6 March 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
Shillong: United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday inaugurated the first postgraduate medical institute in northeast India here and stressed on the need for an urban health programme like the government’s flagship rural health scheme.
The North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in the Meghalaya capital has been designed in line with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
“With the inauguration of the medical institute, an important aspect of late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s vision has been fulfilled,” Sonia Gandhi said at the inauguration.
“The institute was conceived as a centre of excellence in healthcare which will have the best of health services facilities in eastern India.”
“Besides treatment and providing numerous health services, the institute would play an important role in research and development,” the Congress president said.
“The UPA government has given special attention to all-round development of northeast India.”
The NEIGRIHMS, an autonomous institute established by union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has a sophisticated cardiology department, well-equipped neurology and urology departments and a 30-bed intensive care unit (ICU).
The institute, conceived by Rajiv Gandhi 23 years ago, has been functioning since 2002 first as an interim facility and later built a sprawling campus on the outskirts of Shillong at a cost of Rs.423 crore. It also plans to begin its telemedicine project soon.
Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had declared NEIGRIMS a national institute on Jan 22, 2000, when he visited Shillong.
Sonia Gandhi also underscored the importance of initiating an urban healthcare programme on the lines of the government’s flagship National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), particularly with cases of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and cancer on the rise.
“I strongly feel the need to launch a health programme in the urban areas which will be similar to the NRHM,” she said.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) B.K. Handique, Meghalaya Chief Minister D.D. Lapang and Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H. Pala were also present on the occasion.
Sonia Gandhi is also to lay the foundation stone for the Rajiv Gandhi Congress Bhavan here.
On Saturday, she will visit Mizoram capital Aizawl where she will lay the foundation stone of the Rajiv Gandhi sports stadium.
Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is constructing the 20,000-seat stadium, the first such facility in the mountain state. The 12th finance commission had granted Rs.250 million for the Rs.1.32 billion project.
6 March 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
ITANAGAR, March 5 – Arunachal Pradesh is not going to let go even a single inch of its land whatever demands may come from any quarter. This was asserted by the State Home Minister Tako Dabi today.
This strong reaction came in the wake of the ‘Greater Nagalim’ demand made by the NSCN(IM), which is presently engaged in peace talks with the Centre. “The State Government is not going to bow down to any pressure. It will not give an inch of its terrain,” said the Home Minister.
The territory of ‘Greater Nagalim’ claims Arunachal’s twin district of Tirap and Changlang, which have been at the receiving end due to the decades-old insurgency problem.
Addressing a well-attended press conference here today, Dabi focused on the on-going peace talks between the Centre and NSCN(IM) saying it will help find a long lasting solution to the long-standing impasse.
Through talks only insurgency problems can be solved, he felt. “Bring the ultras to the table as this is the only way to solve the issue.”
While welcoming the present round of talks between the Central Government and the NSCN(IM), the Minister made it clear that Arunachal has got no business to poke in the issues not concerning the State and said the discussions figure problems excluding Arunachal. But, if thetalks raise issues concerning Arunachal, the State Government will intensely counter the moves, he added.
Recalling the firm resolution adopted by the successive State Governments in the past including that of 1999 by Mithi Government, 2006 by Apang Government, and the present one under Dorjee Khandu, Dabi affirmed the government will not ‘part with an inch of Arunachal territory’ to any force.
Once the Naga issue is solved, Dabi, said the NE will heave a sigh of relief while emphasising that the onus is on the Centre to bring ‘long-desired’ peace in the region.
On the frontier issue, he pitched for effective manning of Indo-Myanmar border.
The State Government, in this regard, has written to the Centre to convene a meeting involving the Chief Ministers, Home Ministers, Chief Secretaries and Home Commissioners of five States – Arunachal, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya.
Imphal Correspondent adds: Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh is reportedly monitoring the ongoing Centre-NSCN(IM) talk in New Delhi, sources said. Ibobi, had been camping in New Delhi from February 28 last ahead of the Naga peacetalks which had resumed on March 2.
