Aizawl, Jun 1 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla
today lamented the fact that use of tobacco in different forms
was highly prevalent in the Mizo society which has resulted in
high incidence of cancer in the state.
Addressing a function on the occasion of the World No
Tobacco Day and launching the Blue Ribbon campaign in the
state, Lal Thanhawla said that efforts were being made to make
Mizoram a smoke-free state.
Lal Riliani, wife of Lal Thanhawla and president of
the Indian Society on Tobacco and Health (Mizoram chapter)
also said that smoking was highly rampant in Mizoram at 95 per
cent in residential homes while 98 per cent of the families
allowed people to smoke inside their houses.
She also emphasized the need for creating mass
awareness on passive smoking or second hand smoke which can
cause cancer to even non-smokers.
READ MORE - Tobacco use in Mizoram leading high incidence of cancer: CM
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Mizoram govt submits report of Bru repatriation to Centre
Aizawl, May 31 : The Mizoram government has submitted a report of
the fourth phase of Bru repatriation to the Union Home Ministry. State
home minister R Lalzirliana said the reactions from the union ministry
was being awaited.
During the fourth phase of repatriation which commenced from April 26 and concluded on May 15, only seven Bru families returned to Mizoram from the relief camps in North Tripura district while 669 families were expected to return.
The anti-repatriation elements among the refugees including Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF) leaders made several demands and conditions before returning to Mizoram.
READ MORE - Mizoram govt submits report of Bru repatriation to Centre
During the fourth phase of repatriation which commenced from April 26 and concluded on May 15, only seven Bru families returned to Mizoram from the relief camps in North Tripura district while 669 families were expected to return.
The anti-repatriation elements among the refugees including Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF) leaders made several demands and conditions before returning to Mizoram.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Mizoram seeks Australian help to study earthquake
Aizawl, May 31 : Mizoram, which falls under earthquake prone zone, has sought the help of Australian government to set up a state-of-the-art earthquake institution in the state.
Mizoram chief secretary Vanhela Pachuau said this to the second secretary to the Kolkata-based Australian High Commission Brendan Hodgson Aizawl today. Hodgson, along with third secretary Chiria Perro, is on a short visit to Mizoram, looking for prospects and possibilities of economic relations with Mizoram.
The chief secretary informed the Australian officials that the Kaladan multi-modal project, that would link Myanmar sea port with Mizoram, would make the state a trade corridor for India and South East Asia.
Mizoram officials also highlighted the huge potential for hydro electric power in Mizoram but financial constraints are a problem to tap the potential. With foreign investment, Mizoram could witness a boom in hydro power, they told the Aussies. They also pointed out the prospects of socio-economic development through bamboo industries, food processing industries and handloom and handicrafts.
The possibility of working together in skill development and nursing was also discussed.
The Mizoram chief secretary also brought up the issue of visa and sought the help of the Australian high commission to simplify visa process for students and tourists from Mizoram.
The Australian officials assured all possible steps to have economic ties with Mizoram, an official source said.
READ MORE - Mizoram seeks Australian help to study earthquake
Mizoram chief secretary Vanhela Pachuau said this to the second secretary to the Kolkata-based Australian High Commission Brendan Hodgson Aizawl today. Hodgson, along with third secretary Chiria Perro, is on a short visit to Mizoram, looking for prospects and possibilities of economic relations with Mizoram.
The chief secretary informed the Australian officials that the Kaladan multi-modal project, that would link Myanmar sea port with Mizoram, would make the state a trade corridor for India and South East Asia.
Mizoram officials also highlighted the huge potential for hydro electric power in Mizoram but financial constraints are a problem to tap the potential. With foreign investment, Mizoram could witness a boom in hydro power, they told the Aussies. They also pointed out the prospects of socio-economic development through bamboo industries, food processing industries and handloom and handicrafts.
The possibility of working together in skill development and nursing was also discussed.
The Mizoram chief secretary also brought up the issue of visa and sought the help of the Australian high commission to simplify visa process for students and tourists from Mizoram.
The Australian officials assured all possible steps to have economic ties with Mizoram, an official source said.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Portfolio reshuffle of ministers in Mizoram
Aizawl: A minor reshuffle of the portfolios of the Council of Ministers was effected in Mizoram on Tuesday.
An official statement said Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla was given additional charge of Information and Public Relations and District Council Affairs while retaining Vigilance, Political, PWD, Power and Electricity, General Administration Department and Minor Irrigation.
Home Minister R Lalzirliana who was stripped off District Council Affairs portfolio was given Secretariat Administration and Fisheries, earlier kept by the Chief Minister.
Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Minister Zodintluanga, who lost Information and Public Relations portfolio got Taxation department.
While Taxation department was taken away from Revenue Minister J H Rothuama, he was given Soil and Water Conservation department, earlier kept by the chief minister.
This was the second reshuffle of portfolios in the present ministry which came to power in the later part of 2008.
READ MORE - Portfolio reshuffle of ministers in Mizoram
An official statement said Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla was given additional charge of Information and Public Relations and District Council Affairs while retaining Vigilance, Political, PWD, Power and Electricity, General Administration Department and Minor Irrigation.
Home Minister R Lalzirliana who was stripped off District Council Affairs portfolio was given Secretariat Administration and Fisheries, earlier kept by the Chief Minister.
Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Minister Zodintluanga, who lost Information and Public Relations portfolio got Taxation department.
While Taxation department was taken away from Revenue Minister J H Rothuama, he was given Soil and Water Conservation department, earlier kept by the chief minister.
This was the second reshuffle of portfolios in the present ministry which came to power in the later part of 2008.
Monday, May 28, 2012
N-E, a border of prosperity
The Northeast has been the focus of India’s Myanmar policy, even more so than China. With the security situation in the Northeast stabilizing, PM’s visit to Myanmar was a chance to boost the other side of security: economics.
The following concessions targeted Northeastern states on India’s eastern border and the adjoining areas in Myanmar.
Border haats or local markets for citizens of both countries to be held at several points along the border.
Border Area Development scheme would use allocate small grants to build bridges, small roads and schools to help isolated settlements along the border. A new Land Customs Station to be set up at Zorinpui in Mizoram.
Highway from Tamu, on the Myanmar border with Manipur, into Myanmar to be upgraded.
Cardamom agricultural assistance plan for Naga self-administered zone in Myanmar.
READ MORE - N-E, a border of prosperity
The following concessions targeted Northeastern states on India’s eastern border and the adjoining areas in Myanmar.
Border haats or local markets for citizens of both countries to be held at several points along the border.
Border Area Development scheme would use allocate small grants to build bridges, small roads and schools to help isolated settlements along the border. A new Land Customs Station to be set up at Zorinpui in Mizoram.
Highway from Tamu, on the Myanmar border with Manipur, into Myanmar to be upgraded.
Cardamom agricultural assistance plan for Naga self-administered zone in Myanmar.
Aizawl now an e-district; Mizoram best among 14 states
Aizawl, May 27 : Now one would avoid the trouble to
going to the deputy commissioner’s office amidst traffic jam, wasting a
lot of time and money, just to get an income certificate or any other
important document.
The e-district project for Aizawl, the first in Mizoram, launched on Wednesday, has made it possible for one to access to 12 services right from his home.
“These 12 important services will also be accessible from Mizoram online service centres set up in 40 different locations in Aizawl besides two SDO offices and five rural development block offices in Aizawl district,” said information & communication technology minister Zodintluanga as he click-opened the project.
The e-district project, one of the major initiatives under the National E-Governance Plan and one of 32 projects under the state mission mode, will be extended to the remaining seven districts in Mizoram in the near future, the minister said.
The 12 services include income certificate, residential certificate, scheduled tribe/caste certificate, inner line permit, tax exemption certificate, housing loan clearance certificate, bakijai clearance certificate, land valuation certificate, land acquisition order, RTI services, public grievance redressal and disbursement of funds. Of the 14 states selected for the project, only Assam and Mizoram are from the Northeast. As Mizoram has been adjudged the best performer among the 14 states, the minister thanked all the departmental officials for their tireless efforts to make the project a success.
Executed from April 9, 2010, the e-district project was completed at the cost of `3.16 crore. It went live from March 4 last and 10,505 inner line permits, 7234 residential certificates, 9234 caste certificates 3736 and income certificates have already been issued. Mizoram is second state in India, next only to Uttar Pradesh to implement the e-district project, officials said. After going through all the tests, it has been certified by STGC. I&CT principal informatics officer Lalthlamuana, who gave a technical report, said the e-district project would save a lot of time and money that the people spend on availing different government services. Mizoram state e-governance society (MeGS) will maintain the e-district project. Deputy commissionerchaired district e-governance society (DeGS) has also been set up in all the districts.
Highlighting the young I&CT department’s projects to promote information technology in Mizoram, Zodintluang said, “Information centres have been set up in 136 locations in the state. Besides these, the North Eastern Council has allowed us to set up rural kiosks in 300 villages. Computer, scanner, printer and digital camera will be provided to these rural kiosks.” “Once the software technology park and state data centre are implemented, there will be a lot of jobs in the IT sector for the technosavvy Mizo youths,” he added. Aware of the huge potential that Mizo youths possess, Mizoram government has been leaving no stone unturned to develop IT sector in the remote state, he said.
READ MORE - Aizawl now an e-district; Mizoram best among 14 states
The e-district project for Aizawl, the first in Mizoram, launched on Wednesday, has made it possible for one to access to 12 services right from his home.
“These 12 important services will also be accessible from Mizoram online service centres set up in 40 different locations in Aizawl besides two SDO offices and five rural development block offices in Aizawl district,” said information & communication technology minister Zodintluanga as he click-opened the project.
The e-district project, one of the major initiatives under the National E-Governance Plan and one of 32 projects under the state mission mode, will be extended to the remaining seven districts in Mizoram in the near future, the minister said.
The 12 services include income certificate, residential certificate, scheduled tribe/caste certificate, inner line permit, tax exemption certificate, housing loan clearance certificate, bakijai clearance certificate, land valuation certificate, land acquisition order, RTI services, public grievance redressal and disbursement of funds. Of the 14 states selected for the project, only Assam and Mizoram are from the Northeast. As Mizoram has been adjudged the best performer among the 14 states, the minister thanked all the departmental officials for their tireless efforts to make the project a success.
Executed from April 9, 2010, the e-district project was completed at the cost of `3.16 crore. It went live from March 4 last and 10,505 inner line permits, 7234 residential certificates, 9234 caste certificates 3736 and income certificates have already been issued. Mizoram is second state in India, next only to Uttar Pradesh to implement the e-district project, officials said. After going through all the tests, it has been certified by STGC. I&CT principal informatics officer Lalthlamuana, who gave a technical report, said the e-district project would save a lot of time and money that the people spend on availing different government services. Mizoram state e-governance society (MeGS) will maintain the e-district project. Deputy commissionerchaired district e-governance society (DeGS) has also been set up in all the districts.
