30 September 2013

Mizoram Sets Up Election Watchdog

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Mizoram election watch dog the People Forum (MPF) has previewed on the upcoming assembly elections in the state and decided that all the candidates must co-ordinate with the poll watchdog.

The Mizoram Peoples' Forum (MPF) is floated by the Synod, the largest Church body in Mizoram as an election watch-dog.

This time round, the MPF has formulated its agenda to be applied in the next assembly election due in the next few months' time.

On Saturday, the MPF in its meeting held here had invited the various recognised political parties in Mizoram and had discussed over the setting up of party campaign offices in the wake of elections and about the participations of the candidates in the MPF joint platform.

Last month, the Mizoram Peoples' Forum (MPF), had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with major political parties in Mizoram so that free and fair elections could be held. The memorandum of understanding is nothing but rule for co-operation by the political parties with the Mizoram People's Forum.

The parties which had signed the MoU with the state election watchdog are Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizo Peoples Convention (MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP), Mizo National Front (MNF) and the BJP for co-operation at Synod Committee Hall in Aizawl.

About 27 rules have been made by the MPF for the political parties to abide. Among the 27 points, one is that the political parties should only make an election manifesto which they can implement. If any political party violates any one of the 27 points, the MPF will "invalid" that party.

Meanwhile, Mizoram corruption watchdog the People's Right to Information and Development Implementing Society of Mizoram (PRISM) has started its spade-work as to what extent the present Congress government has implemented regarding the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC)’s election manifesto of 2008. The PRISM said it will put its findings in public domain.

Like in the previous 2008 assembly elections, the PRISM in its executive meeting recently had declared that as soon as the date and time of 2013 state assembly elections is declared, it will have temporal halt on its ‘Anti Corruption’ campaign but will start an exclusive study of the background of different candidates in different respects and exposed the same before the public. In case of any faulty or wrong information in the nomination paper (self declared affidavit) filed for the assembly election, PRISIM decided to take stern measure against the illicit candidate to bring right judgment over the case.

PRISIM further requested any interested person to report himself/herself to PRISIM office if he/she wishes to talk about the status of implementation of election manifesto by the present government.

Earlier on September 1, PRISM had issued ‘Peoples' Manifesto’ to eight different political parties in Mizoram for the upcoming Mizoram assembly elections due in either October end or November.

The manifesto contains 20 chapters in which there are 87 duties and obligations where any political party that comes to power after the poll must implement them. Of the 87 duties, 43 are to be done within a specific time, while the other 44 duties do not have a time limit.

Earlier, 'Peoples' Manifesto' had been submitted to different parties including Bharatya Janata Party (BJP), Hmar People’s Convention (HPC), Maraland Democratic Front (MDF), Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram Peoples Conference (MPC), Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizoram Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) to use as their manifesto in the upcoming election. The same copy was given to 20 organizations including AMFU general headquarters, Aizawl; Chhim Bial Chhantu, Lunglei; Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), Aizawl;FOMTU Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; LDDVF, Lawngtlai; MHIP Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; MJA General Headquarters.,Aizawl; MKHC, Aizawl; MPF Hqrs., Aizawl; MSEWC, Aizawl; MSU Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; and MUP.


Source: Newmai News Network

Church Urges Parties Not To Use Insurgents in Mizoram Polls

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Presbyterian Church of Mizo Synod today asked political parties in Mizoram not to use insurgent and armed groups during campaign for the ensuing polls in the 40-member assembly in the state.

In a message, the largest church in the state also urged all political parties, candidates and campaigners not to indulge in character assassination, baseless allegations against political opponents and use muscle and money power to get elected.

The church also asked voters not to support candidates indulging in purchase of votes, criminal intimidation, threats and character assassination.

"Candidates living beyond their means and having movable and immovable asset disproportionate to their known sources of income are to be regarded as greedy people with corrupt mind, unfit to rule the state and the people," the message said.

BJP Eyes Pre-Poll Alliance in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Keeping its eye on the Mizoram assembly elections this November, BJP has decided to try its best to forge a pre-poll alliance with all non-Congress parties in the state so that they can edge out the Lalthanhawla government from the 40-member house.

At a recent meeting of the BJP Mizoram state unit high command, held in Aizawl under the supervision of the visiting national general secretary (organization) Ramlal, an election alliance committee was formed to initiate discussions with all non-Congress parties.

The committee includes BJP state in-charge & national executive member Nalin S Kohli, the party's Mizoram president Lalhluna and former state president Khawvelthanga.

A press statement issued by the state unit said the committee will hold negotiations with Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram People's Conference ( MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP) and others.

The Congress government in Mizoram, the statement said, has failed to keep the promises it had made and the people of the state are suffering because of total misgovernance, lack of development, inflation and rampant corruption.

"Teachers and other government employees in Mizoram are not receiving their salaries on time," the statement said.

Forging a strong non-Congress alliance will give the people of the state an option and they will be able to vote for change as is evident from the distinct anti-Congress mood in the country, it added.

"In this atmosphere of despondency and economic turmoil, the announcement of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate is being received with great enthusiasm, hope and excitement all over the country," the statement said.

It also pointed out that as a result of its failure at governance and sullied image during UPA-II, the Congress party is unable to present either Manmohan Singh or any other alternate prime ministerial candidate before the people.

However, regional parties in the state are not very keen to join hands with BJP which is known for its Hindutva agenda, a senior leader of MNF said. He added that it would be a political suicide to team up with the BJP which has become an untouchable party in this Christian-dominated northeastern state.

Mizoram Crowned Junior National Football Champions With 6-1 Thrashing of Assam

Mawihmingthanga (three goals), Vanlalremkima (two) and Vanlabiaa Chhangte (one goal) found the target for Mizoram while Bhahma Jwngbla scored the lone goal for Assam.

Ranchi:  Mizoram pumped in five second half goals to thrash 10-man Assam 6-1 to clinch their maiden Junior Nationals Football Tournament title here on Sunday.

Both the sides were levelled 1-1 at the breather but a mistake by Assam custodian Jikil Basumatary led to his expulsion as the referee red-carded him at the stroke of half-time, turning the game on its head.

Mizoram overawed their opponents by capitalising on their one-man advantage and the second half turned out to be a lop-sided affair as they win their maiden title of the Under-17 tournament and bag the B C Roy Trophy.

Mawihmingthanga (three goals), Vanlalremkima (two) and Vanlabiaa Chhangte (one goal) found the target for Mizoram while Bhahma Jwngbla scored the lone goal for Assam.

Mizoram Premier League - Season 2 Kick-Off Night!













The second edition of 'Mahindra Two Wheelers' Mizoram Premier League was 'kicked off' Friday Night, September, 27 by Lal Thanzara, the President of Mizoram Football Association at the I&PR Auditorium in Aizawl.





pic source: arunfoot.blogspot.com

‘Least Developed’ Tag For 3 Northeast States


Shillong, Sep 30 : Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have been ranked as one of the “least developed” states in the country by a panel headed by Raghuram Rajan.

The panel for “Evolving a Composite Development Index of States” headed by the then chief economic advisor and present Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan, was set up by the Centre amid demand by Bihar for “special category” status.

