Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahaani

Manish Desai Director, PIB Mumbai. (The recent meeting the visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had with the family members of Dr. Kotnis in Mumbai has rekindled the interest in the life of this selfless Doctor. A look into the journey of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis) No single Indian has been more revered by ordinary Chinese than […]

Manish Desai
Director, PIB Mumbai.
(The recent meeting the visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had with the family members of Dr. Kotnis in Mumbai has rekindled the interest in the life of this selfless Doctor. A look into the journey of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis)
No single Indian has been more revered by ordinary Chinese than a doctor who died more than 70 years ago. On the day when the Chinese pay respect to their ancestors, the grave of this doctor in North China Martyrs’ Memorial Cemetery, Hebei Province is covered with flowers donated by the local Chinese. The man thus remembered with fondness and respect is Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, an Indian doctor, who rendered yeoman’s service during China’s hour of need in late 1930s.
Kotnis was one of the five Indian physicians dispatched to China to provide medical assistance during the second Sino-Japanese war in 1938. It was during the Japanese invasion of China in 1938 when Communist General Zhu De requested Jawaharlal Nehru to send Indian physicians for providing medical assistance to Chinese soldiers. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the President of the Indian National Congress, made arrangements to send a team of volunteer doctors and an ambulance by collecting a fund of Rs 22,000. A medical team of five doctors, including Drs M. Atal, B.K. Basu, M. Cholkar, D. Mukherji and Kotnis was sent as a part of the Indian Medical Mission Team in 1938.
Dwarkanath Kotnis, born in a middle class Maharashtrian family from Solapur on October 10, 1910, had then graduated from the Seth G S Medical College, Mumbai and was preparing for post-graduation. He asked permission of his family to volunteer for service abroad. Dwarkanath’s younger sister Manorama recalls that her brother wanted to travel around the world and practice medicine at different places. She said “”most members of the family knew little about China at that time. We only knew that people used to come and sell Chinese silk,” While his father
Shantaram encouraged young Dwarkanath to venture out, his mother was very sad because he was going that far and China was in a war situation.
Dr. Kotnis first arrived in China at the port of Hankou, Wuhan. The Indian medical team was then sent to Yan’an, the revolutionary base at the time in 1939, where they were warmly welcomed by Mao Zedong, Zhu De and other top leaders of the Communist Party, as they were the first medical team to come from another Asian country. In 1939, he joined the Eighth Route Army, led by Mao Zedong at the Jin-Cha-Ji border near the Wutai Mountain Area, providing medical service in mobile clinics.
His job as a battlefront doctor was stressful, where there was always an acute shortage of medicines. In one long-drawn out battle against Japanese troops in 1940, Kotnis performed operations for 72 hours non-stop, without any sleep. He treated more than 800 wounded soldiers during the battle. Dr Kotnis was eventually appointed as the Director of the Dr Bethune International Peace Hospital named after the famous Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune.
Dr. Kotnis wrote letters to his family regularly. “He sounded very happy in the letters. People used to come to thank him for his help. He was telling the good part,” says Manorama. Every place he went in China, he described it in detail in his letters home. The whole family found them to be great fun because what he described was so different from the life in India.
During his stay in Northern China, Dr. Kotnis met and courted Chinese girl Quo Qinglan, who was a nurse at the Bethune Hospital. Quo first met Kotnis at the inauguration of Dr Norman Bethune’s tomb and was immediately attracted to the Indian doctor. Kotnis could speak Chinese and even knew how to write Chinese characters, which amazed Guo. In December 1941, Quo and Dr Kotnis were married. The birth of their son Yinhua -meaning India and China, brought a lot of joy to the couple.
But, the hardships of suppressed military life finally started to take its toll on him. Only three months after the birth of Yinhua, epilepsy struck Dr.Kotnis. It had struck once earlier, mildly, but this time it proved fatal for the young doctor. Quo was left alone with her baby son. Dr. Kotnis was buried in the Heroes Courtyard in Nanquan Village. At that time, Mao Zedong mourned his death by observing that “The army has lost a helping hand, the nation has lost a friend. Let us always bear in mind his internationalist spirit.”
In the Northern Chinese province of Hebei, in Shijiazhuang city, a famous attraction is the Martyr’s Memorial park.
The north and south sides of the park are dedicated to the veterans of the Korean and the Japanese wars. The west side is dedicated to Dr. Norman Bethune, who fought for the Chinese, and the South side to Dr Kotnis. There is a great statue in his honour. A small museum there has a handbook of vocabulary that Kotnis wrote on his passage from India to China; some of the instruments that the surgeons used in their medical fight for life, and various photos of the doctors, some with the Communist Party of China’s most influential figures, including Mao.
Dr. Kotnis was immortalized in 1946 in the V Shantaram’s movie ‘Dr.Kotnis Ki Amar Kahaani.’ His life was also a subject of a 1982 Chinese film ‘Ke Di Hua Dai Fu’ (Dr.D S Kotnis). China released two postal stamps on the 40th anniversary of doctor’s death in 1982 and then again on the 50th anniversary in 1992. In 1993, India also released a stamp depicting his photograph and showing him conducting an operation, in the background.
Dr. Kotnis is such a towering and respected figure in China that whenever any Chinese Premier or President visits India he has made it a point to visit to Dr Kotnis’ relatives. Top Chinese leaders including Zhou En Lai, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Hu Jintao and now Li Keqiang have all met with Dr. Kotnis’ extended family members in Mumbai.
Widow of Dr. Kotnis, Quo was an honoured guest at many high-level diplomatic functions between China and India and was visited by former President K R Narayanan during his visit to China in 2000 and the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003. . In November 2006, she accompanied Chinese President Hu Jintao on a state visit to India. She died on 28 June 2012, and is buried alongside Kotnis at the Martyrs’ Memorial Park in Shijiazhuang.
“Now that it is more than seven decades since he died, we really appreciate how the government and the people of China are giving him so much respect after so many years,” said Manorama Kotnis. Premier Keqiang during his recent visit to Mumbai said “Dr.Kotnis is a symbol of China-India friendship.”
(PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/dr-kotnis-ki-amar-kahaani/

Creating Employment Opportunities for Youth

  India is a vast country with a population of about 1.21 billion and a labour force of around 475 million. There is an open unemployment of 9.5 million as per estimates available for the year 2009-10. Employment is the main source of livelihood and self-fulfillment for most women and men. About 6% of the […]

 
India is a vast country with a population of about 1.21 billion and a labour force of around 475 million. There is an open unemployment of 9.5 million as per estimates available for the year 2009-10. Employment is the main source of livelihood and self-fulfillment for most women and men. About 6% of the total work force in India is employed in organised sector while remaining 94% are in the unorganised sector. Scope of additional employment generation in the organized sector for additional wage employment is less.
India has a younger population not only in comparison to advanced economies but also in relation to large developing countries. As a result, the labour force in India is expected to increase by 32 per cent over the next 20 years, while it will decline by 4.0 per cent in industrialised countries and by nearly 5.0 per cent in China. We are, therefore, endeavoring to reap this ‘demographic dividend’ by providing for higher levels of health, education and skill development. This will create an environment where in the economy not only grows rapidly, but also enhances good quality employment and livelihood opportunities to meet the needs and aspirations of the youth.
The Government has been making constant efforts for reducing unemployment through normal growth process and implementing various employment generation programmes, such as, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY); Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and National Rural Livelihood Mission besides entrepreneurial development programmes run by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) also assures every rural household at least 100 days of manual work at minimum wages.
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM): The Mission’s aim is to encourage reforms and fast track planned development of identified cities. Focus is on efficiency in urban infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms, community participation etc.
Bharat Nirman
In Bharat Nirman, critical areas of rural infrastructure – Irrigation, Roads, Water Supply, Housing, Electricity and Telecom connectivity have been covered. This has improved living standards of the rural population and also created infrastructure which will ultimately enhance the economic activities in the rural areas and generate significant employment opportunities for the rural people.
Infrastructural Development
The investment on infrastructure is proposed to be increased to Rs.45 lakh crore during XII Plan period. About half of this is expected to come from private sector.
Skill Development
Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development of any country. Countries with higher and better levels of skills adjust more effectively to the challenges and opportunities of the world.
Government is serious in creating training infrastructure and providing quality employment to youth. According to a study carried out by Quality Council of India, placement rate has increased to about 80% to 99% because of improved infrastructure in the modernized ITIs. Skill Development Initiative (SDI) Scheme based on Modular Employable Skills (MES) was started during the Eleventh Five Year Plan for early school leavers and existing workers, especially in the unorganised sector to improve their employability. About 16 lakh persons have been trained under the scheme so far.
Sincere efforts are being made for skill development of a large number of people under various skill development programmes. The Prime Minister has set a target of skilling 500 million persons by 2022 and the Ministry of Labour & Employment is required to train 100 million. Government is systematically working to achieve the target and the training capacity has been increased from 9 lakh in 2006 – 07 to 26 lakh in 2011-12. All the Government ITIs are being modernized. New courses have been introduced and most of the ITIs are running in two to three shifts. During last five years, the number of Government and private ITIs has increased from 5114 in 2006-07 to 10,344 which is more than double. Government has also planned to set up 1500 more ITIs in PPP and 5000 Skill Development Centres in PPP to enhance the capacity further. 27 Advanced Training Institutes are also planned in PPP to produce adequate number of trainers in the country.
Focus Area in the 12th Five Year Plan
In the 12th Five Year Plan the thrust of the Government is in bringing about an inclusive growth strategy that will provide job opportunities as well as make the young of the country employable.
The main focus areas are:
a) Thrust on Manufacturing Sector-to make it the engine of employment growth-that would create 100 million additional jobs by 2025.
b) To bring in supportive policies to incentivise labour intensive manufacturing sectors such as textile & garments, leather & footwear, food processing, gems & Jewellery to generate more employment opportunities.
c) Expanding employment in services like IT, finance & banking, tourism, trade & transport.
d) Prioritizing skill training for the informal sector; creation of appropriate skill sets among rural migrants and urban poor to make growth inclusive.
e)Ensuring the employability of skilled persons by involving Sector Skill Councils in preparation of Skill Modules matching market demand.
f) Building on the potential of Modular Employable Skill programme by ensuring combination of modules to ensure employability.
g) Extending Social Security benefits to Unorganized sector Workers.
h) Enable skill loans for poor students (Credit Guarantee Fund)
i) Streamlining the skill development programs for disadvantaged sections to ensure much larger funding for skill development.
j) Setting up of National Skill Registry to link data bases across Ministries / States to provide a platform linking people who seek/provide employment.
Expenditure on social services which include education, sports, art and culture, medical and public health, family welfare, water supply and sanitation, housing, urban development; welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and other Backward Classes (OBCs), labour and labour welfare, social security and welfare, nutrition, relief for natural calamities, etc. by the Government (Centre and State combined) has also shown increase in recent years reflecting higher priority to social services.
National-e-Governance
National-e-Governance Plan has identified Upgradation and modernization Employment Exchanges as one of the Mission Mode Projects (MMP). The MMP aims to progressively support all Employment Exchanges in the country to make effective use of IT in various activities of employment services. A national web portal will be developed to make all employment related services available on a single window and will work like a virtual job market. This will help Employment Exchanges to provide efficient and quality services at wider scale and speed.
(PIB Features.)
Inputs from the Ministry of Labour & Employment.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/creating-employment-opportunities-for-youth/

Quality School Education

Dr. T. N. Giri,Regional Director, Chandigarh Regional Centre, NIOS The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), formerly known as the National Open School (NOS) was set up in 1979 as a pioneering project titled “Open School” under the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi. The Open School was amalgamated into National Open School (NOS) […]

Dr. T. N. Giri,Regional Director, Chandigarh Regional Centre, NIOS The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), formerly known as the National Open School (NOS) was set up in 1979 as a pioneering project titled “Open School” under the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi. The Open School was amalgamated into National Open School (NOS) which was set up in November, 1989. The National Open School (NOS) was rechristened as the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) by the Government of India in July 2002 in order to extend its scope and functioning. Vision To provide ‘sustainable inclusive learning with universal and flexible access to quality school education and skill development. Mission Providing relevant, continuing and holistic education to pre-degree level through Open and Distance Learning System. Contributing to the Universalization of School Education. Catering to the educational needs of the prioritized target groups for equity and social justice. It is an institute with a difference-it is an open school which encourages flexibility and freedom to learn. About nineteen lakh learners are on roll of NIOS pursuing their secondary, senior secondary and vocational educational courses. NIOS is one of the three National Boards and the only board imparting school education through Open and Distance Education. It has been vested with the authority to enroll, examine and certify learners up to pre-degree level. The Open Schooling courses of study of NIOS have the same standard and equivalence as the courses of study of other National/State level boards of school education. Learners have joined colleges and professional institutions after completing their studies from NIOS. NIOS offers its courses of study through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode of education popularly known as Open Schooling. NIOS develops its own curriculum, self learning material and media support programmes utilizing expertise of faculty from various academic and vocational education institutions/organizations. In the interest of learners, NIOS has introduced ‘On-line’ admission throughout the year (24×7) to facilitate their registration. Under this scheme, learners have the options to (a) register themselves On-line directly; (b) visit their nearest AI (study centre)/Facilitation Centre and take their help for On-line registration or (c) may visit their NIOS Regional Centre for On-line registration. NIOS offers 27 subjects (including 17 languages) at the secondary stage in eight mediums (Hindi, English, Urdu, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam and Oriya) and in 23 subjects (including six languages) at the Senior Secondary stage in three mediums (Hindi, English and Urdu). A cafeteria approach in the choice of subject is offered. No subject is compulsory except one language. Once can choose subjects according to his/her interest, need and vision of career path. Provision has also been made for the learners to opt for one vocational subject along with academic subjects. Learners have freedom to choose their subjects, pace and place of learning. NIOS has more direct link with its learners. The study material is now sent directly to each learner free of cost. He/She can now communicate directly with NIOS via the Learner Support Centre (LSC) for providing prompt and direct support. The study material developed by NIOS is in self-learning mode. The print material coupled with face-to-face Personal Contact Programme (PCP) at the Study Centres and Media Support Programmes (Audio-Video cassettes, Broadcast and Telecast of Programmes ) empower the learners of NIOS. A learner can also avail the facility of the Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) which helps in developing regular study habits and checking the progress of learning. The NIOS has also launched Website channel ‘Mukt Vidhya Vani’, webcasting daily live personal contact programmes for the benefit and exposure of the learners of NIOS. The facility is available at study centres (AIs/AVIs) as well as at all Regional Centres of NIOS. NIOS conducts two public examinations in one academic year i.e. in April-May and in October-November. There is a facility of accumulation of credits. A significant innovation introduced by NIOS in its examination system. It is the On Demand Examination System (ODES) which gives an opportunity to the learner to appear in examination in a subject as and when he/she feels ready for it. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/quality-school-education/

Sugar Decontrol

N.C. Joshi, Deputy Director(M&C), PIB, New Delhi In a landmark decision the union Government has abolished the levy sugar mechanism and regulated release mechanism to de-control Indian sugar industry while at the same time ensured that poor segments of the society continue to get sugar at existing subsidised prices by taking upon itself the entire […]