Highlighting the young I&CT department’s projects to promote information technology in Mizoram, Zodintluang said, “Information centres have been set up in 136 locations in the state. Besides these, the North Eastern Council has allowed us to set up rural kiosks in 300 villages. Computer, scanner, printer and digital camera will be provided to these rural kiosks.” “Once the software technology park and state data centre are implemented, there will be a lot of jobs in the IT sector for the technosavvy Mizo youths,” he added. Aware of the huge potential that Mizo youths possess, Mizoram government has been leaving no stone unturned to develop IT sector in the remote state, he said.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
MNF rejects Cong claim on NLUP fund source
AIZAWL, May 28 – The Mizo National Front (MNF) today accused the Congress Government in Mizoram of cheating the people by claiming that its flagship programme New Land Use Policy (NLUP) fund is from ‘PM’s Special Package’.
The MNF said on the contrary, the fund was from the normal fund received through Mizoram State Plan. The MNF’s accusation comes in the wake of the Congress Government claiming two days ago that ‘NLUP is from Special Package’.
The MNF stated that Article 266 (1), (2), (3) of the Constitution clearly mentions how the State Consolidated Fund are received from the Centre and its implementation, said Zosangliana, general secretary, publicity department of MNF.
READ MORE - MNF rejects Cong claim on NLUP fund source
The MNF said on the contrary, the fund was from the normal fund received through Mizoram State Plan. The MNF’s accusation comes in the wake of the Congress Government claiming two days ago that ‘NLUP is from Special Package’.
The MNF stated that Article 266 (1), (2), (3) of the Constitution clearly mentions how the State Consolidated Fund are received from the Centre and its implementation, said Zosangliana, general secretary, publicity department of MNF.
49 displaced Mizo families rehabilitated
Aizawl, May 28 : Forty-nine displaced Mizo
families, driven out from Sakhan range in Tripura in 1998,
have been rehabilitated by the Mizoram government in Mamit
district on Tripura border, a top district official said
today.
Èach displaced family was given Rs 1.5 lakh as agreed
by the Union Home Ministry for rehabilitation and
resettlement, Deputy Commissioner Rodney L. Ralte today said.
Ralte said "the rehabilitation amount was disbursed
from the fund allocated for repatriation of the Bru refugees
from North Tripura relief camps and would be adjusted when the
Union Home Ministry provides for the package."
Displaced Mizo families, who had returned to Sakhan
range, were yet to be rehabilitated as the money was to be
disbursed through the Tripura government, senior home
department officials here said.
At least 83 Mizo families were driven out of the
orange-rich Sakhan range by Bru community in 1998 in the
aftermath of the communal flare-up in Mizoram due to the
murder of a forest guard inside the Dampa Tiger Reserve by Bru
militants on October 21, 1997.
The ongoing repatriation of Bru refugees was stalled
in June last year as all the major NGOs and political parties
insisted that displaced Mizos be first rehabilitated before
resumption of the repatriation process.
The repatriation process resumed from April 26 last
after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram promised that the
displaced Mizo families would be rehabilitated.
READ MORE - 49 displaced Mizo families rehabilitated
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Mizo mom gives birth to 5
Aizawl, May 24 : For the first time in the history of Mizoram, a woman from Hnahlan village gave this tiny picturesque state its first quintuplets at a hospital in Aizawl. According to sources, Rebecca Lalrinkimi (28) of Hnahlan in Champhai district has become the first woman in Mizoram to deliver five babies through caesarian operation on Monday at BN Hospital, Kulikawn, southern suburb of the capital city. The babies weigh 2.7 kg each when they were delivered and were in good health, said sources today.
READ MORE - Mizo mom gives birth to 5
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
LPG cylinders to be issued 15 days after last cylinder issued
Aizawl, May 23 : Mizoram government today decided that even those who were issued cooking gas cylinder from the emergency quota from the government should produce LPG consumer card and would be issued only after 15 days from the last time the consumer lifted his LPG cylinder. An official statement said that the meeting chaired by state chief minister Lal Thanhawla and attended by Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister H. Rohluna and senior officials deliberated on how to ease the acute shortage of LPG in Aizawl city since the past few months. The meeting also decided that surprise checks should be conducted on hotels and restaurant to ensure that only commercial gas cylinders are used in the business houses and also on LPG agents and distributors, the statement said. "Manuals and guidelines should be strictly followed in distribution of cooking gas and efforts should be made to do away with black marketing in gas cylinders," the meeting decided.
READ MORE - LPG cylinders to be issued 15 days after last cylinder issued
Mizoram sees rise in child abuse, juvenile crime
Aizawl, May 23 : Mizoram has witnessed a disturbing rise in child abuse and juvenile crime, with 89 cases of child abuse and 35 cases of children in conflict with the law registered during January to March this year.
The child welfare department, working in coordination with the administration and human rights' bodies, registered 76 cases of physical abuse and 13 cases of sexual abuse against minors during the first three months of this year.
Meanwhile, the juvenile justice board also recorded 35 cases of children in conflict with the law.
According to a source from the integrated child protection scheme (ICPS), 40 children were detained at its observation home during the three months of which ten were raised by single parent.
According to the ICPS officials, there are currently 1213 children in different orphanages in Mizoram of which 539 are girls.
READ MORE - Mizoram sees rise in child abuse, juvenile crime
The child welfare department, working in coordination with the administration and human rights' bodies, registered 76 cases of physical abuse and 13 cases of sexual abuse against minors during the first three months of this year.
Meanwhile, the juvenile justice board also recorded 35 cases of children in conflict with the law.
According to a source from the integrated child protection scheme (ICPS), 40 children were detained at its observation home during the three months of which ten were raised by single parent.
According to the ICPS officials, there are currently 1213 children in different orphanages in Mizoram of which 539 are girls.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Mizo player injured in on-field violence in Santosh Trophy
Bhubaneswar, May 22 : On-field violence left a
player injured in a quarter-final match of the Santosh Trophy
National Football Championship between Tamil Nadu and Mizoram
at the Kalinga stadium here today.
In the 53rd minute of the match in which Tamil Nadu
beat Mizoram 4-3, the referee red-carded Mizo defender Lal
Chhawn Kima for intentional hand-balling to save a free-kick
off V R Murugappan of Tamil Nadu and awarded a penalty in
favour of the opposition.
However, the Mizos protested the decision and pulled
up the referee with abuse and virtually manhandling him. As
Tamil Nadu players came in support of the referee, Mizos
turned their ire on the opposition and were seen coming to
blows in the middle.
In the melee, one Mizo player Lalbiakulua sustained
bleeding injury on his nose after being allegedly thrashed by
a Tamil Nadu player.
As violence took the centre stage, the play remained
suspended for 10 minutes during which the injured player was
administered first-aid.
Besides Murugappan and Kima, three others - R Naveen
Kumar (Namil Nadu) and Lalrinfela and F Lalrinpuia (Mizoram) -
were red-carded for indulging in violence.
READ MORE - Mizo player injured in on-field violence in Santosh Trophy
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Mizoram used barely 10 per cent of DoNER funds
New Delhi: Slow implementation of projects and not fund crunch seems to be the reason for lack of infrastructure development in the northeastern state of Mizoram, statistics given by the Centre indicate.
Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar today presented figures in the Rajya Sabha according to which the state could only utilise Rs 1,684 crore in the last three years out of Rs 11,304 crore released by the DoNER Ministry.
Replying to a question, Ghatowar said his Ministry had released a total of Rs 3,191 crore for nine projects in the education sector to the state under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme in the last three years out of only Rs 60 crore has been utilised.
In the health sector, the Ministry released Rs 220 crore for two projects in the last three years but the state has not been able to utilise the funds, as per figures presented by the Ghatowar in the Rajya Sabha.
Similarly an allocation of Rs 2,434 crore was made to the state under the NLCPR scheme for miscellaneous projects but only Rs 466 crore has been utilised.
The Ministry had given a total of Rs 513 crore to Mizoram in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 but the state has not been able to utilise the funds.
According to the statistics, the state received a total allocation of Rs 3,393 crore in the same period out of which only Rs 759 crore has been utilised.
The DoNER ministry provides central assistance for developmental projects in the northeastern region under NLCPR scheme. The North Eastern Council also sanctions projects for the region.
READ MORE - Mizoram used barely 10 per cent of DoNER funds
Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar today presented figures in the Rajya Sabha according to which the state could only utilise Rs 1,684 crore in the last three years out of Rs 11,304 crore released by the DoNER Ministry.
Replying to a question, Ghatowar said his Ministry had released a total of Rs 3,191 crore for nine projects in the education sector to the state under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme in the last three years out of only Rs 60 crore has been utilised.
In the health sector, the Ministry released Rs 220 crore for two projects in the last three years but the state has not been able to utilise the funds, as per figures presented by the Ghatowar in the Rajya Sabha.
Similarly an allocation of Rs 2,434 crore was made to the state under the NLCPR scheme for miscellaneous projects but only Rs 466 crore has been utilised.
The Ministry had given a total of Rs 513 crore to Mizoram in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 but the state has not been able to utilise the funds.
According to the statistics, the state received a total allocation of Rs 3,393 crore in the same period out of which only Rs 759 crore has been utilised.
The DoNER ministry provides central assistance for developmental projects in the northeastern region under NLCPR scheme. The North Eastern Council also sanctions projects for the region.
Porous border leading to increasing narco-terrorism:Mizoram CM
Narco-terrorism have increased in Mizoram due to the porous 404-km-long international border it shares with Myanmar, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said today.
To tackle the menace, he said in a statement, security forces deployed in the border area should be strengthened.
In a meeting with Adviser to Prime Minister T K A Nair here last evening, Lal Thanhawla emphasised the need for upgradation of telecom services in border areas.
Mizoram hosted around one lakh Chin migrants from Myanmar, he said, adding that the Centre should provide more fund for better infrastructure development.
Nair, who visited Mizoram ahead of the PM's visit to Myanmar, also went to Indo-Myanmar border trade centre at Zokhawthar.
READ MORE - Porous border leading to increasing narco-terrorism:Mizoram CM
To tackle the menace, he said in a statement, security forces deployed in the border area should be strengthened.
In a meeting with Adviser to Prime Minister T K A Nair here last evening, Lal Thanhawla emphasised the need for upgradation of telecom services in border areas.
Mizoram hosted around one lakh Chin migrants from Myanmar, he said, adding that the Centre should provide more fund for better infrastructure development.
Nair, who visited Mizoram ahead of the PM's visit to Myanmar, also went to Indo-Myanmar border trade centre at Zokhawthar.
Security heightened in Mizoram
Security forces in Mizoram have stepped up vigil after an
intelligence report indicated possible violence by the separatist outfit
Hmar People's Convention-Democrats (HPC-D) in the northeastern state,
police said here yesterday.