Among others, the panel suggested a new methodology for providing funds to states based on a Multi Dimensional Index (MDI).

Based on the MDI scores, the 10 least developed states include Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

States with scores of 0.6 and above on the index have been classed as “least developed”; states with scores below 0.6 and above 0.4 as “less developed”; and states with scores below 0.4 as “relatively developed”, the report said.

In New Delhi, Union finance minister P. Chidambaram stated that the panel has proposed a general method for allocating funds from the Centre to the states based on both a state’s development needs as well as its development performance.

The committee has recommended that each state may get a fixed basic allocation of 0.3 per cent of overall funds, to which will be added its share stemming from need and performance to get its overall share.

Chidambaram further informed that the panel had come-up with a “multi-dimensional index” (MDI) of backwardness based on per capita consumption as measured by NSSO, the poverty ratio, and a number of other measures which correspond to the multi-dimensional approach to defining poverty outlined in the Twelfth Plan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed that the recommendations of the panel be examined and necessary action taken, Chidambaram added.

This report directly contradicts the praises showered by Singh on Meghalaya for its “economic growth”.

On February 15 at Polo grounds, the Prime Minister revisited past “economic successes” as the state was gearing up for the Assembly polls.

“During the Eleventh Plan, Meghalaya’s economic growth was faster than what was targeted in the plan. The plan size nearly doubled in the last three years to around Rs 4,000 crore,” he had said. He had also lauded the Congress-led government in the state “for providing Meghalaya with an honest, transparent and effective administration”.

The Prime Minister had also said that in infrastructure, Meghalaya was one of the “fastest-growing states” not only in the Northeast but across the country.

Though the Rajan panel report may not sound good to the powers-that-be in the secretariat who have been harping that the state is witnessing growth, Meghalaya may just end up getting more funds from the Centre for “development” provided it shows progress at ground zero.

Trip to Garo, Meghalaya's Lost Hills

(The lost hills of Meghalaya-…)

The Garo hills are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India.

They are inhabited mainly by tribal dwellers, the majority of whom are Garo people. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests eco-region. Since Sohra (earlier name :- Cherrapunjee) and Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya lie in the West Khasi Hills region, as a result the bulk of tourism in Meghalaya is mainly concentrated within the Khasi Hills region. The Garo Hills, though occupying a substantial part of this undulating terrain, is predominantly lesser known and even lesser visited throughout the year.
People who reside in the Garo Hills are known as the Garos. Besides the Garo hills, there are Garo settlements in the plains of Assam and Bangladesh.

The Garos call themselves Achik-mande. In the Garo language Achik means Hills and mande, Man. So, Achik-mande means the Hills people.Garo Hills comprises 5 districts. Tura is the largest town with a population of about 70,000 located at the foothills of often cloud covered Tura peak. These places are rich reserves of natural flora and fauna.

A traditional Garo woman
Baghmara is the headquarters of South Garo Hills district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The place is bordered by Bangladesh and is about 113 km from Tura. A river known as Simsang flows through its expanse and is also covered in hills and tracts along the way.The river criss crosses the entire region and finally enters Bangladesh as Samleshwari. This region also houses the Balpakram National Park, famous for elephants and clouded leopards.

Baghmara Town, district of south Garo Hills
We hired a 4*4 Sumo from Sohra (Cherrapunjee) to Ranikhor, Ranikhor, lying close to the plains of Bangladesh, is a popular town In the Khasi district,. From Ranikhor, another 4*4 Mahindra Camper was provided by Samrakhshan Eco tours, one of the premier organizations dealing in community based eco tourism and conservations in Garo Hills. The journey was an absolute roller coaster ride with the border gates of both neighbouring countries providing a lot of thrill and wonder throughout. This part of the region is a porous border and if one zeroes into the google maps, there is a visible road through this area but the condition of the road is extremely pathetic due to the operation of large number of coal mining trucks.

River at Ranikhor
A better route is through Nonstoin to Baghmara from Shillong later joining NH62 which starts from Dudhnai and goes all the way to Tura through Williamnagar and Baghmara. The more regular and common route is from Guwahati to Baghmara through NH37 and later joining NH51 to Tura and further through NH62 to Baghmara.

How to get there
By Air
The nearest airport is Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is also known as Guw?h?ti International Airport and was formerly known as (Borjhar Airport).

Baghmara is about 345 KM from Guwahati International Airport.

Guwahati airport is a major hub for flights to North-East India and limited international destinations.
Shillong and Tura are connected by regular scheduled helicopter services run by Pawan Hans. Shillong (30 min), Tura (50 min), Naharlagun ( Itanagar), Tawang (75 min).

By rail
The nearest railway station is in Guwahati. Baghmara is 320 km from Guwahati Railway Station.
Guwahati is connected by train with major cities like Kolkata, New Delhi, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Mumbai.
I took the Saraighat Express which leaves Howrah at 3:50 PM and reaches Guwahati at 9:30 AM in the morning.

By road
There is only one overnight bus service available from Guwahati to Baghmara. However, there are regular overnight bus services available to Tura (Nearest town which is well connected to Baghmara). Buses start from ISBT, Guwahati at 8:30 PM and reach Tura at 4 AM and Baghmara at 9 AM respectively. A ticket to Tura will be around Rs 250 per head and to Baghmara, it will be Rs 320 per head.

From Tura, there are customary shared sumo services available for Baghmara. The distance from Tura to Baghmara is around 106 KM and the journey takes around 3 and a half hours. A single ticket costs Rs 150 and the shared sumo services are available from 6 in the morning till 2 in the afternoon.
Alternatively, there are shared taxi services available from Bharalumukh, Guwahati to Tura which depart at 6 AM and 2 PM. The drive is 6 hours long.

Climate
The best season to visit this region is during the monsoons i.e. July-September and also in the winters i.e. around November-December as this region remains pretty warm and sunny in the summers.

Where to stay
We stayed in Baghmara Tourist Guest House which is located at the high hillock of Baghmara town offers a bird's eye view of the region's landscape and Simsang River. The Baghmara Tourist Guest House has all the basic facilities for a comfortable stay.

Meghalaya is 'Least Developed' State: CM Sangma

Shillong, Sep 30 : Welcoming the Rajan panel report, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma admitted that Meghalaya is "least developed" state.

"Is it not true? If it is not true, then why are our boys and youths joining the militants?" asked Sangma to a query on the report at a news conference.

"We are far behind, and we need to catch up with the rest of the country. Forget about the world. If you are looking from a global perspective, India itself has to catch up with the rest of the world," he said.

The panel for "Evolving a Composite Development Index of States", headed by the then chief economic advisor Raghuram Govind Rajan, now the Reserve Bank of India governor, was set up by the central government amid demand by Bihar for "special category" status.

Based on the multi dimensional index scores, the 10 least developed states are Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Describing Rajan's panel as "true", Sangma said, "We have many things to do. A number of initiatives are on from the government. Meghalaya should be a destination for everything which would open up hundreds of new opportunities for our youths. That is what we are looking at."

"We are candid in saying that we are behind. We are much behind despite having the potentialities and the strength among the people. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all of us to create an enabling environment so that at the end of the day, people will stand to gain."
27 September 2013

From Homeless To Entrepreneur In Just 4 Weeks

Leo (L) is well on his way to success.
Leo (L) is well on his way to success.
ONE man’s simple social experiment may just have spawned something amazing.