N.C. Joshi, Deputy Director(M&C), PIB, New Delhi
In a landmark decision the union Government has abolished the levy sugar mechanism and regulated release mechanism to de-control Indian sugar industry while at the same time ensured that poor segments of the society continue to get sugar at existing subsidised prices by taking upon itself the entire financial burden of distributing sugar through ration shops. A notification in this regard has been issued on May 7, 2013.
By this landmark decision the Government has ensured that the interests of all segments of the sugar economy be it industries, farmers, consumers and poor section of society are safeguarded.
For industries, the measure will give them freedom to sell their produce without any restriction and improve their liquidity position, a improved liquidity will ensure that millions of sugarcane farmers in India will now not have to wait for their due price from sugar millers, while for consumers it means sugar availability will increase in the market by as much as 10 per cent per year.
The Government has decided to reimburse the state governments for purchasing and selling sugar through PDS below the market rate for which it will bear upon itself an additional burden of around Rs 3,100 crore.
The issue of de-controlling of sugar industry was engaging the attention of the Government for a very long time.
There were representations from sugarcane farmers’ associations as well as sugar mills, the major stakeholders of the sugar industry, that a price sharing formula for sugarcane was long overdue.
The Government, too, thought about bringing a level playing field where the interests of the consumers on the one hand and the development of sugar industry on the other hand can be ensured.
The demand for decontrol of sugar has stemmed from cyclic nature of sugar production in the country, which puts the sugar industry at a disadvantage in that they are not able to find it a viable business option finally affecting sugarcane farmers. Starting from a normal year when there are no major cane price arrears, the farmers tend to plant larger area under sugarcane. This leads to increase in sugarcane production with the consequent increase in sugar production which in turn leads to excess stocks resulting in depressed sugar prices and building up of cane price arrears. As a result of lower returns, the farmers tend to take lesser care of the cane and area under sugarcane gets reduced in the subsequent years. The years of reduced production of sugarcane also witness higher diversion of cane for gur making, a significant part of which also finds its way into the liquor industry in the unorganised sector as a substitute for molasses which itself would be in short supply. The lower production of sugarcane and higher diversion combine to produce still lower availability of cane for crushing in sugar mills which results in disproportionately low sugar production.
As a result, the sugar prices rise, the mills get higher returns, the arrears position is taken care of and the farmers get a good price and are encouraged to plant more and the area under sugarcane starts rising again. In two to three years time, this leads to another year of peak production and the cycle starts all over again.
The Central Government was confident of taking the burden arising out decontrol of sugar as the country could achieve sugar production of 263.50 lac metric tonnes during the 2011-12 (October-September) sugar season which was 20 lac tonnes more than the sugar production of 243.50 lac tonnes during the 2010-11 sugar season. While the seasonal variation in sugar production had also started to smoothen in the last 3-4 years, the market price of sugar had remained within reasonable levels all throughout 2012-13 sugar season.
The Rangarajan Committee appointed by the Government to look into the whole gamut of sugar decontrol had observed that levy amounts to a cross subsidy between open market and PDS sugar and, it is not in the interest of general consumer or development of sugar sector and recommended that levy sugar be dispensed with.
So, two crucial issues emanating from the Rangarajan Committee’s report came up before the Government for a decision. These were, one, whether sugar is to be continued as an item under the PDS; and, two, if sugar is to be continued as an item under the PDS, does the current levy obligation on sugar mills need to be continued with or the PDS supplies are to be met through open market procurement.
The options that were available before the Government were quite complex in that it had not only to take the State Governments along, but to look into other critical issues such as increase in procurement cost, problems relating to market distortions including delayed payments for cane price, the subsidy burden, etc.
It was felt that removal of sugar in the PDS could not be acceptable. The major decision to take was that if sugar was to be continued as an item under the PDS, who would bear the extra burden for keeping the delivery at Rs. 13.50 per kg? The extra burden in terms of increase in subsidy owing to decontrol of sugar will be around Rs. 3100 crore excluding distribution cost involved.
At present open market price of sugar hovers around Rs. 32 per per kg., while in respect of retail price through PDS, it is Rs. 13.5 per kg, which has not been revised since 2002. The Government is able to provide sugar at Rs.13.5 per kg by absorbing the subsidy involved in each kg at Rs.6 per kg after buying it from sugar mills at levy price fixed by the Government at Rs. 19.05 per kg.
At present, the total expenditure being incurred by the Government in terms of subsidy for supply of 27 lakh tonnes of sugar under PDS comes to Rs. 2556 crore. With decontrol of sugar, the additional burden would mean absorbing the increase in subsidy component to the tune of Rs. 13 per kg, currently being borne by the individual sugar mills, i.e. the difference between the ex-mill price of Rs. 32 and the levy price fixed on them for the current year, which is Rs. 19.5. The total additional subsidy burden works out to Rs. 3100 crores excluding distribution cost.
The Central Government had decided to take the responsibility of the additional burden in terms of subsidy increase upon itself.
The decision of the Government to partially decontrol sugar has not affected the sugar price in open market also, as there is enough sugar in the country with this year’s production expected to be around 24.5 million tonnes as against a requirement of 22.2 million tonnes.
Now the States will also be free to purchase sugar through a transparent system at the current ex-factory price of Rs. 32 per kg which has been capped for two years.
The Government had ensured that this important decision on partial decontrol of sugar takes care of the interests of sugarcane farmers while also ensuring that the interests of the common man and development of sugar sector. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/sugar-decontrol/

‘Steel’ Vision

M.V.S. Prasad, Joint Director, PIB, Chennai At the time of Independence in 1947, India had only three steel plants – the Tata Iron & Steel Company (Jamshedpur), the Indian Iron and Steel Company (Burnpur) and Visveswaraya Iron & Steel Ltd (Bhadravathi), besides a few electric arc furnace-based plants. The period till 1947 thus witnessed a […]

M.V.S. Prasad, Joint Director, PIB, Chennai
At the time of Independence in 1947, India had only three steel plants – the Tata Iron & Steel Company (Jamshedpur), the Indian Iron and Steel Company (Burnpur) and Visveswaraya Iron & Steel Ltd (Bhadravathi), besides a few electric arc furnace-based plants. The period till 1947 thus witnessed a small but viable steel industry in the country, which operated with a capacity of about one million tonne and was completely in the private sector.
From the fledgling one million tonne capacity status at the time of Independence, India has now risen to be the 4th largest crude steel producer in the world and the largest producer of sponge iron. The Indian steel industry is now globally acknowledged for its product quality. During the first three Five-Year Plans (1952-1970), in line with the economic order of the day, iron and steel industry was earmarked for state control. From the mid-50s to the early 1970s, the Government set up large integrated steel plants in the public sector at Bhilai, Durgapur, Rourkela and Bokaro. The policy regime governing the industry during these years involved licensing of capacity, dual-pricing system and control of imports and exports.
Globalisation Benefits Industry
The large-scale capacity creation in the public sector during these years contributed to making India the 10th largest steel producer in the world. Crude steel production grew markedly to nearly 15 million tonnes in the span of a decade. Economic slowdown adversely affected the pace of growth of the steel industry. However, this phase was reversed in 1991-92 with the advent of globalization and opening up of our economy. Control regime was replaced by liberalisation and deregulation. The provisions of the New Economic Policy initiated in the early 1990’s impacted the Indian steel industry in many ways.
Large-scale capacities were removed from the list of industries reserved for the public sector. The licensing requirement for additional capacities was also withdrawn subject to locational restrictions. Private sector came to play a prominent role in the overall set-up. Pricing and distribution control mechanisms were discontinued. Iron and steel industry was included in the high priority list for foreign investment, implying automatic approval for foreign equity participation up to 50%. Freight equalisation scheme was replaced by a system of freight ceiling. While export restrictions were withdrawn, quantitative import restrictions were largely removed.
The system, thereafter, underwent rapid changes. For steel makers, opening up of the economy opened up new channels of procuring their inputs at competitive rates from overseas markets and also new markets for their products. It also led to greater access to information on global operations/techniques in manufacturing. This, along with the pressures of a competitive global market, increased the need to enhance efficiency levels so as to become internationally competitive. The consumer, on the other hand, was now able to choose items from an array of goods, be it indigenously manufactured or imported. This freedom to choose established the sovereignty of the consumer and galvanised steel producers to provide products/service levels in tune with the needs of the consumers.
Slow-down & Turnaround
Large integrated steel plants were set up in the Private Sector while the already existing plants expanded their capacity. This has resulted in the emergence of private sector with the creation of around 9 million tonnes of steel capacity based on state-of-the-art technology. Tariff barriers were either reduced or dismantled while partial float of the rupee on trade account, access to best-practice of global technologies and consequent reduction in costs – all these enhanced the international competitiveness of Indian steel in the world export market.
After 1996-97, the Indian steel industry’s pace of growth slowed down with the steady decline in the domestic economy’s growth rate. Production, consumption and, exports fell below average. Indian steel was also subjected to anti-dumping/ safeguard duties as most developed economies invoked non-tariff barriers. Economic devastation caused by the slowdown of the global economy, Asian financial crisis and the impact of glut created by additional supplies from the newly steel-surplus countries pulled down growth levels.
However, from the year 2002, the global industry turned around. The situation was no different for the Indian steel industry, which by now had acquired a degree of maturity, with emphasis on intensive R&D activities, adoption of measures to increase domestic per capita steel consumption and other market development projects, import substitution measures and thrust on export promotion.
National Steel Policy
The rapid pace of growth of the industry and market trends called for certain guidelines and framework. Thus was born the concept of the National Steel Policy, with the aim to provide a roadmap of growth and development for the Indian steel industry.
The National Steel Policy (NSP) was announced in November 2005 as a basic blueprint for the growth of a self-reliant and globally competitive steel sector. The long-term objective of this policy is to ensure that India has a modern and efficient steel industry of world standards, catering to diversified steel demand. The focus of the policy was to attain levels of global competitiveness in terms of global benchmarks of efficiency and productivity.
The policy sought to facilitate removal of procedural and policy, increased investment in research and development, and creation of road, railway and port infrastructure. It also focused on the domestic sector, but also envisaged a steel industry growing faster than domestic consumption, to enable export opportunities to be realised.
Sponge & Pig Iron
India is also a leading producer of sponge iron with a host of coal based units, located in the mineral-rich states of the country. Over the years, the coal based route has emerged as a key contributor and accounted for 75 per cent of total sponge iron production in the country. India is also an important producer of pig iron. Post-liberalisation, with setting up several units in the private sector, not only imports have drastically reduced but also India has turned out to be a net exporter of pig iron. The private sector accounted for 91 per cent of total production for sale of pig iron in the country in 2011-12.
Besides achieving the rank of the 4th largest global crude steel producer in 2012, India has also made a mark globally in the production of sponge iron/direct reduced iron (DRI). Thanks to mushrooming growth of coal-based sponge iron units, domestic production of sponge iron increased rapidly, enabling the country to achieve and maintain the number one position in the global market. With a series of mega projects and the domestic economy carrying forward the reform process further, the future of Indian steel industry is definitely optimistic. A new ‘Steel Vision’ for the next 20 years is also under finalization. (PIB Features.) With inputs from the Ministry of Steel.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/steel-vision/

Year 2013, Water Conservation Year

Water is a natural resource, fundamental to life, livelihood, food security and sustainable development. It is also a scarce resource. India has more than 18 percent of the world’s population, but has only 4 percent of world’s renewable water resources with 2.4 percent of world’s land area. There are further limits on utilizable quantities of […]

Water is a natural resource, fundamental to life, livelihood, food security and sustainable development. It is also a scarce resource. India has more than 18 percent of the world’s population, but has only 4 percent of world’s renewable water resources with 2.4 percent of world’s land area. There are further limits on utilizable quantities of water owing to uneven distribution over time, as 75 percent of annual rainfall is received in just four months. Also region wise it varies from 10 cm rainfall in Rajasthan to 1000 cm in North Eastern Region. In addition, there are challenges of frequent floods and droughts in one or the other part of the country. With a growing population and rising needs of a fast developing nation as well as the given indicators of the impact of climate change, per capita availability of water is likely to go down from 1545 cubic metre/yr, in 2011 to 1341 cubic metre/yr, in 2025. The increasing demand of water for various purposes will further strain with the possibility of deepening water conflicts among different user groups as drinking water need is going to rise by 44 percent, irrigation need by 10 percent, industry need by 81 percent respectively by 2025.
In view of this, the Ministry of Water Resources prepared the National Water Policy (2012), which was adopted by the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister on Dec. 28, 2012. This takes cognizance of the existing situation and proposed a framework for creation of a system of laws and institutions and a plan of action with a unified national perspective. The major concern is of the increasing demand which is leading to growing water stress and causing conflicts among citizens / societies as a result of over usage or diversion of water and due to competition amongst different users. Hence, there is a need for greater awareness on water conservation for optimal usage of the existing resources.
Water Conservation is also the key objective of the National Water Mission which is one of the eight National Missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change. This envisages conservation, minimizing wastage and ensuring more equitable distribution of water resources both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management.
The effective water resources management must be underpinned by knowledge and understanding of the availability of the resource itself, the uses to which water is put and the challenges facing the users of water at all levels of stake holders. This can be done by creating mass awareness on the measures that can be taken to address the challenges affecting every living being.
Implementation
A number of mass awareness activities will be undertaken during Water Conservation Year – 2013 with emphasis on sensitizing the masses on water related issues, encourage them to conserve and use it judiciously.
The policies and programmes of the Ministry of Water Resources will be propagated to create a sustainable society and economy.
An effective and sustained mass awareness programme will be launched with the involvement of all stakeholders to achieve the objectives identified in the National Water Policy, 2012 and National Water Mission.
The multi-dimensional awareness programme will help in development of self-consciousness of the individuals as well as the masses on the issue of water conservation and its judicious use. The activities will be undertaken in all parts of the country so as to touch each and every corner of the country.
As an impact of the above the people will become conscious of the importance of the limited natural resources of water, the ways and means to use water judiciously and addressing the local water related problems, thereby contributing to the sustainable use of water resources through collective responsibility. Each and every individual of this country, be it households, farmers, industrialists, children etc. will be the beneficiary.
List of major activities proposed to be undertaken during Water Conservation Year 2013
1. Painting Competition for children, on water conservation issues
2. Organisation of marathon in States/UTs across the country.
3.Electronic Media Campaign through TV, Radio, Digital Cinema.
4.Print Media Campaign through newspapers, magazines, journals.
5.Participation in Fairs/Exhibitions like ‘India International Trade Fair’ at Pragati Maidan.
6.Organisation of Workshops/Seminars/Conferences on water related issues.
7.Organisation of India Water Week – an international conference cum exhibition
8.Special awareness campaigns in Tribal areas
9.Printing and distribution of awareness publicity material
10.Events for School/college students like essay, quiz competitions
11.Awareness through mass media transport vehicles like Delhi metro, bus back panels, bus shelters.
12.Outdoor publicity through hoardings/banners on water conservation at prominent public places.
13.Visits of School/college children and other stakeholders to project sites for educating them and creating awareness about benefits of programmes/schemes of the Ministry.
14Traditional Media Campaigns like nukkad nataks, jal yatras.
15Preparation and exhibition of short films on water conservation
16 Mass awareness programmes for Industry/Farmers/RWAs and other groups.
17.Organisation of National Congress on Ground Water.
Declaration of the Year 2013 as “Water Conservation Year-2013”
Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 9.5.2013 has given its approval for declaring the year 2013 as “Water
Conservation Year-2013”.
(PIB Features.)
Inputs from the Ministry of Water Resources.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/year-2013-water-conservation-year/

Fourth Spices Park in Guna

M. Jacob Abraham ,Deputy Director, PIB, Thiruvananthapuram. The new spices park set up by Spices Board was commissioned in Guna, Madhya Pradesh. The new park is expected to make a clear impact on the production and processing of seed spices in nearby 11 districts covering the States of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Union Minister […]

M. Jacob Abraham ,Deputy Director, PIB, Thiruvananthapuram.
The new spices park set up by Spices Board was commissioned in Guna, Madhya Pradesh. The new park is expected to make a clear impact on the production and processing of seed spices in nearby 11 districts covering the States of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Union Minister of State for Power, Sri Jyotiraditya M Scinida inaugurated the park on March 16, 2013, set up in the village of Mavan in Guna which will cater to thousands of seed spices farmers in the districts of Guna, Ashok Nagar, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Rajgarh, Neemuch, Shivapuri, Morena, Sheopur in the State of Madhya Pradesh and Jhalawar and Baran districts of Rajasthan.
The Guna Park with an investment of Rs. 45 crore is the fourth in the series of Spices Parks set up by Spices Board in various spice growing regions in the country. Spice Board of India has taken steps to establish spices parks at seven locations in the country to provide scientific infrastructure facilities in order to empower the growers of spices and ensure better price realization. Three of such parks are already functioning in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, Puttady, Kerala and Jodhpur Rajasthan. The park is expected to bring in prosperity to Guna and the nearby hundreds of villages where seed spices are grown.
The Spices Park at Guna will ensure that the benefit generating from the park is well distributed among the farmers, processors and other end users as well. There will be backward linkage connecting the processing centre with the farmers to strenghten the total value chain. The farmers after harvesting their raw produce can either store at the park for a very affordable rent or they can sell the produce directly to the spice processors located within the park. The middlemen will have minimum involvement ultimately benefiting farmers in the form of fair price realization. The processors will be assured of supply of good quality raw produce for further processing and value addition.
Thus the park will provide a valuable link with the farmers and will encourage them to increase area under cultivation as well as to strive more for achieving higher productivity.
The common infrastructure facilities include networks of wide roads, uninterrupted power and water, sewerage and drainage network, fire fighting system, weighing bridge, truck terminal, park administrative office, guest house, restaurant, meeting hall, bank counter besides ample opportunities and space for warehousing. Processing facilities include fill line processing for seed spices.
The projects on Spices park are primarily intended to benefit the growing community through quality improvement, grading, packing, warehousing, etc for value addition which would lead to better price realization of their produce. The exporters can also set up their unit in the Parks for processing spices under the terms and conditions of the Board.
The Spices Parks are defined as industrial parks for processing and value addition of spices and spice products which offers the processing facilities at par with international standards.
The regional crop specific spices park is a well-conceived approach to have an integrated operation for cultivation, post harvesting, processing for value addition, packaging, storage and exports of spices and spice products by meeting the quality specifications of the consuming countries.
The basic objective of the concept is to provide common infrastructure facilities for both post harvest and processing operations of spices and spice products, which also aims at backward integration by providing rural employment. All the Spices Parks will have processing facilities at par with international standards in which the products undergo cleaning, grading, sorting, grinding, packing, warehousing etc. Apart from the above facilities, the Board will develop the common infrastructure facilities like roads, water supply system, power stations, fire fighting and control systems, weighing bridges, effluent treatment plants, quality lab for checking basic parameters, bank and post office counters, restaurant, business centres, guest house etc.
Establishment of spices park in the country is a major initiative of the Government as part of its commitment that any growth in the country should be more of agriculture-specific and pro-farmers. The spices park will ensure a better pricing for the products by shortening the channels in the supply chain system currently followed locally. The facilities available in the spices park can be utilized by the farming community for primary processing for improving the quality of their product and thereby they can directly sell to the exporters. Spices park will help render educative services to the farming and trading community. It provides training programmes on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), post harvesting operations, advanced processing practices and global food safety and quality standards and issues etc.
(PIB Features.)
With inputs from Spices Board, Kochi, under Ministry of Commerce.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/fourth-spices-park-in-guna/

