No FDI in Mining in Meghalaya

Shillong, Oct 19 : The Meghalaya government Thursday said it had done away with foreign direct investment (FDI) in the mining sector after several organisations protested the controversial Meghalaya Mines and Minerals Policy, 2012 that was approved by the state cabinet Oct 5.

"The government has done away with that clause in the Mines and Mineral Policy that encourages foreign direct investment in the mining sector," Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of mining and geology Bindo Lanong told IANS.

The state cabinet has however approved rat-hole coal mining in the state.

Rat-hole mining is a primitive method that entails clearing ground vegetation and digging pits ranging from five to 100 square metres to reach the coal seams.

Several organisations under the banner of Social Organisations of Meghalaya against Land Alienation (SOMALA) had earlier demanded that the FDI clause be repealed from the Meghalaya Mines and Minerals Policy 2012.

The opposition National People's Party and Meghalaya state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party had criticised the earlier decision of the state cabinet to allow FDI in mining, saying that it would have a negative impact on small-time miners and lead to the total sellout of the state's natural resources.

Meghalaya has a total coal reserve of 640 million tonnes, besides 5,000 million tonnes of limestone reserve and other minerals like Uranium.

"FDI is a central subject and the state government cannot decide alone on this issue and if the government felt it necessary to go for FDI in the mining sector with an intention to ensure job opportunities to the tribesmen of the state, we would then seek the central government's consent on the matter," Lanong said.

"It is their (SOMALA's) misconception on the policy, but the fact of the matter is that the government had decided to do away with the clause that sought to encourage FDI in the mining sector," the deputy chief minister clarified.

Neiphiu Rio Wants Emotional Integration of Nagas

New Delhi, Oct 19 : Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said if physical integration of contiguous Naga-inhabited territories is not possible, there should at least be emotional integration to resolve the Naga insurgency.

Perhaps, Rio has in mind a body that unites the Nagas irrespective of which state they live while thinking aloud of an emotional integration. Already, there is the Naga Ho Ho, an apex tribal council where various Naga tribes are represented. Last month, a Naga Ho Ho delegation met various political leaders here for a peaceful solution. While working out a solution, the government could mull institutionalizing the Naga Ho Ho, said a source drawing an analogy with the SGPC that unites Sikhs in matters of religion.

Peace talks began with the NSCN (IM) 15 years ago. In the last two years, interlocutors led by 1972 batch IAS officer R S Pandey could impress upon the rebel leaders that though the Constitution allows redrawing state boundaries for Naga integration, it is fraught with practical problems. Also, India won't agree to "secession of an inch of its territory". There are indications that the rebels have understood India's imperatives.

For an "honourable settlement" of the issue, the Centre can concede certain special rights in governance and development relating to Naga identity, culture, land and autonomy, said a source. The Centre is also mulling autonomous councils in Naga inhabited areas in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh like those for Bodos in Assam or Gorkhas in West Bengal, said a source.

For this, skilful negotiation in a short time between the Centre, concerned states, interlocutors and the Nagas is required for a win-win solution acceptable to all. "The solution should be inclusive," said Rio.

He insisted this is the most opportune time for the Indian government to resolve the "Naga political issue". "The people of Nagaland want peace. They are fed up with extortion and illegal activities. The Naga nationalist underground groups have never come as close to the state and central government as now," he said. Leader of Naga insurgent group NSCN (IM), Th Muivah, too, is ready for settlement.

Rio said this was the most "opportune time" for the Centre to come up with a permanent solution to the 65-year-old struggle. "If this opportunity is missed, I don't know whether we will get such a chance in our lifetime," said Rio.

For an embattled UPA government suffering from policy paralysis, it seems to be an uphill task.

Mizoram Hosts FIFA Grassroots Course

Aizawl, Oct 18 : The opening ceremony of the FIFA Grassroots Course taking place in Mizoram from Monday (October 15) to Friday (October 19) was attended by state Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, President of Mizoram FA Lal Thanzara and General Secretary Lalnghinglova Hmar, along with other senior officials from Sports Council of Mizoram and senior officials from the Mizoram FA.

The five-day affair which is being conducted by Scott O’Donnel, Technical Director Academies and Coaching, All India Football Federation (AIFF), is being attended by 28 participants from Mizoram.

The participants have been chosen by the Mizoram FA, who have the experience of working with kids and ability to implement Grassroots football in their respective districts and regions.

The theory sessions are being held at the Information and Public Relations auditorium and the practical sessions at the Assam Rifles ground.

Each day 25 kids attend the practical sessions to be part of small-sided games for kids which helps the instructor to demonstrate and explain the small sided games philosophy and its implementation in GR football to the participants.

A Grassroots festival will be held on Friday morning with approximately 75 kids between the age of 6-12 attending the same.

Now, Dial 108 For Emergency in Assam

Guwahati, Oct 18 : The Assam government Wednesday launched a one-point integrated helpline number (108) for all kinds of emergency response.