Patrick McConlogue offered a homeless man either $100 or the chance to learn code.

He made his choice, and it changed his life.

McConlogue introduced the concept in a blog titled: ‘Finding the unjustly homeless, and teaching them to code’.

According to Business Insider , the 23-year-old programmer from Manhattan approached Leo and gave him two choices:

1. $100 in cash;

2. A laptop, three JavaScript books, and an hour of tutelage in coding and web development each day.
Leo chose option 2. And despite all the public scepticism (Valleywag sarcastically reported on the original idea with the headline ‘Homelessness Solved’), it appears to have been a success.

Leo has been given 8 weeks to study the books and put into practice the lessons taught by McConlogue.

Here’s what Leo originally thought of coding.

“I thought coding was something that went over like, a dessert,” he told the Bsiness Insider.

Incredibly, after just four weeks of the project, Leo claims he can write 50 functions of JavaScript code, and has already begun developing an app with McConlogue.

A story that reads like the script from The Pursuit of Happyness, Leo has now been to meet with Google and has been profiled by the tech superblog Mashable.

But that’s not about to change who he is, even if his life is about to take a few exciting new turns.

“I’m learning something, right? I know I’m learning something and that’s what I care about. Patrick’s my man,” he said.

Manipur Central Jail Takes Several Reform Measures for inmates

Imphal, Sep 27 : The Central Jail, situated at Sajiwa in East Imphal, houses over 640 inmates in seven different sectors.

It has become be Northeast's first jail to have meditation, sports and other co-curricular activities for the inmates, who can now play Volleyball, meditate, do yoga or exercise at a gym.

The jail has also different sections for teaching painting and education to inmates. A specialized team from the "Art of Living" Centre has been providing classes to inmates to change their lives, and help the addicts stay away from drugs.

The initiative has been taken by Manipur state Prison authorities led by ADGP, MK Das, and SP Jails, IK Muivah.

This App Could Get You Kidnapped

By Lex Berko


The app bubble has somehow yet to burst and everyday more start-ups emerge hawking their mobile services. Some of these are useful, like the crowd-sourced navigation tool Waze and the language instruction app Duolingo. Others are not-so-useful, like the much maligned and very confused LeftoverSwap.

Now there’s even an app for kidnapping. Voluntarily kidnapping, more specifically.

When I stumbled upon kidnApp for the first time yesterday, I couldn’t immediately tell if it was a bizarre new startup or a marketing ploy hoping to go viral. I’ve heard of voluntary abductions before and even have a friend who participated in one, so I’m not totally unfamiliar with the concept. But the idea of an app whereby these experiences can be accessed very easily seemed unreal.

According to the getkidnapped.com, kidnApp is both an app and a social network. Members who wish to be kidnapped are called Waiters and pay $4.99 per month for the privilege of scheduling their own abductions. The kidnappers are called Takers. Waiters and Takers alike have public profiles and can be followed, as you would on Facebook or Twitter, by fellow members.

To find out more about kidnApp, I reached out to the contact email on the site, which led me to Justin Sirois. Justin is the author of a series of books called So Say the Waiters, in which a fictional version of kidnApp plays a central role in the plot. The story is currently optioned for television and the kidnApp website was, as I suspected, initially intended to be an advertising gimmick.

However, Justin is having second thoughts about confining kidnApp to the realm of fiction. Over a series of emails, I chatted with him and his television producer, who wanted only to be known by the pseudonym McCaslin, about the app and what we may see if it ever makes the jump from the page to your smartphone.

MOTHERBOARD: First of all, is this for real?
Justin Sirois: Right now, the app isn’t real, but we are open to anyone who might want to help us create it. I guess the only thing stopping us would be the financing and then the legality of it. An app like kidnApp would require lawyer fees.

I’m surprised it hasn’t been tried already though. The infrastructure exists already: just take Grindr and apply kidnApping to it, right?

Can you give me a brief synopsis of So Say the Waiters and how this app connects to the book?
Justin: The series is about an app and social network that allows people (Waiters) to submit their own kidnAppings. They can literally disappear themselves for an hour or three days. The books follow two main characters: Henry, a sort of conservative IT guy who is hired by the company, and Dani, a young bartender who has been getting kidnApped for about a year. Throughout the series, they partner up, in secret, as a kidnApping pair.

The app’s history and origin are revealed slowly throughout the series as smaller characters move into the spotlight. As some Takers become celebrities in the network, you can see how alluring the abuse of power becomes.

Was kidnApp supposed to be solely a marketing tool or do you intend to follow through with it?
Justin: The app site is definitely in a very early Beta form. We’ve had so much positive feedback from the site that it’s hard not entertaining the idea of creating the app. We’ve had so many people contact us asking if it’s already real and where they can get it. Hell, it already feels feel. Fiction or not, the app and site will give us a lot of flexibility to tell the story.

McCaslin: kidnApp was initially created as a marketing tool for the book, certainly. But as we started to explore the possibilities of adapting the book into a television series, we realized that it could develop even more. We see it becoming a two-way street of communication between the
readers/viewers and the creators. People can write in about their dream take scnearios, they can leave feedback, and then we can leak out story elements, casting information, cast bios, possible plot twists, trailers, omitted scenes, etc.



How seriously have you considered following through on it?

McCaslin: More seriously now than a month ago. The majority of our visitors have asked when we will be up and running. I would say about 65 percent are interested in actually becoming Waiters, 10 percent have inquired about our application process for becoming Takers. The rest are a mixed bag of comments from people who think we are out of our minds and others who simply loved the books.
Justin: If I can quit my day job and run kidnApp for a living, then why not? It’s been both fun and enlightening getting submissions from people. How else would I have learned about “recreational prisons” in Arizona? That’s definitely not the direction kidnApp would go in, but it shows we have a wide range of people interested in the app.

What are some of the legal concerns that you imagine might pop up with an app like this?
McCaslin: Our biggest concern would be with copycat scenarios or imposters posing as being from kidnApp when in fact they are not. Real crimes could be committed and it would be an easy thing to point the finger at us. However, the police, victim, and kidnapper would have to prove it was us. Every take would be submitted through the app and would be easily traceable. The Takers would only know a small amount of information about the Waiters. And only the Administrators know both sides. It is very controlled.

Justin: The terms and conditions would clearly state that kidnApp is a recreational service. Vetting Takers would be very important too, but I think once a Taker has a few good reviews and a bunch of followers, Waiters would be more apt to trust that Taker.

Ridesharing apps, like Lyft and Uber, have faced criticism over the creepiness of some of their drivers, all of whom they tout as having been thoroughly background checked. Wouldn’t this be an even bigger problem with something like kidnApp, because people are in a far more vulnerable position?

McCaslin: Yes, there is a creepiness factor involved. But we have to think about the people who are submitting to being taken. They are looking for a certain type of experience. Vulnerability, endorphins, and the unknowns are all part of that experience. Our database of information will pair Waiters with the right Takers. What we intend on building is similar to how dating sites work, cross referencing multiple elements to find the right match. The major difference is that our Takers are “in house” and not some random people off the street. One side, our side, is controlled, whereas a dating site has two uncontrolled sides.

