Guwahati, Sep 24 : In Assam, the students who secure 50 per cent marks in the State Board Examinations will get Laptops and computers from next academic year. State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced this at Guwahati on Friday.
The Chief Minister was giving away the Anundoram Barooah Awards to the meritorious students securing first divisions in the State Board Examinations for the year 2011 at a function organized at Sarusajai, in the outskirts of the Guwahati city.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gogoi said the Government has all along given thrust to education. He said the Anundoram Barooah Award scheme was launched by the State Government in 2005 aiming at enhancing healthy competition among the student community and to help them enrich their perception through the use of Information Technology.
Addressing the gathering, Minister for Education, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma said the unique Anandaram Barooah Award scheme has brought about a sea change in the education firmament in the state. He said the scheme would be further expanded from next year.
Mr. Sharma also said that the Government would provide thrust on vocational education by starting Higher Education Mission with 100 per cent assistance from the Government. He announced that the State Government would set up Indian Institute of Information Technology in Guwahati where more seats would be reserved for students of the State.
Mumbai, Sep 23 : The earthquake that shook most of north and northeast India on Sunday has also given a jolt to actor John Abraham and footballer Baichung Bhutia’s joint plan to open a football academy in Sikkim. We had reported a year ago that the duo had initiated talks with government authorities for permission and allotment of land for the academy.
John admits that Baichung and he had planned to start their football academy towards the end of this year in Sikkim. “Whatever happened is really unfortunate and something that we could do nothing to avert. Sadly, we had a meeting with the state’s Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling scheduled for some time now.
And the quake has pushed our plan off track,” he says, adding, “Mr Chamling is a great sports enthusiast. He was keen on our academy because our plan was to create a platform where talent would converge with the best people who can hone it. We still don’t have a team that can play at the FIFA World Cup as confidently as the European or Latin American teams.”
The actor, gearing up for Force, his first release since last year’s debacle, Jhootha Hi Sahi, hopes Chamling will continue to support the venture. “Baichung and I are meeting next week in Kolkata, where I plan to show him Force and then, we’ll sit down to chalk our plan of action.
I’m not sure how long it will take to set up because we have to give the state and its people their time to recuperate from Sunday’s devastation,” says John, who was a football player himself before becoming a model and then, an actor.
Now, he plays the game during his free time and on the sets in between shots.
“If I had taken the game seriously, I may have played for our country,” asserts John. “My parents, especially my father, always encouraged me to take up sports because they believed and so do I, that learning to take defeat and victory with equal grace at a young age helps a lot when you face life outside home, school, college and your friends-circle.”
Imphal, Sep 24 : The on-going economic blockade on the National Highways 39, 53 and 150 over the demand of a separate district entered 54th day today and evoked reactions from various fronts including the newly-formed coordination committee of seven major armed groups in Manipur.
Lambasting the Chief Minister Ibobi Ministry’s attitude towards the prevailing situation, the coordination committee of Kangleipak Communist Party, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak,People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Pro), Revolutionary People’s Front, United National Liberation Front and United People’s Party of Kangleipak in a Press release here expressed serious concerns over the blockade.
The BJP State unit has launched a signature campaign against the on-going blockades and government’s failure to resolve it. Manipur People’s Party staged a sit-in demonstration here on Thursday demanding steps to settle the matter.
Meitei Christian Leaders in an emergency meeting held under the aegis of Meitei Christian Foundation (MCF) and New Earth Way (NEW) today decided to urge the authorities to lift the blockade. They also urged the agitating groups to take up alternative form of agitation instead of anti-Christian activities. The meet also demanded the government to ensure the normal inflow of supplies.
The on-going blockade and price rise had hit our lives, said Amrabati T of the Conflict Widows Forum(COWF) Manipur. Most of the widows are the bread-earners of their families. The prices of all essential items have gone up with potato and onion being sold at Rs 40 and Rs 70 per kg.
Meanwhile, the Transporter and Drivers’ Council has demanded compensation for the damaged trucks. TDC’s Ibohal Singh said 29 goods carrier trucks have been torched by suspected blockade supporters besides killing one driver and injuring many.
Many civil society organisations including All Manipur United Clubs Organisation, United Committee Manipur and Kuki Movement For Human Rights have appealed the concerned authorities to lift the economic blockades in public interest.
