Assam Govt Draws Flak For Privatising Mid-Day Meals

Karimganj (Assam), Jan 8 : Lambasting Assam government for its decision to privatise mid-day meal scheme, CITU said over one lakh women would be rendered jobless on account of it.

The decision was ‘arbitrary and unjustified’ and ’smacked of anti-people policy’ as it amounted to depriving 1,00,350 poor women workers who were engaged as cooks under the scheme from its benefits, CITU state unit organising secretary Mukund Teli said here yesterday.

The women workers engaged in cooking the meals for children in primary schools since 2005 when the scheme was implemented in the state, he told a meeting of CITU Cachar-Hailakandi district unit workers here yesterday.

“Instead of their services being regularised, the women now face an uncertain future,” he observed and claimed that they were also yet to receive the state’s share of 10 per cent payment of their monthly Rs 1000 salary as fixed by the Centre in 2009.

In 2010 the state government had decided to hand over implementation of the scheme to private organisation Akshaya Patra Foundation and the final shape was given on December 7, 2012 to begin it in a phased manner, Teli added.

New Airline Operator Dedicated to Northeast

Shillong, Jan 8 : After a certain period of halt in the air connectivity services of Meghalaya and other north eastern states from Umroi Airport due to some inefficient services of airlines operating in the region, the services will again resume with the coming of a new airline operator dedicated to the North-East which will start operating from the airport by April 1 this year.

This was informed by the North Eastern Council (NEC) Secretary U K Sangma at a pre bid consultation meeting which was held at NEC office between the various airline operators and members of the North Eastern Council on Friday.

The meeting which was attended by five operators namely-Quick Jet from Bangalore, North East Shuttle, Pawan Hans to name a few was an initiative of the NEC to improve air connectivity of the north east region.

Elaborating further on this Sangma said, “The response to the bidding is encouraging, we have Quick Jet from Bangalore, North East Shuttle, Pawan Hans to name a few.”

“All the air line bidders are interested but are requesting some changes which we are looking into,” he added.

Informing about the pre bid consultation meeting held today between the operators and members of the NEC, Sangma said, “Two scheduled and three non scheduled air line operators attended the pre bid consultative meeting which was fruitful.”

“Confusion and clarification regarding the terms and condition was dealt with in the meeting,” he added.

While taking a strong note on the past inefficient services of airlines operating in the region, Sangma said, “ Proper penalty clauses are put into place which amounts upto Rs,50,000 fine if improper service is delivered” adding that the subsidized rate for the aircraft will be for a period of three years only and in connection to the safety regulations the DDCA will look after it.

When enquired about the Alliance Air allegation of non-payment of dues by NEC, Sangma said , “ “Alliance Air service was inefficient and their memorandum of understanding had expired since December 31,” further adding, “ We had send them letters to stop operations but it was unheeded to and they continued their operations.”

It may be recalled that Alliance Air was operating from Umroi airport for the past few years but their services were discontinued and the reason for it as cited by NEC are-non-adherence to MOU conditions, unsatisfactory service, poor public perception, disincentive to private players, no impact on passenger fares, unsatisfied viability gap funding.

Meanwhile, dwelling on the financial aid requirement of the north east in enhancing the air connectivity, Sangma felt that the 15,000 crore earmarked by the centre to Air India for the next five year plan could have been very well used to  better air connectivity in the region considering the need for it.

“The question of non-payment of dues does not arise,” Sangma said adding, “ My guess is they thought lobbying in Delhi would help them for which they lobbied hard.”

The meeting which was attended by five operators namely-Quick Jet from Bangalore, North East Shuttle, Pawan Hans to name a few was an initiative of the NEC to improve air connectivity of the north east region.(SP News)

Mizoram Sets Talking Terms with HPC-D

Aizawl, Jan 7 : The Mizoram government, which has been postponing the peace parleys with the Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) since the last round of talks held in Aizawl on November 11, 2010, has now placed a proposal before the militant organisation for a new round of talks.

The HPC (D) was floated in 2000 for an autonomous district council in the Hmar Christian-dominated Sinlung area in Mizoram.

