path between categories and subcategories somewhere on the page. After shoppers add something to their carts, a "continue shopping" button makes returning to shopping as intuitive as possible.

Eliminate distractions from your checkout page When your customer proceeds to the checkout, you want them to go in a very specific direction.

So, when you're designing your checkout, this is the time to remove items like left sidebar navigation to define a clear path to the goal.

Ignore the urge to continue selling into the checkout process.

Every second between landing and checking-out is precious to ensuring the sale is actually made.

Single-page checkouts tend to have the highest conversion rates. Simplifying the checkout process and making it easier for the shopper is a great way to ensure the sale is completed. In one page, the customer should be able to fill out their shipping, billing and credit card information. Oneclick checkout is also a great way to keep customers coming back. A good checkout experience will stay in the shopper's mind.

National Institute of Fashion Technology - [NIFT], Chennai , Tamil Nadu affiliated with AICTE.

Pearl Academy of Fashion Management -, Jaipur , Rajasthan.

NATION

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

P10

Pak summons India's Deputy British PM interacts with students HC over 'ceasefire violations' New Delhi, Nov 8: For the fifth time in just over two weeks, Pakistan today summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner and lodged a strong protest over alleged "unprovoked" firing by Indian forces along the LoC. "Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Dr Mohammad Faisal, summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, Mr J P Singh, today and strongly condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by the Indian Forces yesterday on the LoC in Nikial and Jandrot sectors, Pakistan Foreign Office said.

The firing resulted in the death of 3 civilians, including a woman and injuries to four others, including a 5-year-old boy, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

"The Director General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire

Deputy High Commissioner Singh has also been summoned to the Foreign Office over ceasefire violations.

Understanding; investigate the continued incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit, stop targeting the villages and civilians and maintain peace on the LoC," the statement said.

Deputy High Commissioner Singh has also been summoned to the Foreign Office

over ceasefire violations on October 25, 26, 28 and November 1.

On October 27, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale to the foreign ministry and conveyed the decision of the Government of Pakistan to declare an Indian High Commission official "persona non-grata".(PTI)

Drive against drinking in public: 36 arrested on Day 1 New Delhi, Nov 8 : Launching a drive against public consumption of alcohol, the Excise Department of the Delhi government has arrested 36 persons on the first day with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia warning people of strict action for drinking in the open and pledging to intensify the drive.

Sisodia, who also heads the Excise Department, said today that he had written to Delhi High Court Chief Justice G Rohini requesting her to provide 10 mobile magistrates so that challans could be issued on the spot.

The Deputy CM said that the government is committed to completely stop drinking in public as women feel unsafe because of this and it affects business in particular markets and places where such practice

is adopted.

"Yesterday, we arrested 36 persons for open drinking.

They were produced before the magistrates and handed over to police in the night. I appeal to people not to drink in public places. We will intensify drive against such behaviour.

"The Delhi government doesn't have any intension to send people to jail, but won't spare them if they are found consuming liquor in public places as common people especially women feel unsafe," Sisodia said at a press conference here.

The department has formed 10 special teams of four members each to catch people consuming alcohol in the open.

On the first day of the drive, raids were conducted at Karol Bagh, Jamrudhpur, Jankapuri, Jahangirpuri and

Nehru Place among others.

In North East district, three persons were apprehended while in Central and New Delhi districts, eight people were caught drinking liquor in public places. Ten people were arrested in West Delhi.

According to the government, it will strictly enforce the Excise Act under which consuming alcohol at public places attracts a fine of Rs 5,000, which can even go up to Rs 10,000 with a jail term of three months if the offender creates nuisance.

Sisodia had last month announced the drive after he, during an inspection of a liquor shop in Mayur Vihar, found that people were drinking alcohol near liquor shops and creating ruckus, thus causing inconvenience to the residents, especially women.

(PTI)

Bengaluru, Nov 8: British Prime Minister Theresa May, on a day long visit to the city today, interacted with students of a government school near here and enjoyed the fly past by the Indian Air Force with them.

Shortly after she flew in here from New Delhi, May visited Stonehill Government Higher Primary School in Tarahunse Village, Bangalore North Taluk, about 25 km from here, where she interacted with students during the 30-minute visit that also took her to the computer lab and library.

She, along with the stu-

dents, witnessed a fly past

by IAF's three Pilatus trainer aircraft, one Tejas aircraft and one Advanced Attack Helicopter.

During the fly past, she interacted with the students bearing India, Kannada and UK flags who had surrounded her.

"I'm happy that British Prime Minister Theresa May visited our school. No one will get such a chance," Anusha, a Class 8 student said.

"I spoke to her; I said thanks for visiting our school.

In return she said wel-

India, UK need to cooperate more on counter-terrorism: President New Delhi, Nov 8: India and the United Kingdom need to cooperate more on countering terrorism which is the "biggest menace" to world peace and tranquillity, President Pranab Mukherjee has said.

Talking to British Prime Minister Theresa May, who called on him last evening, the President said India sees the UK as a key partner in its growth and economy.

"India would encourage more companies from the UK to partner in its national programmes like Make in India, Skill India, Digital India etc," the President was quoted as saying by the Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesman in a statement today.

"Terrorism is the biggest menace to world peace and tranquillity. It is a scourge that knows no territorial or ideological boundaries.

"India and UK need to cooperate more on counter terrorism. The international community must show determination in fighting against terrorism," he said.

The President also stressed that there was an immense scope to further enhance trade exchanges both in goods and services be-

tween the two countries.

