Tag: National

Aizawl, Feb 29 (NNN): With dry season coupled with windy days, 75 houses were already reduced to ashes in the last two months across the state of Mizoram, it is learnt today. More than 120 families were affected by this tragedy till today. The last instance was at Mamit township, about 87 km from the capital Aizawl city where four houses occupied by 8 families were reduced to ashes on Tuesday. A Roman Catholic School Hostel in Bairabi was also gutted on the same day. Unfortunately, there was no casualty in both the fire incidents. The fire was originated from a furniture workshop. A properties worth 15 lakhs was destroyed by this fire. The Deputy Commissioner gave 38 thousand rupees and the DRDA Project Director also gave 48 thousand rupees to each of the victim families as immediate relief. A Relief Committee to be headed by the SDO Sadar, Lalremliana also has been constituted to join hand with the NGO’s to collect donations. Volunteers have started reconstruction of the houses.
Meanwhile, a mega concert will be held at Millenium centre in Aizawl on Thursday in aid of the fire victims. Popular rock band like Tribal Power, Albatross, Forever Young, Magistrate, Boomarang, Drop doubt, the Apples, Dream Hunter, X- strings, Jess Beyond, cold Embrace, Even Flow, inclding noted crooners like Zonet Mizo Idol Lalthuthaa, Biakmuana , Mimi Renthlei, Mami Varte,Hmingtea etc will perform. The event is being organised by an NGO named People United for Music with a Purpose (PUMP). The PUMP notably since the first week of February this year had deployed “Donation Box” across the state for assistance towards Fire victim families in Mizoram.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/75-houses-burnt-within-59-days-in-mizoram/

Shillong, Feb 29 NNN: The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA)’s vengeful acts on the surrendered cadres surfaced again when a group of 10-12 cadres of the outfit torched the house of the surrendered cadre identified as Sengrim Momin in Lower Dilam village of East Garo Hills on Tuesday night.
This is the their time in the past 27 days where the houses of the surrendered GNLA cadres were reduced to ashes by the outfit that has resorted arm struggle to achieve a separate Garo land.
On Tuesday night, heavily armed GNLA gunmen chased the family members of Momin before lighting the house. Momin was a hard core cadre that surrendered before the police at Resubelpara last month.
Tuesday night incident is the third time in a span of one month where houses of the surrendered cadres were burnt by the GNLA. On January 28, the house of a surrendered cadre Sonaram R Sangma was reduced to rubbles in South garo Hills on February 6, the house of another cadre Andreash Ch momin was torched in Bokugre, east Garo Hills.
On the first two occasions, the GNLA torched the house, saying that the family members of the surrendered cadres have failed to pay for the weapons that they have taken while deserting the outfit.
Nothing definite is known for the act of vengeance perpetrated on Sengrim G Momin house. Sources said that Momin surrendered empty handed before the SDPO Resubelpara early this month.
Meanwhile, two suspected GNLA/ULFA linkmen was apprehended by the BSF troops Kishnupara, West Garo Hills on Tuesday night.
The apprehended person has beenidentified as Murphy Marak (30) s/o SudhinSangma r/o village Samalchura, Po – Puragaong, PS – Nalitabari, Distt – Sherpur (Bangladesh). Party recovered one mobile phone with Bangladesh SIM from his possession. During preliminary questioning the apprehended person confessed that he has been working for ULFA for the last 10 years and got involved with GNLA since last year year.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/gnla-cadres-torch-houses/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 28: The Central Bureau of Investigation has rescued a 14 year old minor girl who was missing from Darjeeling since November, 2011.
The Anti Human Trafficking Unit of CBI received information this month that the 14 year old girl was missing from Darjeeling since November, 2011. After intensive search operation at various places and special technical methods, CBI has recovered the girl from Munirka, New Delhi on February 22, 2012. Initial enquiry reveals that the girl was brought to Delhi by a boy on the pretext of providing her a job in Delhi. After bringing her to Delhi, the girl was allegedly abused by various persons.
A criminal case has been registered to bring the culprits to book. Further investigation is continuing.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on January this year designated one Unit in Special Crime Zone of CBI in Delhi as Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. This unit is responsible for collecting, collating & analyzing data on kidnapping and abduction of persons from all over India. Any person giving information leading to arrest and criminal action against any such gangs would be rewarded upto Rs.Two Lakh. A helpline number 011-24368638 has been established by CBI, on which any person having inputs about such gangs can give information. In a major breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation today arrested a Bhopal-based Interior Designer in an on-going investigation in connection with killing of Ms.Shehla Masood in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). She is allegedly believed to be a conspirator in the killing. Another person, understood to have been hired by the accused lady, has also been arrested by the CBI.
Ms Shehla Masood was killed outside her residence at Koh-e-fiza, Bhopal inside her Santro Car on 16.08.2011.CBI had registered a case on 03.9.2011 U/S 302 of IPC against unknown persons in relation to the alleged murder of Ms.Shehla Masood on the request of the Madhya Pradesh Govt. and further Notification from Govt. of India. The CBI took up the investigation of the case, earlier registered at Police Station Koh-E-Fiza, Distt. Bhopal (MP).