A senior home department official of the state said in Aizawl that home minister R. Lalzirliana has informed the rebel leaders that the government was ready for conditional talks.

Lalzirliana said, “We are not opposed to a dialogue with the top brass of the HPC (D) as they are our brothers and they should not consider this government their enemy.”

Reports from the home department said to hold talks between the Mizoram government and the HPC (D), the Hmar rebels should abide by some conditions such allowing the postponed rural council polls to be held in the areas under the Sinlung Hills Development Council.

The elections to the development council were twice postponed since the Congress government came to power in Mizoram following the Assembly polls in December 2008.

Sources said the two other conditions are that the HPC (D) should postpone its demand for the dissolution of the branches of the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the largest NGO in Mizoram, in Sinlung areas and the group should not interfere in implementation of schemes under the MGNREGA.

After the first round of talks held in Aizawl, there were no more negotiation as the official delegation to the talks objected to the proposal by Hmar rebels to induct a Hmar clergyman, who is now a US national.

Mizoram is now keen to resume the parleys keeping in mind the Assembly polls, scheduled for later this year. According to reports, a senior official of the Mizoram police (CID) had secretly met a three-member team of the HPC (D) on December 13 in Aizawl.

The team, comprising three HPC (D) delegates, met here and then moved to Aizawl to continue the talks. The senior home department official had made it clear that his government was, however, firm in not releasing the chairman of the HPC (D) Zosangbera, 34, who was apprehended at New Delhi airport in June last year.

Assam Drummers hoping to enter Guinness World Records

Artists play the Khol, a traditional Assamese musical instrument for 15 minutes in a bid to create a Guinness record, at Mejenga Pathar in Jorhat district of Assam on Sunday. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Assam earned an entry in the India Book of Records on Sunday for holding the largest ensemble of drummers with 14,833 drummers playing khol (a traditional drum of Assam) in unison in Titabor in Jorhat district.

The organiser of the ensemble Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha will now be sending the video recording of the event to the authorities of Guinness World Records with the hope to earn an entry.

Clad in white attire and headgear the drummers from across the State and also from Arunachal Pradesh played in unison for 15 minutes at a paddy field in Mezengapathar of Titabor.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi played a khol to mark symbolic start of the ensemble in his home constituency.

Addressing the gathering Mr. Gogoi hoped that the largest khol ensemble would help in propagating the creative genius of Srimanta Sankaradeva, the propagator of ‘eksarana naamdharma’ or Mahapurshiya dharma (a Vaishnava faith), playwright, poet, composer, litterateur, painter, communicator. Sankaradeva adopted the technique of propagating his faith through music, art and literature to usher in a socio-cultural renaissance in Assam in 15th-16th centuries.

Northeast Frontier Railway Defers Broad Gauge Project Deadline to 2015

Silchar, Jan 7 : Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) authorities on Sunday postponed the deadline for completion of the much-delayed 218-km Lumding-Silchar broad gauge project to mid-2015. NFR chief engineer (construction) Ajit Pandit informed this at a review meeting of the project held at Haflong, the headquarters of Dima Hasao district in Assam.

It is the fourth time that the NFR missed the deadline for completion of the national project, the foundation for which was laid way back in 1996. First, the authorities announced that the project would be completed in 2006, then 2009, 2012, 2013 and now 2015. The NFR authorities faced severe criticism by locals of Barak Valley for the continued inordinate delay in the project, which is considered the lifeline of southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur.

The meeting was held at Haflong circuit house at the instance of Assam PHE minister Gautom Roy. Assam minister of state for excise and sports Ajit Singh was also present at the meeting besides senior railway officials.

The NFR chief engineer told the meeting that the progress of the project is satisfactory. He said the longest tunnel in the section is tunnel No. 10 with a length of 3,235 metre of which 1,850 metre has been completed. Work from both sides of the tunnel is on. Another major tunnel, No. 7, has a length of 1,687 metre of which 971.5 metre has been completed, he added. Pandit said work on 10 tunnels of a total of 17 on this route has so far been completed.

