Crackdown for non compliance with Central excise on Coal miners in Northeast India

Central excise has launched massive crackdown on coal miners from Meghalaya for allegedly evading payment of central excise duties.

Guwahati, Mar 7 : Central excise has launched massive crackdown on coal miners from Meghalaya for allegedly evading payment of central excise duties.

Coal is leviable to central excise duty since March 2011. According to a statement from the department coal miners, traders and dealers particularly from Meghalaya continue to evade the central excise duties by way of clandestine removal, without payment of the leviable duty from the mines and depots leading to a huge revenue loss to the government.

The statement added that extensive persuasive efforts by the central excise authorities to bring about compliance have met with resistance and evasion continues with impunity.

"In view of reluctance of the coal miners in Jaintia and West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, the department launched anti evasion drive and has a result 82 trucks containing around 1188.97 MT of coal valued around Rs 5.69 Crore was seized. Similarly nine trucks containing 81 MT were detained near Badar pur in Assam," the statement added.

A senior official said that investigation is on to identify the evaders and bring them to book.

APJ Abdul Kalam to teach students of IIM-Shillong

Shillong, Mar 7 : Former president APJ Abdul Kalam will teach students of the Indian Institute of Management-Shillong a course titled "Societal transformation bio-technology and its application".
"I am a teacher. As a professor, wherever knowledge takes me, I go. I like meeting young people and I would like to contribute to their knowledge," Kalam told reporters here.

The "Missile Man", as Kalam is called for his background in aerospace engineering, was in Shillong, the state capital of Meghalaya, and inaugurated the third international conference "SUSCON" organised by IIM-Shillong on Wednesday.

Kalam will start his lectures to a class of around 110 students from July.

Kalam will start his lectures to a class of around 110 students from July, IIM-Shillong Director Kaya Sengupta told reporters.

"The students and faculty of IIM-Shillong are elated that Kalam has consented to our invitation to teach in the institute. I am sure his lectures would benefit not only our students, but even faculty members," Sengupta said. Kalam will guide the students individually as well as in groups. He had earlier taught at IIM-Ahmedabad.

After the initial lectures, students will be required to submit project proposals for creating scenarios based on multiple options for specific policy and institutional changes.

The faculty would comment on these proposals and project teams would be enabled to consult subject matter specialists through invited lectures and interactions - the students could even visit the experts.
IIM-Shillong follows a unique concept of winter internships, in which students undertake work in the months of January and February.

Not many outside India's northeast probably know that there is an IIM in the Meghalaya capital named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. This IIM started in 2008 from a makeshift campus and still functions out of an interim facility.

Surrounded by pine trees and lush green lawns with mountains in the backdrop, the institute functions from the Mayurbhanj Complex - the erstwhile summer palace of the kings of Mayurbhanj, Orissa. The Meghalaya government has allotted a 120-acre plot on which work is under way for a state-of-the-art academic-cum-residential campus.

"Our goal at IIM-Shillong is to constantly nurture and develop the personality of the young and dynamic leaders who could shape the future business landscape and achieve excellence by synergising complementary competencies within the team," Sengupta said.

Facebook Helps ‘Midwife’ Deliver Baby in Mizoram

Church worker manages feat following tips by expert over social networking site

By Linda Chhakchhuak
 
Harsing Teron and his wife Romoni Engtipi with the baby boy in her lap. Telegraph picture

Aizawl, Mar 5 : Aamir Khan and the other two “idiots” had Kareena Kapoor online through video-conferencing to help them with midwifery efforts in the film 3 Idiots.

Caught in a similar situation, Hmahruaii Chhakchhuak, a Christian mission worker in Japong, a remote village in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, had to fall back on Facebook when summoned to help deliver a baby.

It was around 4pm on February 26 when the family of 40-year-old Romoni Engtipi, wife of Harsing Teron, called Hmahruaii as Romoni had gone into labour.

Caught off-guard, as she had no knowledge whatsoever about midwifery, the mission worker tried calling a colleague living in a distant village for instructions but the call wouldn’t go through. She tried calling several other people but could not connect with them either. “The phone network is always bad around here,” she said.

“Then I remembered that there are some nurses and doctors in my Facebook group and sent out an urgent appeal for help, asking for their mobile phone numbers so that I could call them up,” she told The Telegraph, again over Facebook, as she could not be reached on her mobile phone.

She immediately got a call from a group member, Joicy Ralte, a nurse who had settled in Calcutta with her husband Rev. P.C. Lalropuia. But the line disconnected after a few seconds.

At a loss, with a kerosene lamp to light up the room, as the power, too, was playing truant, Hmahruaii was beginning to panic.