Antyodaya Anna Yojana

M.V.S Prasad, Joint Director, PIB, Chennai. In order to make TPDS more focused and targeted towards the poorest of the poor category of the population, the “Antyodaya Anna Yojana” (AAY) was launched in December 2000. AAY contemplates identification of poorest of the poor families from amongst the number of BPL families covered under TPDS within […]

M.V.S Prasad, Joint Director, PIB, Chennai.
In order to make TPDS more focused and targeted towards the poorest of the poor category of the population, the “Antyodaya Anna Yojana” (AAY) was launched in December 2000. AAY contemplates identification of poorest of the poor families from amongst the number of BPL families covered under TPDS within the states and providing them foodgrains at a highly subsidized rate of Rs.2 per kg for wheat and Rs.3 per kg for rice. The States/UTs are required to bear the distribution cost, including margin to dealers and retailers as well as the transportation cost. Thus the entire food subsidy is being passed on to the consumers under the scheme. The identification of the Antyodaya families and issuing of distinctive Ration Cards to these families is the responsibility of the concerned State Governments. Allocation of foodgrains under the scheme is being released to the States/UTs on the basis of issue of distinctive AAY Ration Cards to the identified Antyodaya families. The present monthly allocation of foodgrains under AAY is around 8.51 lakh tones per month as on 31.12.2012.
The scale of issue that was initially 25 kg per family per month has been increased to 35 kg per family per month with effect from 1st April 2002. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) was launched for one crore families to be identified from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. Coverage under this scheme has been expanded thrice since then i.e. during 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 covering additional 50 lakh households each time. Thus the total coverage under AAY was raised to 2.50 crores AAY families (i.e.38% of BPL)
Detailed guidelines were issued to the States/UTs for identification of the Antyodaya families under the AAY and additional Antyodaya families under the expanded AAY. In order to identify the households criteria adopted:- Landless agriculture labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans/craftsmen, such as potters, tanners, weavers, blacksmiths, carpenters, slum dwellers and persons earning their livelihood on daily basis in the informal sector like porters, coolies, rickshaw pullers, hand cart pullers, fruit and flower sellers, snake charmers, rag pickers, cobblers, destitute and other similar categories in both rural and urban areas.
Households headed by widows or terminally ill persons/disabled persons/persons aged 60 years or more with no assured means of subsistence or societal support. Widows or terminally ill persons or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years or more or single women or single men with no family or societal support or assured means of subsistence. All primitive tribal households. The above guidelines have further been amended vide letter dated 3rd June, 2009 to include all eligible BPL, families of HIV positive persons in the AAY list of on priority. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/antyodaya-anna-yojana/

Aside: A Scheme for Creating Industrial Infrastructure

  Amit Guin Karnataka ranks top in the field of flower farming in India with over 18,000 hectares of land under cultivation. The state accounts for 75 per cent share in India’s total flower production and has the highest area under modern cut flowers. In the past, the cut flowers were transacted through the process […]

 

Amit Guin
Karnataka ranks top in the field of flower farming in India with over 18,000 hectares of land under cultivation. The state accounts for 75 per cent share in India’s total flower production and has the highest area under modern cut flowers. In the past, the cut flowers were transacted through the process of auction. As a result, the number of transactions per day was meagre. Therefore the need of a modern auctioning system to facilitate flower exports was deeply felt.
The International Flower Auction Yard in Bangalore, which is a joint venture between Karnataka Agro Industries Corporation and the flower growers of the state, was helped by the Department of Commerce with a financial assistance aid to maximise the transactions. The aid also paved the way towards the creation of a hygienic platform for both sellers and buyers so that the farmers get the maximum price in export of flowers. The financial assistance of Rupees Three Crore, which proved to a game changer for the flower growers of the state, was provided under the Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development and Exports Scheme (ASIDE) of the Department of Commerce of the Government of India. The monetary help facilitated in the completion of the project of replacement of the traditional auctioning system.
Now, with the support under the ASIDE Scheme, the modern electronic auction clock system helps the bidders in reducing time loss and maintaining transparency. Along with this, with the implementation of the new system, the local flower growers were able to facilitate 800-1000 transactions per day as against 400-500 transactions in the past when the manual system was in action. The new system was an evidence of the quick auctioning system, with very large number of small lots being auctioned through quick price discovery.
The ASIDE Scheme has, apart to the Karnataka flower growers, proved to be very efficacious and beneficiary for exports country-wide. Launched in 2002, this Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) is aimed at involving States / Union Territories in export effort by providing assistance to them for creating appropriate infrastructure for development and growth of exports. The scheme provides for an outlay for development of export infrastructure to be distributed to the States / UTs according to a pre-defined criterion.
Such activities which have overwhelming export content were funded through the Scheme, with the sole motto of the development of infrastructure for exports. The Scheme is exclusively used for building up infrastructure which does not get reflected either in the State / UT plan or in the plans of the Central Ministries or its organisation(s), yet such infrastructure is critical for growth of exports.
Till now, an amount of about Rs.5700 Crores has been released under the Central and State components of ASIDE Scheme for creation of the necessary infrastructure in States / UTs to boost exports. The Scheme has given shape to some of the most important infrastructure facilities in various States/UTs.
One such infrastructural development is the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre in Guwahati, Assam. With the growth in business and trade volumes in the North East region, along with the necessity for global competitiveness, the need for a Trade Centre to facilitate organisation of trade fairs and exhibitions and invite wider participation was being felt in the North East region. To address this issue, the Assam Trade Promotion Organization, a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Government of Assam made a proposal for assistance of Rs.28.38 Crore under the ASIDE Scheme for the construction of Maniram Dewan Trade Centre. The Centre started its operations in March 2009. It has three air conditioned exhibition halls and conference rooms, meeting rooms, amphitheatre, with all modern incidental facilities.
With the construction of the Trade Centre, the impact on export can be assessed from the increase in occupancy rate from 8.20 per cent in 2009 to 53.44 per cent in 2011. The Centre attracted visitors/delegates from various South East Asian countries. The Centre is serving as a platform for entrepreneurs of the region to display their products in national and international trade fairs.
Take for instance the additional infrastructure facilities built at the Calicut Air Cargo Complex under the ASIDE Scheme. Earlier, the export operations in Calicut Airport were transacted from within the airport itself. The lack of export processing area and space requirement for offices for customs, airlines, plant quarantine and exporters among others, was causing delays in transport of export goods which resulted in loss in quality and competitiveness of goods. To overcome the problems faced by exporters, the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Ltd.

(KSIE) submitted a project report for constructions of “IInd Phase Construction of Additional Infrastructural Facilities at Calicut Air Cargo Complex, Karipur” at the total cost of Rs.3.10 crore, with financial assistance of Rs.15.5. crore under the ASIDE Scheme.
The project involved construction of buildings, electrification & air-conditioning, fire detection, fire fighting equipments & security system, machinery & equipment, computerisation and communication systems. With the completion of the project, the dwelling time of the cargo was reduced by its speedy clearance by new X-ray machine. Apart from it, the creation of additional space and other infrastructural facilities also helped the exporters to protect their commodities from direct sunlight and rain. It is to be noted that when the project was partially commissioned during 2008-09, the quantity of exports increased by 50 per cent. But presently the export volume is 225 per cent more than what it was in 2007- 08. It has given big boost to the agricultural exports from Malabar region through the Calicut airport.
The Institute of Auto parts & Hand Tools Technology in Ludhiana lacked the R&D facilities for quality improvement of products of Small and Medium Enterprises of the place to match export standards elsewhere. The Department of Commerce helped in strengthening the Institute for installation of facilities for reverse engineering, non-destructive testing and advanced heat treatment processing with 100 per cent finance of the project cost of Rs.5.18 crore under the ASIDE Scheme. With the financial assistance, the exports in this sector have gone up from Rs. 6000 crore in 2005-06 to Rs.9500 crore in 2008-09, with the share of Punjab being 30-35 per cent. It has also eased component sourcing & import substitutability and ensured availability of advanced technical infrastructure to manufacturers and exporters locally. It has also resulted in precision manufacturing of product development for global markets. Besides all these, the project has been successful in creation of skilled manpower base for various industries and employment generation through training programs & skills upgradation.
The financial aid under the ASIDE Scheme hence proved to be a major booster dose for the exporters in building infrastructural facilities. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/aside-a-scheme-for-creating-industrial-infrastructure/

48,338 child rape cases from 2001 to 2011

Asian Centre for Human Rights in its report, “India’s Hell Holes: Child Sexual Assault in Juvenile Justice Homes” (http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/IndiasHellHoles2013.pdf) stated that sexual offences against children in India have reached an epidemic proportion and a large number of them are being committed in the juvenile justice homes run and aided by the Government of India. The […]

Asian Centre for Human Rights in its report, “India’s Hell Holes: Child Sexual Assault in Juvenile Justice Homes” (http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/IndiasHellHoles2013.pdf) stated that sexual offences against children in India have reached an epidemic proportion and a large number of them are being committed in the juvenile justice homes run and aided by the Government of India. The report has been submitted in advance to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Ms Rashida Manjoo who is conducting an official visit to India from 22 April to 1 May 2013 while ACHR is scheduled to meet the Rapporteur on 23 April 2013.
The 56-page report, citing National Crimes Record Bureau statistics, stated that a total of 48,338 child rape cases was recorded from 2001 to 2011 and India saw an increase of 336% of child rape cases from 2001 (2,113 cases) to 2011 (7,112 cases). These are only the tip of the iceberg as the large majority of child rape cases are not reported to the police while children regularly become victims of other forms of sexual assault too.
Among the states, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of child rape cases with 9,465 cases from 2011 to 2011; followed by Maharashtra with 6,868 cases; Uttar Pradesh with 5,949 cases; Andhra Pradesh with 3,977 cases; Chhattisgarh with 3,688 cases; Delhi with 2,909 cases; Rajasthan with 2,776 cases; Kerala with 2,101 cases; Tamil Nadu with 1,486 cases; Haryana with 1,081 cases; Punjab with 1,068 cases; Gujarat with 999 cases; West Bengal with 744 cases; Odisha with 736 cases; Karnataka with 719 cases; Himachal Pradesh with 571 cases; Bihar with 519 cases; Tripura with 457 cases; Meghalaya with 452 cases; Assam with 316 cases; Jharkhand with 218 cases; Mizoram with 217 cases; Goa with 194 cases; Uttarakhand with 152 cases; Chandigarh with 135 cases; Sikkim with 113 cases; Manipur with 98 cases; Arunachal Pradesh with 93 cases; Jammu and Kashmir with 69 cases; Andanam and Nicobar Island with 65 cases; Puducherry with 41 cases; Nagaland with 38 cases; Dadra and Nagar Haveli with 15 cases; and Daman and Diu with 9 cases.
Many of the child rape cases take place in juvenile justice homes established under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and by the end of financial year 2011-2012, about 733 juvenile justice homes were fully supported by the Government of India under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
“It will not be an understatement to state that juvenile justice homes, established to provide care and protection as well as re-integration, rehabilitation and restoration of the juveniles in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection, have become India’s hell holes where inmates are subjected to sexual assault and exploitation, torture and ill treatment apart from being forced to live in inhuman conditions. The girls remain the most vulnerable. It matters little whether the juvenile justice homes are situated in the capital Delhi or in the mofussil towns.” – stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.
The 56-page report also highlights 39 emblematic cases of systematic and often repeated sexual assault on children in juvenile justice homes. Out of the 39 cases, 11 cases were reported from government-run juvenile justice homes such as observation homes, children homes, shelter homes and orphanages, while in one case a CWC member was accused of sexual harassment during counseling sessions. The remaining 27 cases were reported from privately/NGO run juvenile justice homes such as shelter homes, orphanages, children homes, destitute homes, etc. Majority of privately/NGO run homes are not registered under Section 34(3) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act (as amended in 2006).
In the case of government-run juvenile justice homes, the perpetrators were staffs including the caretakers, security guards, cooks and other Class IV employees, and the senior inmates. In two cases, the sexual abuses were committed by the senior inmates in collusion with the staff.
With respect to the privately/NGO-run juvenile justice homes, the perpetrators include managers/ directors / owners/founders and their relatives and friends, staff members such as caretakers, wardens, cooks, drivers, security guards, gatekeepers, senior inmates and outsiders including security forces. Out of the 27 cases in privately/NGO-run homes, inmates were responsible for the offences in five cases and out of these, in one case offence was committed in collusion with the staff.
“In most cases, sexual assault in the juvenile justice homes continues for a long period as the victims are not able to protest and suffer silently in the absence of any inspection by the authorities under the JJ(C&PC) Act. While authorities of the juvenile justice homes are the main predators, the absence of separate facilities, in many cases for boys and girls, and in most cases as per age i.e. for boys and girls up to 12 years, 13-15 years and 16 years and above as provided under Rule 40 of the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Rules 2007 facilitates sexual assaults on the minor inmates by the senior inmates.” – further stated Mr Chakma.
Asian Centre for Human Rights blamed the Government of India i.e. the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the State Governments for the continuing sexual assault on children in the juvenile justice homes. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights and the Child Welfare
48,338 child rape cases from 2001 to 2011
Committees intervene only after crimes are reported but there are no preventive mechanisms or regular inspections.
The report highlighted four major failures for the continuing sexual assaults in the government run and aided or unregistered juvenile homes.
First, most State governments have not formed Inspection Committees which are mandated to inspect the juvenile justice homes and report at least once in every three months. Though the Ministry of Women and Child Development while approving projects for all the States and Union Territories under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme since 2010, it never raised the issue of Inspection Committees with the Governments of Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland despite having yearly meetings for the last three years. In fact, no separate budgetary allocation has been made under ICPS for the functioning of the Inspection Committees. There is a conscious effort on the part of the Ministry to avoid the issue of the Inspection Committees.
Second, there are hundreds of unregistered child care homes across the country despite the requirement to register the same within six months under JJ(C& PC) Act, 2006. Inspection is seldom carried out in these unregistered homes and children remain extremely vulnerable to sexual abuse in these homes. The Ministry of Women and Child Development had raised the issue of non-registration of children’s home with Jharkhand on 21 January 2013, Odisha on 9 November 2012, Arunachal Pradesh on 29 August 2012, Haryana on 29 August 2012, Rajasthan on 29 August 2012, Andhra Pradesh on 11 July 2012, Assam on 11 July 2012, Mizoram on 15 March 2012, Karnataka on 28 June 2012 and Kerala 17 January 2012, among others, but unregistered children’s homes exists across the country. In many cases funds are given by the State Governments even if institutions are notregistered under the JJ(C& PC) Act.
There is no punitive provision per se for non-registration of the institutions but Section 23 of the JJ(C&PC) Act allows the authorities to take action against willful neglect, mental or physical suffering of children but little action is taken.
Third, though there are 462 District Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) in 23 States mandated to verify fit institutions, majority of them exist only on paper. The State Government of Karnataka in October 2010 put the conditions that “members of the CWCs cannot visit child care institutions, when they are not holding a sitting, without prior permission of the heads of these institutions”, thereby prohibiting random and surprise inspections.
Fourth, though Rule 40 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules 2007 provides for separate facilities between for boys and girls as well as according to age i.e. for boys and girls up to 12 years, 13-15 years and 16 years and above, this provision has not been complied with. The lack of segregation on the basis of gender, nature of offences and age facilitates senior inmates to commit the offences against minor inmates including girls.
Asian Centre for Human Rights stated that the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) will not address the menace of child sexual abuse unless the Government of India creates a Special Fund under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme to provide financial assistance for prosecution of the offenders under the POCSO.
Asian Centre for Human Rights also, among others, recommended immediate establishment of the Inspection Committees in all the districts and mandatory inspection of the juvenile justice homes by the Inspection Committees in every three months; stopping funds to any home unless inspection reports are submitted; separate budgetary allocations for the functioning of the Inspection Committees, ban on posting of male staff in girls’ homes, separation of residential facilities based on the nature of offences, gender and age, completion of inspection of all unregistered homes within six months and registration of cases against the authorities of the unregistered juvenile justice homes.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/48338-child-rape-cases-from-2001-to-2011/

