National – Page 40 – Manipur News

Institute of Hotel Management Pusa Completes Fifty Years

MNS:- Institute of Hotel Management, Catering & Nutrition, Pusa, New Delhi under the Ministry of Tourism has successfully completed fifty years of its existence. The institute was setup in 1962 as an autonomous registered society under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.The Institute was started in the barracks in the Pusa complex in 1962 and shifted to the existing campus consisting of Teaching Block, Hostels and Staff Flats in 1967-68. The certification was done by Board of Technical Education, Delhi initially. Institute was transferred from Ministry of Agriculture to Ministry of Tourism in 1982..Affiliation from National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology was done in 1986.
Diploma in Hotel Management was converted into B.Sc. degree in Hospitality & Hotel Administration awarded jointly by Indira Gandhi National Open University and National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology in 2002.M.Sc. (Hospitality Administration) course was started in 2003. Institute started Certified Hospitality Trainer Programme in 2007.M.Sc. (Dietetics & Food Service Management) was started in 2008.Institute became the first and only HACCP certified Institute in country in 2009. It represented the country in World Skill Competition held at London in 2010.
Institute started Training Programmes of Hunar Se Rozgar under Capacity Building Service Providers Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in 2010.Training Programmes of “National Skill Certification” under Capacity Building Service Providers Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India were started in 2010. Presently the institute is conducting four Training Programmes of “Hunar Se Rozgar” and two Training Programmes of “National Skill Certification” and has trained 944 persons in Hunar Se Rozgar and 3480 persons in National Skill Certification.
The Institute has trained faculty and hotel executives from Russia, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Maldives, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Republic of Syria under ITEC programme of Ministry of External Affairs. The faculty has had international exposure in USA, UK, France, Italy, Qatar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea, West Africa and Indonesia. The Institute was bestowed National Award for the Best Institute for Overall Performance for four consecutive years in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Institute was bestowed National Award of the Best Institute in Academics in 2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11, in Placement in 2007-08, in Implementing Central Schemes in 2008-09, 2009-10 and in Skill Certification Programme in 2008-09.Three faculty members have won “Hall of Fame” awards for winning the National Award of Excellence for the Best Teacher Awards three years in a row. One faculty members was bestowed the “Lady Chef of the Year-2011” for outstanding contribution by Indian Culinary Forum, Indian Federation Culinary Association and Worlds Association of Chef’s Society. Institute has adopted Red Fort, World Heritage Site of Delhi under “Campaign Clean India” of Ministry of Tourism in 2012.One faculty member was bestowed AAD Award by Association for Advancement of the Deprived, New Delhi for her work in Child Nutrition in 2012.

Anand Sharma Addresses State Chief Secretaries & Industry Secretaries on Manufacturing

MNS:- The Union Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Shri Anand Sharma has explained that the incentives enunciated in the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) can be availed of by any industrial cluster which is based on a model of self-regulation through a Special Purpose Vehicle. This should address the concerns of the States that are not in position to earmark the land needed for National Manufacturing and Investment Zones. The Government of India has already notified nine such Townships along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor with a minimum land area of 5,000 hectares after a strong demand from the concerned State Governments. “For the first time, an effective single window clearance mechanism has been established for this Policy which will enable industrial units to obtain, at one place, various regulatory clearances including those relating to labour and environment” said the minister, addressing the meeting of the State Chief Secretaries and Industry Secretaries on manufacturing here today. Referring to the social dimension of the Manufacturing Shri Sharma said that neither agriculture nor services sector will be able to grow at such a rapid pace to create newer job opportunities for the aspirational youth of India. The manufacturing sector alone holds this potential to create skilled jobs for the rural youth. National Manufacturing Policy announced in October last year aims to raise the share of manufacturing to 25% in the GDP and creating 100 million productive jobs in this sector within a decade.
Outlining the be benefits of the NMP, Shri Sharma said that “we have been able to persuade the Finance Ministry to allow, for the first time, capital gains tax concessions for investing the sale proceeds of a residential property into the productive activity of a small and medium enterprise. We are pushing for allowing these concessions for the sale of landed property also and not only for residential property.” Furthermore, this policy for the first time envisages creation of Technology Acquisition Development Fund which will serve as a patent pool in which industrial units will be able to seek license for a patented technology which will help them in manufacturing.
Expressing concerns on inadequate availability of skilled manpower Shri Sharma said that the manufacturing policy clearly addresses the gap by providing fiscal incentives for establishment of skill development institutions, it is and polytechnics by the private industry.