Bilateral trade between India and the UK in goods stood at US $14 billion in 2015-16.

Welcoming the UK Prime Minister, Mukherjee expressed happiness that she has chosen India for her first bilateral visit outside the European Union and said both the countries share common prospective on many international issues.

"There is strong economic and financial engagement, growing defence and international security partnership and close people to people linkages. India appreciates the UK's support for its candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council," he said.

May warmly reciprocated the President's sentiments and said that her visit reflects the strength of the relationship as well as UK's keenness to build for the future.

There were many existing opportunities in terms of mutual investment and trade. The UK is looking to forge a key bilateral partnership with India which would be to the advantage of both sides, the spokesman said quoting the British Prime Minister. (Agencies)

Lok Janshakti Party MP UDF opposes LDF government's Chirag Paswan in Indian proposal to set up 'Kerala Bank' delegation for UNGA

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 8: The Congressled UDF on Tuesday opposed in the state Assembly the LDF government's plan to set up a 'Kerala Bank' by merging Co-operative banks, even as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan brushed aside its concerns saying the move would strengthen the co-operative sector.

The UDF opposed the government's plan to set up the Kerala Bank by merging district Co-operative banks with state Co-operative banks, saying the move would "destroy" the three-tier co-operative system that played a key role in the state's economy.

UDF members also staged a walkout protesting against the refusal for a discussion on the inquiry ordered into the functioning of all 14 District Co-operative Banks, which they alleged, was a "prelude to dismissal of the governing bodies of the banks" as part of the

government's agenda to set up the Kerala Bank.

Intervening, Vijayan said the probe into the functioning of District Co-operative Banks was "routine".

He asserted that Kerala Bank mooted by the CPI(M)-led LDF would not only bring transparency but also strengthen the co-operative sector.

"The plan is to merge the District Banks with State Co-operative Bank and create a big bank that would address the challenges faced by the state especially in the context of merger of Kerala-based State Bank of Travancore with SBI," said Vijayan.

The Primary Agriculture Co-Operative societies would continue to remain strong under the new setup, he said. An expert committee has been constituted to work out details of the proposed Bank and its report was awaited, he further said.

Replying to the notice for the adjournment motion moved by the UDF, State Minister for Co-operation and Tourism A C Moideen

said probe into the functioning of district banks was ordered in the wake of number of complaints including irregularities in appointments, disbursal of loans and regarding setting up of ATMs. He rejected the UDF charge that there was an ulterior political motive behind the order issued under Section 66 of the Co-operative Act. Attacking the LDF, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the government's move was "undemocratic" and the inquiry was actually a "poison laced in sweet" to "kill" the district banks.

"It is an indirect attempt to dissolve the district banks. We strongly oppose setting up of the Kerala Bank by destroying the three-tier system of Co-operative system," he said.

Referring to the recent resolution passed by the Assembly against the move to merge SBT with the SBI, Chennithala said "This House has passed a resolution against bank's amalgamation. This (Coop bank issue) is also a kind of merger," he said.

The objective was to take over the assets and deposits now with the banks in the co-operative sector and that would not be allowed, he claimed.

Taking up the issue, P Abdul Hameed (IUML) said the enquiry was the "first step in dissolving district banks". (PTI)

New Delhi, Nov 8: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Chirag Paswan will be part of the four-member delegation which will represent India at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The young parliamentarian, who is son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, will present India's views on "Permanent Mission of In-

dia to UN", a statement from the party said.

Chirag Paswan will also attend meetings and functions organised by Indian High Commission during his visit.

LJP said it is thankful to the government for nominating Paswan, who also heads its Central Parliamentary Board, in the four-member Indian delegation. (PTI)

Chirag Paswan will also attend meetings and functions organised by Indian High Commission during his visit.

India recalls three diplomats from Pakistan New Delhi, Nov 8: India on Tuesday recalled three diplomats stationed at its High Commission in Islamabad after their identities were made public and Pakistan charged them with "spying".

The diplomats, including First Secretary [Commercial] Anurag Singh, were named last week by Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria, who had alleged that a number of Indian diplomats and staffers were involved in "coordinating terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan under the garb of diplomatic assignments".

According to officials, apart from Mr. Singh, Vijay Kumar Verma and Madhavan Nanda Kumar

left Pakistan by air today.

The decision was taken as their security had been "completely compromised"

by Pakistan with their names and photographs published and broadcast in the media there, they said.

India's action comes within days of Pakistan recalling six of its High Commission officials here after their names were made public by another mission staffer Mahmood Akhtar, who was declared persona non-grata and expelled for running a spy ring last month.

Mr. Akhtar's expulsion had triggered a tit-for-tat action

by Islamabad, which also expelled an Indian High Commission official posted there. (PTI)

come," Mukesh, also a class 8 student said.

The government higher primary school, started as a Primary school in 1942, has seen upgradation in the later years.

Stonehill International School, an education initiative by city-based Embassy Group, has been supporting the teaching staff, besides providing necessary grants from time to time.

The school, with first to eighth standards, has a total of 224 students, comprising 100 boys and 124 girls.

From 6th to 8th, the medium of instruction is both in En-

glish and Kannada.

School Headmistress Shoba Devi who escorted May around the school, said the British Prime Minister expressed her happiness about meeting students here and she wants the relationship between both the countries to grow.

She said "The reason why the PM choose to visit our school is because ours is among the better equipped government schools in the state. It is a proud moment for us as a foreign Prime Minister is visiting us. It is an opportunity for our students. Students from

neighbouring five-six villages are getting educated in this school," she added.