The arrested accused persons will be produced in the Designated Court at Bhopal tomorrow.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/cbi-rescues-missing-minor-girl/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 28: The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar will flag off a Pilot Scheme “Youth to the Edge” on February 29, 2012 at Tinsukia.
The Pilot Scheme is being funded by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) through North Eastern Council (NEC) and was launched by the DoNER Minister on 30th January this year at Indian Mountaineering Foundation Headquarter Complex, New Delhi. This Scheme has to be executed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYA&S) through National Service Scheme (NSS).
The Pilot Scheme aims to introduce youth from rest of India to the North Eastern Region (NER) and organise combined adventure activities alongwith the youth from NER. They will also be given exposure about local culture, traditions and life style. Conduct of adventure training will benefit the participants by inculcating spirit of adventure, environmental awareness, national integration, casualty evacuation, promotion of adventure tourism, channelising youth energy in positive direction, sense of self employment and self recognition.
Three trails have been identified, two in Arunachal Pradesh (Roing in Lower Dibang District and Hayuliang / Wolong in Anjaw District) and one in Nagaland in Dzukou Valley). The 1st batch of participants of all the three trails will be flagged off by the DoNER Minister.
The Adventure Camps are scheduled to commence from 1st March, 2012 onwards till mid of May, 2012. Under the Scheme, about 2000 youth (rest of India 1450 and NER 550) are expected to take part in adventure activities. Transit Camps are being established at Guwahati, Tinsukia and Dimapur to facilitate smooth passage for youth coming from all over India. Local guides and transport will be provided from Railway Station onwards to the Base Camp (Trail locations) and back.
The Union Minster for Youth Affairs & Sports, the Ministers of Youth Service & Sports of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland will also be present on the occasion.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/doner-minister-to-flag-off-pilot-scheme-youth-to-the-edge/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 27: Union Labour and Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge has appealed to the major central trade unions not to go on countrywide general strike tomorrow.
In his appeal the Minister said that the trade unions has decided to go on general strike when the whole attention of the country is focussed on achieving high economic growth.
Shri Kharge said most of the issues relating to labour raised by the trade unions have already been addressed to a substantial extent. The Minister said,” however, i do assure all the central trade unions that i am always open to discussions on any of the issues relating to labour at anytime and resolve the same amicable through consultations”.
The Union Labour Minister said there is no denying the fact that the proposed strike will not only cause colossal economic loss to the country but also bring hardship and inconvenience to the common man.
He said “in the interest of the country. I would fervently appeal to all the central trade unions to desist from going on strike on 28th February, 2012″.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/labour-minister-appeals-trade-unions-not-to-go-on-general-strike/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 27: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against Directors/Proprietor of two Sonepat based and one Daman based company on the allegations that during the year 2005 to 2009 they in pursuance of a criminal conspiracy defrauded Delhi branches of United India Insurance Co; New India Insurance Co. and Oriental Insurance Co., for lodging exorbitant claims against the insurance cover from these insurance companies regarding incidents of fire in their factory premises.
Such claims worth about Rs. 15 crores were lodged on 5 occasions against which the insurance companies have already paid about Rs. 6 crores. The claims were lodged in respect of the stocks destroyed, which purportedly had been shown in claims to have been purchased on the basis of fake/forged bills. Exorbitant claims were made in respect of repair of the damaged electrical installations including motors. Sale of the finished products was also projected on the basis of fake/forged bills and Motor Transport Receipts.
Searches were conducted at the premises of accused persons/companies at Delhi, Kharkhoda (Sonepat). During searches documents pertaining to purhase of material from fictitious firms which were projected to have been destroyed during fire were recovered.
In addition, documents pertaining to fake sales by the said firms & fake invoices and blank letter head pad of the fake firms have also been recovered.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case under provisions of Prevention of Corruption of Act.1988 and IPC against the then Director (C&A); two curators; a research officer and the then Administration Officer of National Museum, New Delhi and a private person, in a matter related to award of contract for handling, packaging and transportation of Art objects/antiquities during the period from 2002 to 2005.
It is alleged that the officials of the National Museum, New Delhi had abused their official position & entered into a criminal conspiracy with the private person and caused a wrongful loss to the tune of Rs.73.81 Lakh (approx) to the Govt. by fraudulently & dishonestly awarding the contract to the private party.
Searches were conducted at seven places in Delhi which yielded a recovery of incriminating documents.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/cbi-registers-case-against-directors/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 27: The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and Minister of State for
Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar has said that his Ministry has sanctioned 162 projects for an amount of about Rs. 1800 crore to Arunachal Pradesh since its inception.
