Mizo Students React To Governor's Remarks

Aizawl, Jul 8 : Reacting to the Mizoram Governor’s recent statement on the issue of displaced Mizo families in Tripura’s Sakhan Hills, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl or Mizo students’ association today made it clear that the issue had been raised earlier but the government did not pay heed to it.

According to MZP, the issue of Sakhan displaced Mizos had been raised when delegates of North Eastern Students’ Organisation met the then union home minister L K Advani in July 2001 at Delhi.

'' MZP representatives, who were part of the NESO delegation, took away 20 of the 30 minutes of the meeting to raise the issue of Sakhan displaced Mizos and the Brus. The Union home minister also gave his assurance to look into the matter,'' an MZP communiqué said today.

Governor M M Lakhera, during an interaction with the local media persons on Tuesday, wondered why the issue of Sakhan displaced Mizos was 'suddenly raised' and linked it with the ongoing Bru repatriation.

He even expressed his disappointment over the calling off of the fourth phase of repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura by the Mizoram government to demand the central government to give adequate rehabilitation to the displaced Mizos.

The MZP said in the press handout that later in 2003, the MZP representatives visited the Mizo families who had been driven out from their homes in Sakhan Hills by Bru militants in 1998, at Behliangchhip community hall in Tripura. After this meeting, the displaced Mizo families formed Sakhan Displaced Mizo Welfare and submitted a memorandum to the union home minister on May 3, 2005. In pursuance of this, the MZP also faxed a separate memorandum to the Union home minister, a copy of which was submitted to the Mizoram government, and raised the issue with the central leaders for two-three times.

Last Resort To Get Delhi University Tag

Distance learning — a last resort for Delhi students!

New Delhi: At a time when Delhi University (DU) colleges have put up high cut-offs for admission, its School of Open Learning (SOL) that offers distance learning courses is swamped with applications - emerging as a ray of hope for students who do not meet the high criteria of the colleges.

SOL, which receives over 300,000 applications annually, offers courses in humanities and commerce streams through distance learning programmes. "Students who find it difficult to clear the cut-offs of DU and still want the university's tag are coming for the courses here," SOL assistant registrar S.K. Lamba told IANS.

"Some students these days want to learn and earn at the same time; so they join SOL," he added. Many of the students joining SOL are able to pursue a vocational course as well as a course of their choice through distance learning.

"I am from a government school, and got 50 percent in Class 12 boards, which means no DU college. Finally, I have applied to SOL for a B.A. course," said Fatima Hashmi, an applicant at SOL.

The USP of the distance learning school is that students do not have to attend classes compulsorily which take place only on weekends.

Students who have taken up professional courses like chartered accountancy come for distance learning courses as they don't have to attend classes at SOL and are thus able to devote time to both.

"I want to appear for the chartered accountancy test in December. If I get through it, I won't have time to attend classes at two places simultaneously," said Swati Vij, an applicant. "SOL will give me a degree and I will also have the DU tag," she added.

The School offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses in arts and commerce subjects. Printed course material is distributed to the students and the fees is, like all DU colleges, very low.

"People who want to shuttle between work and studies find this the place to be in," said Yogesh Chopra, who applied for a master's degree in Political Science and works as a reporter with a news channel.

Parents of students are also supportive of their wards taking up these courses.

"My daughter wanted to take up a job while pursuing her post-graduate studies. So she wanted a correspondence course and I thought this was the best option for her," said Harvinder Singh, father of Nimrit Kaur who applied for a master's degree in Sanskrit.

Age is no bar at SOL. The institution gets many applications from people who left studies long ago.

Deepa Sareen, a home-maker from west Delhi's Rajouri Garden, has joined SOL. "Due to family pressures, I discontinued my studies after graduation. Now that I am settled and my children are in secondary school, I have time and can take up M.A. Sanskrit course."

The institution had 900 students when it started in 1962. The number reached several hundreds of thousands last year.

"The huge number of candidates is because of the fact that there are not enough number of seats and colleges in the country that can accommodate the growing number of students," Lamba pointed out.

SOL follows the policy of granting admission to all applicants if they have scored the minimum marks - which is 40 percent.

Delhi University was established in 1962. It has 16 faculties, 86 academic departments, 77 colleges and five other recognised institutes spread all over the city.

All You Want To Know About Botox

Ageing is totally natural, but through aesthetic dermatology you can slow down the signs. The popular Botox is one such method.

The field of dermatology has witnessed unprecedented growth and success in the last couple of years. People have found an easy and effective way to treat many skin issues, including ageing.