Meitei culture and its impact on women

Dr. M. Tineshowri Devi Assistant Professor Department of Social Work Assam University, Silchar moirangi@yahoo.com Introduction The concept of Culture is developed by beliefs, faith, practices, customs, way to live, language, food habits, etc. The Cultural growth gave identity to the societies. Through the generation it has been noted that women are the one who carry […]

Dr. M. Tineshowri Devi
Assistant Professor
Department of Social Work Assam University, Silchar
moirangi@yahoo.com
Introduction
The concept of Culture is developed by beliefs, faith, practices, customs, way to live, language, food habits, etc. The Cultural growth gave identity to the societies. Through the generation it has been noted that women are the one who carry the culture to generation to generation at different forms and at different level. Women of Manipur has come under the influences of cultures at various times and contributed to the growth of civilization. Women in Manipur seem to enjoy greater mobility and visibility than women of other communities in the country. According to census 2011, the sex ratio of Manipur is 987 against all India with 940. Looking at the literacy rate women of Manipur is much higher with 59.70 than the national level 54.28. Thus, it is often cited to portray a picture of equity between men and women in the region and has given rise to the presumption that discrimination against women is not a major concern in the area however, the region under the shadow of conflicts has witnessed a resurgence of patriarchal values, norms which have brought after the Hinduism that affect the Meitei people at large but the impact on women and girls is far greater because of their sex and status in society.Meitei Women of Manipur in Pre-Hindu period
Manipur presents a unique cultural, ethnic, linguistics and religious profile of India. Before the advent of Hinduism following the event of oath taking known as Nongkhrang Iruppa in 1724 A.D during the reign of King Pamheiba, the Meiteis professed their traditional Sanamahi religion. While the Sanamahi, (the traditional God) trait prevailed over majority of the people in the valley of Manipur particularly among the Meitei.
Looking at the conditions of Meitei women in Manipur, there was a reflection of high status seen among women in pre-Hindu period. During the pre-Hindu period, though the patriarchal concept was there, women status was equally better with counterpart men. In 1715, during the Garib Niwaz (Pamheiba), in Manipur there used to have four kinds of court over and above the king court (Kuchu) which is the highest. The courts were: (i) Courts concerning religious matters, (ii) Court concerning secular matters, (iii) Court for females, (iv) Military courts. (Singh, 1978).Women had their own courtship (no.iii) where the women related issues and family matters were resolved at the Maharani court. Only women who are in courtship took the decisions, if in case, they could not solve the matter then only the matter was being referred to King.
In pre-Hindu period society, women played a major role in religion. This role is evident from the dominance of women in the goddess cult and in ‘Umang Lai Haraona’, umang ‘forest’ lai ‘diety’ haraoba ‘to please’ (a festival for worshipping Pre-Hindu deities). In this role of priestess is considered much more important than that of the priest (Parrot, 1980). It was also seen that not only were women who believed to have the power to communicate with spirits and supernatural beings, but women were so central that when a priest performed the rituals of Lai Haraoba the priest usually dressed himself as a priestess. The concept of purity and impurity was not seen much before. So women perform all the deities’ duties.
In earlier Meitei society, the title used by women, the first one refers to clans and the later family names or linage. In a patriarchal society, the women’s family name or surname is lost at marriage, as the social norms require them to adopt the name of husband after marriage. It’s mentioned that the retention of the family name after marriage is one of the rights of being a male i.e., only men have real names. But in Meitei custom, after the marriage woman does not have to lose her family name. eg. Miss Naorem, Rani Devi marries Mr. Irom Shanta Singh, then her name would be Naorem Ningol Irom ongbi Rani ‘Naorem (menaing-Rani married to Irom’ where Irom is the family name of the husband). It was also seen to have been the Meitei custom for husbands and wives to address one another using their respective personal names.
Women played a very important role, with their participation going away beyond managing economics of the house. When the male head of a family is killed or imprisoned, the mother has to fill in the gap caused by the patriarch’s absence. She has to work to bring up the children. It is a necessity that cannot be overlooked. In the old days, since Manipur was often at war to keep off invaders and protect its borders, the number of families with women as the heads was comparatively high. This resulted in women coming out of the house to earn livelihood.Internal trade was carried on essentially by women in the various open bazaars (market) in the valley. In the market all selling and buying are done by women. And a great number of markets were established during the period of Meidingu Senbi Khagemba (1592-1652) in different places. The women from different places come to this market and all the essential commodities are made available here. The power of the market women of Manipur were demonstrated on various occasions. The first Nupi Lan-1904 (Women War) as well as Nupi Lan of 1939 are glaring example. It is not only an economic centre but also a political centre as well. In order to developed trade with the people from the hill, a Hao Keithel (Tribal market) was developed at Imphal. The most important bazaar in the valley was the Khwairamand Bazar or Sana Keithel at Imphal. The women’s market of Manipur is the only market of women in the north-east region of India and probably could be the only in the world.
Meitei women of Manipur after Hinduism
At the beginning of 18th century, Hinduism entered to Manipur during the reign of Gharib Niwaz (1709-1748). The fact is Vaishnavism practiced by Meiteis in Manipur consequently became a peculiarly Manipuri Vaishnvism in form, adopting aspects of olden culture and modified by it. Further, since Vaishnavism represented a more progressive ideology, it had attracted the attention of many people though it certainly did not grow unopposed. He destroyed many traditional Lais (Local Dieties) and also burnt many books on ancient literature. The event is still remembered today as the ‘Puya Meithaba’. Along with it Garibniwaz took up a numbers of measures to spread Vaishnavism in Manipur. He ordered to discontinue all the ceremonies and rituals of the old Meitei faith and they were substituted by the Hindu ceremonies and rituals. With the advice of the Santidas Mahanta, the king destroyed the image of Sanamahi, the greatest deities of Umanglais (family) of the Meiteis.
Some of the points are highlighted below about cultures, rituals and customs that are affecting directly and indirectly the women status of Manipuri Meitei in Manipur society.
1. Marriage:
Meitei marriage system is very ancient and is believed to have started before 300-400 B.C. Now this tradition has been followed with certain modification of Hindu religion. ‘Luhongba’-It is a formal marriage ceremony. Formal rituals are made elaborately at the residence of the bride. Ancestral deity, local deities, sanamahi are worshipped on this day.
Both the bride and groom are ritually sanctified on this day. In the marriage there is a ritual called kainya dhan piba (giving away our daughter), only men (father, brother, uncle or relatives) will perform it where any women (mother, sister or relatives) will not be allowed to perform the duty. In a meitei society, women take the back seat in every public functions like marriage, feasts at home or even at death. There is a concept called ahalna phamen phamgadabani (elderly will take the main front seat for any functions) unfortunately, this ahal (elderly) does not include the elderly women.
Meitei family is patriarchal and patrilocal. Newly married couple usually live with the groom’s parents. As a tradition, sons inherit their parent’s property equally while girls inherit nothing. When a girl marries, she gets some property in the name of awunpot, which literally means ‘gifts given at the time of marriage’. Unmarried and divorcees (women) are allowed to have a piece of land in their natal home to construct a house to stay. Avoidance relationship is also maintained only between the elder brother-in-law and the bride. So, bride is not supposed to say or call directly and cannot even touch him by mistake. This practice shows kind of discrimination and oppression towards the bride.
On the marriage day, the husband dines before his wife and she is made to dine from the left-outs of her husband’s plate. The pattern has been changed by taking a spoon of food from the used plate and to continue the dinner from her plate. However, the underlying theme is that woman remains subjugated and but remain male chauvinism.
The life of a daughter-in-law (mou) starts the very day a woman attains “mou-hood”. She has to get up early in the morning; no matter it is summer or winter. She is also expected to do all the household chores just to please her husband and in- laws whether she is capable of doing it or not. It is kind of obligatory. It is a kind of oppression and another form of domestic violence towards women.
The condition of a working woman / “mou” is even worst whether she is contributing her energy to the economy of the family. No matter what position she holds in the workplace but in the family and society, she remains as “mou”. She is still expected to carry on all kinds of household chores even after a tiring day’s work outside and expected to give all her earned money otherwise she will be called as lazy mou and blame her in each of her step. At the same time she is constantly under vigil and attacked at every minor mistake she commits and in-laws will be happy gossiping about the mou to neighbours, locality and relatives. She is subjected to the filthiest, dirtiest verbal abuses and even sometimes heinous physical abuse. She still has to endure all the pain and carry on with her duties.
It is seen that the wife is not allowed to eat with her husband by sharing the same curry or any other eatables. At the same time women’s left out cannot be eaten by husband.
During her menstrual cycle of 5 days, she is not allowed to enter to kitchen, prepare food and even touch utensils. She cannot even touch her husband’s food items. During this period she is not allowed to do any puja. In other times, she is equally prevented from the mentioned activities unless she has taken a bath. All these activities, if conducted, are treated as desecration. This concept of purity and impurity is mainly influenced by the ideology of Hinduism. In other words, the ‘untouchable’ still prevails in our Meitei society in a disguised form.
It is quite prevailed that being a male should not collect a phanek (wrapper round worn by women) from the clothes line that shows the men’s chauvinism. There has been a mixed of religion and other social institutions. When a woman is suppressed by the custom, the act is being prejudiced and the reason put forward is mostly on the man’s fate. In other words, her breaking of the defined tradition will lead to the husband’s ill luck.
2. Child birth:
The concept of purity and impurity especially to women are seen mainly at child birth. If a child is born in a family, then instead of sharing the good news, it will spread to all the clans that there is yum mangpa, (impure of houses), where the particular clan will not do any form of puja for 12 days. Once the baby is born, mother will also not be allowed to enter to kitchen and other places of house for almost 45 days. But there won’t be any restriction in food. According to Universal immunization programme, it is said that there should be exclusive breast feeding upto 6 months. But in Manipur, the culture of first feeding (chak-umba) is still prevailing that if the child is baby girl, chak-umba will do after completion of three months, but for boys it will be held after five months. It shows that since childhood girls are often neglected by the social norms. Among the meitei society, son preference is strongly seen, if a mother happens to have two girl children, parents, in-laws, and relatives will pressure the mother to go for another baby preferring son.
3. Puberty
Rituals of adolescence for boys and girls are seen. For boys Nokun thangba/Lokun thangba (Wearing of sacred threads): This ceremony (both traditional and religious) is compulsorily done for boys before marriage. This ceremony is also done by the bamons (brahmins). This is also called Laiming Louba (taking the name of God). After this ceremony, according to the tradition, boys should follow the code of conduct as a male in the society. For girls Laimng Louba: When a girl attains the age of menstruation but before the menstruation starts, the mother will take her to the temple or will do the puja at home. This is mainly done for fertility and health. After this ceremony, girls should follow the code of conduct as a woman in the society. In most of the houses girls who have attained menstruation will not be allowed for doing puja and entering to kitchen. The physiological changes occurring among the girls are not taken as their becoming of maturity rather they are treated as impurity. Thus, girls always remain the center of subordinate and inferiority. If a girl falls sick, girls do not want to go to government hospital because of the gossip within the neighbours and society at large. Sometimes it creates problems in health seeking behaviour especially among the girls. If a girl is taken to government hospital with their family members which is far off, neighbours will suspect her that she must have undergone something like abortion. Thus the girls prefer going to private hospital which is nearby and easily accessible. Thus they are physically, emotionally and culturally deprived (Devi, 2010).
4. Death
Before 1724 i.e., during the reign of Garib Newaz, Meiteis used to bury the dead bodies. But after Hindunisation, Meiteis started cremating them. (T.C Hudson, 1908). If a family member died (father or mother), women are not allowed to light the pyre. All the clans will be announced as impure till yumsengba ( cleaning of house with holy puja). In fact, there are two important ceremonies that are performed after the death of a person. They are asti sanchey/ laihun and sorat/lanna thouram. They are briefly explained below:
· On the sixth day of death, a ceremony called asti is performed. On the twelveth day, i.e., on the previous day of sorat, a small ceremony named ‘yumsengba’ (cleaning of the house with holy puja) is carried out. It is performed by a bomon (Brahmin). On the thirteen or fourteenth day (for aged people) the sorat is performed.
Throughout the process or sorat, women play a very important role in showing the pain and sorrow for the demise. Relatives from near and dear ones keep visiting the deceased family; the women of the family will attain the visitors by lamenting for the whole 13-14 days till the sorat is performed. During the asti and sorat, there will be puja where all relatives will attribute flowers and money to the deceased photos. In this puja all the menfolk (more than 40-50 depending) will be allowed to do the attribute first followed by women folk including the elderly women at the end. This culture again shows the different discrimination against women of all ages.
5. Dress
It is generally believed that, the dress worn by the Meitei men were the kind of dress worn by the king of Manipur when He ascended the throne. Regarding female dress, it is said that phanek mayek naibi, the strip colour phanek with plain edge which was used by panthoibi is being followed by Meitei women till now. This phanek was actually used by the queen when she ascended the throne along with the King. Today, this phanek is seen worn by Meitei women. Meitei women started wearing shirts from the second week of October,1779, when Maha Rasa Lila started dance in Manipur.

Because of the advance in civilization, besides phanek women started wearing shirts, skirts, jeans, sarees and salwar kameez where the male counterpart wear shirt and pant.

Unfortunately women do not enjoy the taste of different types of dresses because their dresses are being discussed, discarded and restricted to wear by different insurgency

organizations. In recent trend, in schools and colleges girls are not allowed to wear skirts so they have to compulsorily change their skirts into phanek. Regarding ornaments, most of

the ornaments worn by the ancestors cannot be seen today. However, as far as the dress and ornaments are concerned, most of them are seen in the traditional and religious

occasions like Lai Haraoba festivals that are worn by women only. Women are the one who save the culture and at the same time this culture is again giving a very different picture

in the status of women in the society.