Addressing on the occasion of celebration of completion of 25 years of the statehood of Arunachal Pradesh on 20th February, 2012 in Itanagar, he said that the State has completed 53 projects. He informed that the state is the highest recipient of fund from North Eastern Council at Rs 90 crore, which is more than 20 % of the total fund provided to all states.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh for his special attention for the states of North Eastern Region.
He said that Arunachal Pradesh has made rapid strides in so far as strengthening the political and administrative set up is concerned. It is popularly known as the land of rising sun and is home of more than 25 tribes and 110 sub-tribes. Situated in the far east of the country, it is the largest state in North–East in terms of area which is 83,743 sq. kms area. Its strategic importance is further highlighted by the fact that it has a long international border with Bhutan to the West (160 km), China to the North and North-East (1,080 km) and Myanmar to the East (440 km).
Shri Paban Sing Ghatowar observed that mega infrastructure development projects announced as a part of Prime Ministers Package on 31st January 2008 will change the face of the State in the years to come. Projects like Trans-Arunachal highway, Railway line to Itanagar, operationalization of Advanced Landing Grounds, Secretariat Building, Assembly Building, Border Village illumination program, road connectivity to remote Villages, 4-lane highway to Itanagar etc. will take the state on a new trajectory of development.
Shri Ghatowar also highlighted the connect between his Ministry and its role in the development of the state. He remarked that he had visited the state recently and reviewed some of the projects implemented by the state and was impressed by the progress made by the state in implementing the NLCPR and NEC funds.
The Minister reiterated his fullest support to the state in its endeavour to implement developmental projects and schemes aimed at bringing overall prosperity to the state.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/doner-sanctions-162-projects-of-rs-1800-crore-for-arunachal/

New Delhi ; NNN The Election Commission of India (ECI) has indicated for a possible re-poll in a few polling centres in Manipur which have been recorded widespread proxy voting and the Central poll panel is likely to declare its final decision on the demand put up by 10 non-Congress parties in the State, according to a highly reliable source.
A delegate of 10 leaders from 10 non-Congress parties of the State, including national political parties held consultations with ECI chief S.Y Quraishi in New Delhi on Monday during which the ECI chief made it clear that there was no mechanism in EVMs to detect proxy votes and that the same votes cannot be made invalid, the key demand of the representatives of the parties which were in the fray on January 28.
The delegate later held discussion at a meeting at Manipur Bhavan in New Delhi which was also attended by their respective Central party leaders after meeting Quraishi and most of the leaders expressed willingness on conducting re-poll in the event of ECI chief’s indication of rejecting their proposal for invalidation of rigged-votes, the source added.
The team again met the ECI chief at 5 pm and seriously discussed the matter till 7 pm, the source said, adding that it is not exactly known what transpired at the second meeting with Quraishi which went on for two hours. However, it said the ECI chief gave them a “positive response” on their demand.
It also informed that the Central poll panel is being held a press conference tomorrow with regard to its stance on Manipur’s proxy voting issue after seeking help from legal experts as well as EVM experts.
Meanwhile, 10 non-Congress parties staged a sit-in on Monday to protest against widespread malpractices in Manipur polls 2012 at Keishampat here.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/repoll-possible-informs-ec/

Dimapur, Feb 27 NNN: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) is all set to ‘deport’ all illegal immigrants particularly the Bangladeshis from Nagaland.
NSF president Kelhouneizo Yhome said there have been thousands and thousands of
illegal immigrants in Nagaland who fled their own countries and settling in Nagaland. “Majority of the illegal immigrants in Nagaland are from Bangladesh,” according to the NSF chief. He said even the government of India has found it difficult to detect these illegal immigrants in India. Yhome said through certain mechanism in collaboration with the non-Naga organisations these illegal immigrants will be detected and be driven out from Nagaland.
The NSF has invited representatives of numerous social organisations for a meeting on March 10. It can be noted that in the Nagaland commercial hub Dimapur large number of illegal immigrants are said to have been concentrated.
These illegal immigrants first infiltrated to Assam from Bangladesh through the porous border region. In search of work and business these immigrants in turn come to Dimapur. These immigrants mostly engage in labour work and other manual activities. This has been going on for years and now these immigrants are doing brisk business in Dimapur. They construct their dwellings and farm in lands owned by Nagas by paying tax.
The rising criminal activities carried out by these illegal immigrants has prompted the Naga Students Federation (NSF) to weed them out from Nagaland once and for all.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/nsf-to-deport-all-immigrants/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 27: India and ADB Sign Loan Agreement for US $ 50 Million to Support Electricity Transmission and Distribution Capacity in Assam The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed an agreement for the third and final $50 million tranche of an ADB loan.
This is the third and last tranche of total $ 320.6 million MFF, out of which loan assistance from ADB is $ 200 million and financing by Government of Assam is US$ 120.6 million. Tranches 1 and 2 are already under implementation.
The Assam Power Sector Enhancement Investment Programme is designed to meet growing demand for electricity in one of India’s poorer states, where the large rural population relies mainly on the agriculture and manufacturing sectors for income. Weaknesses in the transmission of power have affected the competitiveness of businesses.
