Unborn baby holds doctor’s hand from inside womb

An image posted by a mother of her then unborn daughter reaching out of her womb and grabbing the finger of one of her attending doctors has gone viral on the web.

The mother who had posted the picture to Facebook, wrote, "This was 10 weeks ago when I was having my c-section and Dr. Sawyer broke my water and my daughter reached up out of my stomach and grabbed the Dr.'s finger and my hubby caught this special moment.

Truly amazing. I am in awe of this photo. Something to remember forever."

Since the publication of the photograph it has garnered 15517 likes, over 1000 comments and 9000 shares.

The couple has also been featured on a number of prominent newspaper and television channels.

Ahmedabad Couple Helps Lost Mizo woman find her home

Ahmedabad, Jan 8 : After you read this story, probably you will be proud to be in the same city which is home to good Samaritans like Bharat Sata and his wife. Setting a positive example for others too, this noble couple rose above the general tendency to avoid legal hassles that come from helping people in distress to help a young woman from North-east trace out her PG accommodation in the city.

 

Businessman from Maninagar, Bharat Sata and his wife spent more than 4 hours for Juliana, a 30-year-old woman from Mizoram, who was lost in Navrangpura after she had left her PG accommodation in the morning. With their help and determination, the couple finally found the address of her accommodation located near Gujarat College. 

 

Sata, who deals in quartz stone, had come to the Tibetan market behind Navrangpura bus stop along with his wife for shopping on Sunday afternoon. While entering the market, the couple spotted a girl from North-east surrounded by auto drivers. “I saw that the girl looked confused and lost. Auto drivers surrounded her after she asked one of them to help her. However, she soon became an object of amusement for them,” said Sata, who decided to help the girl. “I saw my own daughter in her face and decided to help her out at any cost” said a concerned Sata. 

 

Talking to the couple, the girl told them her nickname is Juliana and that she hails from Mizoram. However, her voter ID card had her real name which is HL Thangilazgi. She claimed to be a therapist and a fashion stylist. 

 

The confused and utterly lost woman kept speaking in English and Mizo, and from what he could understand from her broken English, Sata could gather she had come to the city only two days ago, as she wanted to take admission in some management course and had put up in a PG accommodation. “But, after leaving her residence, and coming to Navrangpura, she forgot the address and couldn’t recall the name of the area too. Thus lost, she couldn’t go back to her place,” said Sata, who took her to Navrangpura police station for further help. 

 

From the police station, Juliana was referred to the women police station at around 5pm. However, no one understood her language and she was once again sent back to Navrangpura police station. Finally at 6:30pm, cops called an interpreter and learnt that Juliana was staying in a PG accommodation near a church on Gujarat college road. Cops them took her along and was finally successful in finding her residence going according to her directions. Cops learnt that Juliana shares a room with a girl from Italy and doesn’t know anything about the city.

Road Accidents Casualty Rising in Assam

Guwahati: The number of deaths in road accidents rose by over 14 per cent from 2010 to 2011 in Assam, according to the latest data released by the union government.

A total of 2,854 people lost their lives in road accidents in 2011, up from 2,498 in 2010, as per the ‘Statistical Year Book, India 2013′ released last week by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in New Delhi.

Altogether 2,499 people were killed in road accidents in the state in 2009.

Overall, 7,851 people were killed in road accidents during the three year period of 2009-11 in the state.

As per the data, in 2011 Assam witnessed an overall casualty figure of 4,773 from “accidental deaths” including road accidents, stampede, poisoning, death by firearms or animals, fire, factory mishaps, explosions, electrocution, drowning, lightning, avalanche and building collapse.

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.