6. Language
Language is such an influential force in shaping a society; it is obvious that those who have the power and strength will have their meaning in a privileged and in an advantageous

position. Most of the abusive language is directed at female sexual behaviour that indicates the inferior position of women in the society.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that we all need to give a serious thought to this and focus our concern towards women empowerment as women have an active part

socially, culturally, politically in all spheres. So it is therefore we cannot blame only males for the oppression caused to women but also the women themselves. At the same time the

role of the male to make sure that the wife has an equal voice within the family and society at large. Let us not forget that a female is no lesser a human being but just our male

dominated society over the years having amazingly projected that to be the case, so we all need to fight this gender inequality in customs and cultures especially in Meitei society.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/meitei-culture-and-its-impact-on-women/

The World’s Largest Telescope at the Highest Altitude – MACE

  Kalpana Palkhiwala Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope or MACE Hanle, is the world’s largest telescope at the highest altitude being established at Hanle, Ladakh. It is being built by ECIL, Hyderabad for BARC. It will be built in Hyderabad and will be assembled at the campus of Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle. It will […]

 

Kalpana Palkhiwala
Major Atmospheric Cerenkov Experiment Telescope or MACE Hanle, is the world’s largest telescope at the highest altitude being established at Hanle, Ladakh. It is being built by ECIL, Hyderabad for BARC. It will be built in Hyderabad and will be assembled at the campus of Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle. It will be remotely operated and will run on Solar Power.
It will help to explore the exciting energy range of gamma ray energy region in between satellite and the traditional Atmospheric Cerenkov experiments. The telescope is named after the Russian scientist Cerenkov who predicted that charged particles moving at high speeds in a medium, emit light.
According to Dr Tushar P Prabhu, Professor in-charge at Hanle, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore will conduct experiments. IIA in collaboration with Tata Fundamental
Research Institute (TIFR), demonstrated the advantages of high altitude by installing High Altitude Energy Gamma Ray (HAGAR) Telescope.
High energy gamma rays emitted from black hole or centers of galaxies, compact objects like pulsars in our galaxy get absorbed in the atmosphere and do not reach the land. But when these rays interact with the atmosphere, the photons give rise to electron–positron pairs and there is a cascade of particles. When the particles move in the atmosphere at very high speed, they give rise to Cerenkov radiation. The blue and ultraviolet Cerenkov light is observed to infer the number of gamma rays hitting the atmosphere.
The gamma rays are high energy processes in the universe. Their study will help to understand study of high energy physics close to black holes, compact objects, dark matter and high gravitational fields.
The advantage of high altitude is that the Cerenkov radiation due to gamma-rays which normally occurs at 10 km altitude above sea level, will be at 5.5 km above ground, almost half the distance from the telescope. The intensity of radiation on the ground will be four times higher. A smaller facility in such place will be sufficient to achieve what a bigger facility will do closer to sea level. Telescopes of HAGAR were fabricated in Bangalore and the detectors in the focal plane were built in TFIR laboratories at Mumbai. In 2008 HAGAR saw the first light, and observations are continuing thereafter.
One of the important observations was of a galaxy with an active nucleus where the activity increases occasionally due to processes in matter falling on the black hole.
The Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at Hanle, has discovered three galaxies with super massive black holes out of observation of 10 galaxies. The other important discoveries of the telescope include subtle differences between different supernovae explosions and new variable stars forming in our galaxy. The HCT also successfully discovered a number of low metallicity stars.
The 2-m aperture optical-infrared telescope, HCT, was installed in 2000 and started its operation remotely since 2001.The telescope is equipped with 3 science instruments which are mounted on an instrument cube at the cassegrain focus of the telescope. The instruments available are the Himalayan Faint Object Spectrograph (HFOSC), the near-IR image, and the optical CCD imager. The remote operations make easy for astronomers to work without travelling to the remote high altitude site. Astronomers from all over the world and from other countries are using this.
(PIB Feature.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/the-worlds-largest-telescope-at-the-highest-altitude-mace/

HLL Life Care Ltd – A Success Story

M. Jacob Abraham , Deputy Director, PIB, Thiruvananthapuram. HLL Life Care Ltd, Thiruvananthapuram under the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has become one of the largest producers of condoms in the world. HLL’s total annual condom production capacity has now touched 1616 million pieces. Overseas and domestic demand for condoms has grown manifold especially […]

M. Jacob Abraham , Deputy Director, PIB, Thiruvananthapuram.
HLL Life Care Ltd, Thiruvananthapuram under the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has become one of the largest producers of condoms in the world. HLL’s total annual condom production capacity has now touched 1616 million pieces. Overseas and domestic demand for condoms has grown manifold especially in the wake of the Central government’s launch of free condom distribution in rural districts which is a high-focus area for HLL. The company has started a major drive to augment production capacity in its units. As part of this action plan, the production capacity at its primary production plants in Peroorkada unit has been enhanced from 1,066 to 1,246 million pieces per annum by installing two moulding machines. The company also manufactures condoms at its Belgaum and Hyderabad units, apart from Peroorkada.
“Demand in the domestic and the overseas markets are on the rise. We are also on a major expansion drive to cope with the need. In the last three months, we have added a capacity of 120 million pieces. Another round of expansion has also been planned”, said HLL Chairman and Managing Director Dr. M. Ayyappan. “We supplied around 1,040 million condoms to the Health Ministry alone last year. There has been added pressure with the Government launching door-to-door delivery of condoms free of cost to stabilize the population. Besides, a rising awareness among people is also driving demand in the domestic sector. We are looking to bolster production considerably during 2013-14 and remain as one of the world leaders”, he added.
Health Ministry has identified 266 high-focus districts in the country to deliver contraceptives at people’s doorsteps with the help of accredited social health activists (AHSAs) as part of efforts at population control. HLL is the main supplier of products .
As part of its drive to optimise production and minimise wastage, the company has also installed a new vulcanising machine. The new machine would help keep heat distribution at an optimum level resulting in reduction of process wastages and rejections in vulcanising section apart from reducing energy consumption. The company also launched trial production of an over-wrapping machine in the packaging section.
Female Condoms, Femidom
Female condoms made their entry into the Indian market through HLL Lifecare Ltd. While sales are slow among urban women, the female condom is being promoted by government bodies and NGOs among sex workers as protection against HIV/AIDS. Dr. M. Ayyappan noted, “Currently, we are manufacturing around three million female condoms and 1,600 million male condoms annually for the Indian and overseas markets. The difference in numbers says it all.” He attributes the reason to conservative mindsets, ignorance about the product and accessibility. Since the Indian market is slow to accept the production, HLL took a decade to make the male condom as popular as it is now. Dr. Ayyappan is confident that the female condom too will begin to make an impact in the right direction in a matter of years. HLL plans to introduce the natural latex based female condom by mid 2013 in the market.
The female condom was invented by Dr. Lasse Hessel, a Danish physician in the 1980s. The first generation FC1 female condom was made from polyurethane. First introduced in the market in the nineties, the Femidom or female condom came at a time when people were waking up to the scary reality of AIDS.
Condoms are still considered a men’s product. At the global level the female condom was quick to catch people’s attention, thanks to aggressive marketing techniques. This product received mixed reviews from different quarters of the world. Getting used to the idea of wearing a condom, for most women, was not worth the effort. Slowly, in other countries, the Femidom made a difference in the lives of women who did not have a say in their sexual health before the product came into their lives. Women were using it to protect themselves against partners who refused to wear condoms.
Most people are still unaware of female condom or do not have access to it. Reports state that the demand though has come from unexpected quarters like developing countries where women felt empowered with choice to use protection.
The next version, FC2, was made from synthetic nitrile at a reduced cost. The World Health organization (WHO) approved the FC2 for purchase by U.N.agencies in developing countries where the Femidom played a strong role in sex education programmes for women.
From an acceptability study conducted by Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT) in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra, it was found that people were open to the idea of using female condom. More than 90,000 female condoms were marketed in Andhra Pradesh through a social marketing programme in 2006. The following year, a similar plan was executed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal. In 2008, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) decided to make female condom available to sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal. FC2 female condom gives women control and choice over their own sexual health as women can protect themselves when their partner does not want to use a male condom. Women in urban and rural areas in India have not started using Femidom to complement already existing family planning and HIV/AIDS programming.
HLL has its female condom assembling facility at Cochin Special Economic Zone (CSE), Kakkanad. “Currently the annual capacity of Kochi factory is 7.5 million pieces. We will be adding another 25 million by the end of this year. Apart from supplying female condoms to national programmes under the ministry of health and family welfare, we also export female condoms to be South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (SAARC) markets”, said Dr. M. Ayyappan. “Female condoms have the potential to revolutionize safer sex for diverse populations. They are also the only women – initiated method available today that offers dual protection from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV”, Dr. Ayyappan explained. Global female condom day is being observed on September 12 every year. HLL produces female condom under the brand name “Velvet”.
(PIB Features.)
With inputs from HLL Life Care Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram, a Public Sector undertaking under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

 

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/hll-life-care-ltd-a-success-story/

DRDO: Leading The Way in Taking Defence Strength to New Heights

  Nungsunglemba Ao, Director (PR), DPR, Ministry of Defence. DRDO… India’s premier Defence Research and Development organisation…. an organisation on the cutting edge of defence technology with a mission to design and develop state-of-the-art defence systems and technologies and to provide technological solution to India’s Defence Services. The technology spectrum under the DRDO banner is […]

 
Nungsunglemba Ao, Director (PR), DPR, Ministry of Defence.
DRDO… India’s premier Defence Research and Development organisation…. an organisation on the cutting edge of defence technology with a mission to design and develop state-of-the-art defence systems and technologies and to provide technological solution to India’s Defence Services. The technology spectrum under the DRDO banner is wide-ranging and versatile.
Enhanced focus on self-reliance during recent years has led DRDO to enter a new phase of delivery of state of the art systems and critical technologies to the Services, taking the self-reliance index from 30% to over 55%.
DRDO’s prowess in strategic systems led the way with a series of milestones achieved and touched new heights with the spectacular maiden launch of India’s long range strategic missile Agni 5. Agni 3 joined Agni 1, Agni 2 & ‘Prithvi two’ to further strengthen India’s strategic might, while Agni 4 and Agni 5 are being readied for the Armed Forces’ arsenal. Over 70 launches of major missile systems went on to demonstrate DRDO’s strength in this crucial sector.
Production clearance of Bo5 underwater system after a series of successful trials incorporating many novel technologies, proving the reliability of the system, was another breakthrough.
INS Arihant, India’s first indigenous nuclear powered submarine is gearing up for seaward trials.
The long range cruise missile, Nirbhay had its maiden flight proving the required critical technologies.
In the direction of establishing a credible two layer Ballistic Missile Defence system; a series of successful interceptions, mostly, with direct hit, demonstrated its reliability.
In the arena of tactical systems – productionisation and induction of Akash, the medium range air defence system with multi-target, multi directional capability is another shining achievement.
Brahmos, the best supersonic cruise missile in operation, designed to be launched from land, air, sea and sub-sea platforms, with its high speed and precision of attack, became the preferred weapon. Its block II version with target discrimination capability and block III version with steep diving capability even at supersonic speeds were developed making it a deadly weapon.
Prahar, a novel, highly manoeuvrable precision strike, Surface-to- Surface tactical missile capable of being fired in salvo mode is all set to extend the reach of our artillery fire to over 150 Km, filling the gap between PINAKA rockets and Prithvi Missile.
Integration of mission systems with the much needed AEW&CS platform fitted with indigenous Active Electronically Scanned Array radar antenna was yet another significant achievement of DRDO. The systems are undergoing comprehensive flight tests.
Avionics upgrades of MiG 27, Jaguar and Sukhoi-30 aircrafts was indigenously accomplished, significantly enhancing their combat capabilities.
India’s first indigenously designed & developed aircraft engine Kaveri is undergoing Certification Tests after series of successful flight trials. Successful development of indigenous Wankel rotary engine for UAVs and its flight demonstration to power “UAV Nishant” was another significant achievement.
Two regiments of Main Battle Tank Arjun became proud possession of Indian Army. Arjun Mark-II, developed in a record time, with about 70 improved features, has entered advanced phase of User Trials.
A number of Battlefield support systems including Armoured Amphibious Dozer, Armoured Engineering Recce Vehicle and Tracked Armoured Ambulance were developed and led to production.
Pinaka rocket launcher entered the operational command of the Indian Army, giving a boost to their fire power. Pinaka II, with longer range is undergoing trials. Thermo-baric ammunition capable of delivering a devastating, simultaneous fragmentation, Thermal and blast effect has been developed for MBT Arjun to further boost its firepower.
A new Modular Bridging System capable of yielding single span of up to 46 mtrs and capable of bearing load up to 70 ton was developed and is undergoing user trials.
In the area of naval sensors, very high degree of self-reliance has been achieved with design development, and induction of sonars meeting needs of Indian Navy. Thus USHUS an Advanced Active-cum-Passive integrated sonar system, NAGAN, an active cum passive towed array sonar & HUMSA NG, a new generation hull mounted sonar for ships; were integrated with their respective platforms.
Among the weapon systems, VARUNASTRA, a heavy weight torpedo, underwent extensive sea trials on its way to induction.
Radars and electronic warfare systems has emerged as yet another strong area. DRDO’s technological strength in this highly security sensitive and critical area is exemplified by the development, productionisation and acceptance of WLR, an advanced electronically scanned pulse Doppler weapon locating radar; 3D TCR, a 3 dimensional tactical control radar; Bharani, a Low Level Lightweight Radar and ASLESHA, a 3D Low Level Lightweight Radar.
Completion and acceptance of Varuna, a modern ESM system for Navy with capability to intercept and process all modern radars including LPI radars was another step in achieving self-reliance in the field of Electronic Warfare.
A series of secure communication systems based on Software Defined Radio, ranging from hand held sets, to aircraft and ship based systems have been developed. The compact system is capable of operating on multiple frequency bands, avoiding need for multiple systems.
Acceptance of light weight integrated Multifunction Sight, for surveillance and speedy engagement of targets and an electro-optical fire control system EON-51 for Navy was yet another achievement.
An advanced Holographic Sight facilitating accurate aiming with both eyes open, developed for INSAS rifle was accepted by Army. Design and fabrication of System on Chip (SoC) for mission computers and its integration with On-Board Computers for major missile systems and aeronautical platforms, was another significant milestone.
DRDO has always played a pioneering role in the development of special materials for defence requirements. Recent achievements include productionisation of light armour for Mi 17 helicopter and more than 30,000 tons of DMR steel for Indian Navy. The setting up of Titanium sponge production facility at KMML is a boost for the country’s aeronautical, missile and space programs.
Alive to the needs of emerging war scenarios DRDO has taken up development of Unmanned War Machines as a major thrust area and has made significant achievements, including the delivery of state-of-the-art Remotely Operated Vehicle Daksh, an invaluable asset for bomb disposal, series of successful flights of long endurance UAV Rustom -1 in its final configuration and demonstration of an advanced Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. Series of mini and micro UAVs have been developed.
Bulk production orders were received for Submarine Escape Suite for Navy, Combat Free Fall System for Paratroopers and Lightweight Helicopter Oxygen System for Indian Air Force. On-board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) has been developed.
Development of Solar Powered Modular Green Shelters was another significant achievement in supporting our soldiers.
Series production of Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) for comprehensive evaluation of candidates was commenced and systems were handed over to users.
The NBC Recce Vehicle designed for ‘surveillance and on-site collection & analysis of samples from contaminated environment’, was handed over to the users.
As spin-offs for civil sector and social cause, Bio-digesters developed for environment friendly disposal of human excreta in extreme cold regions of high altitudes were adapted for Railway coaches and Lakshadweep islands. The technology has been selected to equip over two lakh Gram Panchayats with bio-toilets.
The sonar technologies developed for detection of ships and underwater threats were innovatively employed to develop Sanjeevini, a life detector to locate victims trapped under debris or a bore-well and ‘Tarangini’, a portable device to measure depth and bottom hardness in water bodies.
All these endeavours have a single-minded focus: to transform India into a world-class centre for design development and production of defence systems and technologies, ensuring freedom from denial regimes and external controls.
DRDO is leading the way in taking India’s defence strength to new heights in making: One of 4 countries with multi level strategic deterrence capability; One of 5 countries with own BMD Program; One of 6 countries with own Main Battle Tank; One of 7 countries with own 4th Gen Combat Aircraft.
(PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/drdo-leading-the-way-in-taking-defence-strength-to-new-heights/

Golden Fibre Making Inroads into Road Construction

  Rohit Kapoor The first thing when we hear about coir comes to our mind is traditional items like mats, baskets and ropes, but it is not the case anymore. With the changing times and growing charm for eco-friendly products, the golden fibre is finding new applications and is also being preferred in road construction. […]

 

