Liquor Ban Affecting Tourism in Mizoram

Aizawl, Nov 13 : Ban on consumption of liquor in Mizoram is affecting the tourism industry in the mountainous state, a minister said on Monday. Since last 15 years, sale and consumption of liquor is not allowed in the state.

Tourism Minister S Hiato, while inaugurating a new tourist lodge at Lunglei in southern Mizoram, said: "The foreign and domestic tourists were once keen to visit Mizoram and enjoy its traditional life and culture. It is time that the churches and the NGOs have a rethink on the liquor law."

The Christian missionaries -- who have played a dominant role in Mizoram's society with 86 percent of the 1.1 million population being Christians -- and some local NGOs are against consumption of liquor.

The minister said: "During the last 12 years, only 5,412 foreign tourists and a little more than 6,000 domestic tourists have visited Mizoram."

"During the last two years after the union home ministry relaxed the restricted area permit, which restricted foreigners from visiting Mizoram and few other northeastern states, inflow of foreign tourists slightly increased," Hiato said.

The Mizoram government recently introduced helicopter services in the state to oversee developmental works, provide connectivity to people in emergency situations and carry dignitaries besides boosting tourism.

Though there are restrictions in consumption of liquor, there is clandestine selling and consumption of liquor all across Mizoram, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh.

According to the state's excise and narcotics department, over 38,000 people have been arrested for selling liquor after the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1995 was enforced in 1997. Of the 38,000 arrested people, around 28,000 people were convicted.

Drinkers in Mizoram opting for BEDC

Aizawl Nov 13 : A large number of people in the dry state of Mizoram were opting for alcohol made in neighbouring Myanmar known as BEDC resulting in several kinds of health complications, doctors said here today.

Doctors working in the state health department said that many BEDC drinkers were having stomach pain and other complications more so than those who were consuming locally-made illicit liquor.

BEDC is a reddish powder which can become a strong alcoholic drink after being mixed with water and kept for 24 hours and was reportedly distributed by the Myanmarese government to its soldiers.

The state Excise department officials seized 370 packets of BEDC in Mizoram-Myanmar border town Champhai on Friday, which would be used to make 252 litres of alcohol.

One doctor said that though proper study was yet to be conducted, there were indications that more and more tipplers resorted to drinking the smuggled alcoholic drink as the BEDC came cheap while a bottle of the cheapest rum would cost no less than Rs 500 even in Aizawl.

"The consumption of BEDC has spread to all the districts including the remotest areas in the south," doctors added.

'Indefinite Blockade on Highways from November 15'

Imphal, Nov 13 : A hill-based committee today said it would impose indefinite blockade on national and state highways in Manipur to press for carving out a separate Kuki state.

A spokesman of the Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) told mediapersons here that they have been demanding a separate Kuki state since 1961 and would launch a series of agitations if this was not done by the central and state governments.

As an initial step, KSDC has called indefinite blockade on the national highways 39 (Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati) and 53 (Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar), the two main roads connecting Manipur with the rest of the country, from November 15.

The spokesman also said the blockade would be imposed on all state highways, adding that Kukis wanted a separate state by carving out Kuki-settled areas in hill districts including Tamenglong, Senapati, Ukhrul and Churachandpur districts.

Official sources said the blockade, if imposed, would cause extreme inconvenience to people both in the hills and valley.

They said the government was aware of the demand of the committee but refused to elaborate further.

Political observers said KSDC stepped up their stir in view of the possible solution to the Centre-NSCN-IM (Naga militant outfit) peace talks before Nagaland assembly election in March next.

They said Kukis and Nagas have settled in Manipur hill districts side by side and wondered how could one break up Manipur with only 22,327 square kilometres to form different small states along the ethnic lines.

Official sources said in early 1990s, more than 1000 persons were killed in ethnic clashes between Kukis and Nagas following the latter's attempt to drive the former from their areas.

Meanwhile, several social organisations in separate statements strongly opposed any proposal to break up Manipur.

In June 2001, 18 persons were killed in agitations by different social organisations following the extension of ceasefire between centre and NSCN-IM in Manipur because they (Organisations) viewed the extension of ceasefire to Manipur by centre as an step to break up Manipur by trying to fulfill demand of NSCN-IM for integration of Nagas areas of the state with neighbouring Nagaland.

The Root of Money

By Kaushik Deka

Lal Thanhawla.

This year, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla declared March 3 as State Bamboo Day in Mizoram and instituted several awards for excellence in bamboo production-for best bamboo village, bamboo entrepreneur and artisans.

It was not a symbolic gesture, as Mizoram plans to promote bamboo as its single largest source of investment. In the last four years, three bamboo product manufacturing units have come up here, with a cumulative investment of Rs.6.3 crore.

In two of them-Mizoram Venus Bamboo and Zonum Matply-the government has 50 per cent stake, while a Rs.10-lakh soft loan was given to a third, Newtech Bamboo Products.