Centre to Support Metro Rails in Major Cities – Kamal Nath

MNS:- The Foundation-stone of Kochi Metro was laid by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh at Kochi, Kerala today. While speaking on the occasion Union Urban Development Minister, Shri Kamal Nath said that the Government of India has decided to support Metro Rails for all the cities of the country having a population of more than 2 Million. He said that efficient and reliable urban transport systems are crucial for India to sustain a high growth rate and alleviate poverty. To improve the current urban transport situation the Government is giving much attention to Metro projects. Metro projects are already under implementation across the country – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur.
Following is the text of the speech of Shri Kamal Nath at the Foundation-stone laying ceremony of Kochi Metro:
“It is a pleasure to be in the city of Kochi today for the laying of the foundation stone of the Kochi Metro Rail Project. This is a fitting tribute to the ongoing “Emerging Kerala” programme taking place in Kochi. With this, Kochi will join the select list of cities where Metro projects are under implementation. For this, I would like to thank the Hon’ble Prime Minister who has been a great champion of the Kochi Metro Rail project, the Chief Minister of Kerala, the Ministers from Kerala in the Govt. of India, who relentlessly pushed for this and Mr. A. K. Antony, the Hon’ble Defence Minister, who conceived and envisioned this project.
The Kochi Metro Rail Project from Alwaye to Petta (Tripunithura) of 25.3 km will be fully elevated and has a total completion cost of Rs. 5,181 crore. The project will be implemented through joint ownership SPV of Govt of India and Govt of Kerala and is scheduled to be completed in 4 yrs. This will have the most modern fourth generation technology, after the experience gained from Metro Projects in Delhi and Chennai. The implementation mode will be decided by the Center and State Government in a transparent manner. Kochi Metro is unique as it provides multi-modal integration with roads and water ways.
India is urbanising rapidly. India’s urban population has increased from 285 million in 2001 to 400 million in 2011 and by 2030 is likely to reach over 600 million. The number of towns has increased from 5161 in 2001 to 7935 in 2011. Even at this relatively low level of urbanization (31%), India has the second largest urban population in the world.
The urban centres have emerged as engines of economic activity. The urban sector contributes around 60% of GDP which is likely to further increase to over 70% in the next decade. Over 70% of the new jobs are expected to be created in the cities. Efficient and reliable urban transport systems are crucial for India to sustain a high growth rate and alleviate poverty. To improve the current urban transport situation the Government of India is giving much attention to Metro projects. Metro projects are already under implementation across the country – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur. The Government of India has decided to support DPR preparation for Metro Rails for all cities having a population of more than 2 Million.
Another mode of Mass Transport System that needs to be explored is Mono-rails. I am informed that Mono rails is ideal as a feeder system to larger metro networks as well as for stand-alone shorter networks in the densely populated pockets of cities. One Mono-rail corridor has already been identified in Delhi and work has been entrusted to DMRC. The cities of Calicut and Thiruvananthapuram are also keen on setting up Mono rails. Calicut proposes a Mono rail of 14 Km length at a cost of Rs.1600 crore and Thiruvananthapuram proposes to have a Mono rail of 24 Km at a cost of Rs. 2500 crore. In principal approval has already been accorded to Calicut Mono rail and I would urge the Chief Minister to take-up this Mono rail project on priority and entrust its implementation to Kochi Metro.
In order to make urban travel a more pleasant experience, Government of India sanctioned buses with superior specifications to cities. Kerala has been sanctioned 350 buses (200 for Kochi and 150 for Thiruvananthapuram) with a total project cost of Rs.124 crore. The Additional Central Assistance i.e. Govt. of India share is Rs.78.22 crore.

Amba Dutt Pandey of Almora Hope Springs Eternal

Amba Dutt Pandey, a marginal farmer in Almora District, had been hit hard by water scarcity. At his wit’s end at not being able to adequately irrigate his modest holding of 0.2 hectares of land, he had almost resigned to a bleak future of back-breaking labour with dwindling crops, when fate in the guise of the Vivekanand Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS) intervened. Amba Dutt heard that an offical of the organization was visiting his village Bhagartola.
The official discussed his problems along with other similarly affected farmers. He examined the terrain, saw the natural perennial springs near Amba Dutt’s farm and soon found a long term solution to his water crisis. “Water harvesting from these springs in tanks lined with low Density Poly Ethylene (LDPE) is your way out of your irrigation problems,” he said, going on to explain in some detail.
Amba Dutt, who had asked for help with a faint hope, was encouraged now by knowing that he would be provided with funds to install the tanks. As part of the scheme, he was also advised on the most suitable crop.
In his case, he quickly learnt that vegetable farming in poly houses to overcome inclement weather conditions, would best suit him. He was also provided with necessary training on vegetable crop rotation and the intial funding to implement these initiatives.
That was the beginning of a whole new chapter in Amba Dutt’s life. Soon, through water harvesting in LDPE tanks, he could draw upon reserves of 50,000 litres of water. He set up four poly-houses to grow vegetables. He learnt how to rotate different vegetable crops to maintain soil fertility and manage diseases and other pests.
The formation of the Vivekanand Self Help Group, of which he was one of the first members, further facilitated access to credit from banks through Kisan Credit Card scheme. With the advent of new rural telephone, he could find out the price of vegetables in all the adjoining towns in advance to get the best possible price for his produce.
In the 3 years since Amba Dutt first tried to improve his lot, his earnings have trebled. Emboldened by his success, he is planning to expand the 400 square meter area under protected cultivation. He is a happy man today who counsels others to seek help in order to intelligently help themselves.
(PIB Features)
Inputs from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/amba-dutt-pandey-of-almora-hope-springs-eternal/

