Government of India – Page 2

Sangakpham: We deserve to know

By: A. Bimol Akoijam In a swift response, the Chief Minister of Manipur said that the terrorist violence that struck Sangakpham on 1st August, 2011 was the handiwork of NSCN… Read more »

By: A. Bimol Akoijam

In a swift response, the Chief Minister of Manipur said that the terrorist violence that struck Sangakpham on 1st August, 2011 was the handiwork of NSCN (I-M). This is a development which is quite uncharacteristic of the Govt. of Manipur on such incidents or as an editorial in the Sangai Express, a leading newspaper in Imphal puts it, “can’t really recollect the last time that a case of this proportion was laid bare so fast and so conclusively”. However, the said organization, according to a report released by Newsmai News Network from Dimapur, has denied the allegation. Besides, according to a press report, contrary to the statement made by the Chief Minister at the Press Conference on 2nd August, 2011, the Koren (Koireng) Youth Organization has denied that the suspected bomber one Anthony s/o Bonkolung of Sadu Koireng is “a resident of Sadu Koireng Village, Saikul sub-division…and he is not known to the people of Koireng”.

CM O Ibobi Singh inspecting the site of Sangakpam bomb blast. Source: Imphal Free Press

The contradictory reports do not help the citizens who are at the receiving end of such violent and atrocious crime. This being the case, we, as citizens must know the truth as to who is/are behind the dastardly and gruesome act at Sangakpham. The government must put the system and institutions at its disposal to task so as to come out with the truth and bring those who are responsible for the crime to justice at the earliest.

And we as citizens must also know that we must not rest till the institutions for investigations and protecting the life and dignity of the people are made to perform their assigned and expected duties and responsibilities. Only then, we can expect to live with certain sense of normative and institutional mechanisms of a civilized life.

All those who cried out for justice, and those who have statements such as “enough is enough” etc must put their statements into action by seeking and pursuing this: to know the truth and make the above institutions accountable. Only then, can one say that their slogans and outpouring of emotions have some sense and value. Otherwise, those statements shall remain as symptoms of a pathological mind which make them vulnerable to atrocious violence and indignity.

This being the case, we deserve to know:

a) Who is Anthony, the suspected bomber?

b) What are the material and circumstantial evidences on the basis of which the officials have established the identity of the suspected bomber and the organization of which he was a member or on whose behalf he allegedly carried out the heinous act?

c) As per the statement of the Chief Minister, the Bajaj scooter (Chetak) which was allegedly used in the blast had a Nagaland number (NL-O1E/1394) registered in the name of one K. Daniel s/o K. Angami of Diphu Par, Dimapur (Nagaland). Now the question is:

i) Was this information based on the recovery of the necessary document(s) from the blast site or provided by authorities in Nagaland?

ii) Has the investigating agency in the state kept in touch with their counterpart in Nagaland on this matter a) to establish the facts of the case and b) to trace the owner for further questioning?

d) ISTV news mentioned that the Union Home Minister also reportedly blamed NSCN (I-M) for the blast at Sangakpham. (There was one line in Morung express which also reported the statement of the Union Home Minister). If this is so, which agency has given them this news? This is crucial for two reasons: a) The Union Government has been in talks with the said organization and b) for the deeply ethicized and communalized mindset, the words of the Government of Manipur can be subjected slanderous allegation. Moreover, this has serious implication for the “ground rules” of the “cease fire” between the Government of India and the NSCN (I-M), which, as far as Manipur is concerned, is nothing more than a farcical enactment and a part of a make-belief world of those who were ostensibly happy with the withdrawal of the “three words” from the “ceasefire agreement” following the so-called “uprising” in Manipur in 2001.

We must avoid communally charged perspective; what we have seen at Sangakpham is the display of a horrible act of a naked and illegitimate violence that attack the life and dignity of the citizens. Democratic ethos demands accountability of institutions and transparency for a civilized life in the state. And we must work to restore such institutional imperatives, not hollow talks and rhetoric.