“But when I glanced at my phone that was logged on to the Facebook group, I noticed that Joicy was sending instructions on the group site. I was so relieved, as Romoni was in severe pain and getting exhausted,” she said.

She somehow remembered that a sugar solution with water works as an energiser for the very weak. She got some sugar and fed the solution to Romoni.

In the meantime, another Facebook group member, R.K. Hnamte started removing all other comments from other group members under that topic so that Hmahruaii at ground zero could see only the instructions from Joicy.

“I followed Joicy’s directions diligently right from helping the mother push the baby out and then getting a fresh blade to cut the umbilical cord. I followed them to find the correct way of holding the baby and clearing its mouth,” she said.

She had helped deliver a healthy baby boy.

“Thank God that at least Facebook was working and that the Internet network was available, or else we would all have been in deep trouble, especially me, as the people there had placed their entire faith in me,” Hmahruaii said.

Their Facebook group is aptly called Chhangchheness, an anglo-Mizo retronym that refers to an emotional state in life equivalent to the bothered status of the parents of an energetic brood of children.

Rio Begins Third Stint as Nagaland CM

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. File photo

Neiphiu Rio will be sworn in as the hief minister of Nagaland for the third consecutive term, on March 5 at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima, official sources said on Sunday.

Governor Nikhil Kumar will administer oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Rio, who was earlier elected as leader of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) legislature party.

The list of 11 Cabinet Ministers is likely to be submitted to the Governor by Monday, the sources said.

The Naga People’s Front (NPF)-led DAN having 40 elected members along with the support of seven Independents had staked claim to form the government on Saturday.

Mr. Rio is the only leader to have led the regional party to victory in the Assembly elections for the third time in the 50-year history of Nagaland.

Bypoll on March 23

Polls to the Tuensang Sadar-I Assembly constituency in Tuensang district of Nagaland will be held on March 23.

Election to the seat had to be countermanded due to the death of Congress candidate P. Chuba Chang a day before the state went to polls on February 23.

Filing of nominations will end on March 6, election office sources said, adding, the date of scrutiny of nomination of the INC sponsored candidate will be on March 7 and the last date of withdrawal on March 9.

Tuensang Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Returning Officer, T. Mhabemo Yanthan, in an official notification has reminded political parties that the Model Code of Conduct will continue to be in force within the jurisdiction of Tuensang Sadar-I Assembly seat till the process of election is completed.

Mr. Yanthan said the date of re-poll, if any, will be taken up on March 25 and counting of votes will be on March 26.

Other two candidates already in the fray are NPF’s L. Elam Chang and Poyang Changkong Chang (Independent).

I love life, says Manipur's Irom Sharmila in Delhi court

New Delhi, Mar 5 : Social activist Irom Sharmila, who has been on fast for about 12 years demanding the repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), refused to plead guilty of attempting suicide, and a Delhi court framed charges against her.

Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain framed charges against her for attempt to commit suicide and issued show cause notice to Ms Sharmila after she refused to plead guilty.

She told the court that she "loves life and does not want to take her life".

Ms Sharmila, who was present in the court, refused that she attempted to commit suicide here at Jantar Matnar in 2006.

She said: "I only want justice."

"If I wanted to commit suicide I might have died. My protest was non-violent for my demand, just to live as human being," she added.

She appeared before the court under IPC 309 (attempt to commit suicide) for fasting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

The court hearing the case told Ms Sharmila: "We respect you but the law of land does not permit you to take your life."

When asked if she tried to commit suicide she replied "No".

The court earlier told her counsel to explain to her that maximum punishment in the case was a few months to a year and that she has been in custody for more than 6 years, so if she pleads guilty, the case would be settled on Monday.

Meanwhile, her supporters are protesting outside gate no. 2 of Patiala House Court, which has been closed by police.

They raised slogans for justice and against AFSPA.

Mary Kom Gets Land Promised by Manipur Government For Academy

The land was promised to Mary Kom in August last year after she won a bronze medal in the London Olympics, where women's boxing made its debut, but the approval from the state cabinet came only earlier this month.

New Delhi:  London Olympics bronze-medallist woman pugilist MC Mary Kom has finally been alloted the plot of land promised to her by the Manipur government to expand her boxing academy.

"The managing board/committee of Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Manipur; Hon'ble CM. Shri. O Ibobi Singh and his Cabinet for allotting 3.30 acres of land, No. 21/109/2011-R as approved by the cabinet on 19/02/2013 for construction of infrastructure for the existing boxing academy of MC Mary Kom at National Games Village, Langol," a release from the Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation stated.