Dr. M. Veerappa Moily Launches Legal Compliance Manual

MNS:- Union Corporate Affairs Minister Dr. M. Veerappa Moily today launched a Legal Compliance Manual (LCM) here in New Delhi. The objective of this manual is to ensure the compliance of Central and State Laws and follow the norms of good Corporate Governance. The LCM is jointly developed by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) in association with Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd (Intel India). This Legal Compliance Manual (LCM) will be available on IICA website, and could be used as a Reference Manual to help organizations remain compliant with applicable laws.
The Minister also released a compendium titled ” State of Corporate Governance in India- Policies to Reality” on this occasion. To compile this compendium the IICA had collaborated with the Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI) and Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) had in 2011 for a collaborative arrangement to conduct a comprehensive study on the state of Corporate Governance in India covering four fundamental aspects of governance in India using quantitative and empirical research techniques.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Moily said the concept of corporate governance is at a threshold in our nation where norms require a constant state of refinement to build a balance between voluntary and mandatory approaches. In an uncertain global scenario, it becomes pivotal to have a robust legal and compliance framework. The minister hoped that this initiative will provide a platform to small & large organizations to understand the importance of compliance and the significant role it plays in both strategic plans as well as their service quality. He applauded IICA and Intel India for this innovative approach.
The comprehensive Legal Compliance Manual is divided into key areas of business. Keeping in mind, the complex set of laws a business has to comply with at Central and State government level, the LCM can be used as a reference guide to solve 4 of the 5 impediments to compliance identified by IICA; the high risk of noncompliance, lack of knowledge of the laws, lack of systems within enterprises to monitor legal compliance, perception of compliance as an unnecessary burden and lack of uniform enforcement. This is a highly innovative Project consisting of numerous compliance obligations organized into chapters and states for easy reference for first time users. This is also the first time a multinational corporation like Intel has taken its own internal compliance framework and developed a generic version for public use.
The compendium, ”State of Corporate Governance in India- Policies to Reality” has extensively used empirical and quantitative data of over 5-7 years, which was supplemented by qualitative inputs, interviews and consultations.
The initial results were discussed in a comprehensive stakeholder consultation held in Delhi and hosted on the IICA website for over 3 months for public comments. The findings were subject to peer review by eminent experts, scholars and practitioners.
Corporate governance rules and mechanisms as they stand today in India has its genesis in the Anglo-Saxon model, which may not be wholly suited to Indian conditions. This series of papers analyses empirical data to test hypotheses on various topics of corporate governance and aims to contribute to improving the quality of business and regulatory decisions by basing them on researched facts rather than on anecdotal narratives. The study has 5 papers.
· Paper 1: Corporate Governance in India: Tracing the journey
· Paper 2: Effectiveness of RBI as a gatekeepers of corporate governance
· Paper 3: Effective ness of SEBI as a gatekeeper
· Paper 4: Auditors as gate keepers of Corporate Governance
· Paper 5: Relationship between earnings management and corporate governance characteristics in the Indian context
The results give sufficient grounds to believe that Indian Companies with better corporate governance characteristics as shown above would have lesser incentives for earnings management, thus strengthening the case for implementation of robust corporate governance norms.
IICA has been established by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs for capacity building and training in various subjects and matters relevant to corporate regulation and governance such as corporate and competition law, accounting and auditing issues, compliance management, corporate governance, business sustainability through environmental sensitivity and social responsibility, e-Governance and enforcement etc.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/dr-m-veerappa-moily-launches-legal-compliance-manual/

Fish production to be increased

SHILLONG, Sept 12 NNN : As part of promoting livelihood, the central government is all set to promote by double the fish production in the North Eastern region by 2020, officials Tuesday said.“We are targeting a total production of seven lakh tones of fish by achieving a per capita availability of 15 kg by 2020”, Director of Odisha-based Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) Dr P Jayasankar said.
Jayasankar was addressing at a “consultative conclave on Aquaculture Development” for the stakeholders of North Eastern states including Sikkim held in in Shillong on Tuesday.
He further informed, “We are already on the job” adding “ We have set a target for the region to double its fish production in another eight years.”
Mentionably, the conclave aimed at identifying the critical gaps in aquaculture development in the region and to develop an strategic action plan to match the requirements of the region.
Further the CIFA director said, “The NE states has been identified as “rich” in natural resources for fisheries” adding “A total of 14,648 km of reverine fisheries resources like rivers, lakes, ponds, streams and flood plains are ideal environment for development of fisheries in the region.”He however lamented on the increased exploitation of aquatic resources and said that expansion of fishery resources could open opportunities in aquaculture development.
Presently, the region produces over three lakh Metric tonne of fish in a year with Meghalaya contributing to 4,577 MT, Assam 2.3 lakh MT, Manipur 20,200 MT, Mizoram 2,901 MT, Nagaland 6,585 MT, Tripura 49,231 MT and Sikkim 180 MT.
Speaking at the conclave as the chief guest, State Chief Secretary WMS Pariat informed that the state government is taking up fishery on high scale. He said, the government had even launched a state flagship programme for promoting fishery development in the region.
He said, “Development in fishery sector will generate wealth and employment for the people of the region and it will also prevent crores of rupees from being drained out of the state by importing fish.”
He however called upon financial institutions to support the people’s friendly initiatives of fishery development in the region.
Pariat also dwelt at length on the need to developed strategies to preserve conservation of fishes in their natural habitat and advised the stakeholders to upgrade and equipped themselves with skills and also to be educated from the daylong deliberations of the conclave.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Principal Secretary of Fisheries department KN Kumar said, “The state government is raising 100 fish sanctuaries to promote tourism.”
He informed, “Apart, the government has set a target to produce 25, 000 Mt of fish in a year from these sanctuaries” adding “Investment would also be raised from Rs 3 crore to 1200 crore a year.”

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/fish-production-to-be-increased/

