Manipur SDM Armstrong Pame single-handedly enriched people's lives

By Gaurav Sharma

Tamenglong (Manipur), Apr 5 : He is a harbinger of change and has brought joy to the people of Tousem, a Manipur subdivision considered one of India's most backward, by giving them what they needed most - a motorable road that connects them to the outside world. The opening of the 100-km "People's Road" in February has earned him the sobriquet "The Miracle Man".

Twenty-eight year-old Armstrong Pame, the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Tousem, which lies in Tamenglong, his home district, and the first IAS officer from the Zeme tribe of Nagaland, is the man who was instrumental in single-handedly taking on the ambitious project of building the road without any state government aid. The road connects Tousem with the rest of Manipur, as also with Assam and Nagaland.

The 2009 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer was moved by the plight of people when he saw how they had to trudge for five hours by first crossing a river and then a stretch that can by no stretch of imagination be called a road to reach Tamenglong just 50 km away.

"After writing my IAS exam, I came to Tamenglong in 2007 for some downtime. Since I had seen hardship in my childhood, I decided to travel 31 villages of Manipur on foot to see how the people live," Pame told this visiting correspondent.

Talking to IANS in his corrugated-iron house in Tamenglong nestled in the hills, Pame recounted the incident that led him to launch the 100-km road, which has been christened the "People's Road".

"In 2012, I became SDM of Tousem. I traveled many villages and saw how people were carrying sacks of rice on their backs, walking for hours, and patients being taken on makeshift bamboo stretchers due to the non-availability of motorable roads. When I asked villagers what they wanted me to do for them, their only wish was for a road," he said.

According to Pame, he asked the state government for funds to build the road but was turned down due to paucity of resources.

"But I was really moved by the plight of people; so I decided to raise the funds on my own in August 2012 through Facebook," he said.

"Charity must begin from home; so I put in Rs.5 lakhs and my brother, who teaches in Delhi University, donated Rs.1 lakh. Even my mother paid my dad's one month's pension of Rs. 5,000," he added.

"One night I got a call from a person in the US who wanted to donate 2,500 dollars for the road. The next day a Sikh gentleman living in New York said he would give 3,000 dollars. And after the media reported about this effort, we never looked back," Pame said.

In a short span of time, Rs. 40 lakh was raised for the road, he added.

"Since Rs. 40 lakh was not a huge amount for building a road, I convinced local contractors to give us earth movers and roadrollers for free," he added.Enthused by the way Pame had been able to put together the resources, the residents of Tousem volunteered to build the road - thus saving labour costs.
"Sometimes I still cannot believe that we have done it. It 's a miracle. I don't know whether I can do it again," he said.

When asked whether he faced opposition from the state government, Pame said: "I was called crazy, but I was determined."

"There is so much to do for the people of Tousem, which lies in sheer neglect. I want to improve their lives in some way because I belong here," he added.

Pame's selfless work in a short span of time has earned him popularity and people now call him "The Miracle Man."

Zingkeulak, a farmer, said: "Our oranges would rot as there were no roads but after the People's Road, we are able to make some money."

"He is one selfless officer. And I believe I will never come across an IAS officer like him," Iram, a resident of Tousem, which is devoid of even basic amenities of life, told IANS.

"After giving road to people of this region, he is working on several issues. He is the answer to our prayers," Iram added.

Asked what was next on his agenda, Pame said: "There are many things to be done. One of them is to extend the road by another 10 km."

"But my mother says stop building roads and build your house first," he offered with a smile.

Six Manipur Encounters Fake

New Delhi, Apr 5 : A Supreme Court-appointed committee probing six cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur informed the court on Thursday that these were not genuine encounters and the victims, including a 12-year-old boy, did not have any criminal records.

A bench comprising justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai perused the committee's report which said none of the six cases qualify as encounters and they are fake.

It said the security forces acted on source information and killed people without even cross-checking the information.

According to the bench, the report is distressing and the Centre should be more to blame than the state government for the situation in the northeastern state.

The committee, comprising former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, ex-CEC J M Lyngdoh and a senior police officer, said in its report that the probe showed that none of the victims had any criminal records.

The bench said the report makes it clear that the guidelines on encounters laid down by the apex court in the Naga People's Movement case was not followed.

It said guidelines of apex court and NHRC were confined to papers and none of these were followed on the ground when armed forces and state police conduct operations.