DIG of Police (northern range) Zorammawia told reporters, “Security forces led by superintendents of police have been conducting flag marches in various parts of the mountainous state, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.”
Official sources said they had received inputs that HPC-D cadres could indulge in violence.
“We have asked all the police stations to remain vigilant over the prevailing situation, so that the tribal guerrillas do not create any violence or any kind of disturbances,” Zorammawia said.
The HPC-D is a militant outfit operating mainly in Mizoram and neighbouring Manipur.
READ MORE - Security heightened in Mizoram
DIG of Police (northern range) Zorammawia told reporters, “Security forces led by superintendents of police have been conducting flag marches in various parts of the mountainous state, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.”
Official sources said they had received inputs that HPC-D cadres could indulge in violence.
“We have asked all the police stations to remain vigilant over the prevailing situation, so that the tribal guerrillas do not create any violence or any kind of disturbances,” Zorammawia said.
The HPC-D is a militant outfit operating mainly in Mizoram and neighbouring Manipur.
Drug smuggling rising along India-Myanmar border
Aizawl, May 20 — Smuggling of narcotics and other drugs has been
increasing along the unfenced India-Myanmar border, Mizoram Chief
Minister lal Thanhawla said here Saturday.
"To tackle the menace of drug trafficking, smuggling of other goods and infiltration, the central government must fence the entire India-Myanmar border and tighten security," he told T.K.A. Nair, advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
An official statement said: "The chief minister told Nair that after ensuring security, border trade, business and various other economic activity must be initiated between Myanmar and India. Then illegal activity will be curved automatically."
Ahead of the prime minister's visit to Myanmar, Nair accompanied by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director General lt. Gen Ravi Shankar had visited Myanmar's border with Manipur and Mizoram.
India and Myanmar share an unfenced and mountainous border of 1,643 km covering the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland(215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km).
READ MORE - Drug smuggling rising along India-Myanmar border
"To tackle the menace of drug trafficking, smuggling of other goods and infiltration, the central government must fence the entire India-Myanmar border and tighten security," he told T.K.A. Nair, advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
An official statement said: "The chief minister told Nair that after ensuring security, border trade, business and various other economic activity must be initiated between Myanmar and India. Then illegal activity will be curved automatically."
Ahead of the prime minister's visit to Myanmar, Nair accompanied by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director General lt. Gen Ravi Shankar had visited Myanmar's border with Manipur and Mizoram.
India and Myanmar share an unfenced and mountainous border of 1,643 km covering the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland(215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km).
Thursday, May 17, 2012
MNF chief Zoramthanga blames EVMs for defeat of regional parties
Guwahati : Mizo National Front (MNF) president and former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga Thursday blamed the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) for defeat of regional parties like his and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and charged the Congress with manipulating the devices.
He also appealed the regional parties in the northeast to press the Election Commission for use of EVMs with paper printouts, which, according to him, will doubly ensure the real mandate of the people is honoured.
Speaking as the chief guest at the 9th triennial conference of the AGP here, Zoramthanga blamed the ruling Congress-led central government for manipulating the EVMs across the country, particularly in the northeast.
"The Congress won the elections in 2008 in Mizoram and in 2011 in Assam. But the main trickster is the EVMs. They have manipulated the EVMs and that is the reason that the Congress could predict in Mizoram that they would win 32 out of 40 assembly seats in Mizoram -- which they did," he said, alleging "a similar trick" was carried out in Assam as well.
"I have been winning consecutively for 21 years in my constituency and in all the elections in Mizoram, the margin of winning candidate is maximum 500 votes. In 2008, when I was height of power as chief minister, I was defeated by over 1,000 votes. Anyone can analyse the results and find out that it is the result of manipulations in the EVMs," he said.
"We have taken up with the EC for the use of EVMs with paper printouts and I hope the AGP will also press the EC over the same," said Zoramthanga while appealing all the regional political parties to press the EC on the same issue, so that the Congress cannot manipulate election results in future.
The veteran politician also appealed for better coordination among the regional parties in the northeast to prevent the "onslaught" of national parties.
"The MNF as well as the AGP are the symbols of nationalism in their respective states. The political parties who are born out of the womb of Delhi should not have a place here and then only we would be out of the hegemony of Delhi," he said.
Terming the national political parties as "guests" in the northeast, he said: "In Mizoram, we (MNF) are coming back to power in the next elections. In Assam too, I want to see a government formed by the owners of the land and not by the 'guests'."
"We must close our doors to the guests now before they uproot us," Zoramthanga said while stressing that it was the need of the hour that the regional forces unite in the region.
READ MORE - MNF chief Zoramthanga blames EVMs for defeat of regional parties
He also appealed the regional parties in the northeast to press the Election Commission for use of EVMs with paper printouts, which, according to him, will doubly ensure the real mandate of the people is honoured.
Speaking as the chief guest at the 9th triennial conference of the AGP here, Zoramthanga blamed the ruling Congress-led central government for manipulating the EVMs across the country, particularly in the northeast.
"The Congress won the elections in 2008 in Mizoram and in 2011 in Assam. But the main trickster is the EVMs. They have manipulated the EVMs and that is the reason that the Congress could predict in Mizoram that they would win 32 out of 40 assembly seats in Mizoram -- which they did," he said, alleging "a similar trick" was carried out in Assam as well.
"I have been winning consecutively for 21 years in my constituency and in all the elections in Mizoram, the margin of winning candidate is maximum 500 votes. In 2008, when I was height of power as chief minister, I was defeated by over 1,000 votes. Anyone can analyse the results and find out that it is the result of manipulations in the EVMs," he said.
"We have taken up with the EC for the use of EVMs with paper printouts and I hope the AGP will also press the EC over the same," said Zoramthanga while appealing all the regional political parties to press the EC on the same issue, so that the Congress cannot manipulate election results in future.
The veteran politician also appealed for better coordination among the regional parties in the northeast to prevent the "onslaught" of national parties.
"The MNF as well as the AGP are the symbols of nationalism in their respective states. The political parties who are born out of the womb of Delhi should not have a place here and then only we would be out of the hegemony of Delhi," he said.
Terming the national political parties as "guests" in the northeast, he said: "In Mizoram, we (MNF) are coming back to power in the next elections. In Assam too, I want to see a government formed by the owners of the land and not by the 'guests'."
"We must close our doors to the guests now before they uproot us," Zoramthanga said while stressing that it was the need of the hour that the regional forces unite in the region.
Mizoram used barely 10 per cent of funds allocated by DoNER
New Delhi, May 17 : Slow implementation of projects
and not fund crunch seems to be the reason for lack of
infrastructure development in the northeastern state of
Mizoram, statistics given by the Centre indicate.
Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region
(DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar today presented figures in the
Rajya Sabha according to which the state could only utilise
Rs 1,684 crore in the last three years out of Rs 11,304 crore
released by the DoNER Ministry.
Replying to a question, Ghatowar said his Ministry had
released a total of Rs 3,191 crore for nine projects in the
education sector to the state under the Non-Lapsable Central
Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme in the last three years out
of only Rs 60 crore has been utilised.
In the health sector, the Ministry released Rs 220 crore
for two projects in the last three years but the state has not
been able to utilise the funds, as per figures presented by
the Ghatowar in the Rajya Sabha.
Similarly an allocation of Rs 2,434 crore was made to the
state under the NLCPR scheme for miscellaneous projects but
only Rs 466 crore has been utilised.
The Ministry had given a total of Rs 513 crore to Mizoram
in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 but the state has not been
able to utilise the funds.
According to the statistics, the state received a total
allocation of Rs 3,393 crore in the same period out of which
only Rs 759 crore has been utilised.
The DoNER ministry provides central assistance for
developmental projects in the northeastern region under NLCPR
scheme. The North Eastern Council also sanctions projects for
the region.
READ MORE - Mizoram used barely 10 per cent of funds allocated by DoNER
AGP 2 LAST
Speaking on the occasion as a special guest former Speaking on the occasion as a special guest former
Mizoram chief minister and head of the ZMN party Zoramthanga
said it was the need of the hour that the regional forces
unite.
"It was a golden occasion when the AGP came into power
by defeating the Congress for two terms. We should uproot the
Congress as the party has not worked for the wellbeing of the
people", he said.
"Anti-people policies have become the hallmark of
Congress and it is time that the people realise their
follies", the former chief minister of the hill state said.
He called on partymen to unite under Mahanta's
leadership and ensure that Congress did not return to power.
In his address, the outgoing president of AGP Chandra
Mohan Patowary called on partymen to unite in this "crucial
hour" and "convince the people about the misrule of the
Congress".
"There is this unprecedented rise of essentials and
power crisis and the government is a mute spectator", Patowary
a former minister said.
READ MORE - AGP 2 LAST
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Mizoram top in RMSA fund utilisation
Mizoram has topped not only all other Northeastern states, but most
of the other Indian states in utilisation of fund sanctioned under the
RMSA mission. According to an official statement, Mizoram was next
only to Haryana in terms of utilisation of RMSA fund sanctioned during
the period of 2009 to 2011. During this period, Mizoram received a total
of Rs 71.72 crores under RMSA of which 63 percent was utilised.
Among the NE states, Mizoram was at the third position in terms of fund
received under the mission, next to Manipur and Assam which received Rs
81.03 crore and Rs 109.16 crore respectively. Meghalaya received Rs
13.45 crore, Nagaland Rs 44.44 crore, Tripura Rs 42.07 crore, Arunachal
Pradesh Rs 47.51.
While Manipur utilised 22 per cent of the fund it received, Nagaland utilised 2 per cent, Sikkim utilised 25 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh utilised 22 per cent. Assam and Meghalaya's utilisation was zero per cent, according to the Mizoram government source.
READ MORE - Mizoram top in RMSA fund utilisation
While Manipur utilised 22 per cent of the fund it received, Nagaland utilised 2 per cent, Sikkim utilised 25 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh utilised 22 per cent. Assam and Meghalaya's utilisation was zero per cent, according to the Mizoram government source.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
No Bru refugee returns on last day of repatriation
Aizawl: Not a single Bru refugee returned from Tripura to Mizoram on the last day of the fourth phase of repatriation on Tuesday, even as the state government made elaborate arrangements to receive 147 Bru families from Kaskau relief camp in North Tripura.
Mamit (in Mizoram-Tripura border) DC Rodney L Ralte said over phone from Mamit that the officials sent to the relief camp and also to the facilitation camps were returning after the Bru refugees refused to return to Mizoram.
The fourth phase of the repatriation which commenced from April 26 as proposed by the Union Home Ministry and the state governments of Mizoram and Tripura failed as only 41 people belonging to seven families returned of the 669 families proposed to be repatriated.
Appeals made by the major NGOs in Mizoram to the Brus who are bona fide residents of the state also fell on deaf ears even as the NGO Co-ordination Committee repeated the appeals on Monday.