Justin: Transparency is key here. In the books, kidnApp is very much like Facebook in the way that all Takers are public. You can read their profiles and “follow” them. The more positive reviews the Taker has, the more popular they are. So that does take a lot of the creepiness out of the experience. If you know who is coming for you and other Waiters have vouched for that person, then you’re safe.

Is the kidnApping always a sexual experience? Or can you just be taken and do whatever for however long?

Justin: kidnApping can be whatever you want it to be. That’s the magic of it. We aren’t interested in the sexuality of the experience; we want to create an ever-present tension and a life-altering event. All of a sudden, you have a portal—your phone, the app—in your pocket. Use it to disappear.
All images courtesy of Justin Sirois.
26 September 2013

Hmar Rebels Objects To Tuivai Hydro Electric Project in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sept 26 :  Hmar People’s Convention (HPC) today objected to the construction of the proposed 210-megawatt Tuivai hydro electric project in north eastern Mizoram.

In a press statement, the HPC said that a number of people would be adversely affected if the Tuivai dam is constructed.

“Villagers of Phuaibuang, Khawlian, Tlangnuam, Daido, Ngopa, N. E. Khawdungsei and Chiahpui situated along the Mizoram-Manipur river Tuivai would be severely affected as the wet rice cultivation and jhum areas of the villages would be submerged,” the statement said.

It said that the submergence of cultivation areas would adversely affect the villagers by depriving them of their main livelihood.

“The Mizo National Front (MNF) also intended to dam the river, but abandoned the project after we protested,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Science Teachers’ Association of Mizoram (STAM) also protested construction of hydro electricity projects by construction of dams in all the feasible rivers in the state.

The association proposed that only two or three proposed hydro projects, which can help not only in attaining self-sufficiency in energy, but also can be exported, should be implemented.

“The dams should be selected carefully to ensure that minimum damage to the environment and natural habitat of the wildlife,” the STAM leaders said.

Mizoram Office Hours Shortened Before Winter

Aizawl, Sep 26 : Mizoram government office hours were shortened due to the approaching winter with effect from October one and the government offices in the state would have working hours from 9:30am to 4pm, a notification issued by the General Administration Department on Wednesday said.

The office hours in Mizoram Houses in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangaluru and Kolkata would be 10am to 5pm while the office hours in Mizoram Houses in the North East - Guwahati, Shillong and Silchar would be like the government offices in the state, the notification said.

Mizoram Houses outside the state were authorized to issue Inner Line Permits (ILP) for entering this tribal state.

Mizoram SSA Teachers Unpaid For Past 3 Months

Aizawl, Sep 26 : Teachers working under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), both in the Primary Schools and Upper Primary Schools in Mizoram, are yet to receive their salaries since June last, officials in the SSA State Mission said on Wednesday.

The officials said that there are 550 teachers in the Primary Schools and 1,643 in the Upper Primary Schools, who could not get their salaries for three months.
     
The Mizoram government's inability to release the state matching contribution of 10 percent was the reason for the SSA state mission's failure to disburse the salaries, the officials said.
     
Fund for training of teachers and development of a number of schools are also withheld due to the fund crunch, they added.

BJP Eyes Pre-Poll Alliance in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sep 26 : Keeping its eye on the Mizoram assembly elections this November, BJP has decided to try its best to forge a pre-poll alliance with all non-Congress parties in the state so that they can edge out the Lalthanhawla government from the 40-member house.

At a recent meeting of the BJP Mizoram state unit high command, held in Aizawl under the supervision of the visiting national general secretary (organization) Ramlal, an election alliance committee was formed to initiate discussions with all non-Congress parties.

The committee includes BJP state in-charge & national executive member Nalin S Kohli, the party's Mizoram president Lalhluna and former state president Khawvelthanga.

A press statement issued by the state unit said the committee will hold negotiations with Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram People's Conference ( MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP) and others.

The Congress government in Mizoram, the statement said, has failed to keep the promises it had made and the people of the state are suffering because of total misgovernance, lack of development, inflation and rampant corruption.

"Teachers and other government employees in Mizoram are not receiving their salaries on time," the statement said.

Forging a strong non-Congress alliance will give the people of the state an option and they will be able to vote for change as is evident from the distinct anti-Congress mood in the country, it added.

"In this atmosphere of despondency and economic turmoil, the announcement of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate is being received with great enthusiasm, hope and excitement all over the country," the statement said.

It also pointed out that as a result of its failure at governance and sullied image during UPA-II, the Congress party is unable to present either Manmohan Singh or any other alternate prime ministerial candidate before the people.

However, regional parties in the state are not very keen to join hands with BJP which is known for its Hindutva agenda, a senior leader of MNF said. He added that it would be a political suicide to team up with the BJP which has become an untouchable party in this Christian-dominated northeastern state.

That's The Spirit: Why Indians Prefer Strong Beer, Liquor

Credit Danish Siddiqui / Reuters /Landov
A bartender pours Haywards 5000 strong beer into a glass at a restaurant in Mumbai. Strong beer, with alcohol content of 5 to 8 percent, accounted for 83 percent of all beer sold in India last year, according to research firm Mintel.
Sometimes we at Parallels see a story that's so compelling, we make an extra effort to chase down the facts. So it's in that spirit, this story from Reuters caught our attention:
"Strong beer, with alcohol content of 5-8 percent, accounted for 83 percent of all beer sold in India last year, according to research firm Mintel, a figure industry players say is the biggest strong beer share of any major market. Brewers expect that to grow to 90 percent over the next three to five years."
Alcohol consumption isn't high in India, mainly for religious and cultural reasons. Only a third of the country's 1.1 billion people drink regularly. And when people do drink, Samar Singh Shekhawat, senior vice president of marketing at United Breweries, told Reuters, it's to get buzzed.

That explains why strong beer outsells its low-alcohol counterpart; it also helps explain why spirits — like whiskey — are still the drink of choice in India, as this chart shows.

Of course, India isn't the only country where the consumption of spirits outpaces that of beer.
Russian vodka, French wine and rum in Caribbean nations outstrip the consumption of beer in those places.

Alcohol consumption in India remains low — but it's growing fast. That makes it an attractive destination for Western brewers and distillers.

Diageo, which makes Johnnie Walker, has a $2 billion stake in United Breweries, the world's largest liquor company by volume. As The Wall Street Journal noted in November 2012:
"Sales of such local whiskeys — which are dominated by United Spirits — doubled India's whiskey consumption to 1.2 billion liters between 2005 and 2010, making India the world's largest whiskey market by volume. Meanwhile, the market for imported liquors such as Diageo's Johnnie Walker has remained tiny because of India's high alcohol import taxes."
India's locally made whiskies dominate global whiskey sales, though few people have heard of them outside the country. For example, United Spirits' McDowell's No. 1 lives up to its name; it's the world's top-selling whiskey.

But India isn't the only country where local drinks dominate the market — and the world.

As NPR's Tom Dreisbach reported on weekends on All Things Considered, the the best-selling spirit in the world is one you probably haven't heard of: It's South Korea's Jinro soju, a rice-based drink that's about 20 percent alcohol.