The NFR will take up the "mega block" on this route in September, 2014 and the project is set to be commissioned by the middle of 2015, he said.

Explaining the reasons for deadline being pushed back again, Pandit said from 1996 to 2006 there was a severe funds crunch. Following that, between 2006 and 2009, the project was hit by militancy in Dima Hasao, through which the railway route runs. "During the period, a total of 70 workers engaged the broad gauge project were killed by militants and another eight were abducted. The environment was not fit for progress of the project," said Pandit.

He also informed that the NFR is yet to get clearance from the department of environment and forest for work on one of the major bridges under the project.

PHE minister Roy took stock of the progress of the project and visited some work sites including tunnel No 10. ABCI Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, which is responsible for construction of the longest tunnel on the route, is under fire for alleged poor quality of work and the delay.

Roy expressed satisfaction over progress of the tunnel and the project as a whole.

The Lumding-Silchar-Jiribam-Badarpur-Kumarghat gauge conversion project (Lumding-Silchar is 214km), which is 368.46-km long, was sanctioned in 1996-97. The Rs 4,073.50-crore project was declared a national project in 2004.

'Lost tribe of Israel' to return to Jewish homeland after five-year legal fight

• Villagers from northeastern India will be allowed to settle in Israel
• They claim to be the Bnei Menashe, who were banished in eighth century
• They were recognised by a Rabbi in 2005 but many Israelis dispute it
• Some say they are not Jews and are simply fleeing poverty in India
• Nearly 300 will arrive in the coming weeks
• Ex-minister says Israel is using them to strengthen its claims to West Bank

Dozens of Indian Jews who claim to be the descendants of a lost biblical Jewish tribe emigrated to Israel from their village in India on Monday, celebrating their arrival after a five-year struggle to get in.
The Bnei Menashe, from the northeastern part of India, say they are descended from Jews banished from ancient Israel to India in the eighth century B.C.
An Israeli chief rabbi recognised them as one of the 10 'lost tribes' in 2005, and about 1,700 moved to Israel over the next two years before the government stopped giving them visas.

Overjoyed: Immigrants from the Bnei Menashe tribe of the Jewish community in Manipur, northeast India, reunite with their family members at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on Monday

New life: Fifty members of Bnei Menashe arrived this week to join the 1,700 already resident in Israel

Emotional: Friends and relatives who were forced apart tearfully embrace, while others prepare to build a life alone or with just their immediate family

Hopeful: No genetic studies have yet proved ancestry for the Bnei Menash, who claim they were exiled in the eighth century BC

'Dream': Family members greet relatives, with a further 7,200 Bnei Menashe waiting to join them from in the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur

Arguments: Members of the tribe are eligible to emigrate if they convert, although the Indian authorities have resisted the process

Israel recently reversed that policy, agreeing to let the remaining 7,200 Bnei Menashe immigrate.

Fifty-three arrived in Tel Aviv on a flight Monday. Michael Freund, an Israel-based activist on their behalf, said nearly 300 others will arrive in the coming weeks.

 

'This is a very moving aliyah,' he told ynetnews.com. 'We feel like our lost brothers have come home.'

WHO ARE THE BNEI MENASHE?

The Bnei Menashe (sons of Manasseh) claim descent from one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, who were sent into exile by the Assyrian Empire (above) more than 27 centuries ago.
Their ancestors wandered through Central Asia and the Far East for centuries, before settling in what is now northeastern India, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh.
The Bnei Menashe practise Judaism, observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, celebrating the festivals and following family laws.
An Israeli chief rabbi recognised them as one of the 10 'lost tribes' in 2005, and about 1,700 moved to Israel over the next two years, helped by Israel-based organisation Shavei, before the government stopped giving them visas.
Another 7,200 remain in India, hoping to move, and Israel recently agreed they too would be allowed to immigrate, provided they convert first. India, however, does not support the policy, which may trigger a mass exodus.
Some do not believe the tribe qualify as Jews, however, claiming that they simply want to escape poverty in India.
Avraham Poraz, a former interior minister, said they were not linked to the Jewish people and claimed Israeli settlers were using them to strengthen Israel's claims to the West Bank.
Several genetic studies have been undertaken, but none has yet proved ancestry, according to author Nadia Abu El-Haj.