By the way, such a note as this one is something that one can legitimately expect to come in media in Manipur. I am sure that many of us have seen such reports and news analysis in media across the globe following such incidents. If it doesn’t come, it only speaks of our media guys just as it speaks of the people of Manipur in general. It’s time to take responsibility, each one of us, for a change.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/08/sangakpham-we-deserve-to-know/

Peace and Development in NE India

by Dr. R.B. Thohe Pou Many people talk about peace and development, but how many of us sincerely want peace and development in North East India? Arms Force Special Power… Read more »

by Dr. R.B. Thohe Pou

Many people talk about peace and development, but how many of us sincerely want peace and development in North East India? Arms Force Special Power Act (AFSPA) was introduced in NE regions in 1957 and re-imposed in Manipur and Nagaland in 1985. Nagaland State has again been declared as a disturbed area in July 2011. The draconic law of AFSPA has mentally and physically affected the people in the region, and it will have a great impact even in the future. Some people may allege that there is peace in the region, but controlling the people by a gun barrel cannot be called as PEACE. If you are really talking about peace, let there be peace and development in the region in letter and in spirit.

The government wants to bring peace and development in the region, but it cannot do so while denying the rights of the people. If rights and justice of the people are denied, there cannot be peace and development in NE India; this is true not only in NE India but anywhere in the world. With mutual understanding and knowing the facts of the history, no problem is so abstruse as to be unsolvable.

The BJP government took the initiative in the Indo-Naga peace talks with the senior leaders like Atal Vajpee Bihari. However, the younger generation have different views on the Naga political problem; some are even ignorant about the essential Naga historical facts. There is medicine to kill pain, and we can prescript medicine to reduce it, but a doctor needs to diagnose the root cause and problem, and give the complete dose to heal a patient. Repressing the rising voice of the people through military might is only like a doctor prescribing only the pain killer to be relieved ephemerally.

Mizoram state is becoming one of the fastest developing states in NE and has achieved the second highest literacy rate in India after the insurgent problem was solved. The State has recently celebrated the 25Years of Peace in the State on 30th June 2011. It has become one of the model states in terms of developments and peace in NE. Only those who have genuinely studied the issues and problems can only understand the real cause of the problem and issue of NE India. Recently, Rahul Gandhi – one of the promising future Indian Prime Ministers, says, “Army is not the solution to Kashmir and NE.” Many other Indian Army officers having previously served in NE region also gave a similar report.

When the NE burns, it affects all of India; when the Naxalites affected regions burn, it affects the entirety of India. Unfortunately, only some logical and visionary leaders see this aspect. According to the govt. of India – Home Ministry Affairs (HMA) 1967, NNC was listed as a banned terror group in NE India. On 17th May 2010 the govt. of India released another list of terror groups in India in which more than 100 terror groups are banned like – Maoists, ULFA, NBDF, SIMI, etc., but the NSCNs factions are not included. However, some people alleged the NSCN – the Naga National Workers as terrorist, criminal, extortionist, etc. If the NSCN are terrorist and criminal then the whole Naga civil leaders and Naga people also can be booked under TADA and criminal cases for supporting them to bring peace in the region as an accomplice also can be punished under IPC.

India will become a peaceful Nation and develop more progressively once some of the threats and problems are solved. Today the three biggest problems being encountered by the GOI are –

i). The Jammu and Kashmir issue and problems
ii). NE insurgent Issue and problems (especially the NSCN and ULFA)
iii). Maoist problems (Naxalites) issue and problems

India has been investing a huge sum of money for counter-insurgency. Such expenditures would be reduced significantly if the above three problems were solved, yielding not only peace, but also greater economic prosperity. Those three problems have different issues and problems, and it needs to consider patiently in each case separately. It is high time that the GOI gives serious thought to these burning issues in India. Corruption is another mania in India, but the above three issues are more important than other issues in India. If the GOI wants the Naga political to be solved and to restore peace in the region, it needs to acknowledge and accept the genuine cause of the Naga political problem and prescribe the complete dose to heal the region completely.

The people of NE India yearn for peace and development, but more than 60% of the Indian population does not understand the root causes for the lack of peace and development in NE. One should not think that the problem in NE region is just a law and order problem. While considering the size of the region and demographic aspects, some people may want the Seven Sisters to become one nation, but there is no historical basis for such a union. Why has the giant India had a ceasefire with the small Naga army since 1997? The size does not matter but the historical fact counts.