The Weirdest Sex Manuals Throughout History

Want 2400-year-old Viagra? Try bee stings. 


By Johannah King-Slutzky
Everyone knows that the sexual revolution invented sex, right? Oh, people have been doing this for millennia? With Masters of Sex premiering Sunday, it's clear sex how-to is more than a one-off source of fixation. But what did sex manuals look like before contemporary iterations like The Lovers' Guide or Savage Love? Nerve scavenged Google Books to find out just how variable (and seemingly ahead-of-its-time) sex advice can be. Some of it's beautiful, some of it's weird, some of it's eerily prescient: Here's our favorite historical sex advice. (Illustrations might be NSFW.)

1. The School of Venus, 1680

This premodern sex manual is surprisingly frank about sexuality, covering seemingly anachronistic ground like condoms, female orgasms, and fuck buddies. Samuel Pepys, noted diarist, called it "the most bawdy, lewd book that ever I saw" -- and then bought it. Excerpts and illustrations below. (h/t The Appendix)


2. An ABZ of Love, 1963

A favorite of Kurt Vonnegut's, this tender sex manual authored by Danish couple Inge and Sten Hegeler promises: "aspects of sexual relationships seen from a slightly different standpoint.” In the Hegelers' case, that meant a progressive approach to LGBT rights, sexism, and family-oriented sex ed, often penned in a sweet, wry tone.
"We are none of us so full of common sense as we would like to think ourselves. So there are two paths we can take: one is try to deny and suppress our emotions and force ourselves to think sensibly. In this way we run the risk of fooling ourselves. The other way is to admit to our emotions, accept our feelings and let them come out into the daylight. By being suspicious of all the judgments we pass on the basis of what we feel (and not until then) we shall taken a step towards becoming practitioners of common sense."
 
 

3. Private Sex Advice To Women, 1917

Penned by R.B. Armitage, M.D., this guide for "For Young Wives and Those Who Soon Expect To Be Married" is morally a mixed bag. On the one hand, Armitage spends several chapters talking about the major hip new technology of his time, eugenics. Not so great. But there's also advice that sounds surprisingly contemporary, namely, on the ethics of birth control and abortion. It's still just another old white guy talking to women about their bodies; but it's pretty cool that he grasped the importance of planned parenthood and the weight of such a personal choice before there was a Planned Parenthood or Pro Choice. The more things change...
"One of the most distressing features of the popular prejudice against Birth Control, arising from a total misconception of the subject, has been the widely spread and popularly accepted notion that Birth Control is practically analogous to abortion[...]. We realize that in exercising control over the entrance gate of life we are not fully performing, consciously and deliberately, a great human duty, but carrying on rationally a beneficial process which has, more blindly and wastefully, been carried on since the beginning of the world. There are still a few persons ignorant enough or foolish enough to fight against the advance of civilization in this matter; we can well afford to leave them severely alone, knowing that in a few years all of them will have passed away. It is not our business to defend the control of birth, but simply discuss how we may most wisely exercise that control." (Via.)

4. Kama Sutra, 400 BCE-200 CE

Everybody knows the Kama Sutra is kinky. But what you probably didn't know is that its fascinations don't stop at the art of human pretzels. In Sanskrit Kama means sensual pleasure (one of the four goals of Hindu life) and Sutra, the root-word for English's "sew," means thread. All told, the Kama Sutra is a vast compendium of prose, poetry, and (eventually) illustration which served as both a practical guide to sex and a long treatise on love, family, and well-being. But while beautiful, to modern eyes it can get downright weird. For example, want 2400 year old Viagra? Try bee stings.
"When a man wishes to enlarge his lingam, he should rub it with the bristles of certain insects that live in trees, and then, after rubbing it for ten nights with oils, he should again rub it with the bristles as before. By continuing to do this a swelling will be gradually produced in the lingam, and he should then lie on a cot, and cause his lingam to hang down through a hole in the cot. After this he should take away all the pain from the swelling by using cool concoctions. The swelling, which is called 'Suka', and is often brought about among the people of the Dravida country, lasts for life.” (Via)


5. The Canons of Theodore, ca. 900

Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic church was a rapidly changing institution over the course of the 500 some odd years that make up what we now call "the Medieval Era." Penitentials are one such artifact of that transitioning. First compiled by Irish monks in the 6th century, penitentials are little handbooks that detail the sins a monk might be likely to hear in confession.Though they might cover anything from murder to eating habits, sex was the main course for these monastic manuals. The Canons of Theodore, whose manuscript is featured below, is one example. The proscribed punishments in these things aren't that weird -- just seemingly arbitrary. But the many yays and nays of monastically approved sex in the 10th century are totally wacky. (See: flowchart.) 

(Via.)
 

6. The Pillow Book, 1002

No that's not a zipcode-- it's the year Lady Sei Shonagon completed her surprisingly fresh collection of musings on life, love, and the art of negging. The Pillow Book belongs to a genre of writing called zuihitsu, which -- and I'm sure I'm mincing culture horribly here -- was more or less collected bedside Post-it notes. Very bloggerly. The Pillow Book feels particularly anachronistic because it was written by a woman, so instead of getting some kind of 11th century Act Like A Lady pulp, you end up with chapters called "Men Have Really Strange Emotions." No joke. Want some commentary on celebrities schtupping the maid? The Pillow Book's got you covered: "Sometimes a man will leave a very pretty woman to marry an ugly one." Or how about what it's like to order from ModCloth? "It is a great pleasure when the ornamental comb that one has ordered turns out to be pretty."
"I greatly enjoy taking in someone who is pleased with himself and who has a self-confident look, especially if he is a man. It is amusing to observe him as he alertly waits for my next repartee; but it is also interesting if he tried to put me off my guard by adopting an air of calm indifference as if there were not a thought in his head. I realize that it is very sinful of me, but I cannot help being pleased when someone I dislike has a bad experience."

25 September 2013

Sangliana: Not Enough Being Done To Develop Northeast States

Bangalore, Sep 25 : Former Member of Parliament, H T Sangliana, on Tuesday lashed out at the Ministry for Development of North-East Regions (DoNER) for not making enough efforts to develop the ‘seven sisters’.

Speaking at the two-day conclave on North-East States, conducted by DoNER, MP Sangliana said that although the states have to immediately see development, the ministry is not focussed on the idea.

“The north-eastern states have a lot of potential and are a good market for investments in education and healthcare. But even after receiving funds, enough work is not being done,” Sangliana said. He further said that the NE states need better roads, but do not have the raw material required to build them.

M Rafeeque Ahmed, president, Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), said the conclave was being organised to give exposure to the economic, social and cultural strengths and potential of north- eastern states and find ways to strengthen the economy.

“A huge constraint to accelerated growth in this region is poor infrastructure which affects road, rail and air connectivity, cyber and telecom connectivity and power. Economic development can take place by encouraging private investment in productive sectors,” he said.

Rafeeque Ahmed stressed on the need for bold policies to be initiated by the Central and State governments.

These include declaring certain areas of the north-east as free trade areas and a strategy for creating a growth quadrangle with the north-east, Myanmar, south-west China, northern Thailand and Bangladesh.