It is also attracting private investors. In 2006, Bangalore-based entrepreneur Rajesh Prasad, an alumnus of Delhi School of Economics and IIM, Ahmedabad, started a flower farm, Zopar, at Chanmari, on the outskirts of Aizawl. Spread over five hectares, it sells around 300,000 flowers a month during peak season and 30,000 during off-season.

From November, Zopar will grow 75,000 strawberry plants on 15 bigha land. "The state government offers us all possible support. In return, we run the state floriculture department's own flower farm at Champai," says Chandan Narzary, technical supervisor at Zopar, which employs 110 Mizo boys and girls at Rs.170 daily.

The last three years have seen investment in other sectors of Mizoram as well.

Mizoram Ispat Industries is planning a new steel project at Aizawl for Rs.60 crore.

Marathon Batteries have started a Rs.30-crore plant, while Rs.4 crore was invested to set up Eternity Partners, an it-based research centre.

However, the big-ticket investment in the state is happening in the power sector. The Rs.930-crore Tuirial hydel project has been given to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) while seven companies have bid for the 210 MW Tuivai hydro power project.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-today-state-of-the-states-2012-mizoram-becomes-investment-friendly/1/227446.html

4 must-have Gadgets on Your Diwali Shopping List

By Aseem Gaurav

New Delhi, Nov 12 : The auspicious occasion of Diwali is considered to be best time of the year when you can go for shopping for gadgets and other electronic items. The widely celebrated festival is the perfect time and reason for you to go and purchase the things you always desired.
If budget is not your constraint, we are giving you a list of top four gadgets that you can go for in order to make the festival of lights a memorable one.

iPad Mini

With iPad Mini, Apple has made a sincere attempt in bringing the Apple tablet experience to a brave new budget world. The iPad Mini's screen measures 7.9 inches diagonally—compared with 9.7 inches for the larger iPad. The Wi-Fi version of the tablet is 308g, lesser than both the Nexus 7, which comes in at 340g, and the Kindle Fire HD 7", which is nearly 395g. The iPad mini has roughly 35 per cent more screen real estate than other 7-inch tablets. It has stereo speaker grilles on the bottom along with a new Lightning port. The volume button is on the right side, along with the mute/screen lock switch. It's running on the same 32-nm A5 chip as can be found in the new iPod touch. The iPad Mini has two cameras. The first is the main iSight camera which shoots 5-megapixel images and records 1080p HD video. The FaceTime camera has a lower 1.2-megapixel resolution. The iPad Mini's battery life is just as good as the full-size iPad's. You can also access 275,000 iPad-optimized apps for the iPad. The tablet is good for reading books, watching videos and listening to music.



Nikon Coolpix S800c is an elegant point-and-shoot running on Android with a nice touch screen, Wi-Fi, GPS, and full access to the Google Play store and all the apps and content you'd find on other Android devices. The overall photo quality from the Nikon Coolpix S800c is above average for a point-and-shoot with its features, suitable for prints up to 8x10 or slightly larger and Web use. It is officially available in the Indian market for Rs. 20,950.





Samsung Galaxy SIII
Make no mistake; Samsung Galaxy SIII is the best smartphone available in the market. According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, the S III captured an impressive 11 per cent share of all smartphones shipped globally and it has become the world's best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever. It has got everything that a user can ask for: the latest version of Android, a whopping 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen and a whole suite of Apple-beating features. The device is powered by Exynos 4 Quad (1.4GHz) processor, has 720 x 1280 pixels resolution, and offers 16/32/64GB RAM depending on model, plus expandable MicroSD card. It has 8MP auto focus camera with LED flash and 1.9MP front facing camera with HD recording at 30fps and face recognition. Some notable features of the smartphone include S Voice, S Beam, AllShare Play, All Share Cast, Pop up play, Best photo and more. The device’s My Movies app enables the users access to hundreds of Indian movies, trailers and film songs. Samsung's phone also features a 4G LTE option, while the iPhone 4S plods along on 3G technology. All this makes it easy to understand why the smartphone topped charts.

The Executive headphones

Beats Electronics has recently unveiled The Executive headphones, which come equipped with the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature. “The Executive represents a new distinctive, sophisticated design for the Beats By Dr. Dre brand that focuses on craftsmanship using premium materials such as aluminum alloy, stainless steel and leather. The soft leather headband and comfortable ear cups are designed for long wear and a unique folding design make Beats Executive headphones easy to carry on-the-go,” the company says in its promotional material. The company says the headphone has been designed to in such a way that it can be used without interruption to a height of up to 35,000 feet. The Executive is available in a single colour option -- silver, for $299.

Brewing Up A Storm

By Manosh Das

Shillong, Nov 12 : It is known to all that rice forms the staple diet of the people of Meghalaya. Besides a variety of sweets and snacks, it is also used to make beer. Rice beer is quite popular among the indigenous communities in the northeast. There is also a lesser known nerve-relaxing wine based on the staple cereal.