Aesthetic dermatology deals with different types of skin problems, including skin diseases; changes brought about with ageing; scars caused by accidents and cosmetic corrections. Aesthetic dermatology corrects skin problems along with enhancing the cosmetic appearance of skin.

The world of aesthetic dermatology is a vast and ever-evolving one. We start by introducing you to one of the most popular procedures used to arrest ageing and improve skin quality.
Botox

Botox is the popular term for 'Botulinum Toxin'. Botox has multiple uses including, curing muscle spasms, chronic migraines and excessive sweating. One of the most popular uses however, is to erase or reduce signs of ageing from one's face. Across the world, dermatologists use Botox injections to remove wrinkles and forehead creases in a non-surgical manner.

When injected underneath the skin, the Botox temporarily paralyses facial muscles and thus reduces wrinkles and lines. The effect usually lasts from between 6 to 8 months.

Although it is a clinically proven methodology that's revolutionised the cosmetic branch of dermatology, it does have its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

- Botox is much less invasive than a face-lift.

- It's also far quicker and cheaper than other surgical procedures. Botox can be administered in a couple of hours.

Disadvantages

- The change in appearance is not permanent and after the effect of Botox wears off in a 6-8 months, the lines and wrinkles reappear.

- It's not abnormal to face certain side effects like soreness and some initial pain.

- Since the muscles have been numbed, the person who's had Botox injected may end up looking surprised or always frowning. Fortunately, since the effects are temporary, the face comes back to normal after a few months.

- Some people may experience an allergic reaction to Botox.

- It may not agree with some medication or antibiotics that the person is already on.

- Also, in some rare cases, these injections have caused weakening or drooping of the facial muscles. This often occurs if the dosage being injected was too high.

If you are considering using Botox on your skin, make sure you get a licensed professional to administer it and inform them of any pre-existing medical conditions or medication you may be on.

Northeast To Get Hi-Tech Forensic Institute

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

Guwahati, Jul 7 : Forensic scientists in the Northeast will have better tools in hand to support crime investigation agencies as a new state-of-the-art central forensic institute is coming up in Assam to cater to the entire region.

A source said a 30-bigha plot had been allotted by the state government in June for establishment of the institute at Palashbari in Kamrup district. Initially, the demand was for a 20-acre plot.

A source said for starters, the institute, which will be under the ministry of home affairs, would operate from a rented building and have some facilities like DNA analysis, among others. “It should start working in another two months,” the source added.

The institute is coming up as part of the modernisation of forensic science applications scheme of the directorate of forensic science under the ministry.

The source said there had been some delay in starting operations as it took some time to find the rented premises and added that it would be at least two years before the institute could operate from its Palashbari premises.

“The idea is to establish state-of-the-art facilities and also train scientists to update their knowledge to a level which ensures that the forensic support to crime investigation agencies would match international standards,” the source said.

The source said forensic technologies needed to be updated, considering the modern technologies used by criminals to execute crimes and added that the institute, which would be able to provide analyses very fast, would be a big help for crime investigation agencies of the region.

There would be eight hi-tech divisions in the proposed institute, also comprising a wildlife forensic unit.

There will also be a digital forensic division having a credit card analysis unit, handheld device forensic analysis unit, network real-time forensic analysis unit and crime scene and disaster-recovery unit.

The DNA division of the institute will have a DNA analysis unit and a DNA database unit, while the cognitive science division will have a lie-detection unit, narco analysis unit and a brain-mapping unit.

The general forensic science division will have a life sciences unit, analy- tical chemistry unit, physi- cal science unit and a poison analysis unit.

The general document division would have a handwriting examination unit, machine-generated document examination unit and a document matrix examination unit.

Currently, there are forensic science laboratories in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura, along with a mini laboratory in Nagaland. The laboratory in Assam is the biggest in the region with 11 independent divisions.

Mizoram Aided Schools Want Draft Bill Nullified

Aizawl, Jul 7 : The Mizoram government-aided schools have set July 15 as a deadline for the state government to nullify the draft Mizoram Education (Financial Assistance to Non-Government Schools) Rules, 2011.

Dubbing it ''Satanic Bill,'' the Mizoram deficit mission schools have also demanded nullification of the draft Bill.

The Mizoram Government Adhoc-Aided School Teachers’ Union (MIGASTU) feared that legislation of the Bill would force many government adhoc aided schools to close down.

According to the draft Bill, schools receiving financial assistance from the government will be categorised into A and B.

The quantum of financial assistance to the school shall be determined by the government, based on the numbers of students and many other criteria, as prescribed by the government from time to time, for granting financial assistance to category A schools.