The refugees made a plethora of demands to the Union Home Ministry and the Mizoram government as conditions for their return which included formation of a separate district council for the Brus under the sixth schedule of the constitution in Mizoram.
READ MORE - No Bru refugee returns on last day of repatriation
Mamit (in Mizoram-Tripura border) DC Rodney L Ralte said over phone from Mamit that the officials sent to the relief camp and also to the facilitation camps were returning after the Bru refugees refused to return to Mizoram.
The fourth phase of the repatriation which commenced from April 26 as proposed by the Union Home Ministry and the state governments of Mizoram and Tripura failed as only 41 people belonging to seven families returned of the 669 families proposed to be repatriated.
Appeals made by the major NGOs in Mizoram to the Brus who are bona fide residents of the state also fell on deaf ears even as the NGO Co-ordination Committee repeated the appeals on Monday.
The refugees made a plethora of demands to the Union Home Ministry and the Mizoram government as conditions for their return which included formation of a separate district council for the Brus under the sixth schedule of the constitution in Mizoram.
Mizoram drubs Rajasthan 12-0
Mizoram proved its gaining stature in Indian football
with a 12-0 drubbing of Rajasthan in the cluster-VI preliminary league
match of the National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy at
Cuttack on Monday.
P. Lalrinpuia and Zico Zoramsanga were the pick of the Mizoram scorers firing a hat-trick each in the team's big win.
Mizoram needs a draw against Uttarakhand in the last match to ensure its qualification to the quarterfinal league.
Assam
strengthened its position in cluster-VII as it prevailed 6-0 over Daman
and Diu at Bhubaneswar. Haryana prevailed over Sikkim 4-1 to tie the
former on six points. But Assam, having a better goal average,
maintained the top spot in the cluster league standings.
The results: On Monday: Cluster-VI: Mizoram 12 bt Rajasthan 0. Cluster-VII: Haryana 4 bt Sikkim 1; Assam 6 bt Daman & Diu 0.
On Sunday: Cluster-I: Gujarat 2 bt Jharkhand 1. Cluster-III: Chandigarh 2 bt Puducherry 1.
Bru repatriation runs into roadblock
The fourth round of repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura
concluded today with just seven families of the targetted 669 families
returning to their homes in the western belt of Mizoram. The
Mizoram government planned to take back 669 families, comprising 2844
adults and 811 children, who were identified as bonafide citizens of
Mizoram during the fourth round that began from April 26. They were
supposed to be repatriated in five batches with the last batch on May
15. Of the first batch of 141 families from Hamsapara camp, only
one family returned. On the second day on May 4, six families of the
targetted 149 families from Khatchang relief camp returned. No family
from Khakchangpara, Hajacherra and Kaskau camps came back. The Bru
refugees raising fresh demand is behind the derailment of the
repatriation process this time. Against the offered Rs 85,000, the
Bru refugees demanded that they be given a rehabilitation package of Rs
1.5 lakh, equal amount given to the 83 displaced Mizo families who had
been driven out of their homes in Sakhan Hills in Tripura by Bru
militants in 1998. They were also against the use of the 1995 electoral
roll of Mizoram for identification of bonafide citizens of Mizoram.
According to Mizoram officials, the 1995 electoral roll was used as intelligence report indicated that many Bru families from Assam and other parts of the region had infiltrated into the refugee camps to get the attractive rehabilitation package. Thousands of Bru families have been languishing in the relief camps in North Tripura since 1997 when they fled Mizoram following ethnic conflict with majority Mizos targetted by the killing of a Mizo forest official by Bru militants. They were joined by hundreds others who fled Mizoram in similar circumstance sparked off by the killing of a Mizo youth again by suspected Bru militants in November 2009. Excluding the seven families, Mizoram government had repatriated 617 families comprising 3173 men, women and children in the last three rounds starting from November 20, 2010. The fourth round scheduled to begin from June 7, 2011 was called off by Mizoram government, to put pressure on the demand for rehabilitation of the 83 displaced Mizo families. With the Union home ministry allowing Rs 1.5 lakh rehabilitation package for the displaced Mizo families early this year, the Mizoram agreed to resume the fourth round.
READ MORE - Bru repatriation runs into roadblock
According to Mizoram officials, the 1995 electoral roll was used as intelligence report indicated that many Bru families from Assam and other parts of the region had infiltrated into the refugee camps to get the attractive rehabilitation package. Thousands of Bru families have been languishing in the relief camps in North Tripura since 1997 when they fled Mizoram following ethnic conflict with majority Mizos targetted by the killing of a Mizo forest official by Bru militants. They were joined by hundreds others who fled Mizoram in similar circumstance sparked off by the killing of a Mizo youth again by suspected Bru militants in November 2009. Excluding the seven families, Mizoram government had repatriated 617 families comprising 3173 men, women and children in the last three rounds starting from November 20, 2010. The fourth round scheduled to begin from June 7, 2011 was called off by Mizoram government, to put pressure on the demand for rehabilitation of the 83 displaced Mizo families. With the Union home ministry allowing Rs 1.5 lakh rehabilitation package for the displaced Mizo families early this year, the Mizoram agreed to resume the fourth round.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Students arrested for wrecking churches
AIZAWL: Three youngsters, all inmates of a school hostel in Kolasib district along the Mizoram-Assam border, were arrested recently for vandalizing various houses of worship in the area. The arrested persons include Christopher Lalremruata (18) a resident of Ramhlun South locality in Aizawl, while the other two are minors, police said.
The three reportedly told interrogators that they defiled the houses of worship to please Satan and score high marks in their examinations. They also reportedly confessed to the desecration of all the three places of worship and said they were the ones who burned Bibles and hymn books there at midnight and returned to their hostel undetected.
Two Bibles left on a desk in the room of the three inmates made the wardens of the hostel suspicious as news about the desecration spread, He grilling the students who eventually confessed, the police said, adding that they were then sent to police custody. As two of the accused were under-aged, the police referred them to the Juvenile Justice Board for further action.
Meanwhile, Synod Social Front, a wing of the Presbyterian Church Synod that deals with social reforms, expressed anguish over the recent desecration of houses of worship belonging to various church denominations by miscreants. In a statement issued in Aizawl, the Synod Social Front condemned such acts as blasphemous and appealed to the government to bring the perpetrators to book.
The statement urged all the Christians, especially church members, to pray for those who had "gone astray and were burning Bibles, drawing Satanic symbols in churches and defiling holy places to appease Satan, the enemy of Christianity".
READ MORE - Students arrested for wrecking churches
The three reportedly told interrogators that they defiled the houses of worship to please Satan and score high marks in their examinations. They also reportedly confessed to the desecration of all the three places of worship and said they were the ones who burned Bibles and hymn books there at midnight and returned to their hostel undetected.
Two Bibles left on a desk in the room of the three inmates made the wardens of the hostel suspicious as news about the desecration spread, He grilling the students who eventually confessed, the police said, adding that they were then sent to police custody. As two of the accused were under-aged, the police referred them to the Juvenile Justice Board for further action.
Meanwhile, Synod Social Front, a wing of the Presbyterian Church Synod that deals with social reforms, expressed anguish over the recent desecration of houses of worship belonging to various church denominations by miscreants. In a statement issued in Aizawl, the Synod Social Front condemned such acts as blasphemous and appealed to the government to bring the perpetrators to book.
The statement urged all the Christians, especially church members, to pray for those who had "gone astray and were burning Bibles, drawing Satanic symbols in churches and defiling holy places to appease Satan, the enemy of Christianity".
Mizoram CM wants to end Boundary dispute with Assam
Aizawl, May 15 : A meeting of Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and leaders of All NGOs Joint Committee of Mizoram today deliberated on the issue of boundary disputes with the neighbouring states, especially Assam and decided that further and wider consultations should be made soon.
The All NGOs Joint Committee handed over a memorandum on boundary dispute to the chief minister and informed the latter about the efforts being made so far by the NGOs on the issue.
Boundary dispute between Mizoram and Assam continued since Mizoram attained union territory status after carving out of Assam in 1972.
READ MORE - Mizoram CM wants to end Boundary dispute with Assam
The All NGOs Joint Committee handed over a memorandum on boundary dispute to the chief minister and informed the latter about the efforts being made so far by the NGOs on the issue.
Boundary dispute between Mizoram and Assam continued since Mizoram attained union territory status after carving out of Assam in 1972.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mizoram alert on foot-and-mouth disease
Aizawl, May 14 : Alert over foot-and-mouth disease, the Mizoram government has put a halt on the import of high-breed cattle from Ludhiana.
The state government has placed an order for 1,896 high milk producing cows from Ludhiana (Punjab) and Karnal (Haryana) for 948 families who opted for cattle rearing under its flagship programme New Land Use Policy. Of these 555 have reached Mizoram and 522 have been distributed to the beneficiaries, with each beneficiary receiving two cows.
“As a number of cows imported from Ludhiana were found to have contracted foot-and-mouth disease, we have called off the order from Ludhiana and Karnal,” said NLUP chief media officer David L Thangliana. After laboratory test, the FMD is found to be type O.
Officials said transit fatality was also high among the cattle imported from Ludhiana. However, veterinary officials have claimed that the cattle contracted the disease after their arrival in Mizoram.
The 191 cows which are on their way to Mizoram will be quarantined at Vairengte on Mizoram-Assam border till they are proven to be free from disease. The Mizoram government has spent about Rs 1.3 lakh each for purchase and transportation of two cows.
Besides the high-breed cows from Karnal and Ludhiana, all the cattle imported from the neighbouring states and Myanmar will be subjected to medical examination at the border points under the Control of Movement of Animals from outside Mizoram Act.
A man in Kolasib in northern Mizoram was charged with criminal breach of trust, under section 406 IPC, for selling the cows he had received under the flagship project. The man is now serving jail term.
READ MORE - Mizoram alert on foot-and-mouth disease
The state government has placed an order for 1,896 high milk producing cows from Ludhiana (Punjab) and Karnal (Haryana) for 948 families who opted for cattle rearing under its flagship programme New Land Use Policy. Of these 555 have reached Mizoram and 522 have been distributed to the beneficiaries, with each beneficiary receiving two cows.
“As a number of cows imported from Ludhiana were found to have contracted foot-and-mouth disease, we have called off the order from Ludhiana and Karnal,” said NLUP chief media officer David L Thangliana. After laboratory test, the FMD is found to be type O.
Officials said transit fatality was also high among the cattle imported from Ludhiana. However, veterinary officials have claimed that the cattle contracted the disease after their arrival in Mizoram.
The 191 cows which are on their way to Mizoram will be quarantined at Vairengte on Mizoram-Assam border till they are proven to be free from disease. The Mizoram government has spent about Rs 1.3 lakh each for purchase and transportation of two cows.
Besides the high-breed cows from Karnal and Ludhiana, all the cattle imported from the neighbouring states and Myanmar will be subjected to medical examination at the border points under the Control of Movement of Animals from outside Mizoram Act.