As part of May's visit, Wing Commander Andy D Green, a British Royal Air Force fighter pilot and World Land Speed Record holder, spoke to students about technology and engineering adventures with an intention to inspire them.

Green is also part of 'Bloodhound SSC', a unique, high technology project to design and build a car that will break the 1,000 mph barrier and set a new world land speed record. (PTI)

Akhilesh Yadav's hi-tech rath ready to roll once again Lucknow, Nov 8: The hitech customised 'rath' of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, which broke down after covering less than a kilometre, has been repaired and is ready to roll once again after November 14.

"The snag in the rath has been rectified and it is ready to roll once again. It has been tested by engineers and security personnel.

The next leg of yatra is likely to start on November 14 or 15 from Jhansi," a senior SP leader said.

The final date of the second phase of yatra will be announced soon, he said. After leaving the La-Martinere College ground and hitting Lohia Path at a stone's throw distance from the flag-off venue on November 3, the bright red rath developed some tehnical problems forcing Akhilesh to shift to his official vehicle.

The Chief Minister waited anxiously for the repair work to be over, but as it took time, he decided to go ahead in his official SUV. Due to the snag in the modified bus, Akhilesh's yatra remained a road show.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Redesigned keeping in mind security and other requirements of the CM, the 10wheel Mercedes Benz Bus has world class interiors and is equipped with topof-the-line gadgets and amenities. It has bullet proof glass and is divided into two sectors - office and beyond. The office area is like a mini office of chief minister wherein the CM can hold a meeting with around five to six persons.

The other area comprises a kitchen, reclining area and plush washroom. It has modern acoustic system and an elevator which

would take the CM to the roof to interact with a larger audience. It has a networkenabled internet facility with 4G speed to keep the twitter-savvy CM always connected. He can also make video calls from the rath, which was customised at a cost of Rs five crore. The party has not disclosed the cost officially. The royal vehicle is fitted with LED screens to play creatives (videos, photos, photo videos) showcasing the achievements of the Akhilesh Yadav government.

(Agencies)

HC to set up special bench to hear street vendors' pleas New Delhi, Nov 8: The Delhi High Court today decided to set up a special bench to hear petitions against eviction of street vendors from vending zones in the national capital.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said there were large numbers of petitions pending before different courts on the issue, which was creating problems in adjudication.

It said every day fresh pleas were being filed in the high court against the authorities or the order of a single judge on the eviction issue.

"We will constitute a special bench so that all these types of matters are dealt by one bench," the court said.

The court decided to set up the special bench after it was told that some matters

were pending before the single judge and it has passed orders contrary to the division bench.

Recently, a bench of the Chief Justice had granted protection to street vendors across Delhi from forcible eviction.

The order was passed on pleas filed by Congress leader Ajay Maken and others, who said the Delhi government had failed to prepare a scheme in consultation with Town Vending Committee (TVC) as per Street Vendors Act, 2014 to conduct a survey to ascertain the number and location of vendors, even when the law clearly envisages that till a survey of all existing street vendors is completed, no street vendor shall be evicted or relocated.

Maken and other petitioners had alleged that munici-

pal bodies of central and south Delhi were "throwing out" street vendors from hawking zones, despite a court order protecting them from such action.

In their pleas, they contended that the bench on October 5 had ruled that its September 9 order that no street vendor should be evicted from the city roads without due process of law, shall not be applicable on non-hawking zones.

They had said that under the garb of this order, New Delhi Municipal Council and South Delhi Municipal Corporation were evicting vendors even from hawking zones like Rajiv Chowk, Indira Chowk and Lajpat Nagar and sought that they be restrained from taking any coercive action. (PTI)

Bengal govt campaign to ensure KCC loans for farmers Kolkata, Nov 8: West Bengal government today launched a financial inclusion campaign with banks and cooperatives to ensure farmers start banking and avail loans.

State Agriculture Minister Purnendu Basu said the government is mobilising 14,000 business correspondents who will take Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to the doorsteps of the farmers.

Farmers have not been able to utilise the benefits provided by KCC due to lack of awareness.

"For small farmers the biggest problem is capital. There are problems in banks in giving them loans. We want to make this process easy and in-

crease awareness.

"The campaign will ensure that the marginal and small farmers in the state get access to both credit and insurance on favourable terms. If we can improve the off-take of crop loans close to its real potential, we could have contributed significantly to the farmers' income," Basu said.

As per a NABARD report, against a potential loan of Rs 50,000 crore, the current disbursement of farmers' loan is approximately Rs 12,000 crore which suggests that there is possibility to raise the figure by at least two to three times.

If the KCC loan is repaid on time, the interest rate is only 4 per cent per an-

num.

Officials said a large number of KCC is lying dormant and the government wants to convince farmers to use them.

The fortnight-long campaign by the state will highlight benefits of KCC and Bangla Fasal Bima Yojna by educating farmers on how they can make best use of the schemes.

The second phase of the campaign will be held from Nov 28.

Officials said during the last financial year 10 lakh new KCC were issued and farmers took average loan of Rs 38,000.

Next year, the government plans to bring another 15 lakh farmers into the KCC fold, they added.

(PTI)

DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

P11

BUSINESS

GST portal goes live, GSTN software Gold steady; silver almost ready: Chairman recovers on global cues New Delhi, Nov 8: A new and simpler portal for the incoming Goods and Services Tax regime went live today that will enable easy filing of returns and tax payments through credit/debit cards and other modes.

