Day: October 24, 2017

IMPHAL | Oct 24

The Manipur Ex-MLAs Welfare Association held a meeting at Ex-MLAs chamber, Assembly Secretariat today afternoon and condoled the demise of former minister Thoudam Krishna Singh, who expired on October 22 at JNIMS.

A release said, the meeting was attended by president of the association, B.D. Behring along with its members and former ministers, R.B. Koijam, M. Nara, Kashim Ruivah, W. Jagor, M. Mang and P. Achou. The members stood in silence for two minutes as a mark of respect and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

 They also expressed deep sorrow in the demise of Thoudam Krishna and shared the grief of his family members and friends.

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Oct 24

Tomthin Event Management and Solution Services today announced that the company will organise a reality based beauty pageant in the state soon called Manipur Calendar Girl.

Managing director of the company, R.K Reuben said that this is the first ever MCG contest to be held by the company. The contest will be conducted in 12 different zones namely Imphal East and West, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Kakching, Moirang, Maram, Tamenglong, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Chandel, and Senapati.

From each zone, two best contestants will be selected and then they will undergo the “boot camp” where the contestants will be judged through a series of tasks and challenges such as games and sports, talent hunt, show promotion programme punctuality and media interaction among others.

The points scored by the contestants at these activities will later be added to the points scored at the gala, he added.

The main event will be the last segment of the journey of the MCG 2017-18 where the title of the MCG will be crowned and it would be probably in the month of December, the MD said.

The final stage will consist of a normal beauty pageant contest with first traditional round, and then designers’ round and then evening gown.

Reuben said the theme of the beauty contest is “a beauty with a purpose” and that the winner will be awarded with Rs.1 lakh cash and another Rs.1 lakh in the form of services and merchandise.

The first audition will start from October 26 in Thoubal, he notified.

Tomthin Event Management and Solution Services was established and registered in 2015 and have been managing events such as weddings, concerts, birthday parties, fashion shows, seminars and so on since then.

IMPHAL | Oct 24

United Nations human rights expert, Mr. Léo Heller, will visit India from 27 October to 10 November 2017 to examine the extent to which people’s rights to safe drinking water and sanitation are being realized.

“I will look at how human rights to water and sanitation are legally recognized and implemented in India at the national, state and local level, and how the provision of water and sanitation services adheres to human rights standards and principles,” said Léo Heller, the independent expert charged by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation worldwide.

The Special Rapporteur will gather information and testimony on the availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability and safety of drinking water and sanitation, with a particular focus on groups such as women and girls, persons with disabilities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and those living in informal settlements and rural areas.

The human rights expert, who will visit the country at the invitation of the Government of India, will meet government representatives at national and local level as well as civil society and community organizations, residents in urban and rural areas, and UN officials.

He will visit the cities of Imphal, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and New Delhi, as well as urban peripheries and rural areas.

“I want to explore what still needs to be undertaken to ensure the human rights to water and sanitation are enjoyed by all in India,” Mr. Heller noted.

At the end of his two-week visit, the Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary observations at a press conference on Friday 10 November 2017 at 10:00 local time in the UN Conference Hall, UN House, 55 Lodi Estate, New Delhi-110003. Access will be strictly limited to members of the press.

Mr. Heller will submit a full report of his findings and recommendations to the 39th session of the Human Rights Council in September 2018.

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Oct 24

Secretary general of Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur, Nameirakpam Edison Meitei said important institutions and infrastructures must be given indigenous names and not borrowed ones, during a press meet held today at the DESAM head office, Sagolband Moirang Leirak.

Speaking to media persons, Edison said since the establishment of DESAM the organisation has been promoting indigenous cultures of Manipur. While naming a public place, monument, hills, lakes, schools or colleges the authority must use indigenous name.

DESAM strongly condemned for naming of the fifth men’s hostel of Manipur University as “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Boys Hostel”. Edison further said the state has many national hero, international figures the authority could find a name among the hero of Manipur.

DESAM condemned the Manipur University for taking the name of Subhash Chandra Bose who is not related from the state.

He appealed to the concerned authorities to change the names of buildings, markets, streets and others which have already been named with indigenous ones.

If the authority of Manipur University forcibly names the fifth hostel as “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Boys Hostel,” DESAM will take necessary action at appropriate time and situation, Edison warned.

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Oct 24

A dead body of a man was found today around 4:30 pm at Cheirao Ching under Lamphel Police Station. The man has been identified as Tonthang Maring, 38, son of Tonthang Dalmei Maring from Tarung Grace Colony.

According to people at the spot, a red colour Honda Activa bearing registration number MN-01-V-3064 was seen parked on the roadside since yesterday. While suspicious residents today looked around the area they found the dead body.

According to police report, family of the deceased yesterday lodged a missing complaint at Lamphel Police. The deceased was identified from the registration number of the Honda Activa which matched the registration number mentioned in the complaint.

Additional SP Priyadarshani and SDPO, Lamphel Police rushed to the spot and investigated the case for further details. The dead body was taken to RIMS morgue for post-mortem.

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Oct 24

Genome India Project in North East India was launched today at Dr. Manju Sharma Hall, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (ISBD), Takyelpat.

Speaking on the launching ceremony, Indian neuroscientist, currently professor, Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath said with the coming of changes in eating habits the rate of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and other have been increasing enormously. The problem could be eliminated if instead of taking medications people begin performing physical exercises regularly young.

She said the main objective of the genome project is to make people aware on how to remain genetically healthy thus be free from lifelong medications.

The project will implement in ISBD in the state in collaboration with the Centre for Brain Research Indian Neuroscientist, Bangalore, she added.

To make the result of the project optimal, the research will have to be done at different infrastructures specialised according to the social problem and the types of diversity of ethnic groups in northeast India, she said.

Till now the treatment for cancer, hypertension, diabetics and others have been doing with different kinds of drugs in which animals have been used as testing models therefore not accurate enough.

Under this project, the testing model will be done on human models. With the changing trends in eating habits and constant mutation in different kinds of diseases, drugs tested on animals are falling short of standard, she added.

Vijayalakshmi further said most common diseases in the modern times are cardio-vascular and kidney failures in middle aged people. These diseases can be eliminated if people from their early thirties start physical workouts regularly. Smoking and excessive consumption of alcohols and drugs also augment the problem, she said.

With this project, experts will do analysis on different ethnic groups of entire northeast in order to find out the diseases they are prone to, or the causes of the diseases they already have, she added.

In analyses being carried out in southern Indian states like Karnataka and Kerala, most of these diseases are found to be caused by nutritional deficiencies and aberrations, rather than genetics or viral mutations, Vijayalakshmi stated.

People can volunteer to become human model under this project she said assuring thier identities will be kept unanimous and the model will be given a twelve digit code. The analysis will be done by testing genes and immune system response to the antigens, she added.

Director of IBDS, Professor Dinabandhu Sahoo also attended the launching function.