Mizo students’ body concerned with problems of Mizo students in Imphal

AIZAWL, Sept 12 NNN: Expressing its grave concern over the decision of the Principal of Sainik School, Imphal (Manipur) to expel 19 Mizo students as the latter could not clear their school fees, the largest students’ body of Mizoram known as the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) apprised chief minister Lal Thanhawla regarding the problem being faced by the Mizo students by submitting a written request to him to help the Mizo students of Sainik School in Imphal.
The MZP submitted their letter to Lal Thanhawla in which it mentioned that 25% of the students’ fees is to be paid by the Mizo students of Sainik School on their own while 75% is to be paid by the Mizoram school education department, and added, “The state school department on its part is still unable to pay its share for both 2011-12 sessions and 2012-13.”
The Mizoram students’ body then said that the Mizo students of Sainik School, Imphal are now in great despair since the Mizoram government could not pay its share of the students’ fees. “We had also informed the same to the Mizoram Education department a number of times and even Sainik School officials had also sent letters to the Education department regarding the fees due to be paid,” disclosed the Mizo Zirlai Pawl.
In the written request to Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla, the MZP said, “We earnestly request you to kindly take steps to solve the problem of the students at the earliest.”
It can be noted here the Mizo Zirlai Pawl has been dealing the problems faced by students and education institutions.
On September 2, after a long struggle by Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), funds for different colleges of Mizoram for progress and betterment, under XIth Plan colleges of Mizoram were sanctioned.
University Grant Commission had sanctioned funds to various colleges in Mizoram such as College Development Fund and ‘Merged Scheme’. There are 14 head fund allocation under Merged scheme. This fund are directly given to the college principal for various allocation plan viz: Women Hostel, Sports Infrastructural, Development Grant (Construction, renovation, Infrastructure, etc. and Additional grant for developing Infrastructure (Equipments/Teaching aids, Furniture, Library books).
The University Grants Commission (UGC) provides financial assistance to eligible colleges which are included under Section 2F and declared fit to receive central assistance (UGC grant) under Section 12 (B) of UGC Act, 1956 as per approved pattern of assistance under various schemes. Seeing on these schemes, there are 21 colleges in Mizoram has 2F and 12B, they received College Development Fund & Merged Scheme under XIth Plan from UGC while Govt. Saiha College used to get UGC fund allocation under Xth Plan mention in this aforesaid conference.
MZP had revealed that some colleges in Mizoram used to received 59.35 lakhs for their college fund and some colleges received Rs.93.25 lakhs from UGC. The fund amount which come from UGC are to be utilized to form various committee like Purchase Committee, Building Committee and Equal opportunity, so that colleges of Mizoram can utilize neat and fairly and to plan for making Planning Board in Mizoram UGC proposed.

Civil Aviation Minister Launches First B787 Dreamliner Aircraft of Air India

MNS:- Minister of Civil Aviation ShriAjit Singh launched the first Air India B787 Dreamliner Aircraft at a function at the Indira Gandhi International Airport today. 27 Boeing 787 will be delivered from 2012 to March 2016. The first of the aircrafts had arrived in New Delhi on 8th September 2012.
Later Shri Singh held a press conference addressing a variety of issues on Air India and civil aviation sector in general. The salient points of the statement of the Minister on the occasion are as follows:
1. Air India signed an agreement for purchase of 68 aircrafts (23-B777, 18-B737, 27-B787) in December 2005. 27 B787 due for delivery in September 2008 to October 2011 will now be delivered from 2012 to March 2016. The first B787 has already arrived in Delhi. Air India is going to get 5 more B787 in the current year upto December 2012.
B787 will commence flying to Europe and Australia from Winter-2012 and it is expected that the aircraft will be a game changer for Air India.
2. B787 has 3 distinct features
a) Fuel Efficiency – In terms of less fuel consumption to the extent of 15% as compared to aircraft in the same class (Airbus330). (This would be 30% less if compared with B777).
b) Passenger Comfort – Apart from passenger comfort in terms of comfortable & bigger seats, inflight entertainment, mood lightings, lavatories, large windows, the most distinguished feature of this aircraft is the Cabin Pressure Control, which allows cabin pressure to be set at lower levels i.e. equivalent to 6000 feet for B787 in lieu of 8000 feet. Besides, it is equipped with a Gaseous Air Purification System. Both these features provide enhanced passenger comfort in terms of less fatigue and more freshness during long-haul flights.
c) Less Carbon emission, thereby causing less environmental pollution.

Rahul Gandhi visits relief camps in violence-hit Assam

Kokrajhar, Sep 11 (ANI): Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met victims of ethnic violence in relief camps and held discussions with Bodoland Territorial Council (BTAD) leaders on the prevailing situation in Assam.
Gandhi, who arrived here on a day-long visit, undertook trips to the Kathalguri and Gambaribeel relief camps.
He would later go to Salakati in Kokrajhar, besides two relief camps in Dhubri district.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde have already visited Assam.
Home Minister Shinde earlier on Monday said sufficient security arrangements have been made by the security forces in the vulnerable areas of Assam to prevent recurrence of communal violence.
Presenting the report card of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the month of August, Shinde said that normalcy is returning to Assam and people are going back from relief camps to their native places.
“I am happy to note that normalcy is returning to Assam gradually and people are going back from relief camps to their native places. I had requested the state governments to take all possible measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future,” Shinde said.
“It is unfortunate that the recent violence caused by the ethnic groups in Assam has been given communal colour and has resulted heavy loss of lives and displacement of people to relief camps,” he added.
The Prime Minister had earlier on Saturday said that the increase in the communal incidents in the country in the past few months and the revival of ethnic tensions in the northeast in recent weeks have been causes of concern.
“The ethnic disturbances of the northeast assumed a national dimension with the flight of people belonging to the northeast from various towns of South and Western India,” he said in his speech at the Annual Conference of DGPs/IGPs here.
It may be recalled here that there was exodus of northeasterners from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra following rumours of backlash over the ethnic violence in Assam.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/rahul-gandhi-visits-relief-camps-in-violence-hit-assam/