"People know about the local rice-based brew called 'Ka Kiad' in Khasi, but few are aware of wine being made of rice," said Derby Shullai, whose rice-wine was a major attraction at the 10th Shillong Wine Festival organized by the Forever Young Club at the scenic Crinoline Water Falls in Pine City on Saturday.

"I prepare the wine from joha rice, which is first boiled, fermented and then strained," said the homemaker, who prepares the brew at her house in the Risa Colony locality of the city.

"While the local rice-based brew is crude as it is not properly distilled, the rice wine that I prepare is distilled over a year in hygienic conditions," she said. There is a great demand for her rice wine. It has refined starch, she said adding that wine is good for health.

Elderly Matilda Mary Sawkmie took to wine making ever since she retired as deputy secretary in the Meghalaya government. "I have been making wine from locally grown strawberry, pineapple and 'sohiong' just to remain active in life," the elderly lady giggled.

Young Rachael and her friend set up a counter selling dry wine based on local fruit 'sohmon'. "Our wine has a pungent odour and a taste that tingles the tongue," she beamed.

In fact, locally grown ginger, mulberry fruit, strawberry, litchi, pineapple, passion fruit, blackberry, plum, banana, jackfruit have all been fermented to produce a sensual variety of wine.

Even as wine making is still to be legalized by the state government, the 'Scotland of East' has been raising a yearly toast every winter for a decade now.

Manipur: Local Committee to Enforce ILP

Imphal, Nov 12 : A powerful local committee on Sunday said it would enforce the inner line permit system (ILP) in Manipur on its own from November 19 if the state government failed to implement it to restrict entry of outsiders in the state.

Addressing mediapersons here, Joy Chingakham, a spokesman of the Joint Committee On Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS), said the committee would issue a form for Rs 50 from November 19 and every outsider with proper police verification report and domicile certificate from their respective states should submit it by December 19.

He said mobilisation campaign to bring awareness over the increasing influx, which is affecting the demographical structure of the state, would begin from today by the JCILPS by holding public meetings, discussion etc.

He said people of Manipur were not against people from outside the state but there should be some system to protect identity, culture and tradition of the original inhabitants.

Chingakham said persons coming to Manipur to study, as tourists, for business, for short-term stay and other purposes would be given permit according to the purpose of their visit.

He claimed that non-Manipuris who had come here for different purposes were "involved in several crimes as per official records".

The effort of the JCILPS was to enable people of different communities to live harmoniously, he said.

Official sources said the state government had passed a resolution recommending implementation of inner line permit system in the state, but the case was still pending with the central government.

Sources said the government has stepped up security at all border points in the state to check entry of illegal migrants.

JCILPS spokesman said non-Manipuris who have come here as daily wage earners, labourers, or business purpose have outnumbered the total tribal population of Manipur.

JCILPS was formed by some major social organisations including Federation of Regional Indigenous People's Development Society.

NIA Decides To Go After Manipur Insurgent Oufit

By Vicky Nanjappa

The Union government has decided to crack down on the operations of the Manipur-based Revolutionary Peoples' Front. The National Investigation Agency will soon draw up a comprehensive plan to neutralise the various modules of this group.

The Revolutionary Peoples' Front, which enjoys strong links with extremist groups based in Bangladesh, is becoming a menace for the central government. The Front, while seeking 'liberation' for Manipur, has been involved in as many as 15 disruptive incidents this year. It has also opposed major decisions like the Union government's efforts to extract oil.

The RPF is the political wing of the People's Liberation Army. The RPF has today positioned itself as a government-in-exile -- with its own social welfare and finance departments -- and operates out of Bangladesh. The RPF is purportedly trying to unite all the ethnic tribal groups in Manipur.

The dossier on the RPF, prepared by the Intelligence Bureau, says that the group had started off by fighting for social causes. It had spoken out against the consumption of drugs and alcohol via a sub-group called the Special Task Force. It had also opposed the use of Hindi as an official language

The Revolutionary People's Front was formed in 1989. Today it has four divisions -- Sadar Hill West areas of the Valley of Manipur, Sadar Hill areas in the eastern Valley, the entire hill areas in Manipur and the entire Imphal area.

RPF has enjoyed considerable political patronage till now and this has forced security agencies to stay away from it. Bangladesh's Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and the Inter Services Intelligence have both kept an eye on this group to further their agenda on Indian soil.

Over the years, the RPF has gradually taken a more violent stance.

The NIA will have to deal with political interference as well as track the sources of funding for the RPF.

According to sources in the NIA, the outfit used to make do with donations, as several locals supported this cause. Today, it receives financial support from both the ISI and the DGFI. The group also owns a considerable number of sophisticated weapons and it may be enjoying the backing of State players.

The NIA will also have to deal with sympathisers of the RPF on Indian soil.

"We need to break the political links of the group and block their finances. We also have to look into the diplomatic issues involved in this case. The job will require at least a year since we need to first draw out a map of their operations and then get cracking on the case," said an official of the NIA.