The programme will help ASEB add an additional 430 MVA substation capacity and reduce system losses by 4%. Part of the loan will be used to enhance energy efficiency through renovation and modernization of existing 33/11 kV substations, the introduction of high voltage distribution systems, and conversion to aerial bunched cables for some high voltage and low voltage lines in the urban areas.
The programme is expected to benefit around 1 million households, businesses, hospitals and schools in the state.
The signatories were Shri Prabodh Saxena, Joint Secretary (Administration & Bilateral Cooperation), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India, and Mr. Hun Kim, ADB Country Director for India. Shri Hemanta Narzary,
Commissioner & Secretary Power signed on behalf of the State Government of Assam along with Shri S.C. Das, Chairman, Assam State Electricity Board.
“This loan will help strengthen the state’s transmission and distribution system, and reduce technical and commercial losses,” Mr. Prabodh Saxena said. “Given that a reliable power supply is critical for facilitating growth and creating employment opportunities, this project will help Assam attract investment and tap its economic potential, in addition to reducing power outages.”
“Increased access to electrical power in remote communities can help meet growing demand and cut poverty,” said Mr. Hun Kim.
The loan has a 20-year term, including a five-year grace period with an annual interest rate determined in accordance with ADB‘s LIBOR-based lending facility. The project is expected to be completed by 30 June, 2014.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/us-50-million-loan-for-assam-to-support-electricity-distribution/

New Delhi, Feb 25, NNN: The second and final day of the Anil Agarwal Dialogue on Green Clearances saw the participating civil society activists interacting with senior government officials to evolve the agenda for reforms. Making a strong pitch for reforms in the process, Tisha Chatterjee, secretary, MoEF, said that the clearance and monitoring system needed to be decentralised – regional committees and local experts needed to be given more powers.
The Anil Agarwal Dialogue was being organised here over two days by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), and it brought to the fore the various issues and concerns related to environmental and forest clearances in India. The gathering, says CSE, was one of the biggest of its kind with 150 participants from about 100 organisations. Almost every one of these organisations – coming from all over the country — has been fighting a running battle with industry and official agencies over control of their land and water resources.
In a recent study, CSE had analysed the clearances granted by the Union ministry of environment and forests over the last five years – and found that the country saw more clearances in this period than those planned for even during the 11th and 12th Five Year Plans.
According to CSE’s analysis, green clearances are not working for the environment – clearances are being awarded despite destruction of environment and livelihoods of the people. In fact, there seem to be concerted efforts by government and industry to dilute the already existing weak processes.
Says Chandra Bhushan, CSE’s deputy director general and the head of its industry and environment programme: “How much truth is there in the contention of industry that environmental and forest clearances are hampering economic development by delaying projects? We think there is none – this Dialogue was an effort to take our findings forward. We brought together all the stakeholders in this debate — the government, the civil society and industry — on one platform to discuss clearance processes, whether these processes are working, and what they aim to achieve.”
The government seemed to agree that reforms were needed. Said Chatterjee: “The baseline surveys, public hearings and the EIA report should not be done by the project proponents themselves. Independent agencies should do these things and the state may sponsor it.” He also indicated that it was necessary to separate the project clearance and monitoring processes. Currently, the regional offices of the ministry do this job, and the secretary felt that this system was unable to assess the situation on the ground.
He added: “Monitoring remains one of the key areas of concern. After the projects are given conditional clearance, it is difficult to assess whether the project developer is following these conditions. In such cases, fixing responsibilities on sub-regional committees and giving them financial powers may help.”
Chatterjee also pointed out that the government probably lacked a clearer understanding of carrying capacity of the environment: “Right now, we think that if the ambient standards of five-six major pollutants are achieved, the carrying capacity will not be disturbed. The receptors are not taken into account. Of 168 parameters, only eight are being examined in the current environment clearance process.”
The ministry was also of the opinion that EIA consultants needed to be well qualified, and their accreditation by the Quality Council of India was important. The ministry claimed that it has already initiated a system of fixing responsibility on the consultants and project proponents.
What the people want
· Consent of the people is a ‘must’ before granting clearances – and therefore, the public hearing process is extremely crucial. The process, as it stands now, is a mere eyewash and a formality that actually excludes people as stakeholders. The public hearing and its report must become a part of the decision making process; it should be democratised, and the people’s verdict should be final.
· Police or state interference should not be there.
· A mechanism should be developed to prepare independent EIA reports.
· EIA consultants found to be preparing fraudulent EIA reports must get exemplary punishment. Deaccreditation is not sufficient.
· The Environmental Clearance Appraisal Committee (EAC) should be reformed – it should have the required expertise, and the process must be completely transparent. Affected communities must be invited as well.
· Cumulative impact assessment must become the basic clearance mechanism and must be given legal force.
· Post-project monitoring is essential.