A man in Kolasib in northern Mizoram was charged with criminal breach of trust, under section 406 IPC, for selling the cows he had received under the flagship project. The man is now serving jail term.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Mizo Christian sect refuses education for children
At least 26 children between 6-14 now keep away from school.
Aizawl: Twelve families of a Christian sect in a Mizoram district have refused to enroll with the government and avail its various welfare schemes.
The families do not want to be associated with the government or any organized agency for fear of being marked with the Biblical number of the “beast” or the “devil.”
The families belong to Sabbath Kohhran (Sabbath Church) in Lamchhip village in Aizawl district who do not send their children to school.
At least 26 children between 6-14 now keep away from school.
Members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) led by its chairperson Lalremruata visited the village Wednesday to hold discussions with the children's parents.
However, the parents refused to change their decision.
They reminded the CWC members that they had refused to be included in the 2011 census and also did not have ration cards and electoral photo identity cards.
They maintained their stand even after the CWC members explained to them that their children have the right to education.
The parents were also offered text books and other study materials, including mid-day meal for the children by the officials of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA, universal education scheme).
The Christians rejected the offer saying that the SSA is a part of the government.
They agreed to deliberate the suggestions of the CWC and inform them about their decision soon.
There are a number of Christian sects in Mizoram that preach against enrollment with the government in any form, creating problems for the government officials in implementing different schemes in the state.
Mizoram is one of the three Christian-majority states in northeastern India.
READ MORE - Mizo Christian sect refuses education for children
Aizawl: Twelve families of a Christian sect in a Mizoram district have refused to enroll with the government and avail its various welfare schemes.
The families do not want to be associated with the government or any organized agency for fear of being marked with the Biblical number of the “beast” or the “devil.”
The families belong to Sabbath Kohhran (Sabbath Church) in Lamchhip village in Aizawl district who do not send their children to school.
At least 26 children between 6-14 now keep away from school.
Members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) led by its chairperson Lalremruata visited the village Wednesday to hold discussions with the children's parents.
However, the parents refused to change their decision.
They reminded the CWC members that they had refused to be included in the 2011 census and also did not have ration cards and electoral photo identity cards.
They maintained their stand even after the CWC members explained to them that their children have the right to education.
The parents were also offered text books and other study materials, including mid-day meal for the children by the officials of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA, universal education scheme).
The Christians rejected the offer saying that the SSA is a part of the government.
They agreed to deliberate the suggestions of the CWC and inform them about their decision soon.
There are a number of Christian sects in Mizoram that preach against enrollment with the government in any form, creating problems for the government officials in implementing different schemes in the state.
Mizoram is one of the three Christian-majority states in northeastern India.
Teenagers detained for defiling religious books in Mizoram
Aizawl : Three teenagers have been detained in Mizoram for defiling religious books, police here said Friday.
"The teenagers were handed over to police by their parents at Kolasib in northern Mizoram earlier this week after they confessed their crime," a police spokesman told reporters.
Police said the youths, aged 14-17 years, were students at a school in Kolasib, 145 km north of the state capital.
"The youngsters sneaked out of their hostel during night and collected Bibles and hymn books from three different churches before burning them at a nearby auditorium," the official said.
"As they were under 18 years of age they were sent to a juvenile home," he added.
READ MORE - Teenagers detained for defiling religious books in Mizoram
"The teenagers were handed over to police by their parents at Kolasib in northern Mizoram earlier this week after they confessed their crime," a police spokesman told reporters.
Police said the youths, aged 14-17 years, were students at a school in Kolasib, 145 km north of the state capital.
"The youngsters sneaked out of their hostel during night and collected Bibles and hymn books from three different churches before burning them at a nearby auditorium," the official said.
"As they were under 18 years of age they were sent to a juvenile home," he added.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Kids behind Mizoram church defilement
Three underage boys were found to be behind a series of church
defilement in Kolasib in northern Mizoram during the last few months.
The accused were handed over to Kolasib police by their parents
today, Kolasib police said.
Their suspicious parents interrogated them and the trio confessed to committing the crime. Then their parents brought them to the police station, sources said. Sources said the kids, aged 14, 15 and 18, are inmates of a hostel of a prominent English medium school in Kolasib. They sneaked out of the hostel in the death of the night and committed the sinister activities. They collected Bibles and hymn books from different churches and burnt them on the dance floor on top of a Satanic sign scrawled, the sources said. The youths have defiled at least three churches of different denominations since recently.
READ MORE - Kids behind Mizoram church defilement
Their suspicious parents interrogated them and the trio confessed to committing the crime. Then their parents brought them to the police station, sources said. Sources said the kids, aged 14, 15 and 18, are inmates of a hostel of a prominent English medium school in Kolasib. They sneaked out of the hostel in the death of the night and committed the sinister activities. They collected Bibles and hymn books from different churches and burnt them on the dance floor on top of a Satanic sign scrawled, the sources said. The youths have defiled at least three churches of different denominations since recently.
Chandigarh Football Academy wins Manchester United Premier Cup
SIRSAI (Goa): The under-15 boys from Chandigarh Football Academy today defeated PIFA Colaba 2-0 to lift the Nike Manchester United Premier Cup India title.
The winner will now travel to Indonesia to compete at the Manchester United Regional Final 2012 on May 27. Chandigarh's Samuel Lalmuanpuia scored twice during the extra time to help his team clinch the coveted prize.
Both teams were evenly poised till the second leg of the game. Eventually, the game was decided when the Mizoram-born Lalmuanpuia scored during the fourth minute of extra time from a freekick and found the net again two minutes later.
Nike Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) is a tournament that is held at grassroots level to promote the sport.
"Over the years, Nike MUPC is serving as a platform to identify young talent. This is at the core of our brand to promote the sport," Nike marketing director Avinash Pant told reporters.
Veteran Baichung Bhutia, who was present at the event, said the tournament will continue to be a platform for young footballers to showcase their talent.
READ MORE - Chandigarh Football Academy wins Manchester United Premier Cup
The winner will now travel to Indonesia to compete at the Manchester United Regional Final 2012 on May 27. Chandigarh's Samuel Lalmuanpuia scored twice during the extra time to help his team clinch the coveted prize.
Both teams were evenly poised till the second leg of the game. Eventually, the game was decided when the Mizoram-born Lalmuanpuia scored during the fourth minute of extra time from a freekick and found the net again two minutes later.
Nike Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) is a tournament that is held at grassroots level to promote the sport.
"Over the years, Nike MUPC is serving as a platform to identify young talent. This is at the core of our brand to promote the sport," Nike marketing director Avinash Pant told reporters.
Veteran Baichung Bhutia, who was present at the event, said the tournament will continue to be a platform for young footballers to showcase their talent.
Mizoram govt to go ahead with repatriation of Bru refugees
Aizawl, May 11 : Mizoram government would go ahead with the fourth phase of repatriation of Bru refugees from the relief camps in North Tripura even as only seven families have returned till date, state home minister R Lalzirliana said here today. Lalzirliana said that attempt would be made to bring back 79 families from Hajacherra relief camp on Friday (May 11). While 669 families were proposed to be brought back during the fourth phase of repatriation scheduled to be conducted during April 26 to May 15. Officials said that the proposal to bring back 147 families from Kaskau relief camp on May 15 would be reconsidered as only six families out of 149 families proposed to be brought back returned to Mizoram on May eight. Officials, assigned to conduct the repatriation process would be leaving for the relief camps today while some officials would also be posted at the two facilitation camps at Kanhmun and Zomuantlang, the two villages along the Mizoram-Tripura border tomorrow.
READ MORE - Mizoram govt to go ahead with repatriation of Bru refugees
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Mizoram CM supports NCTC
Aizawl : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla Wednesday supported the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) saying it won't hit the country's federal structure.
"The NCTC is a positive move of the central government. The national security is an issue of prime concern and terrorism is a real threat before the nation," Thanhawla said here at a meeting.
"The creation of NCTC was welcomed by all Congress-ruled states whereas some reservations were expressed by non-Congress ruled states, particularly with regard to the powers of NCTC to launch counter terrorism operations, including search, seizure and arrest in states.
"They have sought necessary amendments in those provisions," he said.
Among the chief ministers of northeastern states, Manipur's Okram Ibobi Singh, Assam's Tarun Gogoi and Meghalaya's Mukul Sangma have supported the formation of NCTC.
However, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has strongly opposed it saying the NCTC was not acceptable and it would encroach on the rights of the states.
READ MORE - Mizoram CM supports NCTC
"The NCTC is a positive move of the central government. The national security is an issue of prime concern and terrorism is a real threat before the nation," Thanhawla said here at a meeting.
"The creation of NCTC was welcomed by all Congress-ruled states whereas some reservations were expressed by non-Congress ruled states, particularly with regard to the powers of NCTC to launch counter terrorism operations, including search, seizure and arrest in states.
"They have sought necessary amendments in those provisions," he said.
Among the chief ministers of northeastern states, Manipur's Okram Ibobi Singh, Assam's Tarun Gogoi and Meghalaya's Mukul Sangma have supported the formation of NCTC.
However, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has strongly opposed it saying the NCTC was not acceptable and it would encroach on the rights of the states.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Presbyterian Church of India decide not to join WCC
Taking the stand of its member bodies, the
Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) last week reached a consensus to not
join the Geneva-based World Council of Churches (WCC).
During the 40th Biennial Assembly held at Champhai Vengsang Presbyterian Church, Mizoram, the PCI resolved not to be part of the WCC's network.
The issue of joining WCC however will be explored again in the next biennial assembly that will be held in 2014.
The World Council of Churches is an ecumenical union of close to 350 churches from a broad range of Christian traditions.
During the May 4-6 Assembly, six of the eight PCI Synods voted against the proposal of joining WCC.
Last year, the Synod meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram in a similar declaration had decided to not to join the WCC. Several theologians and church leaders objected to the proposal due to doctrinal clashes.
The PCI, which is one of the largest Christian denominations in the Northeast region, is comprised of eight synods - Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod, Cachar Hill Tribes Synod, Manipur Presbyterian Church Synod, Biateram Presbyterian Church Synod, Ri Bhoi Presbyterian Church Synod, Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi, KJP Synod Mihngi, and Zou Presbyterian Church Synod.
The General Assembly meanwhile has directed the PCI Executive Committee to review the proposal for the forming of Manipur Meitei Synod. It also decided to change the term of PCI Administrative Secretary from 4 years to 3 years.
Rev VL Luaia Hranleh of Mizoram Synod has been appointed as the Administrative Secretary for the term 2012-2014.
The PCI Assembly is held once in two years. This year, the Assembly was held on the theme ‘Christ, the Lord of Creation’.
The Presbyterian Church of India is the biggest single church body in Northeast India, with over 1.2 million members. The Protestant body is headquartered in Shillong, Meghalaya.