Sadar Hills District Demand Committee has imposed the indefinite economic blockade on National Highways 39 and 53 demanding a separate district while UNC imposed a counter-blockade to register its opposition against “bifurcation” of Naga areas.
In a fetid shack swarming with flies, an old woman with a ravaged face is weeping so uncontrollably she struggles to speak.
When she does form words they are jerky and awkward, a string of incomprehensible denials. No, she does not remember. It was a long time ago. She does not understand how it happened.
Eventually, distraught, she wanders out into the filthy yard where chickens peck fruitlessly at the dry earth.
Emotional journey: Actor Anil Kapoor (seated right) talks to the mother of a woman (seated, left) who was sold into sex slavery as a young girl by her own family
Time warp: The woman said she could not remember how her daughter had come to be a sex slave and became increasingly distraught
It is deeply uncomfortable viewing. This old lady, so reduced by age and experience, has just been confronted with the hideous tradition at the heart of her community.
Her daughter - like virtually every other woman in this small Indian town - is a prostitute, sold into the sex trade when she was little more than a girl.
Twenty years on, she is the sole provider for her decimated family, including the mewling baby lying in a wooden crib.
The child belongs to her dead brother. It is a terrible irony that he was the man who sold her into sexual slavery and destroyed her life.
The footage is part of a new CNN documentary Trapped By Tradition focusing on the town of Bharatpur, in the ancient state of Rajasthan.
It is fronted by the actor Anil Kapoor, best known in the West for his role as the quiz master in Slumdog Millionaire, and one of the most famous men in India.
Obligation: Her daughter (left, face obscured) is still working as a prostitute and is using every penny to support her family
Dependent: She is now supporting the child of her dead brother, the man who originally sold her into sexual slavery
Several months after his visit, he is still deeply disturbed by his encounter with the family.
'I didn't expect it,' he says. 'The condition of the house and the way they were living...'
For a second words fail him. Then he continues: 'The mother came and sat down and I started to speak with her. I asked her was she aware of what had happened, that her daughter was trafficked.
'You could see that she knew. She doesn't want to remember. She is completely not functioning. She is in a kind of time warp. She can't forgive herself.'
The film is part of CNN's Freedom Project, a year-long initiative which aims to expose the horrors of slavery in the 21st century.
And though the subject is heartrending, Kapoor's rapport with the community makes it deeply moving.
Welcoming committee: The town turns out to meet Kapoor as he visits Bharatpur for CNN
Traditional: The community has had a longstanding tradition of women going to work in the sex industry (there is no implication that any of the women pictured here are prostitutes)
Opportunity: Charity Plan India is working to change the traditions of the town by educating children
'I am very well-known in India,' he says, explaining the ease with which he persuaded people, including vulnerable women on the periphery of society, to talk.
'They know who I am and they've watched my films. I suppose I'm like a brother or a friend so they trust me.
'That is why they open up to me.'
It was not the 51-year-old actor's first visit to Bharatpur. He travelled there two years ago as part of his work for the charity Plan India, which protects children against abuse and exploitation.
The initial experience was so shattering, he describes himself as 'completely shocked.'
'It's a kind of tradition,' he explains. 'The society and the family do not see anything wrong. It is an obligation.'
Two years ago there were very few women in Bharatpur. Most were in Delhi or Mumbai, trafficked at a young age to sell their bodies and sending every penny back to support their families.
Plan India launched a programme to educate both the community and shatter hundreds of years of tradition which have blighted thousands of lives.
Conservative state: Bharatpur is in the northern province of Rajasthan
Superstar: Kapoor (right) with Dev Patel in hit film Slumdog Millionaire
Just 24 months on, it is already producing results.
'You can see the difference,' Kapoor says. 'There are schools there and they are trying their best not to send their girls away.
'There's still a long way to go but things have changed.'
He puts this down to a co-ordinated approach between the community, Plan India, the government and the police.
'There are some who are very responsible and are ashamed of what has happened,' he says.
'But there is a certain section of the town who still want to keep this tradition as if there was nothing wrong. It is these people who have to be punished.'
If the story of Bharatpur is heartbreaking, it is also one of hope.