This is also the first such one-point crisis response helpline ever launched in the country and this integrated helpline number will encompass police, fire and all other disaster-related emergency incidents.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi launched the emergency number at a function at the state secretariat conference hall and said that 108 emergency services have already created an impact on Assam's health services, especially in dealing with accident-related cases and timely care for pregnant women.

"The 108 ambulance service has become very popular in the state and as such, its network has been further widened by encompassing other services like police, fire and disaster-related incidents," he said.

"The launching of the integrated emergency helpline would provide much-needed impetus to people living in far-flung and interior areas, including hilly areas. The integrated service will go a long way in providing timely relief to affected people at the time of exigencies," Gogoi pointed out.

He said the integrated service would help the common man to derive prompt services in health care, police, fire and other emergency services.

Assam's Minister for Health & Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was present on the occasion, said the 108 service under the aegis of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has been rendering yeoman services and the integrated service would further tone up health and other emergency services in the coming days.

"The launching of the integrated services will help the poorest of the poor in getting access to health and disaster-related emergency services," Sarma said.

The minister added that 100 small ambulances have been pressed into service for the hill areas under the 108 service. For referral cases, another fleet of ambulances will be placed shortly, he added.

The health department has been designated as a nodal department for implementing the integrated emergency helpline as it has been already partnering GVK-EMRI 108 helpline service.

A total of 655 police and fire stations have been connected with the 108 call centre to render fast services to the people, officials said, adding that a total of 4,355 emergency response personnel of the fire brigade and police have been trained for this purpose.

Ibobi Noncommittal On Naga Issue

Imphal, Oct 18 : Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Wednesday said that Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had sought his assistance to put to an end to six-decade-long Naga separatist movement, but he did not know if he could help.

“The Centre has sought our (Manipur government) cooperation in solving the Naga issue. But I am not in a position to oblige, since the exact points of agreement between the NSCN-IM and the Indian government is not known to us,” Ibobi told journalists.

Manipur, Chief Minister, Okram Ibobi Singh. Image courtesy PIB

The NSCN-IM has been fighting for an independent Nagaland for over six decades.
It however later demanded a Greater Nagaland by slicing off parts of three neighbouring states to unite 1.2 million Nagas.

The demand is opposed by Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

New Delhi and the NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire in August 1997.

The two have held more than 50 rounds of peace talks to end one of South Asia’s longest-running insurgencies that has killed 25,000 people since 1947.

“The Manipur government too wishes that the Centre and NSCN-IM come to an amicable solution and wind up the peace talks,” Ibobi said.

The Manipur chief minister said that it was also too early for the Manipur government to comment on the Naga peace process as the points of agreement between the Centre and Naga separatist outfit have not been disclosed.

On Tuesday, Nagaland Home Minister Imkong Imchen exuded confidence that there could be an early settlement to the six-decade Nagaland conflict.

“We hope for an early settlement, especially since Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde showed keen interest in resolving the Naga issue,” said Imchen.

The comments followed a published report that the NSCN-IM had decided to accept the Indian constitution and drop the demand for a Greater Nagaland.

New Delhi’s main interlocutor RS Pandey, a former petroleum and natural gas secretary, did not comment on the news report but maintained that the peace process remained on track.

“The peace process is on the right direction. I have held several meetings with them (NSCN-IM) but at the moment things are yet to concretise,” said Pandey.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio led a 19-member delegation of legislators, including opposition leader Tokheho Yepthomi, to meet Shinde and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj in Delhi to apparently thrash out the final contours of a peace settlement with Naga insurgents.

Rio, Imchen, Congress leader Tokheho Yepthomi and MPs Khekiho Zhimomi and CM Chang were among the 20 in the Joint Legislators Forum (JLF) who also met NSCN-IM chairman Isak Swu and general secretary Muivah.

The JLF is scheduled to meet LK Advani on Wednesday in the national capital to seek support for an early solution to the Naga imbroglio.

During earlier talks, the NSCN-IM had proposed “a special federal arrangement” to enable the Nagas self-governance, but the negotiations ended inconclusively.

The NSCN-IM wants a special federal relationship with India, with a separate Naga constitution, and would like the guerrillas to jointly guard the international borders alongside Indian security forces.

Zoramthanga Faces Trial

By Linda Chhakchhuak

Aizawl, Oct 17 : A special court here has ordered framing of charges against Opposition leader and former Chief Minister and Mizo National Front (MNF) supremo, in a corruption case.

The Special Judge under the Prevention of Corruption Act asked the prosecution to frame charges against Zoramthanga.

November 19 has been fixed as the next date of hearing.

The former underground leader Zoramthanga is probably the first Chief Minister from the Northeastern States to face trial for misuse of government property for personal use.

The ex-CM is accused of using his powers as the Chief Minister to get issued Agriculture department materials worth around Rs 37 lakh for fencing his farm at Aipuk, a few kms from the capital in 2007. When the issue was raised in the House by the then Opposition Congress, he is accused of clarifying that the materials were issued to members of an Aipuk Farming Society on 50 per cent subsidy. Official documents were backdated to clear himself, it is alleged.

The ACB had filed an additional charge sheet alleging that the former CM held assets disproportionate to his known sources of income but this did not satisfy the Special Judge. But sources said that that the court has permitted them time to file a fresh affidavit on this count.