· Reforms are needed in the forest clearance process. This cannot remain a monopoly of the forest department.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/two-day-ngos-conclave-ends-with-a-charter-of-demands/

Dimapur, Feb 25 (NNN): Nagas from Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and elsewhere will conglomerate at Dimapur on February 29 in a mega reconciliation programme to be convened by Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR).
Hectic preparations are underway to the historic event where the FNR will update the reconciliation process to the Naga public.
Since the formation of Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) in the year 2008, the factional clashes among the Naga underground organisations have ceased, albeit minor incidents crop up now and then.
On Saturday, the FNR informed Newmai News Network tonight that in the course of “Naga Reconciliation: A Journey of Common Hope” the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) has in numerous public meetings over the last four years asserted that it would eventually organize a large Naga meeting. The purpose of the meeting is for the FNR to report to the people on the status of the Reconciliation process and that during such a meeting it would also invite leaders of all Naga groups (factions) to share its position on reconciliation and its vision for a shared Naga future, it added.
“The proposed “Naga Reconciliation Meeting” to be held on February 29 is the very meeting that FNR had envisaged couple of years ago. The Forum for Naga Reconciliation was not formed in a vacuum. The concept emerged out of the Naga Peace Convention in 2008, and after a series of meetings, the FNR was formally endorsed by 29 Naga organizations at Hotel Japfü, Kohima. Since then, the more Naga organizations have reaffirmed the “Naga Reconciliation: A Journey of Common Hope” at different intervals – September 25, 2008; February 22, 2009; August 25, 2009; November 18, 2010; April 8, 2011, besides visiting various Naga towns and villages. And now on February 29, 2012, the FNR seeks to report to the Naga people on the status of Naga Reconciliation. Furthermore, FNR has extended warm invitation to the leaders of all the Naga groups (factions) to stand before the Naga people and to share their views on Reconciliation and their vision on a shared Naga future,” the FNR stated.
It then said on February 14, three Naga groups publicly supported by extending invitation to the “Naga Reconciliation Meeting,” and since then other Naga groups have also endorsed it. The Forum also said that it would like to inform the Naga people, that the “Naga Reconciliation Meeting” is for the Naga people and because public trust was put on FNR to facilitate a reconciliation process among the Naga groups (factions), it is duty bound to share with the people its experiences in the Reconciliation meeting.
“Once again, the FNR extends its invitation to the leaders of all the Naga groups (factions), the Naga Hoho, tribe hohos, ENPO, UNC, Nagas in Myanmar, Assam and Arunachal, all the women organizations, all the student organizations, colleges, schools, civil society organizations, village leaders, churches, senior citizens, GBs and DBs, Naga Council, Dimapur, politicians and bureaucrats and the Naga public at large. The FNR wishes to clearly state that no one is excluded. All are welcome to join the “Naga Reconciliation Meeting” on February 29 at the Agri-Expo Centre, 4th Mile, Dimapur from 10 am onwards,” the FNR statement said.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/naga-organisations-to-meet-on-29/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 25: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against certain officials of BSNL and private companies in the matter of award of Leased service Area (LSA) contract for deployment of Wi Max services.
It is alleged that the public servants had entered into a criminal conspiracy among themselves and in furtherance of the said conspiracy the accused public servants abused their official position and facilitated the award of franchisee for three LSAs to a private limited company by dishonestly and intentionally withholding the sale of tender documents in a fraudulent manner, and, allegedly diluting the eligibility conditions to accommodate the said private company and thus causing an estimated wrongful loss of approximately Rs. 535.50 crores to BSNL.
It is also alleged that the said company did not have the required qualification of Rs 100 crore annual turnover for the last two years.
Searches are being conducted at nine places in Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Chennai and Kolkata. During searches, incriminating documents have been recovered.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/cbi-registers-case-bsnl-officials/

Manipur Information Centre
New Delhi, Feb 25: The Writers’ Forum Imphal, one of the leading literary organisations of Manipur represented Manipur in the biennial World Book Fair New Delhi, 2012 which was inaugurated today at Pragati Maidan here. More than 1000 books related to Manipur’s literature, arts and culture were displayed at Stall number 73 of Hall number 10. My Days in Tihar Jail , a collection of short stories based on true stories written by Dr Leimapokpam Swasticharan and published by Raider International UK recently, was among the books displayed in the Manipur Stall. As per invitation from the National Book Trust, the President of the Writers’ Forum Imphal A. Kumar Sharma, the General Secretary B. S. Rajkumar and the Executive Member Ranbir Sarungba attended the 20th edition of the World Book Fair which would last upto March 4. This was the first time that Manipur participated in the Delhi World Book Fair.
A.Kumar Sharma said that the National Book Trust provided the stall and their accommodation free of cost and other expenditure was born by the participants. He expressed his thankfulness to the Director of Arts and Culture for extending some financial helps for their participation in the Book Fair in the larger interest of the people of Manipur. Tripura, Assam and Manipur were the States from North Eastern India participating in the Book Fair.