Kapoor, who has starred in more than 150 films, highlights a young girl who tells him she is hoping to train as an actress.
She is the sister of the woman trafficked by her own brother so many years ago.
Trapped by Tradition airs Saturday September 24 at 8pm, Sunday September 25 at 12pm and Tuesday September 27 at 10.30am and 6.30pm on CNN International.
Now, you can track your LPG dealer online. With the government preparing to restrict the number of subsidised cooking cylinders, oil marketing companies have launched a ‘transparency’ portal that allows customers to keep an eye on the number of cylinders sold in their account by the dealer.
The launch of the portal is complementary to the government's proposal to cap the number of subsidised cylinders to consumers. Right now, the portal has only one head, that shows the number of cylinders sold to a consumer. "The portal is aimed at enhancing transparency, visibility and auditability of the distribution of cylinders across the country. This transparency portal is accessible to the public and shows details of all the customers of LPG who are receiving subsidised cylinders, distributor wise," said a petroleum ministry official.
Soon, these websites will allow a consumer to register a complaint in case the number of cylinders shown against his name is more than what he/she actually booked or bought. "Once the number of subsidised cylinders is restricted, the portal will show two heads -- one showing the number of subsidised cylinders sold and the second showing the number of cylinders sold at market price."
The portals have been set up in tune with the recommendations of the task force on direct transfer of subsidies headed by UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani. Justifying the proposal to limit the number of subsidised cylinders, the official said the government sells subsidised items like rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene under the public distribution system but here too the quota is fixed.
"Anything which is scarce will have to be rationed. We are highly import dependant for LPG and its coverage is being expanded rapidly. We have no other option but to fix the quota and raise prices for LPG outside the quota," the ministry official said.
The empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on fuel underrecoveries was scheduled to meet last week to deliberate on the petroleum ministry's proposal of capping subsidised cylinders. However, the meeting was deferred. Currently, all LPG consumers can buy a domestic LPG cylinder as per requirement at Rs 399.35 in Delhi, which is at a discount of Rs 267 on the desired price of LPG, calculated on import parity price.
The total subsidy on LPG sale for the current year is estimated at Rs 27,000 crore. The subsidised price of domestic LPG incentivizes a diversion for commercial usage. It also leads to indiscriminate use of the cooking fuel.
Aizawl, Sep 23 : The colorful Anthurium festival began with traditional pomp and gaiety at Reiek tourist resort centre in Mizoram today.
Inaugurating the three-day festival, Horticulture Minister H Liansailova stated that besides increasing the inflow of tourists, this festival helped promote the Mizoram-grown Anthurium flowers outside Mizoram.
He said the fragrance of Mizoram’s Anthurium has now been felt in as far as Japan and Dubai, besides several big metros in India.
This festival also serves the purpose of bringing togetherness among the different tribes in Mizoram and promote their culture and at the same time attract domestic and foreign states to the beauty of Mizoram, Liansailova said.
Saying many farmers in Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Darjeeling had contributed a lot to their state economy through Anthurium cultivation, the minister highlighted that the Mizoram government had also taking all-out efforts to promote Anthurium cultivation among the farmers.
State Tourism Minister S Hiato, who also spoke at the festival inauguration, said the festival haD been funded by the ministry of tourism with an aim to promote tourism industry in Mizoram. This was the third consecutive year that the festival had been observed. Underlining that Mizoram has a huge potential in eco-tourism, the Minister stressed the need for Mizos to show hospitality and Mizo ethics to make tourists feel at home in the state.
We have the potential to boost the state s economy through tourism. It is up to us to tap this potential, he urged. Nearly 500 families in Mizoram are engaged in Anthurium cultivation with financial assistance from the horticulture department.
With over 300 families growing the flower, Aizawl district top all other districts in Anthurium cultivation.
Horticulture officials said owing to the state s suitable geographical conditions, Mizoram s Anthurium flowers are of high quality and are in great demand in other states of India and even abroad, besides the local market.
Decorated and medicated Anthurium flowers have been exported in huge numbers to countries like Japan, UAE, European countries through an agency called Zo Anthurium Growers Society (ZAGS) working for marketing and others improvement of anthurium farmers in Mizoram.
