Manipur News

SHILLONG, March 17NNN: Amidst the thrill and excitement of the election of the new Pope in the Catholic Church, the Catholic community of Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya had two more reasons to celebrate as well, the centenary of the coming of the faith in Ri-Bhoi and the ordination to priesthood of Fr. Gabriel Jalong SDB. The double celebration of the centenary and the priestly ordination was held at the Assumption Parish, Nongpoh on March 17.
Archbishop Dominic Jala of Shillong was the main celebrant at the altar.
In his sermon, he narrated the spread of evangelization in the remotest corners of the district. He said that the hard work and dedication of the early missionary has borne good fruits in the last 100 years. “The challenges that the early missionaries had to endure, during their visits to the Christians in the remotest places of the Ri-Bhoi district, a place infected by sicknesses and wild animals, were worth mentioning. The missionaries had so much zeal in them to spread the message of Christ,” he said. The Archbishop also mentioned the contribution of the Church in the fields of education and social services in the district.
During the Holy Mass, there was the ordination of Fr. Gabriel Jalong. He is the eldest of three siblings. Fr. Gabriel joined the aspirants of Bosco Mount, Tura after the completion of his matriculation from Little Flower Secondary School, Mawbri. He made his first profession as a member of the international congregation of the Salesians of Don Bosco on 24th May, 2000. He completed his philosophical studies from Yercaud, Tamil Nadu in 2002, his Bachelor Degree in 2006 and his B.Ed from Don Bosco College of Teacher’s Education, Tura in 2009. His studied theology at Sacred Heart Theological College, Mawlai. He has chosen to: “Act justly, Love tenderly, Walk humbly with God” as his guiding motto.
The large gathering that gathered to witness the double celebration was the outcome of the evangelization that the early missionaries undertook in spreading the good news of salvation. Among the early converts to Christianity was a living legend, Rev Fr. Sylvanus Sngi Lyngdoh, a 94 year old Salesian Priest who was also present for the celebration. Fr. Sngi said that he is extremely happy to be alive to see the 100 years celebration of the coming of the faith to the district.
Those present for the celebration of the centenary were Archbishop of Guwahati Archdiocese Rev. John Moolachira, the Archbishop Emeritus of Guwahati Rev. Thomas Menamparampil SDB, the Bishop of Miao Diocese of Arunachal Pradesh Rev. George Palliparambil SDB, the Vicar General of Diphu Diocese Fr. John Timung, the Provincial of Don Bosco, Silchar Province Fr. George Maliekal SDB, a large number of priests, sisters and religious. Member of Parliament Vincent Pala, was also present for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/ri-bhoi-catholic-church-celebrates-100-years-of-existence/

AIZAWL, Mar 17 NNN: Two in every three persons own mobile phones in Mizoram.
This was revealed in the “Mizoram Economic Survey”.
Till March 2012, as many as 7, 01,959 mobile phone connections have been recorded in the entire Mizoram, as shown in the ‘Mizoram Economic Survey 2012-2013’which was presented at the ongoing Assembly budget session.
This means that, two in every three persons in Mizoram have their own mobile phones or in other words, of the entire population of Mizoram, which is 10, 91,014, 64.34% of it is in possession of their own mobile phones.
The rate of increase in mobile phone connections in Mizoram is quite high. While as on 2011 March, 5, 52,254 people own mobile phones, just a year hence, as on March, 2012, the figure increases to 7, 01,959, which shows that the rate of increase is at 21.32% in a year’s period.
Further, in this March, it is estimated, from the current increase rate, that at least 8, 51,664 people in Mizoram will now have their own mobile phone connections. In other words, 78.06% of the people of Mizoram are now estimated to have their own mobile phones.
Concerning the expenditure on mobile phones, as it is possible that there could be some unused connections in the mean time, therefore, calculated at the least possible amount, suppose if one person pays Rs. 200 per month for mobile phone bill, even then the expenditure of Mizoram on mobile phone bill would be Rs. 14,03,91,800 (14.03 crore) per month.
Among the mobile phone companies (service providers) in Mizoram, Airtel has got the highest number of connections with 2,40, 000 connections, followed by Aircel with 2,08,572, BSNL- 1,55,687, Reliance- 45,000, Vodafone- 20,000, and Tata Indicom with the least number- 4411.
Also, as per the Economic Survey, there are at present 514 Mobile Towers in Mizoram.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/high-number-of-mobile-phone-users-mizoram/

NNN: ‘Broom Festival 2013’, organized jointly by New Land Use Policy (NLUP) Implementing Board, Soil & Water Conservation Department and and NGO Hnam Chhantu Pawl, which was started from March 11 comes to a conclusion after a week-long observation here. Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla de-hoisted the flag of the festival in front of Vanapa Hall here last evening. Addressing the gathering, Lal Thanhawla appreciated the manual labourers, saying they were those people who go by the God’s will as they earn their living with their own hand-work without seeking from others. “Even the richest persons in the world cannot live without manual labourers; therefore, the manual labourers are most respectful and worth-praising”, the Mizoram Chief Minister said.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/broom-festival/