Appropriate directions will be passed on the basis of the panel's report on April 9, it said while seeking response of the amicus curiae and NHRC on the recommendation made by the panel.

The bench also asked Additional Solicitor General Paras Kuhat to go through the report which was placed before it in a sealed cover.

On January 4, the Supreme Court had decided to appoint the committee to hold an inquiry into the alleged fake encounter killings in Manipur. The panel was set up to probe six cases of alleged extra-judicial killings in the state where a magisterial inquiry had raised questions on genuineness of the encounters.

The apex court had appointed the panel on a PIL filed by an association of the families of the alleged victims, seeking setting up of a special investigation team and direct inquiry into around 1,528 such cases.

The association had alleged in its plea that over 2,000 odd extra-judicial killings have taken place in the state, but no one has been held guilty till date.

It had alleged that innocent people with no criminal records have been killed by security forces and no proper investigation has been done in such cases.

Assam Not To Recognise Off-Campus PhD Degrees

Guwahati, Apr 5 :  With a view to maintaining standard in teaching, Assam government has decided to go for quality parameters under which, off-campus PhD degrees will not be recognised during recruitment and promotion of faculty.

Even serving faculties with off-campus PhD degrees who have got time-scale promotions during recent years will be affected, state Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the Assembly today.

“In the past few years we have seen a rising trend of research scholars opting for universities where rules are relaxed and there is less academic pressure. In many cases, even to find details about such Universities is a work of research in itself,” Sarma said.

“Such scholars are not capable of proper research work, and when confronted they seek excuse in the name of ’humanity’ and even threaten to commit suicide at times. If we do not take steps against such blackmailing, the education scenario will only worsen,” he said.

“Those who have got promotions due to PhD secured in off-campus stream will also be affected. No doubt it will create some issues, but we are going as per UGC rules,” he said.

“The state government will form a committee, which will prepare a list of teachers having off-campus PhDs after contacting principals of all colleges, who will be served notices and we will take action,” Sarma said.

New Caves Discovered in Meghalaya

Shillong, Apr 5 : With the discovery of 19 new caves in the Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya could now boast of 1,350 of them spanned over 387 kilometre, of which 887 caves have been explored including the country’s longest Krem Liat.

The discovery was made by a team of international speleologists led by the Meghalaya Adventure Association (MAA) who successfully undertook an expedition recently to 21 caves in the state.

Speleologists from UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Germany, and members of the host organisation besides two Romanian biologists and a city-based researcher were part of the 2013 team, MAA Secretary B D Kharpran, told PTI.

He said that during the 18-day expedition 19 new caves were explored and four partially explored ones were further explored and extended.

The team also collected information about a number of other caves in Moolapui village in the East Jaintia Hills district, he said.

During the expedition the Krem Khung in Larket area was re-estimated from 5,065 metre to 7,349 metre in length, making it India’s 8th longest cave characterised by huge fallen boulders the size of houses, Kharpran said.

The 10th longest cave in the country, the Krem Labit Kseh in the Kopili Valley was re-estimated from the previous 5,910 meter to 6,802 meter in length with fine river passages and beautifully decorated dry relic passages like the Black Diamond Passage and Crystal Gallery.

Kharpran said this was one of the very few caves in India that had a profusion of rare gypsum formations resembling flowers.

The explorers also re-estimated the length of Krem Diengjem in the Krem Tyngheng-Diengjem cave system from 21,250 meter to 21,359 meter, almost touching the Krem Kotsati-Umlawan system which is India’s 2nd longest cave at 21,450 meter, he said.

In December last year, adventurers from the MAA and an American speleologist successfully identified 12 new caves in Amarsang village in South West Khasi Hills district near the India-Bangladesh border.

The expedition mapped 743 meter of Krem Amarsang, characterised by identical 3 meter wide deep wells all along the active stream, he said.

Meghalaya To Speed Up Convictions With Prosecution Directorate

Shillong, Apr 5 :  Meghalaya, one of the country's smallest states, might be showing the way with the establishment of a separate Prosecution Directorate at its newly opened high court to to speed up convictions for violent crimes. This will also ensure that the police focus better on investigations.

"The setting up of the Prosecution Directorate is to improve the way the cases get pursued in court and also to help in improving the quality of investigation," state Home Minister Roshan Warjri told IANS.