NE women writers’ meet

MNS: NEZCC will organise North East Women Writers Meet on 14 -15 September 2012 at NEZCC, Dimapur in association with the Nagaland Page. This Women Writers Meet is being organized as part of the ongoing Silver Jubilee Celebrations of NEZCC. The broad theme of the Literary Meet which will be attended by eminent Women Writers of North Eastern States including Sikkim will be “Shared Experiences” and similarities that finds voice in the Women’s writing in the North East.
The meeting will bring together myriad collection of women writers of North East representing many communities, culture, traditions, religion and value system. The effort will be to bring out the commonalties and thread of similarities among the experiences of North Eastern Women despite the diversity of the region.
The main aim of the meet is to bring the North East Women closer through face to face interaction to share the experiences of the living, giving and loving despite many differences. The meet will also attempt to provide a platform for interaction with publishers, young women writers and expose them to the work of Literature and its nuances.
The lists of invitees include prominent writers from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura and the host State of Nagaland. Prominent National Publishers like National Book Trust (NBT), Zubaan and Heritage Publishing (Nagaland), as well as UN Women and other NGOs, will participate in the meet.
It is hoped that the meet would provide a platform for women writers of the region and through their interaction will forge a strong friendship that will lead to better understanding of cultural diversity in India and bring about unity through culture.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/ne-women-writers-meet/

Do not cross your ‘lakshman rekha’, SC tells media

New Delhi, Sept 11(ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday urged media not to overstep its ‘lakshman rekha,’ so as to ensure a fair trial to the accused and honour his/ her right to defence, and said the postponement of publication of trial court proceedings could be ordered by the apex court or any high court only for a short duration, without infringing upon the contents of the report ordered to be published later.
Passing a constitutional principle to the effect, a five-judge bench headed by Chief justice S.H. Kapadia and comprising of Justices D.K. Jain, S.S. Nijjar, Ranjana Prakash Desai and J.S. Khehar observed that media’s right to freedom of expression was not an absolute right, and the journalists should not cross their ‘lakshman rekha’ so as to prevent contempt charges.
The apex court however stopped short of framing broad guidelines for reporting sub-judice matters, saying it cannot be done “across the board.”

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/do-not-cross-your-lakshman-rekha-sc-tells-media/

ACHR demands inquiry into army’s role during Assam riots

Guwahati/New Delhi, Sep 11 (ANI): The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) while releasing its report, ‘Assam Riots: Preventable but not prevented’, today demanded that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh order an inquiry “into the refusal by the army to be deployed in the riot affected areas, fix the responsibility and take necessary measures including disciplinary action for criminal dereliction of duty by the army.
The ACHR recommended development of the Standard Operating Procedure to establish the supremacy of the Chief Minister as the Chairman of the Unified Command and deployment of the army on the Chief Minister’s instruction without any sanction from the Ministry of Defence in cases of riots or natural calamities.
“The Assam Government failed to deploy its 27,595 State Armed Police in the riot-affected areas. The Assam Government did not deploy the Central para-military forces at its command and instead waited for the Central Government to instruct West Bengal and Meghalaya to send para-military forces,” said Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.
“The refusal of the army to be deployed directly led to increased loss of lives, displacement and consequent spread of hatred in the country. Both under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 wherein the Army operates in aid of civil power and the Sections 130 and 131 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the army is legally bound to obey the orders of the civilian authorities. By the time the army moved in on 25 July 2012, about 44 persons were killed and over 200,000 were displaced. There must be accountability for such criminal dereliction of duty,” added Chakma.
The ACHR’s report has been prepared following visit by researchers of the Asian Centre for Human Rights in the affected areas on 27-28 July 2012, followed by further visits on 11-12 August 2012 and 27-29 August 2012.
The ACHR stated that a number of anti-tribal secular activists from mainland India and the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) have been distorting and misinterpreting facts that caused the riots and further interpret the riots along the communal lines.
The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) in its report accused the Bodos of engineering the riots by stating that, “The Bodos need to be told firmly that they cannot under any circumstances engineer a mass exodus of non-Bodos. Nor would they ever get statehood this way.”
This statement of the NCM is self-contradictory as the NCM further stated, “Had prompt action been taken after two Muslims were killed on 6th July, or after four Bodos were snatched away from the hands of the police and killed by Muslims, this conflict could have been avoided.”
The ACHR lamented that a number of anti-tribal secular activists have described the riots as ethnic cleansing and the autonomous councils of the tribals as ‘incentivising ethnic cleansing’ when both the communities were affected in the riots and each time the riots started and spread because of the abysmal failure of the State to enforce the law.
The ACHR stated that communal tension has been building up in Assam since the controversial marriage of Congress MLA Rumi Nath to a Muslim in May 2012. A section of political leaders of the ruling Congress who have been leading ‘Oust Tarun Gogoi’ campaign exploited the situation to show the CM as an incapable administrator after the CM inducted his son as a member of the Congress Party in May 2012.