As much as 60 per cent of the software needed to run GST is ready and GSTN the company building the gigantic infrastructure and IT backbone for it, made the www.gst.gov.in portal live for migrating existing tax payers.

It will test the software for integrating a welter of state and central levies before the 'one market, one rate' tax model comes into being from April 2017.

GSTN Chairman Navin Kumar said migrating more than 65 lakh VAT payers,

Image for representation purpose. about 20 lakh service tax payers and about 3-4 lakh central excise duty payers to a new portal has started.

A provisional identification number, called GSTIN for the assessees who have moved to the new portal is being generated, Kumar

told PTI. New registrations under GST will start from April 2017.

On the new portal, businessmen and traders who currently have to file separate returns for array of indirect taxes like excise duty, ser-

vice tax and VAT, will file a single monthly return and pay tax online through various payment cards, including credit and debit, he said.

GSTN is building a network that will not just integrate the assessees paying service tax, excise and other local levies, but will also help in building the IT backbone for online registration, refund, return filing and tax payment.

"Because we started work in November 2015, today we are in a happy position that 60 per cent of the software development has been completed; 40 per cent is balance and that work is going on," Kumar said.

The GSTN is building four data centres spread across Delhi and Bengaluru to ensure that the data is safe,

secure and to ensure data recovery, whenever required.

Kumar said GSTN has started importing hardware and by December all equipment would be ready and testing would start.

"About 80 lakh tax payers will be migrated from the existing to GST regime.

That migration we are starting now. We will generate a PAN-based provisional ID for each tax payer.

By December, all the hardware equipment will be ready. Then, the software will be put on the data centre and then the testing will start," he said.

Under the GST regime, taxes can be paid using debit, credit cards as well as through NEFT/RTGS transfers. (PTI)

7th Pay Commission: No High Level Honda's India-bound WR-V all set to be unveiled today Committee to examine recommenNew Delhi, Nov 8: Honda ent front and rear. As is apdation on minimum Pay hike has released the final teaser parent from the teaser im-

The Unions had asked the government to set up a committee to look into issues raised by them in relation to the pay scales and other recommendations of the Pay Commission.

New Delhi, Nov 8: Even as lakhs of Central government employees are waiting for the setting up of the high level committee on minimum wage, media reports are pouring in that the government has denied forming any such committee.

As per media reports, the government now decided that it would not to appoint any High Level Committee to examine the minimum pay and allowances as was recommended by the 7th Pay Commission.

In a bid to look after the

minimum pay, fitment formula revision and other main demands of central government employees the government had assured to set up a committee to look into these.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the recommendations of the Pay Commission, various central government employees' unions have threatened to go on an indefinite strike post the announcement of pay commission recommendation on June last year.

The Unions had asked the government to set up a committee to look into is-

sues raised by them in relation to the pay scales and other recommendations of the Pay Commission.

The Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on June 29 last year cleared the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission according to which the overall hike in salary and allowance of central government employees and pensioners comes to 23.5 percent.

The new scales of pay provide for entry-level basic pay going up from Rs 7,000 per month to Rs 18,000, while at the highest level i.e. Secretary, it would go up from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. For Class 1 officers, the starting salary will be Rs 56,100.

Renault Kwid AMT available with the 1.0-litre engine. Every other thing, including the capacity(999cc), power (68PS) and torque(91Nm) remain the same. Even the auto-box is a 5-speed automatic which replaces the 5speed manual. The gears are switched by rotating a knob which is placed below the air-con knobs and along the power window switches.

This knob lets you choose between drive (D), neutral (N) and reverse (R) options.

There is no parking mode or any type of manual/sport mode.

The only other rival of the Kwid 1.0-litre which has an automatic transmission is the Maruti Alto K10. The K10 comes with an Auto Gear Shift (AGS) gearbox which is also a 5-speed unit.

Features In terms of features, the Kwid 'Easy-R' AMT remains identical to the Kwid 1.0-litre RXT and RXT(O).

ages and the official sketch released by the automaker, the WR-V will feature a front profile that is typical of Honda SUVs. The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the Ford EcoSport will be the WRV's primary rivals. Mechanically, in India, the WR-V is highly likely to borrow its powertrains from the Honda Jazz - 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel.

However, there is a possibility that Honda will offer the 1.5-litre petrol unit of the City in the WR-V since the EcoSport offers powerful petrol options.

In terms of features, since it is based on the Jazz, the WRV will borrow most of the things that the hatch is appreciated for, such as a spacious cabin, class-leading boot space, Magic Seats, and others. (Agencies)

The recommendations will benefit over 1 crore employees. This includes over 47 lakh central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners, of which 14 lakh employees and 18 lakh pensioners are from the defence forces.

(Agencies)

Renault Kwid AMT - All you want to know Mumbai, Nov 8: It seems like Renault has realised that the market for automatic cars in India is on a rapid growth. Gone are the times when an automatic transmission was cited as costly and high-maintenance.

Rather, now, an automatic transmission car is seen as a convenience and a blessing in the everyday bumper to bumper traffic. Renault first used the automatic wand with its big SUV - the Duster, and is now all set to do the same with its miniSUV, the Kwid.

First showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, the Renault Kwid with the 'Easy-R' transmission garnered quite a lot of attention. What fascinated the audience most was the knob shifter which had never been seen before in this or even multiple segments above it. The place where the gear shifter usually exists now lies vacant as an additional storage space (not that the Kwid needed any more storage space?). Like the 1.0-litre iteration of the Kwid, the AMT will only be offered with the top end 'RXT' trims. Let's have a closer look at the Renault Kwid AMT and check out what all it hides under its belly.