Violent crimes are defined as those against women, as well as terrorism and murder, among others.

Significantly, several groups and women activists have been raising a hue and cry against the growing cases of crime against women in this mountainous state traditionally known for its matrilineal society and respect accorded to women. Government statistics reveal that in 2012, there were 236 crimes reported against women, of which 158 were rape cases.

Warjri said the recruitment rules for the new directorate were being framed to ensure that the best talent gets selected for the job.

Moreover, she said that the government has proposed to separate investigation from the other functions of the police. "There will be a dedicated team of officers to deal with investigations alone," she said.

"With proper training and experience over time, this should lead to faster investigation, better investigation and higher convictions. Then only will the deterrent effect of the law become visible. This would also help in ensuring greater accountability on the part of the police officers," Warjri added.

Justice Toom Meera Kumari was sworn in March 23 as the first chief justice of the newly-constituted Meghalaya High Court.

Inaugurating the high court March 25, Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir said it will help integrate Meghalaya's different traditional laws and customs with the legal system of mainstream India.

"There are different systems prevalent here, which need to be integrated, and with the coming into operation of the new high court here, I think it will go a long way in fulfilling these aspirations," Kabir said.

"With the functioning of the new high court, the people of Meghalaya would have better access to seek justice and the traditional laws and customs would be integrated," Kabir said.

Apart from Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura also have their own full-fledged high courts now. Hitherto, while Sikkim had its own high court, the other seven northeastern states were under the jurisdiction of the Guwahati High Court.

Naga Youth Start To Explore Beyond Govt Jobs

By Esha Roy

Kohima, Apr 3 : Many Naga youths working outside the state are wary of returning, with opportunities scarce at home. And those still in Nagaland have often been reluctant to take up anything but government jobs.

A youth organisation has been making an effort to change that attitude in a state struggling with unemployment. YouthNet has since last year been running Nagaland Job Consultants, which provides training and internship to help youths find options beyond government jobs, including entrepreneurship. It also publishes YouthNet Opportunity Express, Nagaland's first employment paper.

"The kind of people we are helping are mostly graduates in their late 20s. They have been trying to get into government service for years but the competition is so stiff that they are finally looking for alternatives in the private sector," says Seyielezo Putsure, 32, who heads Nagaland Job Consultants.
"Youths are now willing to work in private offices, in customer service, as waiters and waitresses, as managers — things they would not have looked at before," he says.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said opportunities in government have reached saturation point. Putsure says, "Only 45 per cent of those registered with the employment exchange get a job, even after waiting for years."

"We have 65,000 registered at the employment exchange," chief secretary Alemtemshi Jamir says. "One of the main reasons is that the private sector does not come to the state. Apart from security issues, the tribal land policy can be prohibitive. The government is setting up zones such as Dimapur where these land laws can be relaxed."

Putsure was working in London as a "freelancing change consultant". "Before I graduated (from South Bank University), I came home and saw that private jobs and entrepreneurship are not encouraged at all," he says. "All parents want their children in government service."

YouthNet published in July 2010 a survey of 1,054 Naga youths working outside the state. Among various findings, one was that only 11.08 per cent wanted to come back. "Most wanted to continue working outside the state but they didn't know for how long," says YouthNet founder director Hekani Jakhalu, a lawyer. "For many who answered yes, it was merely a temporary phase... they wanted to continue working outside for a couple of years and head back eventually."

S Tiasnup Ozokum, 26, of Dimapur works in Bangalore as a business accounts manager with Wipro. He has an MBA degree from Chandigarh. "There was campus recruitment and I got hired by Wipro.

There is no such campus recruitment in Nagaland. If I were still in Nagaland, I would never have got this opportunity,'' he says. He now has the opportunity to return. "My company has given me permission to be a consultant to the Nagaland government on behalf of Wipro."

Zhovinuo Thoure, 27, a graduate from Delhi Law College and working in the Supreme Court, feels Nagalnd has few prospects for private practice, but says, "This is the right time to shift back. The young are looking to become entrepreneurs."

YouthNet recently selected 13 entrepreneurs from 11 districts and provided them start-up grants. It conducts workshops in agriculture, food processing, and automobiles. Based in Kohima, it plans to launch the consultancy and the paper in Dimapur too.

Mizoram Rail Project To Wait Till April

Guwahati, Apr 2 : The ministry of environment and forests will meet on April 4 to decide on giving forest clearance for diversion of 74.48 hectares of forestland to construct a broad-gauge railway line in Mizoram.