Freund, who joined the flight from India, said that during the trip 'we all had tears of joy in our eyes, realising that this is part of the closure of a 2,700-year historical circle of this lost tribe.'
Freund stressed that 'their immigration to Israel demonstrates the power and determination of the Jewish faith: Despite being cut off for hundreds and thousands of years, they never forgot who they were and where they want to return to.'
Lhing Lenchonz, 26, arrived in Israel with her husband and eight-month-old daughter.
'After waiting for thousands of years, our dream came true,' she said. 'We are now in our land.'
Ben Asher, 23, who arrived with his family, added: 'Israel is my heritage and religion. Israel is everything to me. We are very happy. We've been waiting for this moment for hundreds of years.'
He plans to join the Israel Defense Forces soon. 'I want to serve my country in any way possible,' he added.
Zimra Danapa, 20, flew to Israel with her mother and sister. 'I have fulfilled my dream,' she said.
'After many years of hoping to arrive in Israel, I am very excited to be here.
'We plan to build our life here and bring more family members here.'
Zvi Kalfa, a community member who immigrated to Israel 13 years ago, leaving his parents behind, said: 'At the airport there was an exciting reunion. Some of the immigrants united with their relatives who have already been here for years.
'Our hope is to bring everyone here.'
But not all Israelis think Bnei Menashe qualify as Jews, and some suspect they are simply fleeing poverty in India.
Avraham Poraz, a former interior minister, said they were not linked to the Jewish people.
He also charged that Israeli settlers were using them to strengthen Israel's claims to the West Bank.
When Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar recognized the Bnei Menashe as a lost tribe in 2005, he insisted they undergo conversion to be recognised as Jews.
He sent a rabbinical team to India that converted 218 Bnei Menashe, until Indian authorities stepped in and stopped it.

Faith: The Bnei Menashe practise Judaism, observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, celebrating the festivals and following family laws

A former Israeli interior minister, said that Israeli settlers were using the Bnei Menashe to strengthen Israel's claims to the disputed West Bank

The Bnei Menashe come from the states of Mizoram and Manipur near India's border with Myanmar, where, they say, their ancestors landed after the Assyrians banished them.

Over the centuries they became animists, and in the 19th century, British missionaries converted many to Christianity.
Even so, the group says they continued to practise ancient Jewish rituals, including animal sacrifices, which they say were passed down from generation to generation.
Jews in the Holy Land stopped animal sacrifices after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Disasters, refugee issue dominate Mizoram scene in 2012

By H C Vanlalruata

Aizawl: 2012 was a year of disaster, both man-made and natural, in Mizoram and an acute shortage of essential commodities throughout the year added to people's woes while the vexed issue of repatriation of Bru refugees continued to haunt the government.

With the Christians-dominated state scheduled to go for assembly elections next year, Opposition parties were very vocal in their criticism of the Congress government.

Two issues that dominated the year dealt with minority communities -- Hmars and Brus, also known as Reangs.

Acute shortage of essential commodities, especially cooking gas, resulted in Opposition parties stepping up their attacks on the government and even distributing bags of charcoal to the people.

The main opposition Mizo National Front also distributed candles free of cost to people in protest against the intermittent power supply in the state.

Nine persons were killed and more than 10 injured due to several fire incidents till October while 152 houses were gutted and properties worth Rs 17.12 crore lost.

The worst fire incident was in February when 29 houses and three government buildings were completely gutted at the Bazar Veng locality in south Mizoram's Saiha town.

Opposition parties alleged that most of the fire incidents occurred due to acute shortage of cooking gas and electricity as people resorted to alternate cooking and lighting devices like kerosene stoves and candles resulting in frequent accidents.

More than ten people including a woman and her daughter were killed due to landslides triggered by monsoon rains.