The Manipur Government believe that the Central leaders will not do anything against the interest of the State, a senior Minister in the Ibobi cabinet told a group of reporters when asked about his reaction to the ongoing Naga talks in Delhi. (Assam Tribune)
1 March 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
AI
ZAWL: If a recent survey by the Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre in Aizawl is to be considered, there is only 3158.57 sq.km of dense forest which is not yet touched (cultivated). According to officials, the area is 14.98% of the total Mizoram area. The forest area which is exploited for road constructions, building houses and other sources accounted for Sq Km 147.85 which is 0.70% of the total land area of the state.
The figures were estimated by Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre with the help of photographs and spot visits of the area. The survey also reported that while there are 2628.08 sq.km medium dense forests (12.46% of total land area) and 3738.57 sq.km less-dense forest (17.73% of the total land area), 31.81% of the total land area is covered by bamboo which is 6708.37 sq.km.
Officials at the centre said that lots of forest areas have been exploited for jhum cultivation. During the survey, a whopping 3965.91 sq.km was cleared for jhum cultivation.
Project Director of Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre Dr. RK Lallianthanga said that all the data are based not only on satellite photographs but rather members from the centre have visited various places. He also hoped that the data will be of great importance to government departments for taking up projects and other programmes. Stressing on the need to preserve forest, the project director said that more awareness campaigns on forest fire and prevention of deforestation should be encouraged in Mizoram. (Newmai News Network)
27 February 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
New Delhi: To improve connectivity in the North-eastern States, the Government on Friday proposed an allocation of Rs. 1,114 crore for development of rural roads and bridges in the Union Budget.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee made the allocation to the region under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The financial assistance is part of a total budgetary support of Rs. 12,000 crore for development of rural roads across the country.
The North-eastern region has also been given an allocation of Rs. 1,759 for various welfare schemes to be implemented by Ministry of Development of North-eastern Region.
An amount of Rs. 50 crore has also been allocated to the Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam.
24 February 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
Shillong: The court of the chief judicial magistrate, Shillong, today issued an arrest warrant against the owner and publisher of Skyline Publishers, Ram Mohan Jha, in New Delhi for depicting Jesus holding a cigarette and a beer can in the textbooks of junior classes in Meghalaya.
Meghalaya police had moved for the arrest warrant against the publisher on Monday and the court today granted permission to arrest the offender.
The controversial pictures published in cursive writing books of Classes I to III prompted guardians to complain to St Joseph school authorities on February 17.
The deputy superintendent of police (crime), Vivek Syiem, said police registered a case under 295 (A) of the IPC following an FIR filed by St Joseph school authorities here.
A team of police officials will leave for Delhi soon to arrest the publisher with the assistance from Delhi police.
The owner will be arrested for committing an offence under 295 (A) of IPC which is “deliberate and malicious act intended to hurt the religious feeling of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.”
Maximum punishment for the offence, which is non-bailable, will be three years’ imprisonment with or without fine.
Earlier, the police had seized more than 120 copies of the textbooks from booksellers in Shillong.
One of the distributors of the book was Students’ Book Stall.
The shop’s owner, Ranjit Singh, had said he had spoken to the owner of Skyline Publications, Mohan Jha, who has apologised for the mistake.
“He told me it may be the fault of the designers who had taken the picture from the Internet,” Singh had said.
There are several morphed pictures of Jesus on the Internet.
Various church organisations and NGOs in the state had also condemned the publisher for the offence.
The Skyline Publishers tendered a “public apology” regretting the gross mistake that appeared in the cursive writing books.
The publisher also apologised to the Christian community and Christian leadership for hurting their sentiments.
Following a demand from the Khasi Students’ Union, the publisher also apologised to the student community, Meghalaya government and NGOs in the state.
The publisher said action had already been taken to retrieve the erroneous books from all the places where it had been sent.