Rohit Kapoor
The first thing when we hear about coir comes to our mind is traditional items like mats, baskets and ropes, but it is not the case anymore.
With the changing times and growing charm for eco-friendly products, the golden fibre is finding new applications and is also being preferred in road construction.
With increasing deforestation affecting the environment, the biodegradable geotextiles is being used in the construction of roads.
The major reasons for increased use of the natural fibre are sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Coir (coconut fiber) geotextiles are a popular solution for erosion control, slope stabilisation and bioengineering, due to the fabric’s substantial mechanical strength.
Classified as woven, meshes, nets and non-wovens,, it lasts about 3 to 5 years depending on the fabric weight. It also degrades into humus, thus, enriching the soil.
Coir Geotextiles when used on the soft soil for construction of village roads have been found to perform very well as reinforcement, filter, drainage and separation materials in comparison to the conventionally used materials like synthetics, cement, lime, etc.
The National Rural Roads Development Agency (NRRDA) has approved Central Coir Research Institute (CCRI) as a nodal institute for application of Coir Geotextiles in construction of rural roads.
Indian Roads Congress (IRC), New Delhi has also given the accreditation for the use of Coir Geotextiles in the roads for a period of 2 years with effect from 18 April, 2011.
For the evaluation of its effectiveness, inter-alia a collaborative project has been initiated by the Central Coir Research Institute with the National Institute of Technology, Calicut with the in-principle approval of the Airports Authority of India.
The government has already decided to use coir geo-textiles for construction of rural roads in nine states, under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (Bharat Nirman). In the future, the project is likely to be extended to all 28 states of the country.
Given the popularity of the golden fibre in construction of roads, the coir industry may face problems in catering to the huge likely demands unless adequate measures are taken by the industry to have a decentralised production infrastructure to cater to the huge requirements.
One of the solution to this could be by taking advantage of the Anugraha loom developed by the CCRI as the technique will come handy for development of production infrastructure for manufacturing it.
With the initiatives of the Coir Board, coir sector today is a supplier of geotextiles. The Board is a statutory body established by the government under a legislation enacted by the Parliament namely, Coir Industry Act 1953, for the promotion and development of coir industry in India.
To promote this segment, the Board has also established a testing laboratory for coir geotextiles at the Central Coir Research Institute, Kalavoor.
Geotextiles made out of coir are ideally suited for low-cost applications because coir is available in abundance. Therefore, there is enough scope to enhance the application. Coir fibers resemble the wood fibres in terms of physical properties and chemical composition.
The geotextiles and its related products have many applications and currently support many civil engineering applications including roads, airfields, railroads, embankments, retaining structures, reservoirs, canals, dams, bank protection, coastal engineering and construction site silt fences.
Usually geotextiles are placed at the tension surface to strengthen the soil. It is also used for sand dune armoring to protect upland coastal property from storm surge, wave action and flooding.
Besides, it promotes new vegetation by absorbing water and preventing top soil from drying out. The golden fibre is a 100 per cent organic naturally occurring fiber from a renewable source obtained from coconut husk.
The advantage of the coir is that it is not only hard but strongest among all natural fibers, which can be spun and woven into different types of mattings.
Alleppey (Alappuzha) is the nerve centre of Kerala’s famous coir industry where one can see coconut husks being beaten into fibre for making beautiful mats and other coir products.
Both men and women are actively involved in the production of coir in Kerala. The women are mainly involved in the yarn spinning sector and the men in the product-weaving sector. Coir Industry enjoys the status as the largest Cottage Industry in Kerala, giving employment to over a million people.
Indian coir industry has been fortunate to get a boost in the form of the ever increasing awareness about eco-protection. The eco-friendly quality of coir will help it to hold its ground even as it battles competition from synthetic fibres in today’s developing world.
The coir Industry in India has a strong position in the export orientation since several decades.
However, the pattern of exports and its product mix has changed drastically. With more emphasis on value-added products, the coir sector witnessed a significant change in the total volume and value of exports.
At present, coir and its products from India are exported to more than 80 countries and the US is the single largest market with a share of more than 40% in the total export. European countries together share more than 41 % of the exports.
However, the sector has been confronted with a number of problems such as lack of access to timely and affordable credit, absence of innovative channels of financing, low-level of technology adoption, poor brand building and marketing, low-level of innovation and low penetration of ICT to name a few.
During the 12th Five-Year Plan, the coir sector has a vision of acquiring new dimensions by way of following broad interventions : –
Creation of husk collection banks is essential, to ensure optimum utilisation of raw-material. Once it is set up, the present utilisation level of coconut husks at 40% could be enhanced to 60%.
Modernising the traditional processes of spinning and weaving by eliminating drudgery and facilitate women to operate the machines.
Enhancement of the present insurance scheme for providing compensation for accidental death and partial/permanent disabilities along with introducing a new scheme for health cover to coir workers to be undertaken.
The technologies/machinery items developed by the research institutes to be demonstrated and transferred to the grassroots level of the coir industry through appropriate extension work.
Technological interventions to be made through appropriate schemes for upgradation of quality of coir and its products. Certification of Eco-Mark to be obtained for coir and its products, besides promoting it widely in the international market.
Coir Mark Scheme to be strengthened by extending the coverage of the scheme to the entire range of coir products consigned to the domestic market. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/golden-fibre-making-inroads-into-road-construction/

Charting the Future of Shipping

M.V.S.Prasad Joint Director, PIB, Chennai. The merchant navy is a vital element of any nation’s economy. Like any other industry the India maritime sector has also witnessed major structural changes in the past fifty years. The maritime industry in modern era has truly evolved in the post independent era. Indian shipping fleet constitute 1162 vessels […]

M.V.S.Prasad Joint Director, PIB, Chennai.
The merchant navy is a vital element of any nation’s economy. Like any other industry the India maritime sector has also witnessed major structural changes in the past fifty years.
The maritime industry in modern era has truly evolved in the post independent era. Indian shipping fleet constitute 1162 vessels of 10.3 million GT (15.3 million DWT) and the Indian flag is ranged 18th in the world.
The National Maritime Day is celebrated on 5th of April every year since the year 1964. This day is commemorated to mark the sailing of the fist Indian flagged ship “S.S.Loyalty” which sailed from Mumbai on this date in the year 1919. The Day is meant to be a celebration of hope, optimism, and search for those possibilities that make way for the shipping industry to surge forward.
Coastal Shipping and Inland Waterways
Shipping is the most economical and environment friendly mode of transport when compared to read and rail. India is blessed with over 7500 kms coastline and has a wide network of rivers in many parts of the country. Domestic shipping offers significant advantages over road and rail transport in terms of fuel and cost savings. It is estimated that from a cost perspective, shipping costs 21 percent of that by road and 42 percent of that by rail.
India trade can therefore utilize these modes for meeting its requirement of cost effective transport and as service providers we need to build up the coastal and inland shipping network. It is also the most environment friendly mode of transport. Increasing delays due to high road and rail congestion is driving companies to transport their goods via coastal shipping. However, as compared to other emerging and development countries, India’s coastal shipping potential remains significantly underutilized. Petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL), coal and iron ore are the three major commodity categories that account for the bulk of coastal cargo movement and there lies immense potential to ship other cargo categories through ships.
The Directorate General of Shipping and the Inland Waterways Authority of India has announced series of measures for promotion of waterways as the preferred mode of transport and going ahead the trade would use this mode as the preferred option. The port infrastructure needs to be developed so that three are a number of ports in inland regions which can accommodate small vessels. There is a requirement of small areas along the riverbank with jetties capable of handling barges. Next, tariffs have to be rationalized for coast vessels so that they are able to compete with roadways. Whilst trucks and trains run on subsidized diesel, coastal and inland waterway ships do not get any subsidy on fuel and hence operational costs are high. Such anomalies should be rectified to make shipping competitive. Finally, rivers should be dredged to have even draughts for long haul movement.
India is home to 14,500 km of navigable inland waterways, of which 36% of major rivers and 3% of canals are conducive to the movement of mechanized vessels. There is a need for a comprehensive coastal shipping policy document which can encompass the above issues amongst others and provide a facilitative regime for development of this sector. The benefits that would accrue in reduction of logistics cost of goods and reduction in carbon emission would be immense.
While India has a huge coastline of 7,500 kms, it also has a vast hinterland to cater to. The huge expense of India’s geography can be accessed through inland waterways wherever possible. By far shipping is the most economical mode of transport and optimum transport over long distance can be the one which has a mix of ships with road or rail as ships cannot serve inland destinations directly. Hence there is a need to have more coordinated policy applicable across all means of transport.
(PIB Features.)

 

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/charting-the-future-of-shipping/

Warriors in the East

Tarun Kumar Singha, Group Captain, CPRO, Ministry of Defence, Kolkata. Adjoining the flowing Hooghly, straddling roughly between two iconic structures, Howrah Bridge and Vidyasagar Setu, stands a fortified citadel famously known as ‘Fort William’ since the latter half of the 18th century, which was once the military headquarters of British India. Ironically, unlike most forts […]

Tarun Kumar Singha, Group Captain, CPRO, Ministry of Defence, Kolkata.

Adjoining the flowing Hooghly, straddling roughly between two iconic structures, Howrah Bridge and Vidyasagar Setu, stands a fortified citadel famously known as ‘Fort William’ since the latter half of the 18th century, which was once the military headquarters of British India. Ironically, unlike most forts of yesteryears, Fort William in its present ‘avatar’ never once stood any siege. Famed cannons that once dotted its ramparts but never once fired, today embellish its historical significance as it houses the present day headquarters of one of Indian Army’s sword arm, the Eastern Command. The pre eminence of Fort William, once the symbol of British military, also did not diminish despite shifting of the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. The aura of Fort William, still held in awe, is unmatched by any other military formation in the country. With the rising sun as its ‘Coat of Arms’, Eastern Command’s rich and varied history goes back many centuries to the days of the Mughals and the East India Company. Having played a key part in the process of evolution of the pre and post Independence Indian Army, many illustrious formations such as 4 Corps (raised in May 1942) that fought their way to victory in the Burma Campaign, continue to serve in Eastern Command even today while some others like 15 Corps, have moved to other parts of the country. Retaining its splendour as the seat of military might, and subsequent to the restructuring and demobilisation of the Indian Army after First World War, Eastern Command was formed on November 1, 1920 in Lucknow (Nainital being its summer HQ). Its territorial jurisdiction extended over Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Bengal and further east beyond Assam. Nearly two decades later, the advent of Second World War led to redesignation of Eastern Command as Eastern Army in April 1942, with the additional operational responsibility of the Burma front included. With the creation of 14th Army in October 1943, and with operational responsibility limited up to river Meghna (now in Bangladesh), it reverted back to its earlier status of being Eastern Command and has remained so till date. At the time of Independence, Eastern Command was located in Ranchi. In 1955, It moved back to Lucknow, and eight years later to where it really belonged – Fort William in Calcutta. It has remained in the renamed Kolkata city with territorial jurisdiction signifying multi-faceted operational and administrative challenges. Conflicts Crises and Glory Post Independence, the crisis in North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA), the parts of north-eastern India in Arunachal Pradesh as it was then called, in 1962, was to prove a cathartic event in India’s history. Valuable politico-military lessons relevant till date were learnt during the crisis. HQs 4 Corps that was disbanded after the Second World War was re-raised at Tezpur, Assam on October 4, 1962. In 1971, Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, then GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, accepted history’s greatest surrender since the end of Second World War. It was indeed a red-letter day in the history of the Indian Army. The Indian Armed Forces had achieved a stunning and memorable victory, leading to the liberation of Bangladesh. Audacity and speed of operation knocked the adversary off balance. Over 93,000 personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces were taken as ‘prisoners of war’. The victory epitomised the glory of the Indian Armed Forces, and since then, December 16, the day of ‘Instrument of Surrender’ was signed by Lt Gen AAK Niazi of Pakistan Army, is celebrated as “Vijay Diwas”. The Vijay Diwas event is celebrated in a big way in Fort William under Eastern Command. Mukti Jodhas and Indian veterans are hosted by Eastern Command on the occasion every year. In the celebrations held in December last, Veer Nari Smt Balamdina Ekka and son Vincent Ekka, family members of the sole Param Vir Chakra (PVC) recipient in the eastern theatre, martyr Lance Naik Albert Ekka, also graced the event. Quest for Peace Since Independence not all crises in the north-eastern region were gnawing threats from adversaries, some of them were from within. The insurgency of Nagaland was the first to begin, setting tone for others in the region to follow. While Nagaland came into being a state in 1963, 8 Mountain Division was raised the same year to counter insurgency in the state. A Counter Insurgency and Jungle warfare (CIJW) School was established at Vairangte, Mizoram to impart pre-induction training to all the incoming units. Today, it can be mentioned that the CIJW School has become a ‘centre of excellence’ where foreign troops are regulars, either for training or joint drills, in the global quest for peace against insurgency-related actions. To counter the growing powerful underground organisations such as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), HQs 3 Corps was raised in February 1985 to ensure a co-ordinated employment of all troops combating insurgency. Army units have carried out endless cordon and searches of villages, interceptions and raids to maintain a strike rate higher than the insurgent’s ability to recoup. More importantly, formations of Eastern Command have initiated many steps to win the hearts and minds of the people. In December last month, the current GOC-in-C, Lt Gen Dalbir Singh who also previously commanded the 3 Corps, hosted and feted children from the Kuki tribe of Nagas at Fort William during a ‘Sadbhavna’ excursion for the 30-odd students organised by the Army. It may also be mentioned that similar excursions from Jammu & Kashmir are also routinely hosted here. The insurgencies in Mizoram and Tripura also ran a similar course. The undercurrents of frustration among the youth in the Mizo Hill Districts were akin to the ones in Nagaland. Relentless operations by the Indian Army quelled Mizo National Front (MNF) activities that had become very hostile. Meanwhile, emergence of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) activities in Manipur were among the other internal threats that the Army units under Eastern Command had to counter in the quest for peace in the region. The resentment of the presence of ‘foreigners’ by ethnic population of Assam beginning with agitations also gave birth to a secessionist organisation who tried to acquire a Robin Hood image, albeit with the knowledge of making improvised explosive devices (IED) and the power of media. The signing of ‘Assam Accord’ in 1985 did nothing to curb their hostile acts. The Army’s efforts in quest for peace has mostly helped peace return to the beleaguered state. The complexities of insurgency in the north-eastern states notwithstanding, Eastern Command and its formations have dealt with a vitiated internal security situation with a firm yet patient and understanding hand. Restrain and the minimum necessary force was always resorted to only when it was unavoidable. Successive Commanders at all levels have always sought to reduce the Army’s presence and primacy so that other organs of the state attend to the root causes of the insurgency. Golden Milestones The Eastern Command has been operationally committed since Independence. Their sacrifices have justly earned them many distinctions, honours and awards. General K Cariappa, OBE, who became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief on Jan 15, 1949 (now celebrated as Army Day), was also the first GOC-in-C of Eastern Command for a short spell after Independence. He was later conferred the rank of a Field Marshal in 1996. Similarly, Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw, MC, who led the Indian Army to victory in 1971 and became India’s first Field Marshal in 1975, was yet another of its illustrious Army Commanders. Besides, the current Chief of the Army Staff, General Bikram Singh was the Eastern Army Commander, others who preceded him included Generals PP Kumaramanglam, AS Vaidya, VN Sharma and VK Singh. Paving the Way Onwards In addition to the complex challenges of national security and land borders with five neighbouring countries, and CI operations in many north-eastern states, Eastern Command will continue to play an important role in the years ahead. It therefore, continues to engage in the dynamic process of preparing to face the future challenges. The external and internal threats demand a high degree of operational readiness and the ability to deliver a decisive response from the formations and units serving under Eastern Command. With a strong dissuasive posture and a restrained minimum force in conjunction with other security forces and the civil administration, the military might of Eastern Command is competent to quell any threats from within. To forge ahead to effectively face all challenges, the Eastern Command relies on the well-deliberated modernisation programme of the Indian Army that has been further set into motion by the current Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh. Troops deployed in the north-eastern states are in the process of being equipped with a series of modern weapon systems and force multipliers to enhance their surveillance reach, night fighting capabilities and the quality of fire power. Eastern Command continues to aspire to contribute its share of effort to nation building activities. Providing aid to civil authority in times of distress, winning the hearts and mind of people by helping them to help themselves, greening of the cantonments and educating troops to protect the ecologically fragile north-eastern region remains one of its key result areas. Eastern Command is justifiably proud of its glorious past, confident of managing the complex challenges of today with professional élan and looks forward with hope to a promising future. Its glory, like that of the rising sun, shall never diminish. The future will surely witness the high noon of soldiering of the indefatigable ‘India’s warriors in the east’. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/warriors-in-the-east/

Soldier, you’ve got mail….