Many people were killed in several road mishaps with the worst accident being when 18 people died and 19 were injured when a bus was swept down to a deep gorge by a massive landslide in July. In March, 16 people died and 23 were injured when a bus fell into a deep gorge near the Mizoram-Manipur border.

In the beginning of the year, Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana said that the state government would not consider resumption of peace talks with the Manipur-based Hmar People's Convention -- Democrats militants with whom the government signed Suspension of Operations in 2010.

The state government even launched a crackdown on the HPC-D after the group's threats resulting in disband of the most powerful body Young Mizo Association in the Hmar-dominated areas adjoining neighbouring Manipur.

In a major setback for the HPC-D, its self-styled army chief Lalropuia and self-styled deputy army chief Lalbiaknunga were arrested. Then its 'chairman' H Lalsangbera was arrested in Delhi [ Images ] in July.

The strained relations between the Hmar militant group and the state government resurfaced when the state election commission failed to conduct village council polls in the Hmar-dominated areas as no nomination was filed despite repeated postponement of the last date of filing of nominations.

The failure of the state election to conduct elections to the 15 village councils in the Hmar-dominated areas during October might have prompted the state government to reconsider its stance on the talks with the HPC-D as the talks on the official level began again on December 13.

Another issue that continued to haunt the state government and the people was the vexed issue of repatriation of Bru refugees lodged in the six relief camps of North Tripura district since late 1997.

Though the repatriation of the Bru refugees was stalled during mid-2011 due to different reasons including demands by Mizo NGOs for rehabilitation on 83 Mizo families displaced from Sakhan range in Tripura, the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's [ Images ] efforts prompted resumption of the repatriation process materialised from April 26.   

However, the fourth phase of Bru repatriation could not be implemented due to massive opposition from the bodies representing the refugees including the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum as only seven families returned to Mizoram during the fourth phase and the state government submitted its report to the Union home ministry saying that the repatriation could not take off due to opposition from the refugees themselves.

Mizoram also witnessed unprecedented spurt of abductions for ransom by militants with the first case being the kidnapping of six executives of the Assam-based construction company -- the Anupam Bricks and Concrete Industries Limited on March 25 from south Mizoram's Mauzam hamlet by suspected NLFT cadres.

The abducted persons, for whom Rs 120 lakh was demanded as ransom, were released after being held hostage for more than a month, reportedly after the ransom was paid.

In another incident, three non-tribal timber traders were abducted by suspected militants belonging to the newly-formed Borok National Council of Tripura and NLFT combine in November and were taken to and kept as hostages till date in a jungle near Zopui and Thangnang villages in Bangladesh.

On the religious front, the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram, which severed its decade-long ties with the Presbyterian Church of the US after the latter was considered to be too liberal on the issue of homosexuality decided to have relationship with the Presbyterian Church in America.

The Synod of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church made the decision to snap ties with the Presbyterian Church of the United States after the latter agreed to ordain gays as priests and also to the marriage between people having the same sex.

The Presbyterian Church finally agreed to do away with the Mizo traditional 'Hlamzuih' concept, which regarded that infants who died before attaining three months do not deserve decent Christian burial.

Security tightened before Christmas in Mizoram

Aizawl Dec 24 : Elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure peaceful celebration of Christmas in the Christian-dominated Mizoram, police said today.

"Aizawl city has been divided into four zones which would be headed by two Sub-Divisional Police Officers and Officers-in-Charge (OC) of the four police stations, designated as zonal officers," Superintendent of Police in Aizawl, L R Dingliana Sailo, told PTI.

"The four zones are again divided into 12 sectors where temporary outposts were established and more than 100 policemen were on duty round-the-clock since Monday," Sailo said.

Mobile Police patrol and foot patrolling were also pushed into service while senior police officials would also make rounds to visit duty posts of the policemen as also the duty posts of the Village Defence Party (VDP) and Young Mizo Association (YMA), he said.

The police also appealed to the people to cooperate with the law enforcement officials so that the Christmas and New Year festivities were completely peaceful.