Mechanicals First things first, the automatic transmission. As we told you, the 'Easy-R' AMT transmission will only be

of the India-bound WR-V a Jazz-based sub-4m SUV - ahead of Tuesday's big reveal at the 2016 Sao Paulo International Motor Show in Brazil. The Japanese automaker has been testing the sub-4m SUV in the South American country for quite a while and the car is likely to go on sale in the coming months there, while its Indian debut is likely to happen in the first quarter of 2017. For the uninitiated, the WR-V stands for 'Winsome Runabout Vehicle'.

Though there is no concrete information about the WRV, here's a quick look at what we expect from it.

With the WR-V, Honda has used an approach similar to the one it had followed for the BR-V - the vehicle will share its side profile and platform with the Jazz, but will have an entirely differ-

This means that the Kwid AMT will come with all the bells and whistles which made it a hit in the Indian market. These include a seven-inch MediaNAV touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, front power windows, piano black inserts with chrome outlines on the dashboard, remote keyless entry with central locking, fade out cabin lights, rear parcel tray and the masculine SUV-like looks.

Price Like the top-end Maruti Alto K10 VXI(O) AGS, which is about Rs 33,000 costlier than its corresponding manual variant, the Renault Kwid will also be about Rs 35,000 more than the 1.0-litre variant. This means that the Renault Kwid AMT will approximately cost about Rs 4.2 lakh in the Indian market.

Stay tuned for all the updates on the Renault miniSUV. (Agencies)

Teaser of the India-bound WR-V - a Jazz-based sub4m SUV.

Sensex rises for 2nd day on US election optimism Mumbai, Nov 8: Sensex today closed over 132 points higher at 27,591.14 and Nifty reclaimed the 8,500-mark as buying activity gathered momentum towards the fag-end on positive global sentiments, with investors expecting Hillary Clinton to emerge victorious in the US election.

The 30-share Sensex after

shuttling between 27,646.84 and 27,406.76, settled 132.15 points, or 0.48 per cent, higher at 27,591.14. The gauge had gained 184.84 points yesterday.

The NSE Nifty ended 46.50 points, or 0.55 per cent, higher at 8,543.55 after moving between 8,559.40 and 8,480.10.

(PTI)

Image for representation purpose.

Rupee recovers 5 paise vs dollar in opening trade Mumbai, Nov 7: The rupee edged higher by 5 paise to 66.69 against the US dollar in early trade today on selling of the American currency by exporters and banks amid fresh foreign fund inflows.

Forex dealers said a higher opening in domestic equity market and a weak dollar against some other curren-

cies overseas also supported the rupee. Yesterday, the rupee had lost 4 paise against the US currency to end at 66.74 on fresh dollar demand from importers and corporates.

Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex spurted by 141.72 points, or 0.51 per cent, at 27,600.71 in early session today. (PTI)

Mumabi, Nov 8: Gold prices today ended steady at Rs 30,850 per 10 grams in scattered deals, while silver recovered by Rs 250 to Rs 43,850 per kg at the bullion market.

Traders said apart from a firm trend overseas, increased offtake by industrial units and coin makers at the local spot market led to a recovery in silver prices.

Globally, silver rose by 0.69 per cent to USD 18.28 an ounce and gold by 0.25 per cent to USD 1,284.40 an ounce in Singapore.

In the national capital, silver ready rebounded by Rs 250 to Rs 43,850 per kg and weekly-based delivery edged up by Rs 50 to Rs 43,050 per kg.

Silver coins, however, con-

In the national capital, silver ready rebounded by Rs 250 to Rs 43,850 per kg and weekly-based delivery edged up by Rs 50 to Rs 43,050 per kg. tinued to be asked at the previous level of Rs 76,000 for buying and Rs 77,000 for selling of 100 pieces.

On the other hand, gold of 99.9 per cent and 99.5 per cent purity ruled flat at Rs

30,850 and Rs 30,700 per 10 grams, respectively. It had lost Rs 300 in yesterday's trade.

Sovereign, too, remained stable at Rs 24,500 per piece of eight grams. (PTI)

Facebook agrees to suspend using WhatsApp users' data

Image for representation purpose.

Brussels, Nov 8: Britain`s privacy watchdog said on Monday that Facebook has agreed to suspend using data from UK users of its WhatsApp messaging app for advertisements or product-improvement purposes after the watchdog said consumers weren`t properly protected.

The watchdog said the social media giant faces action if it uses such data without valid consent.

The Information Commissioner`s Office (ICO) had said in August that it would monitor WhatsApp`s new privacy policy, after WhatsApp, acquired by Facebook in 2014, said it would share user data with its parent company to better fight spam and improve users` experiences of both services.

The two companies have also come under scrutiny from the European Union`s 28 data protection authorities, who last month requested that WhatsApp pause sharing users` data with its parent company until the appropriate legal protections could be assured.

"We`re pleased that they`ve agreed to pause using data from UK WhatsApp users for advertisements or product improvement purposes," the head of the ICO, Elizabeth Denham, said in a statement. "If Facebook starts using the data without valid consent, they may face enforcement action from my office."

The regulator said it had also asked Facebook and WhatsApp to sign an undertaking committing to better explaining to customers how their data would be used and to give them ongoing control over that data.

So far, the companies have not agreed.

"We think consumers deserve a greater level of information and protection, but so far Facebook hasn`t agreed," Denham said.

A Facebook spokeswoman said WhatsApp "designed its privacy policy and terms update to give users a clear and simple explanation of how the service works, as well as choice over how their data is used.