Chingangbam Anupama who was doing research on Manipuri literature under the Indira Gandhi National Open University today bought all the books written by Yumlembam Ibomcha and Thangjam Ibopishak available in the Manipur Stall. She expressed his happiness to find a big stall for showcasing Manipuri books in the World Book Fair for the first time. She drew the attention of the authorities of Manipur to take part in such book fair regularly.
Inaugurating the 20th World Book Fair, Chief guest Kapil Sibal, Union Human Resource Development Minister said that India being the third largest publisher after US and UK was a pioneer in the field of literature and this kind of event should take place on annual basis to promote the Indian literature globally.
Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi, Chief Election Commissioner of India also visited the event and said that it is really great to see a blend of literature and cinema together as cinema is something that conveys the message directly to the heart of a person and it is really good to see a fusion of cinema and literature at the same place.
Organized by the National Book Trust (NBT), India every year, the theme of the World Book Fair 2012 is Indian Cinema as Indian cinema is going to complete its 100 years in 2013. A few books based on Indian cinema were also released on the occasion. Moreover, a catalogue including 300 titles representing publications of 800 publishers in all major languages based on Indian cinema has been released by NBT. The catalogue contained information about copyright and contact details for right enquires that would help the publishers around the world to get the information about the rights to publish or translate any of the books based on Indian Cinema.
The event was divided into three pavilions namely Rights Pavilion, Theme Pavilion and Children Pavilion showcasing a total number of 2500 stalls. Exhibitors from foreign countries like USA, Bangladesh, France, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Germany also participated in the book fair.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/writers-forum-displays-manipuri-books/

Shillong, Feb 25 (NNN): The North East India Drugs and AIDS Care (NEIDAC) convenor Michael Syngkon said today that countries designating themselves as ‘religious’ are no exception to the contraction of HIV AIDS epidemic bringing about massive change in the health scenario of the community as a whole. “HIV AIDS has emerged from the dark ghettos to even the beautiful pews of many worship places”, said Michael Syngkon.
Terming a ‘silent organisation’ as a ‘dead organisation’, Syngkon said it is high time to transcend religious fundamentalism and overcome the mistrust of other religious groups and reach out to people in need with humanity and care. Pointing out the advantages of church organisations and faith based organisations in curbing this disease, Syngkon said, “Churches can cater to mass population as they are present in every nook and corner and equal participation of these faith based organisations can bring about a change in the society as far as spreading awareness on HIV AIDS is concerned”.
“We need to find a common platform for action,” Syngkon said adding that there is a need to formulate a policy frame for engaging as a ‘healing agency’. While expressing a need to respect and remain sensitive to the local culture and traditions.
Stating Meghalaya as a vulnerable state, Syngkon said the flow of migrantion to this state is rampant and the movement of trucks along the national highways has become a daily affair. “As per studies, truck drivers besides others are mostly infected and affected by HIV AIDS and this poses a great threat to the individual family members”, Syngkon said adding that it is time to move from judgmental attitude in a more compassionate understanding.
“It is time for the faith based organisations to respond collectively and restoration of the ‘whole’ individual is the main desire of the Almighty”, he said expressing a need to lend a voice to the voiceless saying, “Those infected and affected by this disease will not come forward to express their grievances due to fear of stigmatization and discrimination”. “This agency should move beyond conversion to even physical care and support and it should stand as an agent of transformation”, he elaborated.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/neidac-discusses-aids-issue/

One MIRAGE-2000 aircraft of IAF crashed near Bhind, Madhya Pradesh on 24 Feb 2012 at about 1210 hrs. The aircraft had got airborne
from Gwalior airbase and was on a routine training-flying mission. The Pilot Air Marshal Anil Chopra and Wing Commander Ram Kumar ejected safely. There was no damage to civil property and no individual was injured/killed as a result of air crash. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the re

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/mirage-2000-aircraft-crash/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Feb 24: Ambika Soni, Minister for Information and Broadcasting today conferred the Excellence in Journalism Awards. The awards were given to Shri Tarun Tejpal of “Tehelka” and Ms. Gunjan Sharma of “The Week” for their investigative work. The awards have been instituted by the India Chapter of the International Press Institute.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said though the concept of content regulation had been debated for a long time. It was necessary to give the process, time and space to establish its credibility and acceptance. Highlighting the efforts made in this direction, the Minister said that NBSA, IBF and ASCI had provided a roadmap for the process to move forward and that the Government was committed to facilitate the various mechanisms taken in this regard.
Elaborating further, the Minister dispelled all doubts regarding the intention of the Government in controlling tools of mass communication. The Minister reiterated, Hon’ble Prime Minister’s stand on the issue of media autonomy as stated during the speech given by him in January 2012 at a media function.