The ACB report said that in 2003 he owned about Rs 54 lakhs which grew to over Rs 1 crore, including various immovable properties showing a massive growth in cash and property assets without any known source of income.

It was only in 2009 that prodding by the popular anti-corruption group PRISM through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that the government instituted an ACB investigation under the watchful eye of the Gauhati High Court. During the course of investigations his residence was raided recovering several land pattas, passbooks, passports, etc.

The former underground leader appeared in the special court in person along with former Cabinet colleagues. He has been consistently claiming that he is being framed for political reasons. Assembly elections is just round the corner in November next year.

The other allegation against him is that he had authorised the collection of three per cent from all the PMGSY contractors ostensibly for party funds during two consecutive terms he was CM (1998 to 2008).

Far from denying this charge, sources said that the MNF supremo had claimed that all parties including the Congress collected its party funds in this manner.

Loktak Lake Scam: Investigation Demanded

In April 2010, Tehelka had exposed the corruption in the 224-crore project to clean up the Loktak lake in Manipur
By Sabika Abbas

Flashpoints The eye of the storm, the Loktak Lake

Photo: AFP Both Congress high command and Manipur government continue to maintain silence even as clamour for an inquiry into Loktak Lake scam increases. Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be set up immediately to probe into the findings of the Tehelka expose.

“I have travelled extensively around the area where Loktak Lake is situated and couldn’t see even a fourth of rupee spent from the crores that were granted for cleaning up the Lake. No money has been spent on the rehabilitation of people living in areas near the infested lake”, says senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar. The clean-up project involves removing 132.94 lakh cubic metres of thick biomass, ‘phumdis’, from the lake.

Main Opposition party in Manipur, Trinamool Congress has also joined the chorus. “Our MPs will raise the issue in the Parliament”, asserted Kim Kangte, Trinamool Congress chief for Manipur. She stated that a joint-party meeting had taken place to look into the matter. “There is no doubt about the fact that the Congress party is directly involved in this multi-crore scam” she said.

Apart from political parties, civil society organisations in Manipur have also joined in. On 15 October, International Peace and Social Advancement, IPSA and the Ethno Heritage Council (HERICOUN) issued separate press releases demanding that the CBI be called in to investigate into the case.

In April 2010, TEHELKA had reported how a company that existed only on paper was awarded a Rs 224 crore contract to clean up the Loktak Lake (The Lake and the Fake Firm) in Manipur. Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, who is also the chairman of the Loktak Development Authority, had rubbished TEHELKA’s findings and claimed the process of selecting K-Pro Infra Works Private Ltd, the company that was awarded the contract, was fair and transparent. In an article published last week (The dirty clean-up work), TEHELKA reported that two years later, new documents give the lie to the CM’s claim and prove that the lake project is characterised by undue favours and flagrant violations of government norms.

Source: Tehelka

Tea is Officialy 'State drink' of Assam

Guwahati Oct 17 : The Assam cabinet on Monday gave its nod to declare tea as the ‘State Drink’ of Assam.

A press release stated that the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held at the chief minister’s residence yesterday evening. A formal notification is expected to be issued by the state government in a day or two.

Tarun Gogoi, chief minister of Assam, had in November last year declared tea as the ‘State Drink’ of Assam and the cabinet yesterday approved the same. Gogoi had also assured the industry to try and convince the Centre to declare the beverage as the ‘National Drink’ of India.

Recently, a parliamentary standing committee on commerce, which was constituted on August 31, 2011, and submitted its report on August 9, 2012, had recommended that tea be given the status of ‘National Drink’.

Welcoming the decision of Assam cabinet, Bidyananda Barkakoty, chairman of North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) said tea had been the only industry where Assam could retain its leadership for over a century.

“Way back on May 8, 1838, three hundred and fifty pounds of Assam tea were dispatched to London and sold at India House, London, on January 10, 1839. Since then, over the last 174 years, it is the only industry where Assam has retained its leadership”, Barkakoty said.

“Tea is indigenous to Assam and is an area where Assam can take a lot of pride. Southern China and Assam are the only two regions in the world with native tea plants”, added Rajib Barooah, chairman of Assam Tea Planters’ Association (ATPA).

The tea industry is one of the largest employers in Assam. Assam tea industry employs around 7 lakh permanent workers and another 5 lakh seasonal workers. Another 10 lakh persons are dependent on Assam tea industry.

Around 50 per cent of workers are women and hence, Assam tea industry is the single largest employer of women. More than 3,50,000 hectares area is under tea cultivation in Assam.

Barkakoty said this formal declaration of tea as the ‘State Drink’ will bolster the marketing of Assam tea. “Tea is now accepted as a health drink world over. This fact coupled with the “State Drink” tag will also attract the large youth population of the region towards this health beverage,” he added.

The tea industry expects that the ‘State Drink’ status to the beverage would increase its per capita consumption in Assam from 650 gm and help touch the national average which is about 730 gm.Assam’s share to the total tea production of India is around 55 per cent.