"These updates comply with applicable law, and follow the latest guidance from

the UK Information Commissioner`s Office. We hope to continue our detailed conversations with the ICO and other data protection officials, and we remain open to working collaboratively to address their questions."

Denham said she did not think users had been given enough information about what Facebook would do with their data and that WhatsApp had not obtained valid consent.

Several other European privacy watchdogs, such as Spain`s, have said they intend to contact Facebook about WhatsApp`s privacy policy change but have not yet done so.

Facebook suggested it would be inappropriate to agree on a specific solution with one regulator before receiving all the others` questions.

Enforcement action could ultimately lead to fines.

Such fines are small compared with the revenues of the companies concerned.

However, a new EU-wide data protection law coming into force in 2018 would change that with fines of up to 4 percent of global turnover.

Denham said she would keep pushing the issue along with other privacy watchdogs, notably the Irish authority. It has the most sway over Facebook, since the U.S. company`s European headquarters are in Ireland.

Facebook says the data WhatsApp collects is extremely limited and only a part of that is then shared with Facebook. (Agencies)

ADB's to provide $48 mn loan to help Assam improve power distribution New Delhi, Nov 8: Asian Development Bank will provide the second tranche loan of USD 48 million to Assam to help the state expanding and upgrading its power distribution system.

This is the second tranche loan of the USD 300 million multi-tranche financing facility for the Assam Power Sector Investment Programme that was approved by the ADB Board in July 2014, Finance Ministry said in a statement today.

The project will help Assam to enhance capacity and efficiency of its power distribution system to improve electricity service to end users, it said.

An agreement regarding the second tranche was signed between Asian D e v e l o p m e n t Bank(ADB) and the Union Government yesterday to help Assam continue its drive to improve access to efficient and reliable power, it added.

In the first tranche, ADB had provided loan of USD 50 million in February last year.

"Increased access to reliable and modern power supply for remote communities can help meet growing demand. This loan will help strengthen Assam's distribution system, improve energy efficiency and reduce technical and commercial losses," said M Teresa Kho, Country Director, ADB India Resident Mission.

The agreement was signed between Kho, Finance Ministry Joint Secretary Raj Kumar, Assam Power Secretary Z Rahman Ahmed along with Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) MD P Gupta.

"Given that a sustainable power supply is critical for facilitating growth and creating employment opportunities, this project will help Assam attract investment and tap its eco-

nomic potential, in addition to reducing power outages," Kumar said.

The project, which is expected to be completed by December 2019 will help APDCL add an additional substation capacity, expand and improve medium voltage network.

It will also reduce system losses by 3 per cent and enhance energy efficiency through renovation and modernisation of existing 33/11 kV substations.

Part of the loan will be used to strengthen institutional capacity of APDCL through setting up independent meter testing laboratories, load dispatch centers and installing centralized uniform billing system to 1.2 million customers.

The loan has a 25-year term, including a fiveyear grace period with an annual interest rate determined in accordance with ADB's LIBORbased lending facility.

(Agencies)

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DIBRUGARH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

P12 IPL 10 may start from April 5, Nadal to make Assam U-19 boys thrash return Himachal by 10 wickets auctions on February 4: Shukla December in Abu Dhabi HIGHLIGHTS

The season 10 of the IPL will be the final edition under the existing 10-year contract.

New Delhi, Nov 8: The 10th edition of Indian Premier League may begin from April 5 next year, less than a week after the Test series against Australia ends on March 29, while the players' auction will be held in Bengaluru on February 4.

IPL Governing Council chairman Rajeev Shukla announced this following a meeting on Tuesday, adding that no decision was taken in violation of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee directives.

One of Lodha Panel's directives to the BCCI was to keep a 15-day gap between the IPL and an international series.

"There is a proposal to start IPL 10 from April 5.

The auctions will happen in Bengaluru on February 4. We had to keep a gap of one week after the Australia series," Shukla told reporters after the

Yuvraj Singh donates to crowd-funding project for kabaddi

Yuvraj Singh contributed Rs 5 lakh to a crowd-funding project to promote Indian kabaddi. (source: File) PTI New Delhi, Nov 8: Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has contributed Rs 5 lakh to a crowd-funding project to promote Indian kabaddi after the national men's team's World Cup triumph.

All the funds raised will be offered to the Indian Kabaddi players, as a mark of respect and recognition, who will further use the funds to provide better facilities for promising new players and development of Kabaddi, a press release stated.

"It's the right time to do our bit for Kabaddi, more so now that we have won the Kabaddi World Cup. Being a sportsperson who has been a part of the World Cup winning team, I would like to make this contribution for the development of Kabaddi and encourage more players to take it up with passion and pride," Yuvraj said in the release.

"Kabaddi has begun gaining limelight in the world of sports and it is bound to flourish because it is a true sport that demands excellent athletic abilities ," added Indian Kabaddi captain Anup Kumar.

Governing Council meeting called to discuss operational issues pertaining to the cash-rich league.

"All operational details have been discussed," Shukla said.

Innovative steps will be taken to ensure that centres in Maharashtra such as Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur are able to hold matches in the 10th edition of the tournament that started in 2008 amid much fanfare.

IPL matches scheduled in Maharashtra had to be shifted out last year after outrage over use of water to maintain stadiums even as the state reeled under severe drought.

Shukla said, "We will have water harvesting technology at stadiums in Maharashtra to counter drought threat in the state. We will ensure that we can generate our own water to maintain stadi-

"There is a proposal to start IPL 10 from April 5. The auctions will happen on Feb 4," Shukla said.