Outlining the potential of the print media in the country, Smt. Soni said, that with more than 107 million copies of newspapers circulated daily, and over 80,000 registered publications, including magazines in several languages being published weekly, fortnightly, and monthly in this country, India had become one of the major hubs for the print media across the world. Availability of Indian editions of foreign scientific, technical and speciality periodicals at an affordable cost had further increased access of the people to a wider choice in content. The untapped potential of 300 million literate individuals offered an opportunity to the industry to carve out the next stage of growth for the print industry. At the same time, despite the impact of social media and 24×7 channels, the print media in India had stood its ground as compared to the situation in the West.
Regarding the relevance of such awards, the Minister said the institution of such awards was a result of the debate in the media. The awards by various entities and media houses recognized the courage and conviction of individuals, acknowledged the achievers in different walks of life and showcased the triumph of the human spirit against all adversities.
Regarding the tools of the media deployed today, Smt. Soni drew the attention to the growing debate, both in the public arena and also from within the media about the manner in which media covered events. Coverage of events in which media played a crucial role was also subject of intense debate.
Various kinds of views emerged which touched upon issues such as pre-screening, banning, regulating, etc.
As a consequence, the Minister mentioned that she was confident that something positive would emerge.The Minister also called upon the media to reinforce the positive spirit of India. There was an ‘Incredible India’ waiting to be reported, she stated.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/govt-has-no-intention-to-control-media-ambika-soni/

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Imphal, Feb 23: A National level Consultation on Fire Services-cum-Second Meeting of the High Level Empowered Committee for the scheme of strengthening of Fire & Emergency Services was inaugurated by Sh. Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State for Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India at, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala today. Shri A. E. Ahmad, Secretary (Border Management) MHA, Sh. K. Jayakumar, Addl. Chief Secretary, Home Department, Govt. of Kerala, Sh. R.K. Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Disaster Management), Sh. Mukul Goyal, IG(NDRF &Civil Defence), Sh. S.Pulikeshi, DGP, Commandant General, Kerala Fire Services, Dr. J.Radhakrishnan, Assistant Country Director, UNDP and Senior Government officials of various States/UTs attended the workshop.
Shri Mullapally Ramachandran, in his inaugural address highlighted the issue of increasing industrialisation and technological advancements making the country far more vulnerable to big fire incidences. Government of India is particularly concerned about the increasing loss of life and any property due to fire and related accidents. He indicated that the role of fire services has dramatically changed and now fire services respond to all emergent situations such as terrorist attacks, hazardous material incidents, advanced emergency medical situations, urban search & rescue and much more in addition to their conventional role to fire fighting and rescue.
Shri A.E.Ahmad, Secretary (Border Management) in his keynote address focused on need of systematic and comprehensive institutional setup for fire services in the country. He stated that recent hospital fire tragedy in Kolkata has given us warning call to take effective and better preparedness measures on priority basis. He further emphasised that there is a dire need to legislate on fire safety measure empower the district and state level fire services for not only carrying out search &rescue operations immediately after a disaster but also for fire prevention and making them self relevant on resource generation for fire-fighting equipments. He informed that for the first time, Fire Hazard & Risk Analysis for all the States/UTs is being conducted in the country, which will identify the gaps in existing fire services and evolving strategies for bridging the gap of fire in the area preparedness across the country. He exhorted the States to use funds made available under the 13th Finance Commission for modernisation of their fire services.
The deliberations during the meeting focussed on finding solutions for various challenges faced by states in developing fire services as multi-hazard disaster response units.
Shri. K. Jayakumar, Addl. Chief Secretary, Home Department, Govt. of Kerala, Sh. R.K. Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Disaster Management), Sh. Mukul Goyal, IG(NDRF &Civil Defence), Sh. S.Pulikeshi, DGP, Commandant General, Kerala Fire Services, Dr. J.Radhakrishnan, Assistant Country Director, UNDP and Senior Government officials of various States/UTs attended the workshop.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/national-consultation-on-fire-services-cum-meeting/

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New Delhi, Feb 23: The Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that Aadhaar-Enabled E-payment system would help not only in ensuring the timely payments directly to the intended beneficiaries but would also help in reducing the time taken, transaction costs and the leakages among others. The Finance Minister said that this would also help in bringing transparency in the system and reducing avoidable delays. The Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee was speaking after receiving the Final Report of the Task Force on Aaadhar-Enabled Unified Payment Infrastructure presented to him by Shri Nandan Nilekan, Chairman UIDAI and the Task Force, here today. The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee further said that pilot projects be upscaled and implemented in more areas and in more States. So far pilot projects are mainly implemented in the areas of LPG, kerosene, fertilizers and MGNREGS which can be further expanded, the Minister added. Today’s meeting was also attended among others by the Union Agriculture Minister, Shri Shard Pawar, Rural Development Minister, Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri K.V. Thomas, the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Srikant Jena, Secretaries of various Departments/Ministries and senior officials of Ministry of Finance and Planning Commission among others.
Earlier, the Chairman UIDAI and the Task Force, Shri Nandan Nilekani made a presentation highlighting the various recommendations made by the Task Force in its Final Report. Shri Nandan Nilekani said that a strategic transformation of the governance can be brought about by the usage of electronic payments across the board. Shri Nilekani said that the Task Force has recommended a systematic platform based approach for the electronic payments.