Tarun Kumar Singha, Group Captain CPRO, Ministry of Defence, Kolkata The location of armed forces personnel serving in forward areas is invariably classified. While mobile and internet may be the preferred means of communication for most today, this facility is not necessary available to the soldiers serving in borders of our nation. So how do […]

Tarun Kumar Singha, Group Captain CPRO, Ministry of Defence, Kolkata
The location of armed forces personnel serving in forward areas is invariably classified. While mobile and internet may be the preferred means of communication for most today, this facility is not necessary available to the soldiers serving in borders of our nation. So how do family members and friends of soldiers communicate with them?
They simply write on an envelope or on an inland letter the soldier’s name, his unit details and mail it “Care of” (C/O) 56 or 99 APO, depending on whether he is serving in the western or eastern sector. Whether standing vigil in a forlorn forward post or elsewhere where even eagles do not soar, Army Postal Service (APS) through their Army Post Office (APO) and subsidiary network of multitudes of Field Post Offices (FPO) ensures its timely delivery.
56 and 99 APO, incidentally are the two Central Base Post Office (CBPO) mail sorting hubs operating out of New Delhi (No. 1 CBPO) and Kolkata (No. 2 CBPO), respectively. Between them the entire postal needs of the armed forces and few other ancillary paramilitary organisations get taken care of within India.
The origins of these two famous forwarding mail hubs of APS has an interesting history. Subsequent to the victory over Japan by allied forces in August 1945, the ‘Indian Army Postal Service’ as it was then known, began the process of disbanding all its existing 137 FPOs.
56 FPO, which was raised in Secunderabad on June 30, 1941, was the last FPO left awaiting disbandment. Having just returned from Iwakuni, the British Commonwealth Occupation Force Air Base in Japan, it was however, left unscathed.
Redesignated on October 24, 1947, with a new coded security address “C/O 56 APO”, it began as the new base sorting office in New Delhi to serve the postal needs of troops at Punjab and J&K, as a consequence of the Pakistani raiders invasion on October 20, 1947.
Today, there are more than 350 FPOs under 1 CBPO that take care of mails addressed “C/O 56 APO”, encompassing operations across the entire spectrum of our country except the eastern sector.
Meanwhile, “C/O 99 APO” came into being as the coded security address for all in the eastern sector including all the eight north-eastern states, West Bengal and the Andaman group of islands with the raising of 2 CBPO on April 1, 1964. It addresses all its postal operations through its network of nearly 130 FPOs.
The APS Corps celebrated its 41st ‘Corps Day’ on March 1, 2013. However, its origins go back as early as 1856 when APS was first conceived as a wartime organisation integral to the expeditionary forces that headed to Bushire in the Persian Gulf, and several other such missions elsewhere, later.
Till 1947, APS was a part of the ‘Indian General Service’, which was then disbanded. It was then affiliated to the ‘Army Service Corps’ as its postal branch until establishing itself as an independent Corps from March 1, 1972 onwards with a defined role. It includes, ensuring security by use of security address and by assisting censorship, implementing postal concessions and providing postal facilities to troops in operational areas.
It also adopted the ‘flying swan’, the mythical carrier of messages in several Indian epics, including the Mahabharata, as its emblem with the motto “Mel Milap” (in Hindi) meaning ‘union through mail’. Swan is a graceful bird known for its strength, courage, speed and ability to reach inaccessible places, an appropriate symbol of what APS stands for.
For the benefit of the troops, APS provides all the services that ‘India Post’ – National Postal Network – offers to its client base. These include, besides routine postal service, services such as Speed Post, Express Parcel Post, Postal Life Insurance, E-Post, Post Office Savings Bank, Public Provident Fund among others. It is set to introduce several ‘core banking solutions’ and ‘value-added services’ relieving soldiers of their anxiety while serving in forward areas.
Contrary to perceptions that cellular connectivity and internet must be denting the mail volume in present times, statistics indicate that it has, infact, steadily risen. Brigadier (APS) at Eastern Command, B Chandrasekhar, ascribes this phenomena to the rise in the volume of official and business mail offsetting imbalances, if any.
Amplifying further, Col Akhilesh Pandey, Commandant No. 2 CBPO says, “The mails from various service providers such as financial institutions including banks, insurance and investment companies, towards their business transactions is on the rise. The services also extensively use the ‘Scheduled Despatch Services’ (SDS) for despatch of all their secure official mail.”
But the organisation that is manned by volunteer officers drawn from the Indian Postal Service on deputation, together with three-fourth of its personnel drawn from the Postal Department, does not easily sit on its laurels. They are constantly evolving newer ‘value-added services’ to retain their trusted clientele base, the Indian soldier, who knows that his ‘flying swan’ comrades will always keep him connected with his family and friends, irrespective of his remote or classified location.
Perhaps one of the best depiction of the emotions of soldiers when they receive their mail from their near and dear ones was enacted in the JP Dutta film “Border” with the iconic chartbuster song “Sandeshe aate hain, hamei tadpaate hain, to chithi aati hai..” That really is what the caring flying swans do, bring smiles and draw emotions.
(PIB Features.)

 

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/soldier-youve-got-mail/

Drinking Water Facility for Villages

Sarita Brara Five crore people living in over one lakh habitations in villages in our country do not have access to safe drinking water even today. According to official figures twenty two per cent rural families have to walk for at least half a kilometer or more to fetch water (mostly it is the women […]

Sarita Brara

Five crore people living in over one lakh habitations in villages in our country do not have access to safe drinking water even today. According to official figures twenty two per cent rural families have to walk for at least half a kilometer or more to fetch water (mostly it is the women who have to bear the burden). The percentage of such families is the maximum in Manipur, Tripura, Odisha, Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Fifteen per cent of households in villages depend on uncovered wells and other unimproved sources like rivers, springs, ponds for drinking water. Also eighty five per cent of all drinking water resources in villages are based on underground sources of water and in many of these areas water is contaminated. Only 30.80 percent of the rural population has access to tap water. In fact there are only four states which have been able to bring fifty per cent or more of the rural areas under piped water supply. Many of the states are yet to fully comply with the Supreme Court order on supply of potable water in government schools. The latest available data shows that less than the 44 per cent government schools in villages have drinking water facility. During the national consultation in Delhi held recently on the progress of national rural drinking water programmers and related issues , it was revealed that in spite of this unsatisfactory scenario with regard potable water availability in villages many of the states have failed to fully utilize the funds allocated by the centre under the various heads of NRDWP. To achieve the objective of providing drinking water facilities to all the villages, the Government is bringing about a major paradigm shift in the National Rural Drinking Water Programme in the XIIth Five Year plan period. In the backdrop of over extraction of ground water in most parts of the country, the emphasis is to shift away from ground water to surface water. The focus would be on piped water supply and minimizing the use of hand pumps. The target is to ensure individual household connections to at least 35 per cent of the population in villages by 2017 against only 13 per cent today. In order to encourage the villagers to take water connections, the Government is roping in Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA). A recent order said the ASHAs will get an incentive of 75 rupees for motivating each of the families in villages to take individual household tap connection. The states can use the money from the support funds allocated to states under the NRDWP. The norm of 40 litres of water per capita per day( LPCD) in villages was set way back in 1972 but now under the 12th five year plan , it is being increased from 40 to 55 litres .In the 12th plan the target is to cover at least half of the population to get 55 LPCD water within in their house hold premises or within 100 meter radius. Once the states are able to increase the per capita availability of drinking water, it will help in bridging the gap to some extent between urban areas and rural areas. Under NRDWP, States have the flexibility to fix their own supply norms. The Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Bharatsinh Solanki has urged the states to aim at 55 LPCD , this he says will enable higher level of household connections and reduce the burden on women and girls in fetching water from hand pumps and public taps as well as reducing risk of contamination. Quality of drinking water availability is a major concern in villages many parts of the country are affected by contamination of arsenic and fluoride, which are considered the most hazardous in terms of their effect on health. In the budget proposals for 2013-14 Rs 1,400 crore will be provided for the setting-up water purification plants as there are still 2,000 arsenic and 12,000 fluoride affected rural habitations in the country. Then there are contaminants like iron, salinity uranium and pesticides. The centre is assisting States affected with Chemical contamination of drinking water, and those States which have cases of Japanese and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome through a provision under the NRDWP by allocating 5% of the NRDWP funds for Improving the quality of drinking water Given the growing importance of water quality issues, under the 12th plan dedicated funding will be provided to States with quality affected habitations, over and above the normal NRDWP allocation to the State. Highest priority will be given to arsenic and fluoride affected habitations. Part of the funding would also be made available to tackle bacteriological contamination in the priority districts with high incidence of Japanese and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome as identified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Unfortunately many of the states like Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Uttarakhand & Tripura are yet to submit proposals to get the benefit from 5% Water Quality earmarked fund. World over lack of drinking water and sanitation facilities account for over nine per cent of the diseases and more than six per cent of deaths. In our country where more than half the population resorts to open defecation, the situation is worse. It is in this scenario that major emphasis in the 12th plan is strengthening convergence between rural drinking water supply and rural sanitation by taking up villages covered with piped water supply to get Open Defecation Free status priority and vice versa.The 12th plan draft document says that all government schools and anganwadis in government or community buildings will be provided with water supply for drinking and for toilets as per relevant quality norms by convergence of NRDWP for existing schools and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and for new schools set up under SSA. For private schools this will be enforced the right to education provisions. All community toilets built with public funds and maintained for public use will be provided with running water supply under NRDWP. Care will be taken to ensure that minimum distance is maintained between the toilet systems and water sources, to alleviate the problem of nitrate contamination.A part of NRDWP outlay will be set aside for integrated Habitat Improvement Projects to provide housing, water and sanitation facilities in rural areas at par with urban areas. Participation of the beneficiaries especially women in drink water supply schemes is also proposed.In another initiative Solar powered pumps will be provided for implementation in remote, small habitations and those with irregular power supply by converging subsidy available under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Waste water treatment and recycling will also be an integral part of every water supply plan or project. India is fast becoming a water stressed country and over and above everything else there is need to generate awareness about protecting drinking water sources from contamination, regular testing of drinking water sources, conserving rainwater in tanks and ponds, water recharge and water saving devices so that everyone in the country is able to get the basic facility of drinking water. World Water Day is observed on 22 March. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/drinking-water-facility-for-villages/

Governor’s address at Assembly

Governor Gurbhachan Jagat addressed the Manipur Assembly on Mar 6. He said, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this 4th Session of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly. Through you I convey my warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Manipur for a peaceful, prosperous and productive year, 2013. My […]

Governor Gurbhachan Jagat addressed the Manipur Assembly on Mar 6. He said, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this 4th Session of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly. Through you I convey my warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Manipur for a peaceful, prosperous and productive year, 2013. My Government has been striving for equitable and inclusive development of our people residing in both Hill and Valley areas.
Planning & State Finances
My Government has once again obtained a quantum jump in our Annual Plan, 2012-13 which rose to Rs. 3,500 crores – a growth of 9% over the previous year plan outlay of Rs. 3,210 crores. My Government has also obtained sanction from the Ministry of DoNER to a total of 150 NLCPR funded projects with a total approved cost of Rs. 1,206.40 crores. Most of these projects are located in the hill districts. As many as 66 projects have been completed with a total approved cost of Rs. 451.36 crores.
Members, we started this fiscal year with a negative opening balance of Rs. 495 crore. My Government regulated expenditure by placing a temporary ban on non-salary items of expenditure. I would like to solicit co-operation of this august house in our efforts to restore and improve the fiscal health of the State.
Members, most payments are now being made electronically. This facility has been extended to pension payments also which has substantially reduced delays in the pension disbursement process. In recognition of this commendable work,my  Government was bestowed the 3rd e-North East Award, 2012 in Gangtok, jn November, 2012 for the 2nd consecutive year.
Law and Order
Hon’ble Members, I am happy to inform the House that on 13th February this year, three  insurgent groups, namely, United Revolutionary Front (URF), KCP (Lamphel) and KYKL (MDF) have entered into agreements with the Union and State Governments. 197 cadres and their leaders joined the Home-coming Ceremony with 138 weapons. I appeal to all the other militant groups also to shun violence and join the peace process.
My Government along with the Union Government has signed the extension of Suspension of Operations agreement with the United People’s Front and has offered to sign a similar agreement with the Kuki National Organisation. I appeal to the KNO to come forward and extend their co-operation for bringing of peace in the State. I also appeal to the KSDC to desist from frequent bandhs and blockades which affect the livelihood of the common man and fortify the negative image of the State.
Rural Development
Hon’ble Members, under the MGNREGS 474926 job cards have been issued upto 31st January, 2013. The total person-days generated in the current financial year as on 31st January, 2013 were 225.17 lakhs with a total investment of Rs. 46614.73 lakhs. The average number of person-days provided employment per household is 50 days. Now, the wages to the job card holders are paid through banks or post offices in the fourvalley districts. To address the non availability of Banks and Post Offices in the hill districts, payment of wages has been made through Village Authorities by forming MGNREGA Village Payment Committees. Further, steps have been taken to disburse the wages component through Business Correspondents as advised by the Ministry of Rural Development. To monitor implementation, Vigilance and Monitoring Committees have been set up and Social Audit is conducted twice a year to enhance transparency. The Zilla Parishads in the valley districts and the District Councils in the hill districts have been designated as Implementing Agencies.
Hon’ble Members, the Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj has, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, linked 55 habitations during 2012-13 through inter-village roads. Since 2001, a total of 317 habitations have been linked through inter-village roads.
Tribal Affairs & Hill Areas
Speaker and  Members, my Government has initiated the “Tribal Area Inclusive Growth Project” under SPA to construct integrated Block Offices, Bank Branches, Police Out posts and residential accommodation in 27 backward Blocks of the Hill districts in two phases. The work has already commenced.
Members, an amount of Rs. 199.13 crores has been provided in the year, 2012-13 for implementation of various developmental schemes for assisting 2,900 Scheduled Tribe families under various income generating programmes, 500 tribal women societies/ organizations for carrying out various activities, 1,166 S.T. families for
GCI sheets roofing of their dwelling houses and 57,096 Scheduled Tribe students under the Post-Matric Scholarship. My Government has submitted a proposal for implementation of a scheme for Pre-Matric Scholarship for Tribal Students in Classes IX & X during 2012-13 to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Eight ST. Girls’ Hostels are under construction.
The Autonomous District Councils have taken-up construction of Model Primary Schools with NLCPR and NABARD funding. Barrack Type Quarters under SPA are also being constructed for accommodation of Teachers of District Council Primary Schools.
My Government is committed to strengthening the tribal Autonomous District Councils. Powers have been devolved to the six ADCs and efforts will continue to be made to make the Councils more effective and vibrant.
Construction of District Council Complexes in all six ADCs under XIII Finance Commission award and SPAhas started. Autonomous District Councils will be provided with funds under General Basic Grants and Special Area Basic Grants for taking up various activities.
Education Sector
Members, my Government has constructed 202 Additional Classrooms, 167 Integrated Science Labs, 165 Computer Rooms, 95 Library Rooms, 224 Art and Craft Rooms and 224 Toilet Blocks at Govt. High Schools under Rashtriya Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan scheme. Residential quarters for 76 Secondary Schools in remote areas are under construction.
My Government has upgraded 116 Junior High Schools to High Schools under RMSA. In the elementary education sector, 335 new primary schools have been opened. Further, 456 Centres under Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) have been upgraded to primary schools while 258 primary schools have been upgraded to upper primary schools (to con)
under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. For these new and upgraded schools, 492 Trained Graduate Teachers have been recruited under RMSA and under SSA, 1951 Primary Teachers & 574 Upper Teachers have been recruited. Further, recruitment of another 346 Primary Teachers and 318 Part-time instructors is under process.
My Government is in the process of expansion & development of the existing Govt. Polytechnic at Imphal. New Polytechnics are proposed to be set up in all other Districts for which Rs.16.00 crores has been sanctioned by the Government of India. A100 bedded Hostel Block has been constructed for the National Institute of Technology students. Two 50-bed Hostels for Boys and Girls are also being constructed.
Civil Supplies
Hon’ble Members, upto January, 2013, 4,06,593 Ration Cards, of different categories identified, have been issued across the nine Districts. On our persuasion, the FCI has constructed godowns at Senapati and Jiribam having a combined capacity of 7,500 tons in this current year. Further, my Government has initiated steps to augment available storage capacity by another 37,500 tons in the remaining Districts of the State in consultation with FCI.
With this, FCI will have a storage capacity of 65,590 tons in Manipur.
Hon’ble Members, my Government has also initiated steps to construct additional godowns having a total capacity of 11,500 tons at Chandel, Parbung, Tamenglong, Money, Porompat, Moreh and Jiribam under SPA. Action on the recommendations of Justice Wadhwa Committee to revamp PDS in the State has been initiated and steps taken to construct additional new storage godowns where administrative units exist. This will facilitate the proposed door-step delivery of food grains in the State.
Justice Delivery
I am pleased to note that the Union Government has notified the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012 enabling establishment of a separate High Court for the State of Manipur.
Hon’ble Members, the Courts of Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Districts of Senapati and Chandel have reopened in their respective Districts since December, 2012. Similarly, steps have been taken to shift the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Tamenglong from Imphal to Tamenglong District Head quarters.
My Government has decided to convert the two ad-hoc fast track courts into permanent fast track cou rts for speedy trial.
Health and Family Welfare
Hon’ble Members, I am happy to note that our health Indicators is much better in comparison to all India level. Infant Mortality Rate has improved to 11 from previous level of 16, while the All India average is 50. The Maternal Mortality has improved to 80 from 160 against all India average of 212 which has been appreciated at the national level. The sex ratio is 987 as against ail India average of 940. Institutional delivery is 68.3 % against all India average of 47.0 %. Early institution of breast feeding is 75.1 % against all India 33.5 %. Immunization of children is 81.4 % as against all India figure of 61.0%.
Hon’ble Members, the infrastructure for JNIMS has been expanded as per MCI norms and three batches of MBBS students have been admitted. 24 X 7 service is operational at 13 more PHCs this year and the total number of PHCs providing 24×7 service has increased to 25. Forty new Ambulances have been inducted through NRHM. The Nursing College at Lamphel has started functioning with a yearly intake of 40 students. Construction & developmental work for 50-Bedded Integrated AYUSH Hospital has been initiated at Lamphelpat and a 50- Bedded Integrated AYUSH Hospital has become operational with OPD and 10 beds, IPD facilities at Urban Health Centre with contract engagement of minimum staff has been initiated. My Government has imposed complete ban on the use of smokeless tobacco products to curb incidence of cancer.
Power
Members, we have no generation capacity in the State sector and, as such, we are totally dependent on the Central Generating Stations situated outside the State. Peak Demands for night and day are of the order of 170 & 110 MW in summer and 190 & 115 MW in winter respectively. As the generating stations in the NER are mainly Hydel, during lean period there is a shortfall in generation and therefore the availability of power reduces drastically.
Members, my Government has taken part in the North East Transmission Company for construction of the 400 KV D/C Pallatana – Silchar – Bongaigaon trunk transmission system for evacuation of power from the (a) Pallatana Gas Power Project having two units of 363 MW each and (b) Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project having three units of 250 MW each. These Plants are expected to be commissioned during 2013 and 2014 from which we have a share of 80 MW. A 400 KV Double Circuit line charged at 132 KV from Silchar to Imphal is under construction by the Power Grid Corporation of India as a part of the Associated Transmission System. My Government has formulated a State Hydro Power Policy, namely, the “Manipur Hydro Power Policy 2012″. (to con)
A Composite Scheme for Development of Intra State Transmission and Distribution Network in the North Eastern States is proposed to be implemented with World Bank funding. The cost of the scheme component in respect of Manipur is Rs. 727.67 crores. Under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana scheme, rural electrification work has been taken-up in all nine Districts. I am informed that the work is in good progress.
Hon’ble Members, my Government has introduced the innovative prepaid energy metering system in the core areas of Imphal City and I am glad to note that the revenue collection has since increased dramatically on the one hand and consumption of energy has reduced on the other. The Electricity Department has also initiated the procurement and installation of one lakh Static Meters having Optical Communication Port for replacement of Electro-Mechanical Energy Meters. Providing of meters at 132 KV, 33 KV and 11 KV feeders is also proposed to be taken up within next few months.
My Government is in the process of unbundling and corporatization of Electricity Department, with SBI Caps as the Consultant. The unbundling and corporatization is expected to increase efficiency and reduce the unacceptable levels of AT&C losses.
Public Works & Infrastructure
Hon’ble Members, my Government is taking up 12 important works with Rs. 181.56 crores Plan funds and 103 other works with SPA funding during 2012-2013.
In addition, my Government proposes to take-up improvement of National Highways with Rs. 61.68 crores. In addition Rs. 12.39 crores has been allotted for repairing of bad stretches of National Highway-2 and National Highway-102. A sum of Rs. 11.56 crores have been provided for the work taken-up under Central Road Fund during 2012-13 and Rs. 5.59 crores has been released. Estimates for 14 identified roads have been submitted to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. Rs. 27.00 crores was allotted for construction of the 119.75 Km Kangpokpi to Tamenglong road. Improvement of 49.75 Km Tamei to Tamenglong road and the 70 Km Kangpokpi to
Tamei road is in progress. Rs. 5.00 crores has been spent so far. NEC has sanctioned Rs. 147.71 crores for “Improvement of Bishnupur-Nungba Road” and work is being taken up.
Approval has been obtained to the revised estimated cost of Rs. 688.25 crores for Construction of Capital Complex with SPA funding against the original cost of Rs. 317.54 crores. The Assembly Complex and High Court Complexes have been inaugurated and 35% construction of the Civil Secretariat has been completed. Rs. 309.62 crores has been spent so far. Construction of PAB Buildings is proposed to be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs. 9.54 crores.
ADC Complex for Jiribam has been completed and inaugurated in January 2013 and the Mini Secretariat Complexes at Bishnupur and Chandel are targeted for completion during 2013-14. A sum of Rs. 4.00 crores has been earmarked for construction of Rental Housing during 2012-13 against a total estimated cost of Rs. 13.53 crores.
Water. Sanitation & Sewerage
Hon’ble Members, under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme, against a target of 2,870 habitations to be covered by the end of 12th Plan period, 1733 habitations have been fully covered and 725 habitations are partially covered. Under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan against target of 2,63,254 individual households, 3919 Government Schools and 1201 Anganwadi for providing sanitary latrines by the end of 12th Plan, so far 1,30,611 individual household latrines, 297 Sanitary complex, 3919 School toilets and 1148 Anganwadi Toilets have been constructed.