Arvind Madhav Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of DoNER, was also present at the conclave.

Pillar Erected in Mizoram To Mark New Border Trade Agreement

Aizawl, Sep 25 : A pillar was recently erected by Lalrinliana Sai, the minister of trade and commerce for Mizoram state in India to mark the Indo-Myanmar border trade agreement in Saikhumphai village where many Chin people reside.

The Minister invited village leaders from both Saikhumphai and Vaphai village councils as a peace building measure. Conflicts between the two villages have been ongoing for many years. Recently many Chin families from Myanmar that were living in Saikhumphai had their houses burned by Vaphai residents. Some were also deported.

During the placing of the trade monument the minister told the attendees that they are all brothers and sisters that they are all “derived from one tribe”.

“We have to forget all the chaos in the past and we have to be proud of having a border trade centre for the benefit of India and Myanmar,” he said.

The Sakhumphai village Chairman Pu T. Lalchawivela also expressed his gratitude.

“We are very thankful to the government and are welcoming the border trade center in this place.”

Vaphai village Council President Pu Saithansiama gave his thanks for Lalrinliana Sai initiatives towards unifying the two villages. 

A new border trade road will cross from Mizoram, India to Hakha town in Chin state, Myanmar.


Source: Khonumthung News

A Conversation With: Environmental Activist Akhil Gogoi

Akhil Gogoi, general secretary of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, an organization for farmers, at his office in Guwahati, Assam.
Akhil Gogoi, an environmental activist, has been campaigning against the construction of the big dams and highways in the mountainous northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China. Mr. Gogoi believes that natural disasters like the floods that hit the northern state of Uttarakhand and killed several thousand could also happen in Arunachal Pradesh if dam and road constructions go unchecked.

He first gained national recognition in India for his use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to fight corruption. Mr. Gogoi, whose parents were sharecroppers, has also worked as an activist for peasant land rights. In 2005, he formed the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), an organization of farmers in the northeastern state of Assam with more than a million members.

India Ink spoke to Mr. Gogoi at the KMSS office in Guwahati, the capital of Assam.
Q.
Why are you protesting against the construction of large dams in northeastern India?
A.
The rivers have flowed down from the hills from the ancient times to give us life and livelihood. Our farmers are hugely dependent on the river. Dams will destroy this critical relationship between the river and the people. The ecology of Assam is part of the ecology of Arunachal Pradesh. Assam bears the cost of developmental projects in Arunachal Pradesh.
One big dam is enough for all the people in the Northeast. But the dams in Arunachal Pradesh are not being built to supply power for local people. They are being constructed to supply power to corporations. This is corporatization of water. Water should be a community resource.
Before constructing a big dam, we should have a very proper, genuine scientific study on the river and the ecosystem. No such study was conducted.
Q.
Your anti-dam campaign has largely focused on the 2,000 megawatt Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, which is now roughly 50 percent complete. In 2011, you led a protest movement to block the turbines from reaching the construction site. How did you do that?
A.
KMSS, along with other organizations, succeeded in mobilizing the farmers and middle classes on the dam question. Hundreds of thousands of people were involved in the process. We chopped down huge trees on the road. We dug a trench. We blocked roads with electricity poles. All the roads were blocked. The government accused us of being Maoists, Naxalites, and carrying on an armed struggle. But we are not. Ours is a ferocious resistance and we have put all our energy against this dam.
Q.
Recently, there has been an increasing presence of Maoists in upper Assam, especially in the tea garden communities. Your leftist ideology and reverence for Maoist revolutionary ideas is very similar to theirs. How is your struggle different?
A.
Our politics is mass people politics and their politics is based on weapons and violence. We have no weapons. We do not do extortion. We collect money through voluntary donations.
Q.
How do you use Right to Information requests to fight corruption and why is this method so important to your movement?
A.
First we get all the information we need for using the RTI and then we start to fight.
The base of our popularity comes from the use of the RTI Act as an instrument of social mobilization and our anti-corruption movement. The anti-corruption movement made KMSS possible. This is why the middle class has accepted us.
Q.
Last year, KMSS opened “fair price” vegetable stalls in Guwahati, the capital of Assam. What does this achieve?
A.
We tried to address two questions. The price of vegetables is high for customers, but the farmers get very little for it. A farmer gets only get 1.5 rupees per kilogram for tomatoes but the customer has to buy it for 30 to 40 rupees. The profit goes to the brokers, not to the producers. We wanted to establish a market that directly connects producers and customers.
We understand that this is a temporary experiment. But it shows that price control as well as profits to the producers can be provided by sincere state effort.
Q.
You recently announced plans to start a political party in 2015. Will you be contesting elections?
A.
We are going to form a party, but not fight for parliamentary elections. The issue has been continuously debated within the organization. The party is for social and democratic reform and revolution. Till now, KMSS is a mass organization, and no mass organization can bring about serious change. Only a strong political party can achieve this.
Q.
The movement you led in 2002 against the forest department’s eviction drive launched you as an activist beyond student politics. What happened?
A.
There was a massive eviction drive by the Forest Department throughout Assam. I was one of the five students from Guwahati University, who went to Tengani area in Nambar Reserve Forest in Golaghat district. We found many houses burned and others demolished by the Forest Department’s elephants. We held a meeting and formed an organization to resist the eviction drive and my real movement was started.
On Aug. 7, 2002, we led a protest from Tengani to the district headquarters in Golaghat 40 kilometers away. We went on foot, 10,000 to 15,000 people, starting at 4 a.m. In Golaghat town we fought against the police. After quarreling for an hour, the deputy commissioner came and he gave an assurance that no eviction drive would happen in Tengani area before discussing it with the people. It was the first time I spoke about land rights.
Q.
How was KMSS formed and what issues does it care about the most?
A.
After two years in Tengani, we had an intense confrontation with the government. The police and the ruling Congress party were strongly opposing us. We could not resist the government in such a small area, so we decided that we must spread the democratic mass movement all across Assam.
On June 28, 2005, we began a bicycle procession with 200 people, split into two teams. One went to lower Assam, and the other to upper Assam. We met many flood-affected people and people living in the forests in every district of Assam. This was a big source of learning for us, and we connected with many local organizations and NGOs throughout the state. After one month, we gathered in Tezpur town and formed the KMSS.
We demand land reforms in Assam. Land must be distributed to peasants and farmers. Our second demand is for community rights over natural resources. And third is to find a solution to problems of flooding and erosion. Also, we want 100 percent irrigation in paddy fields.
Q.
What’s the hardest part about being a leader?
A.
It is a lot of stress. People think Akhil Gogoi will stop dams. They have such big expectations. KMSS has 300 to 400 full-time workers and 30,000 volunteer workers who are all my responsibility. Recently the police registered a case against one of our workers in Barpeta District. I went to his house and his father said, “My son has been sent to jail and is living in terrible conditions. When will he come home? What are you doing about this?” Now I have to figure out how to get him out of jail. Just today, 30 members of our organization are getting bail.

(This interview has been slightly edited and condensed.)

Brian Orland is a freelance journalist.