READ MORE - Presbyterian Church of India decide not to join WCC
During the 40th Biennial Assembly held at Champhai Vengsang Presbyterian Church, Mizoram, the PCI resolved not to be part of the WCC's network.
The issue of joining WCC however will be explored again in the next biennial assembly that will be held in 2014.
The World Council of Churches is an ecumenical union of close to 350 churches from a broad range of Christian traditions.
During the May 4-6 Assembly, six of the eight PCI Synods voted against the proposal of joining WCC.
Last year, the Synod meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram in a similar declaration had decided to not to join the WCC. Several theologians and church leaders objected to the proposal due to doctrinal clashes.
The PCI, which is one of the largest Christian denominations in the Northeast region, is comprised of eight synods - Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod, Cachar Hill Tribes Synod, Manipur Presbyterian Church Synod, Biateram Presbyterian Church Synod, Ri Bhoi Presbyterian Church Synod, Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi, KJP Synod Mihngi, and Zou Presbyterian Church Synod.
The General Assembly meanwhile has directed the PCI Executive Committee to review the proposal for the forming of Manipur Meitei Synod. It also decided to change the term of PCI Administrative Secretary from 4 years to 3 years.
Rev VL Luaia Hranleh of Mizoram Synod has been appointed as the Administrative Secretary for the term 2012-2014.
The PCI Assembly is held once in two years. This year, the Assembly was held on the theme ‘Christ, the Lord of Creation’.
The Presbyterian Church of India is the biggest single church body in Northeast India, with over 1.2 million members. The Protestant body is headquartered in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Buddha Purnima observed in Mizoram
Along with their brethren in the rest of the world, the Buddha followers in Mizoram, who are mainly Chakma community, observed the Buddha Purnima, the biggest religious festival of the religion, here today. Under the aegis of Aizawl Chakma Welfare Association and the Chakma Students Union, Aizawl zonal headquarters, the Chakma community marked the day with prayers, sermons on the life of Gautam Buddha, religious discourses, continuous recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions and worship of the statue of Buddha. The observation at Chakma House, Aizawl, began with an welcome speech by Nirupam Chakma, MLA and president of Aizawl Chakma Welfare Association. This was followed by a speech from Mizoram minister of state Nihar Kanti Chakma. The devotees lit thousands of candles for world peace.
READ MORE - Buddha Purnima observed in Mizoram
Northeast's fourth software technology park in Mizoram
Aizawl, May 7 : The central government, in association with the Mizoram government, will set up a software technology park in Mizoram to boost IT in northeast India and software exports, a minister said here Sunday.
"Officials of the union ministry of information technology and the Mizoram government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) here Saturday to set up the software technology park," state Information and Communication Technology Minister Zodintluanga told reporters.
The minister, who was present in the MoU-signing ceremony, said that on the request of the union ministry, the state government has provided five acres of land in the Mizoram University campus to set up the park.
The land was given to the Software Technological Park of India (STPI) authority on a 66-year lease.
"Until the permanent infrastructure was created at Mizoram University campus, the STP would temporarily function at a government building at Thuampui, near Aizawl," an official said.
The proposed STP in Aizawl would be the fourth centre in northeast India after the Guwahati, Imphal and Gangtok STPs.
STPI director general Omkar Rai and other officials of the organisation are now on a three day visit to the northeastern state to finalise the modalities for setting up of the STP.
STP is being set up in the country by the STPI authority since 1991 to encourage, promote and boost software exports from India besides expansion of the information technology infrastructure and software industry.
READ MORE - Northeast's fourth software technology park in Mizoram
"Officials of the union ministry of information technology and the Mizoram government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) here Saturday to set up the software technology park," state Information and Communication Technology Minister Zodintluanga told reporters.
The minister, who was present in the MoU-signing ceremony, said that on the request of the union ministry, the state government has provided five acres of land in the Mizoram University campus to set up the park.
The land was given to the Software Technological Park of India (STPI) authority on a 66-year lease.
"Until the permanent infrastructure was created at Mizoram University campus, the STP would temporarily function at a government building at Thuampui, near Aizawl," an official said.
The proposed STP in Aizawl would be the fourth centre in northeast India after the Guwahati, Imphal and Gangtok STPs.
STPI director general Omkar Rai and other officials of the organisation are now on a three day visit to the northeastern state to finalise the modalities for setting up of the STP.
STP is being set up in the country by the STPI authority since 1991 to encourage, promote and boost software exports from India besides expansion of the information technology infrastructure and software industry.
Mizoram CM favours NCTC
Aizawl, May 7 : Chief Minister of Mizoram Lal Thanhawla favours the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) .
In the meeting held yesterday chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the chief minister of Mizoram while addressing the meeting congratulated the Prime Minister for convening this meeting on such an important issue.
Lal Thanhawla welcomed the move of the Union Government to create NCTC and opined that national security is an issue of prime concern and terrorism is real threat before the nation.
The Mizoram chief minister further added that federal structure of the country is not going to be affected by creation of NCTC.
The creation of NCTC by the Union Home Ministry was welcomed by all congress ruled states whereas some reservations were expressed by non congress ruled states particularly with regard to powers of NCTC to launch counter terrorism operations (including search, seizure and arrest) in states and sought necessary amendments in those provisions.
Very few states out rightly rejected the NCTC terming it as assault on Federalism.
The Union Home Minister after listening to all chief ministers concluded that the suggestions given by the chief ministers would be given due consideration and then final decision would be taken by the Union Government on the issue.
READ MORE - Mizoram CM favours NCTC
In the meeting held yesterday chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the chief minister of Mizoram while addressing the meeting congratulated the Prime Minister for convening this meeting on such an important issue.
Lal Thanhawla welcomed the move of the Union Government to create NCTC and opined that national security is an issue of prime concern and terrorism is real threat before the nation.
The Mizoram chief minister further added that federal structure of the country is not going to be affected by creation of NCTC.
The creation of NCTC by the Union Home Ministry was welcomed by all congress ruled states whereas some reservations were expressed by non congress ruled states particularly with regard to powers of NCTC to launch counter terrorism operations (including search, seizure and arrest) in states and sought necessary amendments in those provisions.
Very few states out rightly rejected the NCTC terming it as assault on Federalism.
The Union Home Minister after listening to all chief ministers concluded that the suggestions given by the chief ministers would be given due consideration and then final decision would be taken by the Union Government on the issue.
37 Reang refugees repatriated
Agartala, May 6 : Only 37 Reang/Bru refugees of six families today returned to their ancestral land at Mizoram’s Mammit district from North Tripura district, official sources said. “The refugees were reluctant to return, but after much persuasion by the officials of Mizoram and Tripura government only 37 refugees returned to their evacuee camp in Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura”, the sources said. Earlier on April 6 last, as many as 747 Bru refugees of 141 families were scheduled to head back to Mizoram but refused to return. On March 18, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had visited the Ashapara refugee camp and held meeting with refugees. In the meeting, Chidambaram had urged refugees and their leaders to return home for betterment of their children who are still denied of basic needs including education and healthcare. After the visit, it was decided that fresh repatriation would begin on April 26 and the Centre will provide funds for their resettlement in Mizoram.
READ MORE - 37 Reang refugees repatriated
From the north-east to the heart of India
From the time I was in my teens, I have always had a special affection for the north-east of India. In my case, my motives were entirely personal. I went out for several years with a girl from one of the north-eastern states.
In those days, it was rare to find people from the north-east in what they called the ‘mainland’ and what we call the rest of India. My own ignorance, as a teenager, was pretty shocking. I had heard of the Naga insurgency, of course. But the other states were a blur. I was vaguely aware of Manipur because two boys from that state were at school with me. But I had no idea where NEFA was – apart from some dimly-remembered facts about the 1962 war with China. At some stage, NEFA became Arunachal Pradesh but the events had passed me by.
As for the Mizos, I knew nothing. I had heard that there was some insurgency there in the 1970s. But I had no idea what the Mizos wanted. And I even wondered if Phizo, the noted rebel leader, was a Mizo. (He wasn’t. He was a Naga. It was not his fault that his name rhymed with Mizo.)
I am not proud of my ignorance. The truth is that I am still ashamed by how little I knew about the north-east. But of one thing I can be certain: no matter how limited my knowledge of the region, it was much greater than the knowledge of most other people on the so-called ‘mainland’.
You have to remember that, in that era, most people on the ‘mainland’ found it difficult to accept that a substantial part of our population had more in common – in terms of appearance – with people from Burma or Thailand than with Punjabis or Tamils. When north-easterners made it to the ‘mainland’, they were slightly surprised by how different they seemed from us. Some of them were good-natured about our ignorance and took what little advantage they could of it. For instance, nobody believed that my then-girlfriend was Indian. So, during dry days – when only foreigners were allowed to drink – her friends and she would go to bars and knock back beers, pretending to be Thai.
But one advantage of going out with a Mizo was that I learnt something about how they saw us. I learnt also how appallingly they had been treated. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the Mizo insurgency, there is no doubt that the Indian state behaved with savage brutality. I heard too many stories of torture, of entire villages being uprooted and ‘relocated’ to the sides of highways, of mass rape by paramilitary forces and of official high-handedness, for all of the stories to have been made up. Clearly, the Indian government behaved badly. And as clearly, this was because Indian forces did not see north-easterners as Indians. They saw them as the enemy and treated them with none of the deference or concern that Indian citizens are entitled to from our own forces.
Equally, I saw how difficult it was for many people in the north-east to regard themselves as Indian. The Naga and Mizo insurgencies were attempts to seek independence from India. As for Arunachal Pradesh, China claimed that it was a part of Greater China, not of India. The Sikkimese still resented their annexation and took time to get used to the idea that they were now Indians.
In the mid-90s, when I went back to the north-east, long after I had any personal relationship with any north-easterner, I wondered how things would pan out. An entire younger generation of north-easterners looked to Bangkok rather than Bombay for inspiration. Young people rejected Indian popular culture and tried to find a new identity in south-east Asia.
All that began to change in this century. At first, it was a trickle but I have seen figures suggesting that between 2005 and 2010, four and a half lakh people from the north-east came to the so-called ‘mainland’ in search of jobs. The days when north-easterners were seen as foreigners or as exotic people are now over. In many sectors – hospitality, beauty, etc. – north-easterners are the employees of choice. Ask any beauty salon who it would hire, all other things being equal, between an Andhra-ite and a Manipuri, and the chances are that nine times out of ten, the Manipuri will be preferred. So it is with restaurants and airlines. Most employers will take someone from the north-east over somebody from, say, Bihar.
What made the difference? Why do so many north-easterners leave their states and come to work in the ‘mainland’?