"No decision was taken in violation of the SCappointed Justice Lodha Committee directives," Shukla said. ums."

It was decided in the meeting that defending champions Hyderabad Sunrisers will host the opening ceremony and the final as per norms.

The IPL franchises' workshop will be organised in Dubai.

The season 10 of the IPL will be the final edition under the existing 10year contract.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur, Secretary Ajay Shirke, Shukla, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, Jharkhand Cricket Association chief Amitabh Choudhary and Punjab Cricket Association President MP Pandove were present in the meeting.

AFP Madrid, Nov 8: Fourteentime Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will make his return to action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships exhibition event in Abu Dhabi at the end of December.

Nadal's 2016 season was plagued by physical problems and he cut his campaign short in October to recover fully to target a return to Grand Slam glory in 2017.

"Excited to announce my first tournament back will be in Abu Dhabi at the #MubadalaWorldTennis Championship in December," the Spaniard posted on his Twitter account on Monday. Nadal, a threetime winner of the event, will be joined by new world number one Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, JoWilfried Tsonga, David Goffin and Thomas Berdych in the six-man even from December 2931.

Alastair Cook brushes aside talks of ending Test captaincy England captain Alastair Cook on Tuesday rejected speculation that the upcoming Test series against India could be his last as skipper, saying that a "mountain out of a molehill" has been created owing to his "honest" assessment of his future.

British media was abuzz with speculation on Cook's future after a magazine in-

terview quoted the skipper as saying that he does not know how long he could carry on.

England's captain since 2012, Cook Tuesday sought to clarify his position in the pre-match press conference of the opening Test against India starting Wednesday.

"I have given quite an honest answer to a question which is hard to answer when someone says how long you see yourself captaining the side. I said I really don't know, it could be two months, could be at the end of this series, six months or the end of the next one or two years.

That's the kind of answer I gave (on which) obviously headlines have been made of. It will be a series by series judgment, it always has been," Cook said.

"Someone has made a mountain out of a molehill.

It has not been a disruption. I gave an honest interview to an interview question. As always, it has been blown out of proportion. My situation has not changed. No one has talked about it in the dressing room, no one has asked me. It's business as usual," he added.

Cook will surpass Michael Atherton's record of captaining England in 54 Tests when he leads England out in the opening match in Rajkot on Wednesday.

Team effort guides HP to five-wicket win PTI Ranchi, Nov 8: A collective effort helped Himachal Pradesh climb to second place in group C with a thrilling five-wicket win over Jammu and Kashmir in their Ranji Trophy cricket fixture at JSCA International Stadium Complex today.

Inspired by left-arm spin-

ner Bipul Sharma's 4/97, Himachal Pradesh bundled out Jammu and Kashmir for 417 with an addition of 80 to their overnight total to set a tricky target of 210 from two sessions.

Living up to the challenge under fading lights, Himachal Pradesh batsmen put up a brave front as Ankit Kalsi (47) and

Prashant Chopra (43) laid the foundation before Robin Bist (52 not out) and Sumeet Verma (21 not out) steered the chase.

Shama also shone with the bat with a quick 19 from 23 balls.

Earlier, seamer Akshay Chauhan (2/76) gave the breakthrough by removing a set Puneet Bisht (41)

with an addition of eight to his overnight score.

But it was another left-arm spinner, Mayank Dagar, who castled Samiullah Beigh (46) to break the resistance before Sharma cleaned up the tail with wickets on successive balls.

Jammu and Kashmir lost last three wickets on 417.

In-form India start favourites against inconsistent England PTI Rajkot, Nov 8: Their morale high after backto-back triumphs over West Indies and New Zealand, World No.1 India would be odds-on favourites when they take on England in what is expected to be a gruelling five-Test series starting here tomorrow.

The series will be the first five-match affair on Indian soil in three decades and the opening clash will also mark the debut of Rajkot as a Test venue.

It promises to be an engrossing contest between the world No.1 ranked India and the team that last beat them at home four years ago.

In 2012, England came back from a game down to turn the tables on India and post a 2-1 win in a four-game rubber.

Superior spin bowling by Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, both of whom are no longer part of the squad, was a major factor in that English triumph.

Also some excellent batting by current skipper

India players at practise session Alastair Cook and the controversial Kevin Pietersen, who is no longer a part of England's scheme of things, were the highlights for England.

The current Indian team led by Virat Kohli, who was a member of the team that was vanquished four years ago and later in England (31) two years ago in a best-of-five contest, would not have forgotten the hard lessons.

This time around, however, England have come into the series after a first-ever shock defeat

in a Test match at the hands of Bangladesh in Dhaka to draw the twomatch rubber 1-1.

The tourists have also not played any warm-up game after landing in India a week ago. Add to that, their highest Test wickettaker James Anderson is not available for at least the opening skirmish as he is yet to return to complete fitness from a shoulder injury.

Both Cook and all-rounder Stuart Broad, who is to play his 100th Test, have talked about England being the clear "underdogs" go-

ing into the rubber, especially against an Indian side being led in aggressive style by Kohli.

Kohli would be extremely keen to improve his notso-impressive record with the bat against the visitors.

The Indians are understandably wary of the England team. Coach Anil Kumble wants his team to execute plans exactly like they did when they swamped New Zealand 3-0 to begin the home season on a rousing note.

Yesterday, vice captain Ajinkya Rahane talked about the dangers of becoming complacent even against an England side, which has a few new faces.