Pakistan's Earthquake Was So Powerful It Created a New Island

Twitter: @Senator_Baloch
By Connor Simpson

A major earthquake struck southwestern Pakistan earlier today killing over 100 people; injuring thousands more; collapsing building and houses; and, incredibly, causing a small island to form in the sea off Pakistan's coastline.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake that hit Pakistan's Baluchistan province early Tuesday morning was a 7.8 magnitude. Officials recently said that at least 150 people died during the quake, with that number expected to rise as the Pakistani military continues the clean up. Many one-level houses in the impoverished area where the quake hit collapsed on the people inside.

In addition to the physical damage, the power and force of the quake was underscored by the small, visible island that rose off the coast of Gwadar in the Arabian Sea. Reuters reports "a crowd of bewildered people [gathered] on the shore to witness the rare phenomenon." Pakistan's Geo News reports "the island's altitude is 20 to 40 feet and width around 100 feet," and that the island is roughly 350 feet off shore, citing deputy inspector general Moazzam Jah. Arif Mahmood, the head of Pakistan's meteorological department, says they're planning to investigate further.

The new island is certainly interesting because most earthquakes rarely have such a drastic effect on the world surface. The last time an earthquake caused such a drastic change, according to i09's Annalee Newitz, was when an 8.8-magnitude quake in Chile altered the country's coastline.

Unfortunately, the damage to Pakistan and its people is more than just cosmetic. While information is still rapidly changing, some experts believe the number of casualties could rise dramatically over the next few days. Two people who created their own independent systems to estimate earthquake damage believe that, based on location and magnitude, between 1,000 and 4,600 people died in today's earthquake. For now, the official totals are much lower than that.

[Image via Sana Baloch via Twitter]
24 September 2013

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Working As Professor Again

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a man who has been one of the most powerful men in Iran in the last couple of years and gave the West headaches through his fiery rhetoric about Israel and the development of the Iran’s nuclear program, has returned to his original profession, teaching.

Photo: RTS
Photo: RTS
After the expiry of his second term he decided to withdraw from political life and start working again as a professor and teach at the University of Science and Technology.
Photo: RTS
Photo: RTS
A situation where the highest state official and a man who wielded enormous power subsequently returns to his  humble position as a university professor job is hard to imagine.
However, the former Iranian president now takes the a bus to work every day and, judging by the photo, looks content.

Source: inserbia.info

Hi-Tech Cancer Hospital Comes Up in Aizawl


Aizawl, Sep 24
: Equipped with the state-of-the art equipment and manned by highly qualified and dedicated oncologists, Mizoram State Cancer Institute (MSCI) is all set to become one of the destinations of cancer patients from across the country.

The rise in number of cancer cases in Mizoram over the years has been extremely disturbing. In fact, the reason behind this rise in number of cancer cases in this tiny hill state is apparently due to extensive use tobacco and tobacco products by the people here.

Over the years, the state government and individuals alike have spent huge amount of money on treatment of cancer as most the cancer patients had to be taken to centres like Mumbai, Delhi, Vellore, Kolkata, Guwahati and other metros as there is neither cancer treatment equipment nor qualified doctors to treat cancer patients in Mizoram.

With the setting up of the MSCI and procurement of sophisticated equipment - both for diagnosis and treatment - sending most cancer patients to other hospitals across the country may soon become a thing of the past.

MSCI director K Lalbiakzuala said they have recently procured Big bore CT Scanner with simulator from Phillips, Holland, which has been installed at the MSCI in Aizawl.

Lalbiakzuala said this advanced technology will be used to increase the accuracy of radiation therapy on the cancer cells, while avoiding destruction of healthy tissues surrounding the cancer in patients. This besides, he said it can be used as a diagnostic equipment like any other CT Scanner.

Another equipment newly installed at MSCI is the Fully Automated Blood Cell Separator. This equipment, which is made in Germany, is the only one of its kind to be installed in the northeast.

Dr Jeremy L Pautu, the insitute's head of the medical oncology department, said the equipment can separate blood platelets, plasma, white blood cells and stem cells and provide the exact requirement of the patient while returning the rest to the donor.

"The blood component extracted from one donor by this Blood Cell Separator is equivalent to that from six donors without the equipment," Dr Pautu said adding that the donor could donate blood again within three days while in a normal blood donation a donor has to wait for at least three months to donate blood again.

The other two newly procured equipment included Tissue Processor with Vacuum Function and Fully Motorized Microtome". The two equipment would help in early and accurate diagnosis of cancer, vital for accurate treatment of the patients, Dr Pautu said.

"We already have patients being treated at the MSCI from neighbouring states," said Dr Lalbiakzuala. He expressed optimism that the MSCI would soon become a hub for cancer patients where a large number of people would be cured of the dreaded disease.

Sources said the MSCI is being invited to work together with a number of agencies, both in the country and abroad. These include the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), European Society for Medical Encology-Emerging Countries Committee (ESMO-ECC), the Jiv DAYA Foundation, USA, Advance Centre for Treatment, Research and Education on Cancer (ACTREC) of Tata Memorial Centre Mumbai, Indian Association for Cancer Research (IACR), National Cancer Grid (NCG) and the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) etc.

Lalbiakzuala said Mizoram health minister Lalrinliana Sailo has played a pivotal role behind setting up the MSCI by declaring full-scale war against cancer and AIDS.

Changing the landscape of Arunachal with tea

Basamlu Krisikro - the

























By Prasanta Mazumdar


Wakro (Arunachal Pradesh), Sep 24 :  Basamlu Krisikro - the "Tea Lady" of Arunachal Pradesh. Songelum, 38, spent all his life cultivating opium until he met Basamlu Krisikro – the “Tea Lady” of Arunachal Pradesh.Today, he is one among many inspired by her to replace their opium fields with small-scale tea plantations in the state’s Lohit district, where tribal Mishmis are in majority. Opium fetches four times the money for a fraction of the labour, but Songelum says he has no regrets about walking the path of tea.

In a place where 99 families in every 100 households grow opium to eke out a living, he says nobody knows better than Basamlu about how challenging it is to motivate people to take up an alternative source of income. “When you go and tell them about an alternative means of income, they suspect that you have come to destroy their livelihood,” Songelum said.

A post-graduate from the Delhi University, Basamlu, 39, was working on orange plantation till an oncologist prescribed a daily dose of organic green tea for her cancer-struck mother Gutitun, whose illness has since been arrested. In order to avoid travelling miles often to get the chemical-free beverage from Assam’s Dibrugarh town, she was struck by the idea of growing it in her backyard. At that time, the production of oranges had plummeted drastically.

“As green tea is sustainable, I thought of promoting it among locals,” she said. From 2009 to 2012, Basamlu grew organic tea on a piece of land measuring 45 bighas. The tea is processed in her own factory and sold to both local and international buyers .

Last year, she got a produce of 1,800kg.

“Being a cash crop, opium gives you easy money. People get drawn to this very easily as the profit is tens times of what you invest. So, it was very challenging for me to motivate people about growing tea,” Basamlu says.

Today, she has been able to inspire at least a dozen opium farmers to carry out tea plantation.

Not only does she supply tea plants to them on a deferred payment basis, but she also buys their organic harvest.