I have many theories. Partly it is that India is seen as prosperous and successful and, therefore, worth living in, even by those who once spoke disparagingly of the ‘mainland’. Partly it is satellite television that has made the difference. When I went to the north-east in the mid-90s, they all looked to MTV (they got the south-east Asia beam) for inspiration. Now, they watch Star Plus, Colors, Zee TV, NDTV Good Times and CNN-IBN, just like the rest of us. Television has made the Indian ‘mainland’ seem less like a strange and unfamiliar place. Partly it is demographics. The new generation of Nagas and Mizos have fewer memories of the insurgency or of the atrocities committed by Indian forces. (In Manipur, however, the issue of human rights abuses is still a live one.)
The process of adjustment has not been easy – on either side. There is little doubt that many north-easterners still face discrimination in the ‘mainland’. The men are called ‘Chinks’ and often treated with disdain. The women are dismissed as being loose or available and are often treated with little respect.
When north-easterners complain about how difficult it can be to settle in the ‘mainland’ – as they have been protesting over the last week – I can understand why they are so upset. But equally, I have to say that at some level, I am also relieved.
I think back to the 1980s. A family friend who was then working with the Planning Commission asked my then girlfriend about how Mizos would react to an extension of the railways into their state. Surely, they would be happy to be able to take a train to Aizawl or Lungleh rather than being forced to fly to Silchar and spend several hours on a bus home?
“Actually,” she said, “we will hate it. Our first thought will be, ‘More Indians will come’. We don’t want a way to allow vais (Indians) to come and disrupt our lives any more than you already have.”
I despaired when I heard those words. I went to Mizoram in 1986/87 when Laldenga, the great rebel leader, finally accepted Indian sovereignty and became chief minister. But even then, all that the Mizos wanted was that we left them alone. As for the Nagas, sparks of the old insurgency continued well into the beginning to this century: I covered the talks between A.B. Vajpayee and rebel Naga leaders a decade ago.
When I see young people from the north-east on news TV these days complaining about how they are treated as foreigners in Delhi or Bombay, I am strangely relieved. Of course their complaints are justified. But it is the sub-text that reassures me. They want to be seen as Indian.
A great barrier, erected over many decades of suspicion and hostility, has been broken. The people of the north-east have accepted that they want to be part of the ‘mainland’. Their problem is that the rest of India is unwilling to whole-heartedly accept them.
It seems a slightly harsh thing to say but I am sure that time will sort out their problem. In the 1960s, the DMK was still divided among those who wanted to secede from India or, at the very least, refuse to speak Hindi and those who favoured full-scale integration with the rest of India. Till very recently, many people in the north of India thought of all south Indians as ‘Madrasis’. Even a decade ago, I doubt if many Biharis could have named all the states of south India.
But that’s changed. It hasn’t been easy but time has healed the rift.
Something similar will happen with the north-east. I do not dispute that things are bad today. But they are far better than I dared hope in the 1970s. I condemn the way north-easterners are discriminated against in many parts of the ‘mainland’. But when I hear a Naga complaining that the rest of us are unwilling to treat her as an Indian, I feel a sense of vindication.
After all, it wasn’t so long ago that the Nagas themselves denied that they were Indians and went to war to prove their point.
Things are still far from perfect. And the process of integration needs to move faster. But one thing is clear: the idea of India has won this battle, too.
Now it is up to the rest of us on the ‘mainland’ to prove that we are worthy of the idea of India.
READ MORE - From the north-east to the heart of India
In those days, it was rare to find people from the north-east in what they called the ‘mainland’ and what we call the rest of India. My own ignorance, as a teenager, was pretty shocking. I had heard of the Naga insurgency, of course. But the other states were a blur. I was vaguely aware of Manipur because two boys from that state were at school with me. But I had no idea where NEFA was – apart from some dimly-remembered facts about the 1962 war with China. At some stage, NEFA became Arunachal Pradesh but the events had passed me by.
As for the Mizos, I knew nothing. I had heard that there was some insurgency there in the 1970s. But I had no idea what the Mizos wanted. And I even wondered if Phizo, the noted rebel leader, was a Mizo. (He wasn’t. He was a Naga. It was not his fault that his name rhymed with Mizo.)
I am not proud of my ignorance. The truth is that I am still ashamed by how little I knew about the north-east. But of one thing I can be certain: no matter how limited my knowledge of the region, it was much greater than the knowledge of most other people on the so-called ‘mainland’.
You have to remember that, in that era, most people on the ‘mainland’ found it difficult to accept that a substantial part of our population had more in common – in terms of appearance – with people from Burma or Thailand than with Punjabis or Tamils. When north-easterners made it to the ‘mainland’, they were slightly surprised by how different they seemed from us. Some of them were good-natured about our ignorance and took what little advantage they could of it. For instance, nobody believed that my then-girlfriend was Indian. So, during dry days – when only foreigners were allowed to drink – her friends and she would go to bars and knock back beers, pretending to be Thai.
But one advantage of going out with a Mizo was that I learnt something about how they saw us. I learnt also how appallingly they had been treated. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the Mizo insurgency, there is no doubt that the Indian state behaved with savage brutality. I heard too many stories of torture, of entire villages being uprooted and ‘relocated’ to the sides of highways, of mass rape by paramilitary forces and of official high-handedness, for all of the stories to have been made up. Clearly, the Indian government behaved badly. And as clearly, this was because Indian forces did not see north-easterners as Indians. They saw them as the enemy and treated them with none of the deference or concern that Indian citizens are entitled to from our own forces.
Equally, I saw how difficult it was for many people in the north-east to regard themselves as Indian. The Naga and Mizo insurgencies were attempts to seek independence from India. As for Arunachal Pradesh, China claimed that it was a part of Greater China, not of India. The Sikkimese still resented their annexation and took time to get used to the idea that they were now Indians.
In the mid-90s, when I went back to the north-east, long after I had any personal relationship with any north-easterner, I wondered how things would pan out. An entire younger generation of north-easterners looked to Bangkok rather than Bombay for inspiration. Young people rejected Indian popular culture and tried to find a new identity in south-east Asia.
All that began to change in this century. At first, it was a trickle but I have seen figures suggesting that between 2005 and 2010, four and a half lakh people from the north-east came to the so-called ‘mainland’ in search of jobs. The days when north-easterners were seen as foreigners or as exotic people are now over. In many sectors – hospitality, beauty, etc. – north-easterners are the employees of choice. Ask any beauty salon who it would hire, all other things being equal, between an Andhra-ite and a Manipuri, and the chances are that nine times out of ten, the Manipuri will be preferred. So it is with restaurants and airlines. Most employers will take someone from the north-east over somebody from, say, Bihar.
What made the difference? Why do so many north-easterners leave their states and come to work in the ‘mainland’?
I have many theories. Partly it is that India is seen as prosperous and successful and, therefore, worth living in, even by those who once spoke disparagingly of the ‘mainland’. Partly it is satellite television that has made the difference. When I went to the north-east in the mid-90s, they all looked to MTV (they got the south-east Asia beam) for inspiration. Now, they watch Star Plus, Colors, Zee TV, NDTV Good Times and CNN-IBN, just like the rest of us. Television has made the Indian ‘mainland’ seem less like a strange and unfamiliar place. Partly it is demographics. The new generation of Nagas and Mizos have fewer memories of the insurgency or of the atrocities committed by Indian forces. (In Manipur, however, the issue of human rights abuses is still a live one.)
The process of adjustment has not been easy – on either side. There is little doubt that many north-easterners still face discrimination in the ‘mainland’. The men are called ‘Chinks’ and often treated with disdain. The women are dismissed as being loose or available and are often treated with little respect.
When north-easterners complain about how difficult it can be to settle in the ‘mainland’ – as they have been protesting over the last week – I can understand why they are so upset. But equally, I have to say that at some level, I am also relieved.
I think back to the 1980s. A family friend who was then working with the Planning Commission asked my then girlfriend about how Mizos would react to an extension of the railways into their state. Surely, they would be happy to be able to take a train to Aizawl or Lungleh rather than being forced to fly to Silchar and spend several hours on a bus home?
“Actually,” she said, “we will hate it. Our first thought will be, ‘More Indians will come’. We don’t want a way to allow vais (Indians) to come and disrupt our lives any more than you already have.”
I despaired when I heard those words. I went to Mizoram in 1986/87 when Laldenga, the great rebel leader, finally accepted Indian sovereignty and became chief minister. But even then, all that the Mizos wanted was that we left them alone. As for the Nagas, sparks of the old insurgency continued well into the beginning to this century: I covered the talks between A.B. Vajpayee and rebel Naga leaders a decade ago.
When I see young people from the north-east on news TV these days complaining about how they are treated as foreigners in Delhi or Bombay, I am strangely relieved. Of course their complaints are justified. But it is the sub-text that reassures me. They want to be seen as Indian.
A great barrier, erected over many decades of suspicion and hostility, has been broken. The people of the north-east have accepted that they want to be part of the ‘mainland’. Their problem is that the rest of India is unwilling to whole-heartedly accept them.
It seems a slightly harsh thing to say but I am sure that time will sort out their problem. In the 1960s, the DMK was still divided among those who wanted to secede from India or, at the very least, refuse to speak Hindi and those who favoured full-scale integration with the rest of India. Till very recently, many people in the north of India thought of all south Indians as ‘Madrasis’. Even a decade ago, I doubt if many Biharis could have named all the states of south India.
But that’s changed. It hasn’t been easy but time has healed the rift.
Something similar will happen with the north-east. I do not dispute that things are bad today. But they are far better than I dared hope in the 1970s. I condemn the way north-easterners are discriminated against in many parts of the ‘mainland’. But when I hear a Naga complaining that the rest of us are unwilling to treat her as an Indian, I feel a sense of vindication.
After all, it wasn’t so long ago that the Nagas themselves denied that they were Indians and went to war to prove their point.
Things are still far from perfect. And the process of integration needs to move faster. But one thing is clear: the idea of India has won this battle, too.
Now it is up to the rest of us on the ‘mainland’ to prove that we are worthy of the idea of India.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
NLFT releases abducted workers
Guwahati, May 3 : Six abducted workers of an Assam-based construction company were released by the outlawed group National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) on Wednesday.
They were abducted at gun point by the militant group a month before, Mizoram police said.
The workers of the Anupam Bricks and Concrete Industries (ABCI) were abducted by an armed militant group of NLFT on March 25 from their working site at Mauzam village in South Mizoram's Lunglei district, bordering area of Mizoram-Bangladesh.
''The outfit group demanded Rs 1.20 crore as ransom for the abducted workers' release,'' said a source of Mizoram police.
The militants left away the abducted workers after more than a month at Rajiv nagar area near Tupuibari, bordering area of Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh on Wednesday.
READ MORE - NLFT releases abducted workers
They were abducted at gun point by the militant group a month before, Mizoram police said.
The workers of the Anupam Bricks and Concrete Industries (ABCI) were abducted by an armed militant group of NLFT on March 25 from their working site at Mauzam village in South Mizoram's Lunglei district, bordering area of Mizoram-Bangladesh.
''The outfit group demanded Rs 1.20 crore as ransom for the abducted workers' release,'' said a source of Mizoram police.
