Manipur News

GUWAHATI, Aug 26 NNN: On Sunday, the death toll due to the ongoing ethnic clashes in Assam has reached 88.
One more person was found killed today in western Assam district of Dhubri bordering Bangladesh.
According to Dhubri district superintendent of police PC Saloi, one more dead body was recovered today. It is still unclear whether the person was killed last evening or this morning.
This morning, the police found the dead body was found in Suknajhora village under Bogoribari police station.
Following the incident, the people started agitating by blocking National Highway 31 and pelting stones at the police. A family was attacked in Kokrajhar district by the agitators and injured five persons. The blocking of the highway was reportedly lifted this evening.
On Saturday, seven persons was killed in Assam in the clashes in separate incidents.
The latest cases of ethnic clashes cropped up again even as the State and the Union governments are trying their best chalking out strategies to contain the problem.
Three days ago, had Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had sough the help of newspaper editors for restoring normalcy in the communal clashes affected areas of Assam particularly in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts.
Meeting the editors, the chief minister of Assam had requested the journalists to extend needed co-operation to the state government in restoring peace in Assam.
Altogether 15 newspaper editors had attended the meeting.
A day before Tarun Gogoi’s meeting with the editors of Assam, he had also sought the help of civil society organisations to extend needed co-operation for bringing the ongoing clashes into a halt.
The state government has been formulating strategy after strategy but it is yet to fructify at the moment.
The clashes between the Bodos and the immigrant Bangldeshis broke out in mid July which has resulted in the displacement of lakhs of people.
Bodos have vowed that those Muslims that have already been displaced from Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will not be allowed to return again in the area.
Reports had also said that around 1200 non Muslims had already fled from Dhubri district since the last few days fearing backlash.
Communities like Bengali Hindus and Koch-Rajbongshi comprised the maximum among the fleeing people from Assam’s western district of Dhubri.
Dhubri is an Assam district bordering Bangladesh where, of the total population Muslims comprise of 75%.
In districts such as Nagaon in central Assam and Karimganj and Hailakandi in southern Assam where Muslims are majority, the state government is in full gear to contain any untoward incident. Reports said adequate security has been already stationed in these districts.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/clashes-increasing-in-assam-toll-reaches-88/

AIZAWL, Aug 26 NNN: As issued by the Planning Commission, the growth rate of ‘Gross State Domestic Product’ of Mizoram in the 11th Five Year Plan is 11%, which is higher than the national average-7.9% and the North East average- 9.95 %.
In connection with this, Planning Board member secretary and New Land Use Policy (NLUP) Implementing Board vice chairman PL Thanga informed the media informed that Mizoram holds the second rank in the growth rate of GSDP among the North East states. He also said that the growth in GSDP of Mizoram is due mainly to Horticulture, Construction Sector and Bussiness Sector under Agriculture and Allied Sector, besides NLUP (especially in broom trade), out of the of the 13 sectors division for calculating the GSDP growth rate. The GSDP growth has been estimated by Central Statistical Organisation (CSO); and in spite of the high growth rate, more benefits is expected from the Planning Commission and other ministries, PL Thanga said. For the proper utilisation of fund which results to the high growth rate, the Prime Minister congratulated Mizoram Chief Minister, he claimed and added that various ministries have high expectation from the state in carrying out development projects, P L Thanga said. From Additional Central Assistance (ACA) under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the central government will sanction Rs. 200.908 crore for Mizoram during 2012-13. Owing to this, the Mizoram Annual Plan of the current fiscal has come up from Rs. 2300 crore to Rs. 2352.908 crore. The increase is from 35.29% to 38.41%, PL Thanga said.
Mentioning that out of the estimated fund for carrying out the NLUP, only 2.51% has been utilised for administrative, PL Thanga said, “This is the lowest in among the schemes being carried out all over India; while 6% in NREGS, and 10% in Technology Mission and other schemes are used to be estimate.” Replying to the media queries, PL Thanga said the beneficiaries of Cows who met loss will all be compensated and for that purpose Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department is conducting a survey.
And, 80% of NLUP cows are found in a good condition, he added.
The media conference was presided over by NLUP Chief media officer, David L Thang –liana; and was attended by NLUP Secretary, Zorammuana, NLUP Project Officer, Dr. Robert Rual-thankhuma besides Sr. Researh Officer Lalrinchhana from Planning Department.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/mizoram-has-high-growth-rate/

Questioning the division of power between the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the current UPA-II regime lacks integrity and goes against what the architects of the Indian Constitution envisaged.
“The Prime Minister is always considered to be the leader of the country. Therefore, the leader of that political party which forms an alliance, should be given the responsibility of Prime Minister. This is very simple fact. This is the major problem here, as political power is vested in some hands and administrative power in some other hands. Even the architects of our Constitution would have never thought about such a division of power,” said Kumar.
He also added that it was false to assume that the Congress Party had failed on several fronts due to alliance compulsions, whereas the fact was that were conflicts within the party itself.
“On the one side, there is an issue of consensus between the ruling party and its allies.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/division-of-power-between-pm-sonia/

New Delhi, Aug 26, 2012: A 24-year old boy from Manipur was beaten up by four miscreants while travelling in Goa-bound train yesterday. The incident occurred at around 4PM after travelling for about two hours from Nizamuddin railway station, New Delhi.
When the train starts moving, four youths suddenly barged into the train and began thrashing and smashing the boy.
According to the victim, “The miscreants punched me on my face and broke my spectacle. They also snatched away my gold chain, money and two mobile phones. They repeatedly punched me and kicked me on my chest and back inside the moving train. I was covered with bloods and my lips were swollen. While they were repeatedly thrashing me, I grabbed one of my bags, leaving behind other two bags and run for my life. There were many people inside the compartment but no one comes to my rescue.”
“Soon after I ran away, the four guys were still chasing after me. There were no security personnel to be seen nearby. So I ran towards the isolated field, where they could not see me,” said the victim to the North East Support Centre & Helpline.
The North East Support Centre & Helpline members visited the victim today at his relative’s place in Munirka. The victim is still traumatized and could barely move as he was severely assaulted. He did not want to file an FIR saying that, “It’s not going to help me because I don’t believe and trust that the police will recover my belongings and nab the culprits.”
“I wonder why there is no security inside the train. And also why the co-passengers remained a mute spectators, they could do something for the helpless victim,” said Dr. Alana Golmei, founder member, North East Support Centre & Helpline.
Dr. Golmei further said, “Since it is the first incident we heard after so many North East fled from metro cities, it is a matter of negligence on the part of the concern authority for not taking preventive measures. I strongly urged the concern authority to play pro-active role in protecting the North East community living in different parts of India.”

“Since the attack on the North East people is alarming, the security forces must be more vigilance in every train stations in New Delhi as well as general compartment, where most of the Northeast people are travelling,” Dr Golmei stressed.
The victim is presently working in Goa for the past one and half months. He hails from Tamenglong district of Manipur.
The North East Support Centre & Helpline would further put up the matter to the higher authority for the safety of the North East people in Delhi and National Capital Regions.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/manipuri-boy-assaulted-inside-goa-bound-train/