The draft Bill also states that financial assistance for category B schools shall initially be Rs 1.5 lakh per annum which may be increased or decreased depending on availability of fund.

Besides this, the adhoc aided school teachers did not like the proposed inclusion of pupil-teacher ratio as one of the criteria in determining the financial assistance.

''We have seen the Bill as the government’s cunning attempt to downgrade the aided schools and leave the teachers with no other choice than to quit our jobs,'' David B Lalhruaitluanga, chairman of MIGASTU, said at a press conference here Tuesday.

There are 13 higher secondary schools, 129 high schools and 66 middle schools with around 9000 students across the state which are government adhoc aided.

''The Bill will force many of these schools to close down and the students will be the worst-hit. It will further affect social development in many villages. This is in a sharp contrast to the government’s claimed policy of bringing about world-class education in the state,'' the MIGASTU chairman said.

The teachers' union vowed that unless the government nullifies the draft Bill before July 15 they will continue to fight for their 'rights'.

MIGASTU also prayed the government to entitle them the sixth pay salaries which have already been enjoyed by government employees in Mizoram.

Adhoc aided teachers had enjoyed the fourth and the fifth pay recommendations with the rest of the government employees. They also demanded 26 per cent dearness allowances, enjoyed by government employees.

To Avoid Rape, Stop Dressing ‘Indecently’: Naga Women’s Body

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

With the number of crimes against women increasing in Nagaland, a women’s organisation in the hill state has come up with a solution that seems to be inspired by the UP Khap panchayat that banned girls from wearing jeans early this year. The Dimapur chapter of Naga Women’s Hoho has asked women to stop wearing “indecent” and skimpy dresses so that they do not attract or provoke crime.

A resolution passed by the organisation in Dimapur last Sunday said it would take “suitable” action against women seen wearing indecent dresses. “This is not just an advisory to young girls but for the attention of all women, young or old. Our resolution has clearly said that it is important to dress modestly and decently. That may not be the ultimate solution to prevent crimes ranging from eve-teasing to molestation, rape and murder, but is definitely one of reducing such crimes,” Hukheli T Watsa, president of the Naga Women’s Hoho, said over telephone from Dimapur.

The organisation has identified video films, particularly those from Korea and Thailand, as another reason behind increasing crimes against women. “Korean and Thai video films in circulation in the state are full of sex and crime, and this has direct impact on young people. There have been reports of high school students experimenting with themselves after drawing inspiration from such films. We have asked the police to stop their circulation,” he added.

Sano Vamuzo, chairperson of the Nagaland State Women’s Commission, has supported the resolution. “It is a fact that girls and young women are seen wearing indecent dresses. It is one reason behind girls from the Northeast facing sexual harassment in the capital,” said Vamuzo from Kohima.

Nagaland, and more particularly Dimapur, has witnessed a sudden rise in the number of crimes against women. “At least one rape and murder is being reported every month in Dimapur. Recently we arrested one person in connection with a rape and murder,” said Mhapeni Lotha, a lady police officer in the crime against women cell in Dimapur police station.

Centre extends 'Disturbed Area' tag in Nagaland for one year

Kohima, Jul 7 : The State of Nagaland has been declared 'disturbed area' for a further period of one year with effect from June 30 under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.

According to the Central publicity sources the decision was taken in a meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group held to oversee the implementation of Agreed Ground Rules on June 23 at New Delhi.

During the meeting it was unanimously decided to extend the agreement with NDFB (P) and DHD for a further period of six months up to December 31, Atul Kumar Mathur, as Director, North Eastern Police Academy, Shillong informed.

According to political observers this was a severe blow to the Nagaland Government's claim of being a peaceful state, inspite of unabated criminal activities in and around Dimapur and a set back to the Naga peace process, which is going on between the Union Government and the NSCN-IM.

Assam Implements Right to Education

Guwahati, Jul 7 : The Right to Education (RTE) Act has become a reality in Assam from today with the state Cabinet approving the Rules needed for implementing the Act.

With this, Assam became the 19th state in the country to implement the RTE Act of 2009.

Informing this at a press conference here, Education Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma said, ''The Cabinet has approved the Rules needed to implement the RTE Act and from now on elementary education will be ensured for every child by the state.

''The Rules were approved unanimously after extensive discussions for two hours in the Cabinet,'' he added.

The state government has already set in motion measures to implement the RTE Act.

''Under the Act, there must be a lower primary school within every 1 km and middle school within every 3 km. For this, the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) will complete satellite and road mapping within three months,'' the minister said.

He added 300 people will be employed for the work and the list will be published in newspapers for the general public to make claims and objections.

There are currently 35,000 lower primary and 7000 middle schools in the state.