The 51.3km railway line project between Bairabi in Kolasib district and Sairang in Aizawl district has been delayed and will cost Rs 2,384.34 crore for execution.

The deadline for the project is March 2015.

The Manipur state forest department has cleared the proposal saying the railway line is not passing through any national park, wildlife sanctuary or any protected area. Moreover, the project has been envisaged for the benefit of the people of Mizoram in particular and the Northeast as a whole.

The Mizoram government has notified the land selected for compensatory afforestation as reserved forest. Compensatory afforestation has been proposed over 74.54 hectares of degraded forestland at the cost of Rs 38.14 lakh.

The trees to be felled are in Aizawl and Kolasib forest divisions.

Sources said there should not be much of a problem for the project to get forest clearance as the railway line is not passing through any protected area.

The conservator of forests (central circle) Aizawl, Lalthangliana Murray, in a report said the topography is such that soil erosion may not be a problem, as the vegetation comprises bamboo and other grasses, which are fast growing.

No endangered species of flora and fauna have been found along the proposed railway line.

The department said the railways have not been involved in any violation under the Forest Conservation Act.

The requirement of forestland has been found to be the barest minimum needed for the project.

The department said the route from Bairabi to Sairang is the shortest feasible and had to be changed to avoid the submergence area of the Bairabi dam project.

The railways, in its report, said local contractors would be employed during the execution of the project.

More employment will be generated before completion of the project and after it as well, because of improved communication.

The project is getting delayed and NF Railway would like to see the project get forest clearance so that construction can start at the earliest.

A parliamentary panel has also expressed concern over the slow progress of railway projects in the northeastern region.

It has also recommended to the railways ministry to leave no stone unturned to ensure timely completion of the projects to provide rail links to the people of the region.

Citing an instance, it said while Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal has achieved only 20.73 per cent of the target while 24.61 per cent of work is yet to be completed on the rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra near Bogibeel.

Tatas Ties Up With Cardamom Growers; Looks To Northeast For Turmeric

New Delhi, Apr 2 : Tata Global Beverages today announced a partnership with cardamom growers from South India to market the latter's produce, the first time the Tata group firm has undertaken such an initiative.

The firm also said it planned to expand such partnerships and will work with turmeric growers from North East India.

"There is a great deal of difference in prices that consumers pay and what go to farmers. There is a need to stabilise the prices. Through our expertise in marketing and distribution, cardamom growers will get immense benefit," company's Vice Chairman R K Krishna Kumar told reporters here.

The company today announced a packaging, marketing and distribution tie up with South Indian Green Cardamom Company (SIGCC), which launched a new brand 'Spice Mist' for selling cardamom and black pepper.

"We have entered into an MoU with SIGCC. Under the agreement, they pay us a marketing fee for packaging, logistics and warehouses to sell their products. This initiative is not for profit purpose, but it is an endeavour of the Tata group to give back to the society," Krishna Kumar said.

Tata Global Beverages Managing Director and CEO Harish Bhat claimed this is the first time in India that any whole spice is being sold under a "proper brand".

"This is also for first time that any Tata group firm is experimenting with spices. We will test market the brand in Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Madurai, and depending upon customers' response, we will launch it nationally," he added.

Asked about expanding the spice portfolio, Kumar said the company is looking at other products like turmeric.

"North-east is very large and high quality turmeric comes out from that region. We are looking at this product," he said.

He said the launch of branded turmeric by the Tatas will take some time and it may happen next year.

SIGCC is a company of spice growers, mainly for cardamom, and comprises about 1,500 shareholders, who are also the planters having 1-50 acres of individual land parcels.

SIGCC Executive Director G Vinayaga Moorthy said with better sale prices and higher realisation, the company will take part in auction of spices of other growers as well.

SIGCC Director Sam Mathew Kalarickal said growers have approached the Indian government to safeguard domestic cardamom producers from possible cheap imports of the spice from Guatemala in the American continent.

"We have requested the government to incentivise domestic production or put higher import duty. The cost of production of Indian cardamom is higher than Guatemala, so we will not be able to match them on price," he said, adding import from the nation is likely to start very soon.

Tata Global Beverages is an integrated beverage business unit of the Tata Group. Its brands include Tata Tea, Tetley, among others.