The militants left away the abducted workers after more than a month at Rajiv nagar area near Tupuibari, bordering area of Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
56 Assam villages want to be under Mizoram
Aizawl : Alleging step-motherly treatment from the Assam state government, as many as 56 villages under Karimganj district in Assam have prayed for inclusion under Mizoram for the grass is literally greener on the other side.
In a letter to the deputy commissioner of Mamit district (Mizoram) neighbouring Assam, a Sangram committee of Cheragi gaon panchayati and ward no 6 of Pathakhori GP (both under Ratabari police station under Karimganj district), voiced the people’s grievances over “deprivation and negligence on modern basic human development” by the Assam state government and prayed the Mizoram government to take necessary steps to include them under Mizoram.
According to the letter, carbon copied to the home minister and the chief minister of Mizoram, the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, and all presidents of major NGOs in Mizoram, the two gaon panchayats comprise of 56 villages with a total population of 45,000, including 15,000 voters, belonging to different communities like Bengali, Muslim, Manipuri, Bihari and tribals. The area had been declared disputed area by then Karimganj DC and Mamit DC in the year 1995-1996, and this could be the reason why it has been totally neglected by the Assam government, the letter said.
“The people are deprived of basic human amenities like road communication, schools, colleges, hospitals, electricity, water supply, etc. The people have been extremely suffering physically, economically, politically, educationally etc,” the memorandum said. The letter, signed by Abhimanya Singh, president of the Sangram committee, accused the Assam government of turning a deaf ear to their repeated cries for help. “All matters had been brought to the notice of high authorities in the Assam government, including the chief minister and the governor. However, unfortunately, no positive measures have been taken to solve our problems,” said the letter. “While our great nation India has attained its 65th anniversary of Independence and our leaders are announcing developments, our sufferings know no bounds,” it said.
The memorandum concluded that the people of the area have no other option than to look up to Mizoram as their saviour to lift them up from their “deadly valley” and take them up to the “hill of peace, development and harmony.” Mizoram has a long-standing border dispute with Assam and it has been a major political issue since Mizoram was upgraded to a statehood, from Union Territory status, in 1987.
The Congress government has recently formed a five-member committee to resolve the boundary dispute. An official said area in Karimganj district, falls under the disputed area. Confirming that he had received the letter, Mamit district deputy commissioner Rodney Lalrinmawma, told the Seven Sisters Post on Tuesday that he was yet to put up the file to higher authorities. “As the issue concerns border dispute between the two states, it has to be discussed in the chief ministerial level,” he said.
READ MORE - 56 Assam villages want to be under Mizoram
In a letter to the deputy commissioner of Mamit district (Mizoram) neighbouring Assam, a Sangram committee of Cheragi gaon panchayati and ward no 6 of Pathakhori GP (both under Ratabari police station under Karimganj district), voiced the people’s grievances over “deprivation and negligence on modern basic human development” by the Assam state government and prayed the Mizoram government to take necessary steps to include them under Mizoram.
According to the letter, carbon copied to the home minister and the chief minister of Mizoram, the President of India, the Prime Minister of India, and all presidents of major NGOs in Mizoram, the two gaon panchayats comprise of 56 villages with a total population of 45,000, including 15,000 voters, belonging to different communities like Bengali, Muslim, Manipuri, Bihari and tribals. The area had been declared disputed area by then Karimganj DC and Mamit DC in the year 1995-1996, and this could be the reason why it has been totally neglected by the Assam government, the letter said.
“The people are deprived of basic human amenities like road communication, schools, colleges, hospitals, electricity, water supply, etc. The people have been extremely suffering physically, economically, politically, educationally etc,” the memorandum said. The letter, signed by Abhimanya Singh, president of the Sangram committee, accused the Assam government of turning a deaf ear to their repeated cries for help. “All matters had been brought to the notice of high authorities in the Assam government, including the chief minister and the governor. However, unfortunately, no positive measures have been taken to solve our problems,” said the letter. “While our great nation India has attained its 65th anniversary of Independence and our leaders are announcing developments, our sufferings know no bounds,” it said.
The memorandum concluded that the people of the area have no other option than to look up to Mizoram as their saviour to lift them up from their “deadly valley” and take them up to the “hill of peace, development and harmony.” Mizoram has a long-standing border dispute with Assam and it has been a major political issue since Mizoram was upgraded to a statehood, from Union Territory status, in 1987.
The Congress government has recently formed a five-member committee to resolve the boundary dispute. An official said area in Karimganj district, falls under the disputed area. Confirming that he had received the letter, Mamit district deputy commissioner Rodney Lalrinmawma, told the Seven Sisters Post on Tuesday that he was yet to put up the file to higher authorities. “As the issue concerns border dispute between the two states, it has to be discussed in the chief ministerial level,” he said.
Pachuau likely contender for DG&IGP post
New Delhi, May 2 : Mizoram DGP Lalrokhuma Pachuau is returning to Karnataka (his home cadre) in the hope of becoming the DG&IGP of the State.
“Today, the Mizoram government relieved me from service and I am going back to Karnataka,” he told Deccan Herald from Aizawl.
Returning
“I will report to the Karnataka government for duty on May 4”. When asked whether he was a contender for the post of the next DG&IGP of the State, he said, “I will not speculate anything. But, I will be the senior most IPS officer in the State as on May 31”.Pachuau, a 1977 batch IPS officer, was on inter-state deputation to his home state Mizoram for the past four-and-a-half years.
Retirement
On May 31, both A R Infant, the incumbent DG&IGP, and his predecessor Shankar Bidari will retire on superannuation. Pachuau, who will be the senior most officer, is retiring in February, 2015.
The Karnataka government, which is caught in a legal wrangle on the appointment of the DG&IGP, has already started the process of searching a candidate for the top post.
Possibility
“As Pachuau is the senior most IPS officer in the Karnataka cadre, the government may appoint him the DG&IGP. The State government is of the opinion that Pachuau’s appointment will conform with a Supreme Court guideline of 2006 that DGP appointees should have at least two years of service left," sources told Deccan Herald.
Despite the Supreme Court setting aside the High Court of Karnataka verdict quashing Bidari’s appointment as the DG&IGP, it is learnt that the State government is not in a hurry to reinstate him. Though the Supreme Court quashed the verdict of the High Court, it did not say that Bidari should be made the DG&IGP.
This means the State government can appoint an officer of its choice, sources said.
READ MORE - Pachuau likely contender for DG&IGP post
“Today, the Mizoram government relieved me from service and I am going back to Karnataka,” he told Deccan Herald from Aizawl.
Returning
“I will report to the Karnataka government for duty on May 4”. When asked whether he was a contender for the post of the next DG&IGP of the State, he said, “I will not speculate anything. But, I will be the senior most IPS officer in the State as on May 31”.Pachuau, a 1977 batch IPS officer, was on inter-state deputation to his home state Mizoram for the past four-and-a-half years.
Retirement
On May 31, both A R Infant, the incumbent DG&IGP, and his predecessor Shankar Bidari will retire on superannuation. Pachuau, who will be the senior most officer, is retiring in February, 2015.
The Karnataka government, which is caught in a legal wrangle on the appointment of the DG&IGP, has already started the process of searching a candidate for the top post.
Possibility
“As Pachuau is the senior most IPS officer in the Karnataka cadre, the government may appoint him the DG&IGP. The State government is of the opinion that Pachuau’s appointment will conform with a Supreme Court guideline of 2006 that DGP appointees should have at least two years of service left," sources told Deccan Herald.
Despite the Supreme Court setting aside the High Court of Karnataka verdict quashing Bidari’s appointment as the DG&IGP, it is learnt that the State government is not in a hurry to reinstate him. Though the Supreme Court quashed the verdict of the High Court, it did not say that Bidari should be made the DG&IGP.
This means the State government can appoint an officer of its choice, sources said.
High Security Registration Plate introduced in Mizoram
Aizawl: In compliance with the Supreme Court order, the Mizoram transport department had introduced High Security Registration Plate (HSRP). As part of the formal introduction the HSRP, the official car of chief minister Lal Thanhawla was first fixed with the plate and then on the car of Mizoram transport secretary H Darzika this morning.
Darzika said that from today every new vehicle will have HSRP and the process of putting the plates
to old vehicles will be started from June next.
The government of Mizoram had initiated this project in the year 2001 but it was early this year that the order of Supreme Court came in this connection approving the former’s initiative.
The High Security Registration Plate has Hologram, Laser code and IND (short form of India) printed in it and will be used against vehicle theft, car lifters and other related crimes. The introduction of HSRP is in
accordance with the procedure laid down in the Rule 50 of Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 as amended by the Ministry of Road Transport and High Ways will be followed and the Vehicle Registering Authority
in all States of the Country will use uniform High Security Registration Plate. Under the HSRP system each vehicle will bear three registration plates, one in front, another on the rear and the third one on the wind
screen. The registration plate in the wind-screen will bear the chassis number, engine number and the signature of the registering authority. Mumbai based firm Shimnit Utsch India Private Limited is entrusted for manufacturing the plates and putting of this number plate.
Earlier, the Mizoram transport secretary had said that registration fee for three wheelers like auto rickshaws will be Rs 940 each while the registration fee to be paid by scooter is Rs 669 and bike with Rs 668. The transport secretary also claimed that this is the lowest registration fee as compared to the charges in the North Eastern States.
The transport secretary then said the High Security Registration Plate can be done only in the office of the District Transport Officers and the number plates is fixed with snap-lock to prevent removal and misuse.
READ MORE - High Security Registration Plate introduced in Mizoram
Darzika said that from today every new vehicle will have HSRP and the process of putting the plates
to old vehicles will be started from June next.
The government of Mizoram had initiated this project in the year 2001 but it was early this year that the order of Supreme Court came in this connection approving the former’s initiative.
The High Security Registration Plate has Hologram, Laser code and IND (short form of India) printed in it and will be used against vehicle theft, car lifters and other related crimes. The introduction of HSRP is in
accordance with the procedure laid down in the Rule 50 of Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 as amended by the Ministry of Road Transport and High Ways will be followed and the Vehicle Registering Authority
in all States of the Country will use uniform High Security Registration Plate. Under the HSRP system each vehicle will bear three registration plates, one in front, another on the rear and the third one on the wind
screen. The registration plate in the wind-screen will bear the chassis number, engine number and the signature of the registering authority. Mumbai based firm Shimnit Utsch India Private Limited is entrusted for manufacturing the plates and putting of this number plate.
Earlier, the Mizoram transport secretary had said that registration fee for three wheelers like auto rickshaws will be Rs 940 each while the registration fee to be paid by scooter is Rs 669 and bike with Rs 668. The transport secretary also claimed that this is the lowest registration fee as compared to the charges in the North Eastern States.
The transport secretary then said the High Security Registration Plate can be done only in the office of the District Transport Officers and the number plates is fixed with snap-lock to prevent removal and misuse.
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