ACHR demands inquiry into army’s role during Assam riots

Injustice will not be meted out to cartoonist Trivedi’: R.R. Patil

Mumbai, Sep 11 : Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil on Tuesday said injustice will not be meted out to
Kanpur-based cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, presently under judicial custody on charges of sedition.”The investigation is underway. We will do all that is possible as per the law and try to close this case as soon as possible. We don’t want to do injustice to anybody. The investigation officer will assess all the charges,” said Patil.
“It would not be appropriate for me to comment on this case as the investigation is on,” he added.
According to certain media reports, while the sedition charges against Trivedi will be dropped, he will still face the charges of insulting the national emblem.
Patil had earlier on Monday said there were no grounds for the police to arrest.
“The government is trying to get him released as soon as possible. I am personally looking into the matter. The police will surrender its custody,” he said.
India Against Corruption (IAC) member activist Arvind Kejriwal earlier in the day announced that he would begin a protest starting Saturday if all the charges levelled against the cartoonist were not dropped.
Kejriwal, who met the cartoonist presently in jail, said Trivedi is a patriot and is fighting against corruption for the last one year.
“We met Aseem now. I appreciate the courage of this boy. He can never be a traitor. He fought for Lokpal. Those who steal coal they are true patriots and those who fight against corruption are traitors. The nation will not tolerate the attitude of this government,” said Kejriwal.
“If all charges against Aseem Trivedi are not dropped by Friday and he is not release from jail then we will sit outside here from Saturday,” he added.
Kejriwal had earlier on Monday said it is wrong to send Trivedi to judicial custody.
The chairman of Press Council of India (PCI), Justice Markandey Katju, earlier defended Trivedi, saying the cartoonist has done nothing illegal. Justice Katju said these are occupational hazards, and politicians must learn to put up with them.
Trivedi, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Saturday for allegedly posting seditious and obscene content on his website which has now been blocked, has been sent to judicial custody till September 24. He was also charged under the IT Act and the 1971 National Emblem Act.
The cartoonist’s supporters, however, allege that his arrest is politically motivated and that he is being punished for backing Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign. The cartoons by Trivedi reportedly depicted Parliament as a commode and showed the national emblem with wolves instead of lions.
The police claimed that Trivedi had earlier exhibited similar cartoons at a rally organised by India Against Corruption (IAC) at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai in December 2011.
The cartoonist’s supporters, however, allege that his arrest is politically motivated and that he is being punished for backing Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign.

‘Hike in fuel prices is unavoidable’: Jaipal Reddy

New Delhi, Sep 11 (ANI): Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister S. Jaipal Reddy on Tuesday made it clear that the hike in fuel prices is unavoidable.
“I would like to tell the people, in all humility, that increase is unavoidable. It will not give us pleasure. We will have to perform our unpleasant duty,” he said.
Reddy further said the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), which is meeting later in the day to decide on the hike, may take a decision in this regard if the matter is listed for discussion.
“I had circulated a note to all the members of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) about the problem of increasing under recoveries. As of now, if you project for the remaining period the under recoveries will exceed 1,88,000 crores. And with prices going up further at the global level with rupee not softening, the under recoveries could be anything beyond that,” said Reddy.
“So, I tried to acquaint the members of CCPA about these matters. Yesterday I sent an updated version of the same. Today there is a meeting of the CCPA. This item has not been listed. If it is taken up today, which I said is not likely; some decisions may be taken. If it is not taken up today, the decisions may have to be postponed by a few days,” he added.
Reddy had earlier last Friday denied speculations that oil-marketing companies were going to hike fuel prices.
Reddy said that there was a need to lower the under-recoveries faced by the oil companies by selling fuel at subsidized rates.
“We are facing a tremendous crisis of unprecedented magnitude. However, there is no immediate proposal to hike fuel prices, including petrol. The Cabinet will take the final call,” he said.
With reports that there may be an increase in the prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier last week alleged that the ruling UPA Government was merely trying to divert the attention of the people, as it is currently embroiled in various scams.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar had then said this step of the government would be like rubbing salt into the wounds of the common people.
“The government does not want to tell the truth in Parliament. It wants to run away from the coalgate scam and wants to evade the issue of corruption by raising the fuel price,” he said.
Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja also echoed similar sentiments on the issue, and said that the if the government hikes the prices of fuel then the people of the country would have to face the brunt.
“Once the session is adjourned, government and the oil marketing companies will go for another hike in the price of diesel, petroleum, and other petroleum products and it has become a routine for the Congress led UPA-2 Government. Once the session is over, they will allow the oil marketing companies to hike the price of diesel and petroleum,” said Raja.
According to reports, an increase in petrol, diesel, domestic cooking gas (LPG) and kerosene prices looks imminent after the Finance Ministry said it has no money to provide for fuel subsidy.
Diesel, domestic LPG and PDS kerosene rates have not been changed since June 2011 even though cost of production has soared 28 percent.
State-owned fuel retailers are losing Rs 560 crore per day on sale of diesel and cooking fuel, and are forced to resort to short-term borrowings to meet funds needed for importing crude oil (raw material).

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/hike-in-fuel-prices-is-unavoidable-jaipal-reddy/

Inspiring Confidence in Indian Business

MNS:- There have been several times in the last two decades when the ethical behavior of organisation has been the center of attention. This may be due to lack of knowledge on the issues related to compliance. Compliance is all about internal control processes. The board should also ensure that compliance plays a significant role in both strategic plans and product development. Compliance should not be something that is retro-fitted to products, reorganization, and similar decisions. It should be a part of the DNA of the organization as well as design and decision-making process.
Corporate governance norms in India are in a constant state of refinement, in search of a balance between voluntary and mandatory approaches. Equally, the very concept of corporate governance is at a threshold in India where regulations attuned to Indian conditions require a deep understanding of underlying factors and issues before expecting compliance from corporations. Good governance has always been an important element in human interactions and in an increasingly uncertain global climate has now become an imperative. Corporations today wield immense economic power (sometimes greater than the GDP of some countries), and based on this economic power, considerable political power as well. It is not surprising that there is an increasingly intense demand to regulate corporations all over the world. This has led to a flurry of laws, regulations and compliance parameters in practically every country.
However, there are no set and final answers; the quest for good governance is a matter of on-going debate to arrive at practicable solutions both for internalising the goals of governance at every level of the organization and for implementing the regulations that are already in force.
India has a complex set of Central Government and State laws that businesses need to comply with. Researching the applicable laws, keeping up with changes and implementing necessary compliance procedures is time consuming and expensive.
IICA has identified that the main reasons for non-compliance are:
1. The high cost of compliance
2. Lack of knowledge of the laws
3. Lack of systems within enterprises to monitor legal compliance
4. Perception of compliance as an unnecessary burden
5. Lack of uniform enforcement
In order to deliberate on the challenges in staying legally compliant in India especially for small and medium enterprises, the IICA has accordingly organised a one day long conference on Corporate Governance titled as “INSPIRING CONFIDENCE IN INDIAN BUSINESS”. A galaxy of eminent and experienced speakers with an objective to bring awareness and to provide solutions to address the challenge will address the gathering.
As part of the MoU between IICA and Intel a Legal Compliance Manual (LCM), has been developed. This has been developed as a generic manual, applicable to companies working in similar businesses and has been extended to include adjacent areas such as Factories Act compliances which apply to a vast number of companies in India. The IICA version of the LCM will not cover all types of businesses but it will assist a substantial number of them to quickly learn about compliance obligations without incurring costs. The LCM will be provided with the caveat that it may be continuously updated to include new areas.
It is noteworthy that the IICA along with Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI) and Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) have in 2011 entered into a collaborative arrangement to conduct a comprehensive study on the state of Corporate Governance in India covering four fundamental aspects of governance in India using quantitative and empirical research techniques.
The study should be of interest to companies, policy makers, analysts and academics alike and is titled” State of Corporate Governance in India- Policies to Reality”