Songelum says opium is like an ATM. “No matter where you are and what the time is, you will get buyers at the drop of a hat,” he says. And one needs to work hard for only three to four months from December to March to make a ‘decent’ living for rest of the year, he said. “12 grams of opium will fetch you Rs650. So, if you have a land measuring one hectare, you need just Rs6,000-Rs7,000 to get a produce of six to seven kgs a year.” The Lohit, Anjaw, Tirap and Changlang districts, bordering China, are notorious for poppy cultivation. Wakro alone has around 12,000 to 13,000 opium cultivators.

Locals say the buyers are all locals who smuggle the narcotic into the south-east Asian countries through the ‘Golden Triangle’.

Straddling around 367,000 square miles that overlaps the mountains of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, the Golden Triangle is a major opium-producing area of Asia. Doctors say opium addiction is very common among opium growers.

According to Basamlu, anti-drug agencies come to Wakro only to destroy crops and not to understand the root cause of the problem.

“What is imperative is awareness at all levels. The government could set up de-addiction camps and carry out massive awareness campaigns to curb the menace,” Songelum said..“Opium has ruined our society. In growing opium, people get addicted to it.

Economic backwardness is the main reason why they go for opium cultivation. Besides, people’s basic requirements have also increased. They want their children to attend private schools, possess latest household appliances, get access to  better healthcare services etc. So, unless you give them an alternative, they will go on cultivating opium,” Basamlu points out.
23 September 2013

Mizoram Officials Discuss Security Ahead Of Polls

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEqV06NnFFTKYsKjRV4Wd0WM0Vc02c9CIS6nZ9_eNgcuFpLLbep6RmsGMsfnPlSspmVB2XrBvgz1fJcY7MchDJIJN2gzStho7lcWr1mcq2Voj3T9Is6r91lsjE32gjxVIUVkFfrjgr4K8/s1600/mizoram+voters.jpgAizawl, Sep 23 : Mizoram Chief Secretary L Tochhong and senior officials on Monday held a meeting with officials of the neighbouring Assam and discussed security and related issues on the interstate border areas as Mizoram goes to poll by the end of November.

Tochhong sought cooperation from officials of the neighbouring states during the coming assembly polls as they can play vital roles in conduct of peaceful and free and fair elections.

The meeting was convened following instructions from the Election Commission even as officials from Manipur and Tripura failed to attend the meeting due to unavoidable circumstances, an official statement said.

Deputy Commissioners and SPs of districts adjoining the three neighbouring states would be instructed to hold frequent coordination meetings with their counterparts of the districts across the border.

Tochhong was accompanied by the state Chief Electoral Officer Ashwini Kumar, senior home department and police and election department officials while Assam government was represented by Joint Secretary Mahananda Hazarika and DIG of Police Bind Kumar.

New Organisation 'Zoramthar Duhtute' Formed in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sep 23 : A new organisation called 'Zoramthar Duhtute' or an organisation for the Mizoram was formed today which vowed to bring a change in the political system and government in Mizoram.

S L Sailova, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and an anti-corruption activist today announced the formation of the 'Zoramthar Duhtute' in a press conference here. Sailova, chairman of the new organisation, said that they would not only make efforts to reform the political system and bring about change, the 'Zoramthar Duhtute' would field candidates in the coming state assembly polls scheduled to be held by the end of November. "We would contest at least five seats in the 40-member state legislature," he said.

The former IAS officer said that all the previous governments in the state were party-based regimes and never fulfilled the aspirations of the people by bringing change and economic prosperity.

"We would make efforts to ensure that a true government of the people, not a government formed by the political party is elected in the coming polls," he said. Leaders of the organisation included a number of young technocrats and social activists.

Mizoram: Numbers That Count

Almost 85% of people in Mizoram are Christians. The church here outlines the dos and dont's for political parties during elections.

For a sneak-peek into the voters' pattern in the state, thumb through and explore.

Improved Land Policy May See Congress Sail Through in Mizoram

By Rahul Karmakar
Guwahati, Sep 23 : Election officials mark the fingers of voters before they cast their ballot during an assembly election at a polling booth in Aizawl.
A pro-poor land use policy helped the Congress sweep the 2008 assembly election and return to power in Mizoram after 10 years. Mandate 2013 is expected to be a test of this policy in the party’s bid to retain power.

In the mid-1990s, the Congress came up with the land use policy
to ensure land and a stable trade under agriculture, industry or animal husbandry sectors for the rural and urban poor.

A faulty implementation of the policy led to the Mizo National Front (MNF) victory in 1998.

Disillusionment with that policy refused to wear off; in the 2003 polls the MNF won again.

In 2008, the Congress, led by Lal Thanhawla, bagged 32 of the 40 seats. The victory had more to do with alleged misrule and corruption by the Lal Thanhawla-led MNF government than with its offer of a revamped performance-driven New Land Use Policy (NLUP). 

Lal Thanhawla rode the flagship NLUP to begin his third stint as chief minister but the policy, worth more than `3,000 crore and entailing fiscal incentives, ran into complications.

The NLUP was said to have been ironed out midway through Lal Thanhawla’s term to benefit almost half the 257,581 households in Mizoram, according to Census 2011.

The Congress government called the NLUP a success but experts attributed the party’s below-par performance in the maiden municipal polls in 2010 to the policy’s inherent flaws.

The Congress pipped the MNF by a solitary seat in the Aizawl civic body polls, but it was primarily due to its alliance with the Zoram Nationalist Party, a regional outfit.

“The Congress improved its NLUP show after the civic polls. And this could tip the scales in its favour,” said former bureaucrat L Ruatliana.

“That the opposition has virtually no issue is evident from the targeting of Lal Thanhawla for wearing tilak at some Hindu function or visiting a temple.”

Almost 85% of people in Mizoram are Christians.

The church here outlines the dos and don’ts for political parties during elections.

The NLUP has also overshadowed other issues such as the influx of Chin people from Myanmar, drug abuse, autonomy for the Hmar tribals, resettlement of non-Christian Bru or Reang tribals, who are forced to be refugees in adjoining Tripura and a much-awaited deal with the church for lifting prohibition to enable grape farmers offload their produce to wineries.
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Meghalaya: Activists Call For 5 Night Road Blockade

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Guwahati, Sep 23
: The agitation for introduction of an Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya, which will check the inflow of "outsiders", continued on Sunday as 10 pressure groups called for a five-night road blockade in the hill state starting Monday.

Pro-ILP groups have said they will "enforce" the blockade from 8 pm to 5 am for five days, while their members will picket government offices on September 26 and 27. The groups include student bodies like Khasi Students' Union and Garo Students' Union, and NGOs like Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo People and Civil Society Women's Organization.

"We have decided to go ahead with our next phase of action in protest of the state's adamant attitude against the the high-level committee recommendation of implementing an Inner Line Permit system in Meghalaya," Eldie N Lyngdoh, joint spokesperson of the 10 groups said in Shillong on Sunday.

Last year, the high-level committee had recommended the introduction of the ILP but with changes. The committee had proposed an ILP that would ensure the participation of traditional institutions, NGOs and civil society, apart from making sure genuine residents of the state were not harassed.

Chief minister Mukul Sangma had turned down the recommendation in favour of a more 'comprehensive mechanism' that would, instead of the "archaic" ILP system, put in place a stringent tenancy law.