The land was promised to her in August last year after she won a bronze medal in the London Olympics, where women's boxing made its debut, but the approval from the state cabinet came only earlier this month.

The academy was established in the 2006 with focus on underprivileged potentials. It provides free training and boarding and lodging to its wards.

The current number of students at the academy is 57 (29 residential and 28 outsiders).

"My long cherished dream next to Olympics is coming closer to reality and I am very grateful to Hon'ble C.M. Pabung O. Ibobi Singh for his concern," Mary said.

"I believe this will be a great motivation to my students to work harder and bring more laurels. Let us strive towards mentoring our future generation in whichever way we can," she added.

Mary said the land will come in handy to increase academy's strength.

"It will remain a great encouragement to the students and the committee as certain challenges we are facing will be coped to some extent, especially training during rainy season," she said.

"We look forward to giving better performance in future with the blessings from the Government and the people of this land," she added.

Northeast Votes For the Status Quo

By Vibhuti Agarwal

Election results for India’s northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland were announced Thursday

Three states in northeast India – Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland – have voted in favor of the status quo, with ruling parties holding on to power.


Political experts say the results of the elections, released Thursday, did not come as a surprise.

In Tripura, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won an overwhelming majority of votes for the fifth local election in a row. The CPI (M) won 49 seats in the 60-member state assembly, according to the Election Commission of India. This is three more seats than the party won at the last state elections there in 2008. The Congress party, the main opposition party in the state, secured 10 seats, like in 2008.

Tripura is the only state in India ruled by Communists, who have been in power there for over two decades.

“The results in Tripura are on expected lines. We knew the left would come to power again,” said Kashi Nath Jena, professor of political science at Tripura University. “Economy in the state is yet to take off. But so far whatever little has been achieved has been successfully redistributed by the left government among masses. And this is the trump card to its success,” he added.

Mr. Jena said that Chief Minister Manik Sarkar helped secure a victory for the CPI(M). “He’s popular among locals,” he said. Mr. Sarkar, widely seen as an honest administrator, has held the top post in Tripura for the past 15 years.

In Meghalaya, the ruling Congress party-led coalition won 37 of the state assembly’s 60 seats. Congress alone secured 29 seats, four more than it did at the 2008 election.  Its coalition partner- the United Democratic Party – won eight seats, fewer than the 11 it won at the previous elections.
The National People’s Party, a local party set up recently by Purno Sangma, a former senior Congress politician, got two seats.

A.K. Baruah, a retired professor of political science at the Meghalaya University, said the separatist insurgency that has been plaguing the state for decades is “no longer the main issue” in the elections, though incidents of violence continue to take place from time to time.

In Nagaland, the regional Naga Peoples Front party that heads a coalition of smaller local parties, secured 38 seats in the 60-member state assembly.

The Congress party, the main opposition in the state, won eight seats, a significant drop from the 23 seats it won in 2008.

In Nagaland, where the separatist rebels are especially active, the “main election issues were development and integration of Naga regions,” said Monalisa Tase, who teaches political science at Nagaland University.The state’s local tribal population has long demanded carving out new states for different ethnicities.

Ms. Tase says locals trust the state’s chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, “under whose leadership they believe the rate of insurgency has gone down considerably.”

Tripura voted on Feb. 14 and people in Meghalaya and Nagaland went to the polls on Feb. 23.

FM stresses on waterways connectivity for Northeast India

Indian FM in his budget 2013-14 has announced the Lakhipur – Bhanga stretch of river Barak in Assam will soon be declared as the sixth national waterway. (Pic: BCCL)

GUWAHATI: In a move to restore the pre independence days glory of water transportation in Northeast India, Union Finance minister, P Chidambaram in his budget 2013-14 has announced the Lakhipur - Bhanga stretch of river Barak in Assam will soon be declared as the sixth national waterway.

Presently Northeast India faces tremendous problem for not exploring its waterways. Already the move to link the South East Asian countries through Northeast India is on. Kaladan multimodal transport project to upgrade the Sittwe Port connecting Paletwa in Myanmar's Chin State to Mizoram under way would boost trade and commerce.

The minister said, "Five inland waterways have been declared as national waterways. I am happy to announce that the Minister of Water Resources will move a Bill in Parliament to declare the Lakhipur - Bhanga stretch of river Barak in Assam as the sixth national waterway. Preparatory work is underway to build a grid connecting waterways, roads and ports. The 12 th Plan has an adequate outlay for capital works, including dredging, on the national waterways.,"

He elaborated that the objective is to choose barge operators, through competitive bidding, to transport bulk cargo on the national waterways. The first transport contract has been awarded in West Bengal from Haldia to Farakka.