The police, however, made it clear that though the publisher had tendered public apology, the law will take its own course. After the arrest, the publisher will be brought to Shillong to be produced in a court here, the police added.
(Source: www.bharatchronicle.com
21 February 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
By Sumir Karmakar
Guwahati: Indian soldiers manning the Indo-Chinese border in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim would soon be speaking in own language of their Chinese counterparts.
In a bid to bridge the language barriers with their Chinese counterparts, Indian soldiers guarding the Indo-Chinese border in Northeast are learning how to read and write Chinese language.
A group of 16 army personnel, mostly posted along Indo-Chinese border in the region are undergoing a fulltime course on Chinese language at Tezpur University in Assam’s Sonitpur district. The army personnel are undergoing the one-year certificate course as per an understanding between Armed Forces Educational Core and the Central Varsity, situated about 200-kilometers from here. Tezpur is also the headquarters of army’s 4 corps.
Defence offcials at Tezpur said the army soldiers were learning the basic Chinese language and literature and basic purpose of inducting them for the course was to break language barriers during the four border personnel meeting organised every year between Indian and Chinese people at the border.
“The soldiers who are undergoing the courses will be beneficial for us to interact with civilians, defence personnel and their family members from other side of the border who come and meet at the border. Besides we can engage our soldiers as interpreters,” army official said. “This will help the soldiers guarding the border as well,” he added.
Four border personnel meetings are organised every year on the Indo-Chinese border including two special meets on August 15 and October 1, the Chinese National Day.
The two-semester certificate course is provided under the English and Foreign Language Department of the university. Farheena Danta, the head of the department said army soldiers were being provided lessons on basic Chinese language and literature. “Our faculties are teaching them how to understand, speak and write in Chinese,” Danta said. The army personnel would complete the Chinese language course in May this year.——(EOM)
21 February 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
Guwahati: Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal is going full steam ahead with new education policies.
However, a report by Sibal’s ministry says that India’s Northeast has the highest number of unqualified school teachers in the country.
Going by an all India Educational Survey conducted by Union HRD Ministry children in Northeast are at the lowest rung of the education ladder.
Out of 3 lakh teachers in the Northeast only 45 per cent are qualified to teach compared to an all India average where 87 per cent teachers are qualified to teach
In a school in Assam with about 300 students and only four teachers, Ilurani Das has to run from one classroom to another, to teach at the same time.
Her colleague Jayanta Das is the only trained teacher among the four. Things become especially bad when even one of them is away on training
“If I go to one class, these students call me for help. If I come to theirs, the others call me,” says Ilurani Das.
“There is bribery involved in appointments. I don’t know if any policy is followed,” says Jayanta Das.
Sibal wants a uniform syllabus and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has directed state education department to include computer science as a compulsory subject.
But with classrooms with no teachers, it will require more than computers and a syllabus, for the prayers to be heard.
21 February 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
Shillong: Pictures of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in another in a book for primary classes has triggered a row in Meghalaya and the state government is now contemplating legal action against the New Delhi-based publisher.
The objectionable pictures of Jesus Christ found in the cursive writing exercise copies at a private school in capital Shillong was brought to the notice of the influential church by some guardians.
“We are shocked and hurt by this act where Jesus Christ has been portrayed in a highly objectionable manner…we condemn the total lack of respect for religions by the publisher,” Dominc Jala, the Archbishop of Shillong, said.
New Delhi-based Skyline Publication produced the copies meant for students of Class 1.
“Just imagine students at such an impressionable age being dished out objectionable images which are nothing but blasphemous,” said T. Jrwa, another church leader.
The Meghalaya government acted swiftly by confiscating all the copies from the school and also from book shops.
“Although private schools are not bound by the prescribed text books of the Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education, still we took immediate action by seizing all the copies and if deemed fit we might even take legal steps,” said Meghalaya Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh.
An estimated 72 percent of the 2.32 million people in Meghalaya are Christians.