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/inspiring-confidence-in-indian-business/

Indian Muslims are ‘sui generic’: Hamid Ansari

New Delhi, Sep 11 : Asserting that Muslims have lived in India’s religiously plural society for over a thousand years, at times as rulers, at others as subjects and now as citizens, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari has said that Indian Muslims are, in more ways than one, ‘sui generic’.
Vice President Ansari, who released the book “Muslims in Indian Cities” here on Monday in his address said, ‘the subject of India’s Muslim minority, and its socio-economic condition, has been the subject of considerable study in recent years’.
“The debate has thus progressed from informed and less informed speculation to diligent collection and analysis of actual conditions based on ground data.
Indian Muslims are, in more ways than one, sui generic. They are 13.4 percent of India’s population; at the same time, they are the second or third largest Muslim community in our world of nation-states,” said Vice President Ansari.
“They have lived in India’s religiously plural society for over a thousand years, at times as rulers, at others as subjects and now as citizens. They are not homogenous in racial or linguistic terms and bear the impact of local cultural surroundings, in manners and customs, in varying degrees,” he added.
Vice President Ansari said the partition of India in 1947, a result of political calculus, compromises and adjustments of elites but not of population at large, affected adversely the Muslims in India, particularly in the northern and eastern states of the Indian Union.
“For several decades thereafter the socio-economic impact of that event on the Muslim minority remained largely un-studied or understudied. Ad hoc government initiatives taken occasionally were poorly implemented,” he added.
Vice President Ansari further said the government set up a high-level committee under Justice Rajinder Sachar in March 2005 to collect authentic information about the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community so that it could be used for formulation of specific policies and programmes to address its socio-economic backwardness.
“The Sachar Report has become a landmark and is being used by the Government for affirmative action in different areas. The extent to which it has succeeded is the subject of a lively debate. Amongst the many studies undertaken, I could mention the volume edited in 2010 by Rakesh Basant and Abusaleh Shariff and the Report published last year by Harsh Mander’s Centre for Equity Studies. Both shed much light on the conceptual and practical limitations of the extant policies,” said Vice President Ansari.
“The volume before us today adds some useful empirical data to the debate. It is yet another example of the thoroughness and diligence of the CNRS, Paris and of its guiding light, Professor Jaffrelot, who needs no introduction to an Indian audience. It is a sociological study of the condition of Muslim communities specifically in a dozen urban centres. It explores patterns of segregation as well as of resilience. The concluding essay by the editors offers a nuanced view of social and territorial marginalisation through typologies and argues that Muslims are losing ground,” he added.
The Vice President said: “This conclusion may be contested on two grounds. In the first place, any generalisation for so large a number spread over a vast area is hazardous. Secondly, and as the editors point out, the Muslims of India are not a homogenous entity. Different strata of the community have performed differently.”
“The elite of a feudal past have lost ground but some amongst them have adapted themselves well in new callings. New elites have sprung up amongst those who in the past were socially under-privileged and are now doing well in terms of educational levels and economic well-being,” he added.
Vice President Ansari further said: “Above all, the realisation is dawning that as equal partners in a democratic polity governed by the ideals of social, economic and political justice, they can make the weight of numbers felt in political decision-making and seek a fair access to it.”

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/indian-muslims-are-sui-generic-hamid-ansari/