It is well-known that NSCN is considered as the mother of insurgents in Northeast India, and everyone who loves peace and development in the region needs to extend support to resolve the Naga political and ULFA problems. Then someday the beautiful greenery of the NE States of India can become one the best tourists’ destinations, and also become one of the commercial hubs of India. The people around the world want peace and development in the region and in a recent Annual Gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the World Baptist Alliance (WBA) which consists of 120 Nations support Naga Reconciliation. NE people have suffered enough for more than 50 years under AFSPA and the insurgency problem, and it is time now for everyone to think more positively and to have the desire to the most pressing issues and problems in the region.

The Naga Political problem is not problematic only to the Naga indigenous people; it affects the whole NE region and India. Directly or indirectly, development in the northeastern region is depending upon solving the Naga Political and ULFA problems. Once the Naga Political and ULFA problems are solved, we can see the dawning of development and peace in northeastern region of India. It is alleged (reported) that the Naxalites have a link with the ULFA, and the network may continue to enlarge as times passes. It is also alleged that the NSCN is giving shelter to the ULFA cadres some where in the border of India and Myanmar. So in one way or another, all three groups are closely linked, which shows the insurgent epidemic in the future in India.

Solving the NSCN and ULFA problems in NE will bring solace to India and in particular to northeastern region. The GOI and the people of northeast need to understand not only the factual issues, but also to acknowledge and accept the genuine cause of the Naga Political problems. In previous Central-NSCN-IM Peace-talks, the Chairman of NSCN-IM said that the Peace-talks are coming to most crucial stage, and in more recent talks (18 July 2011), NSCN Special Emissary V.S. Atem told the Telegraph, India, “The talks were positive and we now enter the most crucial phase of the negotiation.” Moreover, it is also reported that the Naga political problem will be solved in “shortest possible time” and the solution will be based on “the uniqueness of Naga history and situation which was recognized by the government in 2002”. After more than 60 rounds of Peace-talks held in different countries and in Delhi, now it is showing a positive result in their Peace-talks. Consequently, the people of Naga-land and NE India should be in euphoria and extend their support to the ongoing Peace-talks to bring a long-lasting peaceful solution in the region.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/0JwHlT0B1W4/

Why support ‘Nobel Peace Prize for Irom Sharmila’ as part of International Women’s Week’?

By: Shanjoy Mairembam First think ‘Irom Sharmila’ as an Indian, as a woman, as a human; then, acknowledge the fact that she’s been fasting for the last 10yrs in practical… Read more »

By: Shanjoy Mairembam

First think ‘Irom Sharmila’ as an Indian, as a woman, as a human; then, acknowledge the fact that she’s been fasting for the last 10yrs in practical Gandhian style of non-violence asking Indian Govt to treat every Indians same within India and follow the democratic principles what India itself preaches to the whole world; also acknowledge that Iranian Nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi met and supported her during the delhi visit; also, realise that Sharmila is no lesser suitable than Burmese Nobel Peace Prize winner ‘Aung San Suu Kyi’ as woman role model towards humanity; NOW Reason yourselves – Doesn’t ‘Irom Sharmila’ deserve to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize; being the only Lady who is in history a living example/follower of Gandhian non-violence approach?

Dear Friends!
As part of celebrating ‘International Women’s Day’, let us share the info about ‘Irom Sharmila’ who is an Indian woman from Manipur State (located at north-eastern border of India, sharing international border with Myanmar/Burma). She has been a strong follower ‘MK Gandhi – Father of Nation in India’ not just theoretically but in practice. She has been on ‘FASTING’ for the last 10yrs (a whole decade) in Gandhian approach. Her simple request is “To remove the unlawful Act named ‘ Armed Forces Special Power Act, 1958′ which gives uncontrolled legal rights for army officers/soldiers to shoot/kill anyone without having to go through any form of reasoning/justification in the areas (i.e. North-East Indian states) wherein the ACT is in force since 4-5 decades by now”. Please promote her cause and support her nomination for Nobel Peace Prize. Please make Indian govt realise its own mistake by the global audience and help the humanity.