During 2012-13, my Government has concentrated its efforts on completion of on-going drinking water supply schemes. For Imphal City’s requirement, the actual average water production of 75 MLD against an installed capacity of 101.37 is not adequate to meet the present demand of 101.90 MLD. The demand is expected to rise to 197.50 MLD by 2036. In order to reduce the increasing demand and supply gap, five works were taken-up during 2011-12 of which Construction of zonal reservoir and RCC overhead tank at Babupara, Nepra Menjor and Kwakeithel Thiyam Leikai have been completed. Construction of water treatment plant at Haobam Marak and Singjamei Ward No. 17 are in the final stage of completion.
Agriculture. Allied Sectors & Natural Resources
Hon’ble Speaker and Hon’ble Members, Agriculture continues to be the main livelihood of the people of the State. To improve agriculture productivity the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana has been implemented in the State. The National Food Security Mission – Rice was introduced and implemented for the first time in the State. Under the Mission, demonstration of System of Rice Intensification, Improved Package of Practices has been taken-up.
Hon’ble Members, the State was conferred “Krishi Karman Award” for the year 2012-13 as the best performing State in overall production of foodgrains under Category-Ill States (whose annual total foodgrains production is less than one million tons). The award was presented by Hon’ble President of India on 15-1-2013 at New Delhi.

Under N.E.C. schemes, Ministry of DoNER has sanctioned a sum of Rs. 480.10 lakhs only for implementation of the project “Establishment of Regional Fishery Estate at Khullakpat Fishery No.123″ and work has started. During 2012-13, National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad has sanctioned Rs. 206.316 lakhs as grant being 90% of Rs.229.24 lakhs for establishment of a Whole Sale Fish Market at Moirang of Bishnupur District.
A total of 242.25 MT of raw silk was produced in the State upto the end of January, 2013. The income of the farmers increased through plantation, cocoon production and post cocoon activities of relining of raw silk, production of silk fabric. Cumulatively 41,958 families are covered under the programme for expansion of 380 hectares of Silk Worm Food plantation.
My Government continues to be concerned about conservation of ecology and maintenance of maximum forest cover in the State. During the year 2012-13 afforestation was taken up in an area of 4250 hectares and rehabilitation of jhum land. Under conservation programmes, the Forest Department is making all efforts to protect and increase the population of endangered State Animal “Sangai” at both Keibul Lamjao National Park and at Sangai’s 2nd Home, Iroisemba, Imphal. The State Orchidarium at Khonghampat is being developed with the added facility of an Interpretation Centre.
The efforts of the Loktak Development Authority to rejuvenate the Loktak lake through project interventions with the financial support of Planning Commission is beginning to bear fruit as the overall health of the ecosystem of the lake is improving on

various parameters. In order to address livelihood issues of the wetland dependent communities, livelihood programmes and cultural heritage based tourism are proposed to be promoted.
Irrigation & Flood Control
Hon’ble Members, our State has about 2,30,000 ha. net cultivable area. For the development of irrigation facilities, my Government had taken up eight Major & Medium Im’gation Projects. The three on-going projects, namely, (i) the Khuga Multipurpose Project, (ii) the Thoubal Multipurpose Projects and (iii) the Dolaithabi Barrage Project are expected to create irrigation potential of 55,923 Ha., 15.00 MGD of water Supply and 9.00MW of power generation with the latest total approved cost of Rs.2181.82 crore. Upto the end of December, 2012, an overall Physical Achievements of the Khuga Project, Thoubal Project and Dolaithabi Projects are 98%, 79% and 36% respectively and the projects are now targeted for completion by March, 2013, March, 2015 and March, 2014 respectively.
My Government has constructed 5 Mini-barrages at Sangaiyumpham, Thoubal District, Kharasom, Imphal East, Langathel Chinglak, Thoubal District, Lama Camp Sumchinvum, Churachandpur District and Langpok village, Bishnupur District. Another 2 mini barrages are under construction, namely, across Wangjing river at Wangjing Canteen Lampak, Thoubal District, at a project cost of Rs.4.98 crores and across Itok river at Chandrakhong, Thoubal District, at a project cost of Rs.4.98 crores and both will create a potential of 1920 Hectares on completion. My Government has completed the
modernization of Kakching Ithei Maru and it is providing irrigation water to more than 2000 Hectares of paddy-field.
During the year 2012-13, three New CAD Projects namely (i) Cluster of 213 M.I. Schemes under Imphal East, Imphal West and Churachandpur (ii) Cluster of 125 M.I. Schemes under Thoubal, Ukhrul and Chandel Districts (iii) Cluster of 169 M.I. Schemes under Bishnupur, Tamenglong and Senapati Districts is being implemented to cover an area of 12182 ha.
Public Transport
Hon’ble Members, my Government accords top most priority to supporting construction of the Jiribam-lmphal Railway Line. Sanctioned in 2003-04, it was declared as a National Project in 2005. With an estimated project cost of Rs. 3,056.85 crores, it is targeted for completion by March 2015 for Jiri-Tupul section of 84 km and March 2016 forTupul- Imphal section of 27 km. So far 35.3% work has been completed on Jiri-Tupul stretch.
, My Government has implemented the High Security.Registration Plates (HSRP) of Motor Vehicles, Light, Medium and Heavy vehicles since 12th April, 2012 in Imphal West and Imphal East Districts.
Urban Planning
Hon’ble Speaker and Hon’ble Members, my Government is implementing three projects under Urban Infrastructure & Governance component of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban
Renewal Mission, namely, (i) Solid Waste Management for Imphal City, (ii) Improvement of Nambul Riverfront & Naga Nalla and (iii) Comprehensive Drainage project for Imphal City which are in progress. The physical progress of the projects is 72%, 70% and 50% respectively, and is targeted for completion during 2013-14.
Under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme’for Small & Medium Towns, a component of JNNURM, water supply projects have been taken up for five towns, namely, Thoubal, Jiribam, Kakching, Moirang and Bishnupur. All the projects are in good progress and targeted for completion during 2013-14.
JNNURM is being successfully implemented in Imphal, Thoubal, Jiribam, Moirang, Bishnupur and Kakching. Under the Basic Services to Urban Poor component, construction of 1250 houses for urban poor households is in progress. Installation of 999 Solar Street Lamps has been taken-up within Imphal Municipal Area and the project is targeted for completion during 2013-14.
Social Welfare
Hon’ble Speaker and Hon’ble Members, under the National Social Assistance Programme, 4675 widows under Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme and 1341 Disabled Persons under Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme now receives enhanced rate of pension @ Rs.300/- per month w.e.f. October, 2012. Under the Manipur Old Age Pension Scheme, in addition to the existing 30,905 pensioners, another 15,000 pensioners will be benefited with the number of pensioners being raised to 45,905. The Old Age Pension amounts are now being transferred direct into the Bank
accounts of the beneficiaries under the financial inclusion policy. Assistance of the Banks has been mobilized and accounts in respect of 77% of the beneficiaries have been opened. The Department has proposed to set-up a State Rehabilitation Centre at Takyelpat and establish a Vocational Training Institute for the Disabled Persons.
My Government is implementing ICDS scheme in the entire State covering all the 42 Development Blocks. Keeping in view the welfare of minorities, one ICDS Project at Lilong Sub-Division has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Women & Child Development. Under the ICDS Project, 9507 Anganwadi Centres &298 Mini Anganwadi Centres have been operationalized through Anganwadi Workers & Helpers and Mini Anganwadi Workers respectively in each Centre.
Labour Welfare
Hon’ble Members, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, covering B.P.L. families among the unorganized workers, has been implemented in Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Ukhrul and Churachandpur Districts so far and Smart Cards have been provided to 64,678 B.P.L. families of the workers in unorganized sector and the same ill be extended to the remaining districts shortly.
Skill Development Initiative Scheme has been taken-up from this year in association with five Vocational Training Providers from the private as well as public sectors and around 2000 trainees are being trained by the State Labour and Employment Department. Earlier the Manipur Skill Development Society has also taken-up skill development programmes in collaboration with reputed institutes and provided employment to all the successful trainees in reputed institutions.
Welfare of Minorities. Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes
Hon’ble Members, under OBC Scholarship Programme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, 31328 students under Post-Matric (100% Central share) and 163448 students under Pre-Matric (50:50- sharing basis between Center and State) have been benefited. Under the Scheduled Castes Scholarship Schemes, Govt. of India has launched the Pre-Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes students from this year. 414 students are targeted during 2012-13 under Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students.
Under Multi Sectoral Development Project for Minority Concentrated Districts, various programmes like Indira Awas Yojana, Infrastructure Development, Integrated Watershed Development Programme are continuing. The ITI at Lilong, Mairenkhong and OBC Boys and Girls Hostels at Kiyamgei, Imphal East District are targeted to be completed within this year.
Youth Affairs & Sports
Hon’ble Speaker and Hon’ble Members, we are extremely proud that five Olympians namely, MC. Mary Kom (Boxing), L. Bombayla Devi (Archery), L. Debendro Singh (Boxing), Ng. Sonia Chanu (Weight lifting) and Kh. Kothajit Singh (Hockey) represented India in the London Olympics. MC. Mary Kom won Bronze Medal and brought laurels to the country and the people of our State. My Government has allotted land for establishment of the Mary Kom Boxing Academy. The Academy is expected to be setup with assistance from the NEC. Mary Kom has also been promoted to the rank of SP (Sports) in the Police Department.

on’ble Members, construction of District Sports Complexes in all five hill districts and Thoubal including Cricket Stadium at Luwangsangbam, Multipurpose Sports Complex at Jiribam and Regional Water Sports Complex atTakmu have been taken up with SPA funding and Central Assistance from the Ministry of DoNER under NLCPR with a view to provide standard sports infrastructure.
Information Technology
Hon’ble Members, my Government is among the first in all the States to have set-up the four main core infrastructure under the National e-Governance Plan, namely, Common Service Centre, State Wide Area Network, State Data Centre and the State Portal – State Service .Delivery Gateway & e-Forms.
My Government has taken the initiative in co-ordination with Ministry of New & Renewable Energy to provide most Common Service Centres with Solar Power Units and VSATs for internet connectivity. Phase-l of the IT Park at Mantripukhri, with about 20,000 sq. ft. of floor space is targeted to be completed by July 2013. Phase-ll, with another 25,000 sq. ft., is expected to be completed by August, 2014. In addition to the IT Park, one Information Technology Special Economic Zone, the first of its kind in the North East, is proposed to be setup behind the IT Park at Mantripukhri. This has been formally approved by the Ministry of Commerce & Industries and is under process of Notification. The IT Park and IT SEZ, will generate employment and revenues for our I.T. savvy young boys and girls.

My Government has taken-up construction of the 50-seats Digital Planetarium under NEC shared funding at the cost of Rs. 2.45 crores at Manipur Science Centre, Takyelpat. My Government has installed 461 KW Solar Power Plant in the Offices of ADCs and SDOs through MANIREDA.
Culture and Tourism
My Government has installed two Integrity Pillars depicting the role of our rich cultural heritage in strengthening the unity among various communities of Manipur at the Art & Culture Directorate Complex.
The Manipur State Kala Akademi has been organizing All Manipur Drama Festival, Memorial Lectures, Painting Competition, Art Exhibitions, Solo Dance Festivals etc. every year, besides recognizing distinguished personalities of different forms of art. The Akademi also annually confers 23 Awards including two Fellowships on distinguished artistes, writers, artists and scholars who represent the highest standard of excellence and achievement in different fields of culture. Recently, the cash value of each Award has been enhanced to Rs. 50.000/- and that of Fellow to Rs. 1,00,000/-. The Imphal Art College is one of the oldest Art College of North East India and the College Building is being constructed at a cost of Rs. 4.00 crores and is now in the final stage of completion. The MFDC’s Cinema Theatre at the Palace Compound is fully functional now. International and National Level Film Festivals/Workshops have been organized in collaboration with the “Huntre”, Film Division and Children Film Society of India.
The Kangla Fort Board has taken-up many development works inside the Kangla Fort under the 13th Finance Commission Award. It has truly become a heritage complex in the heart of the capital city. This is an achievement we can all be proud of.
Hon’ble Members, the Manipur Sangai Festival is now an annual event hosted at Imphal from 21 to 30 November. We expect many tourists from outside to visit the State during the Sangai Festival. We should target the foreign tourists since the Ministry of Home Affairs has lifted restrictions on the entry of foreigners into Manipur.
Hon’ble Members, my Government fixed minimum Guidance Value for different categories of land in the State and it came into force with effect from the 1st of April, 2012 to curb the practice of undervaluation of land in land transactions. Revenue Department is undertaking computerization of Land Records and so far, 28 Revenue Circles out of 33 Revenue Circles in the four Valley districts have been computerized. The remaining 5 Revenue Circles are expected to be completed in 2013-14.
Hon’ble Speaker and Hon’ble Members, in conclusion I wish to state that my Government is conscious of the fact that the integrity of the State and communal harmony are two critical challenges. We should, therefore, all join hands and unitedly protect and preserve the territorial integrity of our State. I solicit the whole-hearted support, cooperation and understanding of Honorable Members to make Manipur a peaceful and prosperous state.
Jai Hind

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/governors-address-at-assembly/