Besides this festival, ZAGS had organised Anthurium exhibition-cum-sale in various places of the state to promote farmers and selling the flowers at reasonable prices to the public.
Aizawl, Sep 23 : The local court today denied interim bail to the key accused in a child trafficking case, who was arrested by Bawngkawn police in Aizawl yesterday. Police arrested 29-year-old Satywan, a Border Security Force cook, for his alleged role in the trafficking of a 15-year-old girl from Durtlang locality in Aizawl, who was recently rescued by the Mizoram police after having been sold twice as brides in Haryana.
The court today allowed the police a detention of the accused for another 48 hours. Satywan, who hailed from Rajasthan, was employed as cook at BSF sector headquarters at Durtlang where he became acquainted with the victim. Meanwhile, six others accused brought here by the police from Haryana, along with the rescued girl, had been sent to the Aizawl Central Jail.
The 15-year-old girl, whose family engaged in cattle farming near the BSF headquarters, was last seen on June 6.
Police investigations revealed that she allegedly fell into the trap Satyawan. The accused sent her to his village in Rajasthan and gave her Rs.3,000 for travel expenses. However, his brother Raju received her midway at the New Delhi railway station and in connivance with his accomplices, allegedly sold her for Rs 90,000.
Satywan, who proceeded on leave a few days later, was allegedly paid Rs 50,000 as his cut. When the traffickers learnt that police had registered a case and launched a hunt for them, they got panicky and allegedly planned to eliminate the victim.
However, accused Dharamvir Yadav (30) chose not to kill her and instead sold her off to one Ram Yadav (60) and his son Dinesh (31) for Rs 50,000.
It was alleged that the victim was forced to marry Dinesh and her name was changed to conceal her real identity.
A Mizoram police team headed by a woman officer, LT Puii Pulamte, SDPO of Aizawl North, rescued the girl from the house of Ram Yadav, a retired high school headmaster, from Panthiwas village in Rewari district of Haryana on September 12.
Aizawl, Sep 23 : Authorities in Mizoram, given the high vulnerability of India’s mountainous northeast to earthquakes, are becoming stricter in enforcing official guidelines on the construction of concrete houses and structures.
The Geological Survey of India had earlier notified that the northeastern region could experience a devastating earthquake as the region, according to seismologists, falls in Zone V, the sixth worst quake-prone belt in the world.
‘One building has been demolished recently and owners of 53 others have been asked to bring down theirs as they violated the Building Regulations Act,’ an official of the Aizawl Development Authority (ADA) told reporters.
‘The design of the every concrete structure and buildings must be quake resistant in Mizoram,’ the official stated. He added that the ADA has so far stayed the construction of 158 buildings in the capital and its outskirts.
The ADA has recently received 3,499 applications for construction of buildings, of which 3,257 had been accepted and the remaining either rejected or withdrawn for non-compliance of the guidelines on quake resistance.
‘Most buildings in Aizawl and various parts of Mizoram have been constructed without certain safety measures and the fact that entire Mizoram falls in the worst quake-prone zone, make the state vulnerable,’ former Mizoram chief engineer R.L. Ruala told IANS.
Officials said that chief ministers and chief secretaries of Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura held separate review meetings in their respective state capitals Monday and Tuesday and decided to improve the existing infrastructure.
The Mizo government also made it mandatory to follow earthquake related guidelines while constructing concrete structure and buildings, specially high-rise.
The AMC has ordered the bulldozing of many concrete structures and large buildings in the capital and its outskirts for not meeting stipulations.
The Tripura government has also undertaken an ambitious seismic retrofitting to protect the century-old heritage buildings and palaces, including erstwhile royal castle ‘Ujjayanta Palace’.
The two-storeyed Ujjayanta Palace, which until recently was the Tripura legislative assembly, was constructed by then Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya Bahadur in 1899-1901. The magnificent building was the command centre of the erstwhile princely rulers.
As the Tripura assembly in July finally got its permanent home on the outskirts of the city, it was decided that the Ujjayanta Palace would be turned into a state museum, according to the agreement signed with the ex-separatist outfit All Tripura Tribal Force (ATTF) in March 1993.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake had rocked large parts of north, east and northeastern India and neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal last Sunday.