What does her request means? –
The Govt of India ought to treat every Indians in the North-East Indian states same as other Indians in other parts of India, because North-East Indians (having mongoloid facial look similar to Chinese, Japanese, Koreans) are not some sort of foreigners who should have a separate set of laws to be followed while within India. It’s worth reminding newly that “India became ‘Republic’ as a country by combining a diverse and numerous kingdoms in the past prior to 1950”. So, the terminologies such as country ‘India’ and the people ‘Indians’ were created / realised practically only form 26th Jan 1950 onwards. Thus, the term ‘Indians’ are similar to the term ‘Americans referring to everyone settled legally within USA (i.e. French, Germans, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilians, Spanish, British etc) ‘.

So, Indian Govt and its constitution is absolutely WRONG to treat Indians in North-East part of India as some sort of aliens/foreigners by enacting/enforcing some unethical/inhumanly laws which should never be used on India’s own people. In fact, the AFSPA is the modified version of the ‘Rawlatt Act’ used by the then British Empire to curve/control the then Indian freedom struggle. So, Isn’t it wrong for Indian govt to treat North-East Indians as if some sort of colonised people in the 21st Century via some ACTs which are not recommended for use in other parts of India, when India claimed itself to be the greatest ‘Democratic & Republic country’ globally’? Either Indian govt should declare publicly/globally that there is a WAR going on in the North-East Indian states for such radical acts to be justified, or, clarify under the Indian constitutional framework (or International legal framework) how a part of democratic and republic India can have such radical laws in-force for 4-5 decades by now. In fact, such gross mistakes of Indian govt will tear down the whole concept of oneness ‘the Indian’ and the country ‘India’, since such acts discriminates among Indians and breaks down ‘unity in diversity’.

Being a responsible Indian citizen and being a responsible human being, we ought to open up the closed eyes & ears of Indian Govt to follow the democratic norms/laws which it preaches to the whole world first within India itself. Indian Govt and people of India need to refresh the lessons of ‘what does Diversity actually mean?’ because, ‘diversity’ seems to mean different things to different people and understanding ‘what should Diversity mean to Indians’ will help National Integration and prosperity of India as a country.

Author: Shanjoy Mairembam, London (UK)
shan_mairembam (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) uk

http://www.causes.com/causes/559021-nobel-peace-prize-for-irom-sharmila

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/l03RRzj6p0k/

CVC Disposed of 668 Cases in January 2011

Source: NEPS NEW DELHI, Mar 4: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) disposed of 668 cases during January 2011 referred to it for advice. Of these, 518 complaints were sent… Read more »

Source: NEPS

NEW DELHI, Mar 4: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) disposed of 668 cases during January 2011 referred to it for advice. Of these, 518 complaints were sent for necessary action/ATR whereas 27 complaints were sent for investigation and report. No action was required on 81 complaints.

According to official sources, the Commission advised imposition of major penalty against 116 officers including 26 from Central Board of Excise & Customs, 20 from Central Bank of India, Ministry of Railways, 18 from Delhi Development Authority, 9 from Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd., 8 from Deptt. Of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, 6 from Employees Provident Fund Organisation, 3 each from Indian Overseas Bank and Delhi Transco Ltd. Remaining 23 cases pertained to different departments of the Government of India and PSUs.

Recoveries to the tune of about Rs.14.88 crore were effected after Commission conducted technical examination of some departments.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/_CuJ445p-aw/

Free Medical Facilities for Bhopal Gas Tragedy Victims

Source: NEPS NEW DELHI, Mar 4: Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Government of MP is providing free of cost medical facilities through its 6 Hospitals and… Read more »

Source: NEPS

NEW DELHI, Mar 4: Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Government of MP is providing free of cost medical facilities through its 6 Hospitals and 9 Day Care Units and 3 Ayurvedic, 3 Homeopathic and 3 Unani Dispensaries to the Gas Victims. Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, a super speciality hospital is also providing free medical facilities to Bhopal Gas Victims. Municipal Corporation, Bhopal is providing pure drinking water to gas affected localities of Bhopal.

Government of India has provided its share of 75% of of total outlay of Rs. 272.75 crore as Additional Central Assistance for various rehabilitation activities for the gas victims under the new Plan of Action submitted by Government of Madhya Pradesh. This includes a provision of Rs. 30 crore earmarked for payment of pension @ 1000 p.m. for estimated 5000 widows of Gas Victims for 5 years.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri Srikant Kumar Jena in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

In reply to a question he said that the Bhopal Gas Victims are not being given any pension.