NPF on clashes between Naga tribes

DIMAPUR, Sept 10 NNN : When the 60 MLAs of Nagaland legislative assembly joined to form a Joint Legislature Forum (JLF) and declare to vacate their seats for Naga solution, everyone thought that the ruling and the opposition MLAs of Nagaland legislative assembly are here for cordial nexus. However, the recent Sema-Angami communal clash in the Nagaland commercial hub Dimapur has become too big a temptation for these legislators for the harvest of political mileage.On Monday, the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) has accused the opposition Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee of trying to rake up as much as political issue out of the recent Sema-Angami clash.
NPF’s reaction came following the Congress party blaming chief minister Neiphiu Rio of giving mishandling the communal clash.
“The NPCC has tried its level best to politicise the unfortunate incidents of August 31 and September 1 in order to get political mileage, but it has fallen flat on its face and the Congress in Nagaland has exposed its narrow minded intentions to all of Naga society. At a time when different sections of the people especially civil society and tribal organisations were making all out efforts to forge understanding, the Congress resorted to its old trick of trying to politicise the sequence of events, thereby revealing their true colour to the people. The absurd demand of the NPCC for the dismissal of the duly elected Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) Government is rejected and condemned,” the NPF said in a press communique today.
The NPCC’s statement accusing the chief minister of “giving undue weightage to the civil societies” also exposes the anti-people approach of the NPCC. In Naga society, we hold the tribal organisations, civil societies and mass based organisations in high regard and it is in our customs and traditions to respect and acknowledge these frontal organisations. They carry the voice and feelings of all the Naga tribes and they are protected even by the Constitution of India as enshrined in Article 371 A, the NPF added.
The NPF then said that for the benefit of the NPCC, it is pertinent to point out that Article 371 A of the Constitution of India clearly states that notwithstanding anything in the Constitution, no act of Parliament in respect of religious or social practices of the Nagas, Naga customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law, ownership and transfer of land and its resources, shall apply to the State of Nagaland unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides.
It also pointed out that the Sixteen Points Agreement in clause 8 with regard to Local self Government states that “each tribe shall have the following units of rule making and administrative local bodies to deal with matters concerning the respective tribes and areas such as the village councils, the range councils the tribal councils. It says that “these councils will also deal with disputes and cases involving breaches of customary laws and usages.
“Clause 9 of the Sixteen Points Agreement under the heading Administration of Justice further states that (a) the existing systems of administration of civil and criminal justice shall continue. (b) Appellant courts. (1) the district court cum sessions court (for each district) high courts and Supreme Court of India (2) the Naga Tribunal for the whole of Nagaland in respect of cases decided according to customary law.
The Nagaland Village and Area Councils Act, 1978 (Nagaland Act No. 1 1979) has been amended to be called the Nagaland Village Councils Act, 1978 by section 2 of the Nagaland Village and Area Councils (Second Amendment) Act, 1990 (Nagaland Act No. 7 of 1990). The Act of 1979 had repealed the Nagaland Village, Area and Regional Council Act, 1970 (Act No. 2 of 1971), as extended to the erstwhile districts of Kohima and Mokokchung, which had also repealed the Nagaland Tribal, Area, Range and Village Councils Act 1966, that was enacted for the establishment of Tribal, Area, Range and Village Councils in the erstwhile districts of Kohima and Mokokchung. The Nagaland Village, Area & Regional Councils Act 1978 has been amended for the fourth occasion by the present assembly, unanimously, in 2009 with full participation of the opposition Congress during the Fourth Session of the 11th Nagaland Legislative Assembly session on 11th July 2009.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/npf-on-clashes-between-naga-tribes/

YMA opposes anything based on ethnic line

AIZAWL, Sept 10 NNN: Young Mizo Association (YMA) can no longer tolerate on anything that is done on ethnic lines in Mizoram.
The Young Mizo Association (YMA), the most influential and the biggest non-governmental organisation in Mizoram has taken a vow to take up initiatives to do away any community or individual doing things on ethnic lines.
“Central YMA resolved to take measures in order to end any activity taken by a particular community along the line of ethnicity which could destroy the integrity of the Mizos,” said the Young Mizo Association.
This resolution was taken during the YMA Central Executive Committee meeting.
The YMA feels that too much of activities on ethnic lines have been hampering the growth of Mizoram and its society. “So we thought it would be the best policy to discourage as much as possible that various communities Mizoram do not focus much on ethnic lines,” stated a YMA leader.
Besides this, the YMA also resolved to start whirlwind cleanliness campaign across Mizoram. Central YMA also resolved to help carry out development works in the villages in order to bring progress and proficiency in Mizoram and its society.
Another resolution of the Young Mizo Association is to encourage the people of Mizoram to plant more trees.
It can be noted here that the Young Mizo Association (YMA)’s campaign to discourage non-local business community in Mizoram has been continuing unabated.
In July, the YMA had asked the people in the state not to buy goods from non-local businessmen in Mizoram.
As instructed by Central YMA, Tuikual south branch of YMA had asked the people in the locality not to buy anything from the shop run by Mizoram Civil pensioners Multipurpose Co-opeartive Society PEMCOS) near Tennis Court in Aizawl saying non-Mizos are behind the business. The YMA Branch hangs a big banner appealing the people not to buy anything from PEMCOS shop.
YMA sources had informed that the Central YMA had for several times inspected the PEMCOS shop and thus concluded that some non-Mizos are involved in the business, which they reiterated as against the principle of the Young Mizo Association. They further argued that although the shop is known as Mizoram Civil pensioners Multipurpose Co-opeartive Society (PEMCOS) shop, the real owner is a non-Mizo Hanuman Singh Yadav; and even Hanuman Singh Yadav had said that he also owned police canteen, Tuikual South YMA added.
As per information from Tuikual South YMA, PEMCOS Annual Report (2011-12) shows that the annual income of PEMCOS as Rs. 1, 80, 81,790, whereas the profit is Rs. 3, 60,302. “Their profit is is 2% less than their income; if the labour’s salary, water and electric bill is further deducted, the shop hardly has a profit; which indicates that there’s someone, who gets the profit, and the same is believed to be the real owner” Tuikual South YMA stated.
Tuikual South YMA further informed that PEMCOS is under the administration of Mizoram Civil Pensioners Assosiation (MCPA), and said some members have their share in PEMCOS. “While we have the yearly theme of preserving the land and its people, and while we take step to oust all the illegal non-Mizo businessmen, the prevalence of such cooperation with non-Mizos and illegal business being undertaken is what we don’t like. We really don’t like the activity of our earlier educated officers who even had served the government till their pension by cooperating with non-Mizo for business purpose” Tuikual South YMA strongly reiterated.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/yma-opposes-anything-based-on-ethnic-line/