(Source: Bharat Chronicle)
21 February 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
Zany hair thickly streaked with red. Knee-high boots. Black tops. An unusual look for college teachers. But these are no ordinary teachers. They belong to Afflatus, Shillong’s all-girl rock band.
When they’re not singing, playing drums or guitar, sisters Grace and Mercy Miller and Karen Donoghue respectively teach English, hospitality and mass communication part-time at North-Eastern Hill University colleges. Bassist Sharon Zadeng, the only one of the four-member band who is not a teacher, is well on her way down the same route. She is currently doing a master’s in education.
Onstage, they don’t look like teachers. At the Old Fort in Delhi recently, the band managed to get the crowd to jig along insanely to their rendition of Foghat’s Slow Ride Afflatus.
The delighted crowd cheered the familiar tunes and Afflatus’ original numbers, including the sprightly ‘Breathe’ and gently teasing ‘Morse Code Woman’.
The girls say they are often asked about their band’s unusual name. “It means divine inspiration,” explains Karen, the guitarist.
“The name’s a hook, it stands out. But it’s honest. We were inspired by music.” Afflatus has performed at small gigs and mega events like the Autumn Fest in and around Shillong. The foursome, all of whom are in their 20s, jammed through their school days at Loreto Convent. “Shillong is a very musical place,” says Karen.
The response to an all-girl band has been positive, even from men, they say. “We’ve been fortunate. Our audience has been a mix of girls and boys and not necessarily young,” says Karen. The band says they are the only girl rockers they know, but “hopefully that’ll change.”
People may come out of curiosity but the novelty of hearing four girls sing and play can eventually wear off. “You have to be good to keep them around,” says Karen. “Initially, people were not ready for original rock from local bands. Now they are more accepting.”
The band says it doesn’t try to be “political or socially conscious” but prefers to capture life’s key moments instead. ‘Butterflies’ is about “intense infatuation” and ‘Wake Up’ is a conveniently vague call-to-arms anthem. Afflatus is now working on its first album, planned for release early 2010.
8 February 2010 | Marc Nongmaithem
Guwahati: Assam Governor JB Patnaik and chief minister were caught on camera on January 26 cutting a huge cake designed as national Tricolour at Assam Raj Bhavan in a programme organised to celebrate the 61st Republic Day.
Going hammer and tongs are opposition political parties in Assam against the Governor and the chief minister for the act saying that it amounts to displaying disrespect to the Tricolour (national flag of India). Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and BJP have demanded an immedidiate action against JB Patnaik and Tarun Gogoi for ’showing disrespect’ to the national flag.
AGP chief Chandra Mohan Patowary said, “This is an unpardonable offence. By such act, the Governor and the Chief Minister not only showed disrespect to the national Tricolour but also dishonoured the country”.
In a swift move after a vernacular newspaper published the photo of the incident, the AGP has dispatched a missive to President of India Pratibha Patil demanding action against both Patnaik and Gogoi. Besides, the party sent the photograph, showing the Governor and the Chief Minister cutting the Tricolour-like cake, to the President. The AGP has also decided to send the photograph to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Speakers of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Chandra Mohan Patowary pointed out that there are provisions in the Constitution for initiating action against individuals for such offence.
“They are the Constitutional and administrative heads of the state, so we expect that some stringent action would be initiated against them,” the AGP president said. “This (the act) deserves punishment,” BJP Assam unit president Ranjit Dutta said. “They should be punished as per provisions in the Constitution of India,” he added.
“They’ve committed a serious offence by showing disrespect to the national Tricolour and hence, they should face severe punishment,” the working president of Assam United Democratic Front, Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury said.
The AGP and the BJP and other organisations demanded that the Governor and the Chief Minister tender an apology to the people of the country for the act.
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Shillong: United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday inaugurated the first postgraduate medical institute in northeast India here and stressed on the need for an urban health programme like the government’s flagship rural health scheme.