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Leviathan Under Pressure: Winds of change

By Amar Yumnam The winds of change are blowing the world over. Corruption and authoritarian regimes are under pressure in all the countries today. While in the earlier eras of… Read more »

By Amar Yumnam

The winds of change are blowing the world over. Corruption and authoritarian regimes are under pressure in all the countries today. While in the earlier eras of human evolution, people had little knowledge as to how and with what mechanism these evils were to be fought against, they now do have the mechanism as well as the medium for effectively putting this into application. For the first time in human history, the relative strengths of the leviathan and the public opinion have been put to real test. It has now been established that despite the look and perseverance of power, the leviathan is essentially vulnerable. Further it has been established that the ruling elite too are a very fragile group. Since they consist basically of self-serving individuals, whenever there is any groundswell of public anger there easily arises cracks in the veneer of consensus they profess to have. Now is the time when we could warn the powers that be anywhere with Jacques Necker (1792), finance minister to King Louis XVI of France, thus: “Only fools, pure theorists, or apprentices fail to take public opinion into account.”

While the officers in the security set-up may remain loyal to the power elite, we cannot expect the citizen army to be brutal on the fellow citizens whenever a formidable public movement arises. This was fully demonstrated in Manipur in the June 18 event and in the developments now marking the Arab world. When the movement possesses massive support, the size of the leviathan security forces makes no difference; the force of the security agencies gets neutralized.

Old But New: It is true that corruption has been an issue societies have had to fight against for a pretty long time. But, as mentioned earlier, people now have the methods to fight against it. At the global level, we already have the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Further, unlike before, transparency and accountability are increasingly becoming the buzzwords of public demand.

When it comes to India, the reality really bites. While many countries have already ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, India still remains one of the major laggards yet to ratify it, of the total. This is understandable of course. The recent events unfolding one scam after another and including the issues of money laundering in Swiss accounts speak of the reasons why India is still reticent about signing the convention. But it is going to be increasingly difficult for the power elite in this country to stop the global tide of movements against corruption with the power that modern information technology has given to the formation and assertion of public opinion. The very fact of the scams getting dug out by the news agencies testifies to the emerging trend in this country.

By any yardstick, the moral authority and public credibility of the Indiangovernment have already suffered a nose-dive consequent upon the exposure of the scams. Even the clean-image of the head of the people of the country has not only suffered a beating, he himself wears an injured look while facing the media. This is in sharp contrast to the image he commanded and confident posture he displayed while he was fathering the spate of economic reforms as minister responsible for looking after finances of the country.

Manipur Not Left Out: My colleague economist Elangbam Bijoykumar has recently interpreted the emerging economic scenario of Manipur. He forcefully and quite rationally explains the increasing hold of the contractors on the society of Manipur with construction emerging as a major component of the State’s economy. The contextual interpretation of this trend speaks of the unhealthy direction the society of Manipur is heading at an increasing speed.

But what is of utmost interest to social observers of the land is that the global and national trend of fresh wind blowing seems to have touched Manipur as well. In terms of capability to use force and indulge in manipulations to achieve the desired outcome, the present government in the province would have very few competitors. But the recent bye-election to an assembly seat held by a prominent member of the ruling party has turned out to be an eye-opener. It has established beyond doubt that the people of the land can and do hit back as when the situation compellingly demands. What only awaits the land is a spark that fires a collective sharing of public opinion simultaneously. Under pressure of public dissatisfaction, the provincial government seems to increasingly losing its grip over issues. The handling of the ongoing strike by the teachers and the statements being made in this regard only speak of absence of application of mind.

The Final Lesson: The key lesson emerging from both the international and provincial developments is singularly significant. It might take time for public opinion to coalesce, as many citizens would just sit back when the issues involved have elements of haziness. But when the regime perpetrates the excesses beyond a reasonable intensity and also beyond a tolerable time limit, it would definitely dawn on the people for the necessity to unite and assert aggressively. Once this dawn occurs, the public opinion alone would determine the course of history. What was unthinkable till yesterday would be the reality today. Miracles do happen when the public are resolved of the issues involved in a united way.

Read more / Original news source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Kanglaonline/~3/4fsPXWR2o2w/