This would also be the first Test series in India where the Decision Review System (DRS), which the BCCI has consistently opposed, will be used.

The hosts, with little experience of it in Tests barring the one series eight years ago in Sri Lanka, have been busy planning their strategy on how to approach the system.

Sports Reporter Dibrugarh, Nov 8: Hosts Assam thrashed Himachal Pradesh by ten wickets to win their Group A match of the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy at the DDSA stadium in Dibrugarh today. The final day of the four-day game started with the Assam team management deciding to enforce the follow-on.

Himachal Pradesh which had capitualated against spin in their first innings and conceded a deficit of 157 runs were unable to put up much of a fight in their second essay as well. They managed a slender lead of 9 runs after being bundled out for 166 runs in 42.3 overs. For the away team, A A Walia topscored with 60 runs off 91 balls with the help of four boundaries and couple of

Assam boys posing picture afater winning aganist Himachal Prasesh at DDSA in Dibrugarh. maximums. He was well supported by S G Arora who chipped in with 32 runs.

For Assam, Rahul Singh was brilliant as he scapled another fiver to bag a ten-for in the match. In the second innings he accounted for five batsman giving away only 36 runs.

Apart from him, Jitumoni

Kalita claimed three wickets at the expense of 33 runs.

Chasing a paltry 10 runs, the Assam openers did so quite easily with Subham Mandal and Riyan Parag finishing unbeaten on 6 and 5 runs respectively. With the win, the hosts managed to garner seven points to their kitty.

Vijender to defend WBO Asia Pacific title on December 17

Vijender Singh PTI New Delhi, Nov 8: Indian boxing star Vijender Singh will defend his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title on December 17 on home turf here but the opponent for the clash will be decided later.

"Vijender will be seen defending his WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Champion title on 17th December 2016, at the Thyagaraj Stadium, New Delhi," Vijender's India promoters Infinity Optimal Solutions said in a release.

The fight night will also see top Indian boxers, including Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar, make their pro-boxing debut. The names of these boxers and their international opponents would be revealed soon.

Till date, Vijender has a record of 7 out of 7 wins with 6 knockouts in 27 rounds. The Haryana-dasher had won the title in front of delirious home

fans in the capital.

Commenting on his next fight, Vijender said, "I have been in Manchester, UK for the last two months, training hard for my next fight. My trainer has been giving me high intensity training sessions, which has made my punches more powerful than before.

"I am ready to fight anybody as suggested by the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).

I am confident that I will be able to defend my title with as much pride as I won it. I am looking forward to 17th December 2016, and hope to repeat history," he added.

Neerav Tomar, Promoter, IOS Boxing Promotions, added, "After the fantastic response from the last fight, we are going to be back with more power and more action this winter. We are hoping for a bigger and better event. I am confident that Vijender will put up an excellent show and

will defend his title."

Vijender's UK-based promoters Queensberry Promotions' Francis Warren said the India boxer's career has been peaking perfectly.

"Vijender's career so far has been punch perfect, and I couldn't have asked for any more commitment and professionalism from him. Now, we move onto the next phase, solidifying his status as a world top ten fighter, and progressing through the rankings.

"We have eyes on all the top boxers from around the world, including the winners of the Dunn-Cameron fight, AbrahamKrasniqi and Groves-Gutenech.

Vijender must stay focused on the next date though, as he is on the cusp of some big fights in 2017. The WBO have supported the journey so far, and I firmly believe that Vijender will challenge for a world title within the next 18 months," he added.

Marin, Sindhu & Saina to go under hammer for PBL 2 PTI New Delhi, Nov 8: Top shuttlers, including Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain and Rio silver medallists PV Sindhu, will be for grabs when the high-profile Players' Auction for the lucrative Premier Badminton League (PBL) gets underway on Wednesday.

Besides Marin and Sindhu, Olympic bronze winner Viktor Axelsen of Denmark will be among the 16 Olympic medallists who have confirmed their participation at the second edition of the event to be held from January 1 to 14.

PBL, which is the revamped edition of the Indian Badminton League (IBL), will, however, see the top shuttlers from China and Japan give it a miss as they would be busy with their respective national tournaments.

The 15-day league will see six teams, namely Delhi Acers, Mumbai Rockets, Chennai Smashers, Hyderabad Hunters, Awadhe Warriors and Bangalore Blasters (earlier Bangalore Top Guns) battle for a total prize purse of Rs 6 crore, making it the highest prize money badminton tournament in the world.

The six-team strong competition will be held in state of the art stadia across the country, including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and Lucknow.

Each franchise will be splashing Rs. 1.93 crore to build a formidable team, with the individual price for the top players likely to go up to a phe-

PV Sindhu nomenal amount of Rs 65 lakh for the two-week league.

As many as three men's singles players, including Axelsen, Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark and Sun Won Ho of Korea, and four women's singles players, including Marin, Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Sung Ji Hyun of Korea, have been clubbed in the icon bracket.

All available players will go under the hammer but teams have the option of retaining three players by invoking the Right to Match option and paying up the final bid price.

BAI President and Chairman of PBL, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, said: "It is a matter of

immense pride for us to be back with the new edition of the PBL. It was a huge success last year and we promise to not only replicate the same level of success but to also strive to make it even better.

"We are confident of offering a highly exciting League this year which will enthuse our lakhs of fans."

Pullela Gopichand, National coach and Chief Advisor of PBL, said: "Thanks to the spectacular performance of Indian Players at the Olympics, the game has added a large number of new viewers, so our effort will be to make the League as exciting and interesting as possible.

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Editor: Prahlad Hammey

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