The Task Force which was chaired by Chairman, UIDAI, Shri Nandan Nilekani also included Secretaries of the Departments of Expenditure, Financial Services, Fertilisers, Petroleum, Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Consumer Affairs among others. The members also included DG, UIDAI, Controller General of Accounts (CGA), representatives from the NIC, RBI, IBA and NPCI. The Task Force was constituted in September 2011 to recommend, inter alia, a detailed solution architecture for direct transfer of subsidy through a payments bridge wherein funds can be transferred into any Aadhaar–enabled bank account on the basis of the Aadhaar number.
The salient recommendations of the Task Force include that beneficiaries of all social safety net programs (MGNREGS, SSP, JSY, IAY, scholarships, etc.) and recipients of direct subsidy transfer payments (LPG, Fertilisers, kerosene, etc.) can greatly benefit by receiving their payments electronically, directly into accounts of their choice at either banks or post offices. The Task Force recommends that frontline development workers such as school teachers, Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, etc. who often do not receive their salaries on time, can also receive their salaries by direct deposit into their accounts at banks and post offices. It also recommends that a network of 10,00,000 interoperable microATMs operated by Business Correspondents will have to be set-up across the country for people to access their accounts at their own convenience. In order to set-up this network quickly, the Task Force has recommended that a last mile transaction fee of 3.14% with a cap of Rs.20 per transaction be paid by Government to banks for Government payments. This will also lead to positive network externalities such as reduction in leakages and achieving financial inclusion. In order to reduce the use of cash in the economy, the Task Force also recommends that Government and Government owned institutions accept electronic payments at all locations where they collect payments from citizens, without any additional surcharge. The Task Force also recommends that over a period of time, all payments of Government over the sum of Rs.1,000 should be made or received electronically. Transacting all Government business using electronic payments will help reduce graft, and bring about greater transparency and accountability. This reform will require a systematic platform-based approach to payments. For this the Task Force has recommended the adoption of the following:
1. Government e-Payments Gateway (CGA): Enable straight-through processing and release of funds from Ministry of Finance to the Line Ministries;
2. Aadhaar account opening and authentication platform (UIDAI): Provides electronic account opening capability along with real-time authentication of residents;
3. Aadhaar Payments Bridge (NPCI): An interoperable system operated by NPCI for transferring funds into accounts at banks and post offices on the basis of Aadhaar number;
4. MicroATM network (Banks and India Post): An interoperable network of Business Correspondents deploying MicroATMs for balance query, deposits, withdrawals, and remittances; and
5. Mobile banking: Provide self-service banking capabilities through mobile phones for everyone. The Union Finance Minister accepted the Task Force Report in-principle and stated that necessary steps would be taken to implement the recommendations of the Report. The Task Force report is available on the Ministry of Finance website i.e. www.finmin.nic.in

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/fm-calls-for-upscaling-and-implementation-of-pilot-projects-in-more-areas/

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Imphal, Feb 23: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will inaugurate the two-day ‘Polio summit 2012’ on 25th February 2012 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. India completed a year without reporting any case of polio in January 2012, a major achievement and unprecedented progress which needs to be sustained with continued intensive efforts until polio is eradicated. To commemorate India’s trailblazing effort and focus on the risks and way forward, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Rotary International are organizing the ‘Polio Summit 2012’. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad will preside while the Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Shri S Gandhiselvan; Rotary International President Mr. Kalyan Banerjee and The Rotary Foundation Chairman Mr. William Boyd will be the guests of hounour at the Summit.
The Health Ministers of polio endemic countries Pakistan and Nigeria and neighbouring Sri Lanka and Nepal, and Rotarians from across the world are expected to attend the global summit. Senior health officials from various States, Principal Secretaries, Mission Directors NRHM and State Immunization Officers, heads and representatives of key partner organisations – Rotary International, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization- National Polio Surveillance Project and UNICEF will participate in the Summit. Representatives of the huge polio workforce are among the nearly 1,200 participants expected at the Summit.
Over the two days, the Summit will deliberate on how to build synergies to ensure that the present momentum against polio is maintained until the disease is eradicated. The last bastions of polio in India – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal – are expected to present their efforts and challenges. The Summit is expected to provide a platform for sharing and learning lessons. The World Health Organizations’ Assistant Director-General for Polio, Emergencies, Dr Bruce Aylward, will present the global scenario and China’s response to the recent poliovirus importation as a case study of emergency response, which would be a key strategy for India in the years ahead. WHO’s South East Asia Regional Office will lead the discussions around the challenges and way forward for polio free certification of the region.
Polio Summit 2012 will be a platform for all the key players in the end game strategy for polio eradication – government, partners, donors and frontline workers – to renew and reinforce their commitment to eradicate polio in India.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/pm-to-inaugurate-2-day-polio-summit-2012/