Month: April 2012

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Apr 24: The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar has said that Planning Commission finalises annual plans of various States, including that of North Eastern States in consultation with concerned State Governments. Size of each year’s plan is finalised based on available resources of States (State’s own funds, borrowings and any other resources) and available Central Assistance. A statement indicating Annual Plan outlays / actual expenditure during 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 to enable State Governments to take up priority projects across sectors and to meet resource gap in Plan for North Eastern States
In a written reply in Lok Sabha today he said, grants-in-aid to North Eastern State Governments are also released under the Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) Scheme by Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
Shri Ghatowar said, performance of projects sanctioned under the schemes is reviewed regularly through various periodical reports and utilization certificates, quarterly progress reports etc. Performance is also reviewed during meeting with State Government officers.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar has said that Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region funds road sector projects in North Eastern States under Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) Scheme, Special Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF) Scheme and Scheme of North Eastern Council (NEC). During current financial year 2012-13, so far no funds have been released for construction of roads under these Schemes.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha today Shri Ghatowar said, pace of implementation of some projects under these schemes is not as per schedule, resulting in delay in completion of projects and resultant benefits. These Annexures have been put on the website of the Ministry i.e. www.mdoner.gov.in.
The Minister said, review meetings are being held with State Government officers regularly to expedite completion of the projects of this Ministry.
Training courses in project management and implementation are organized as per requirement. State Governments are requested to expedite submission of utilization certificates, for release of funds without delay.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar has said that Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region is implementing North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) with soft loan assistance from World Bank with objective to improve rural livelihoods especially that of women, unemployed youth and most disadvantaged in States of Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha today he said, NERLP will cover two districts in each of these four States and benefit nearly three lakh households in 1624 villages of 58 blocks. Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) approved implementation of NERLP on 16th November 2011, at estimated cost of Rs.
683.20 crore comprising assistance from the World Bank of Rs. 614.8 crore and Central Government
funding of Rs. 68.4 crore. Loan agreement and project agreement documents were signed by
representative from World Bank and Government of India on 20th January 2012. NERLP shall cover following blocks in Nagaland:-
Name of district
Blocks
Peren
Tenning, Peren, Jalukie
Tuensang
Longkhim, Chare, Noksen, Sangsangyu, Shamator, Chessore, Noklak, Thonoknyu
The Minister said, Ministry of Urban Development has undertaken “North Eastern Region Capital Cities Development Investment Program” with assistance of Asian Development Bank and total loan amount US $ 200 million, aims to improve quality of life of 1.2 million people and enhance urban productivity in five capital cities of North Eastern States, namely Agartala (Tripura), Aizwal (Mizoram), Shillong (Meghalaya), Kohima (Nagaland) and Gangtok (Sikkim). Following programs are covered under Urban Infrastructure and Service Improvements component of Investment Program in Kohima:
A. Water Supply: (i) Supporting Non Revenue Water Program (ii) replacing eight zonal reservoirs, (iii) refurbishing existing water treatment plants: and (iv) supplying and installing chorinators at three major reservoirs.
B. Solid Waste Management: (i) constructing and equipping a solid waste management centre, including a compost plant and sanitary landfill site; and (ii) improving primary and secondary waste collection.
Ghatowar said, ‘Composite Scheme of Transmission and Distribution in North Eastern Region’ which has been posed to World Bank, for improvements in transmission and distribution system of electric power and Nagaland is of the proposed beneficiary States.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/annual-plans-of-ne-region-based-on-available-resources-ghatowar/

Raipur, Apr 24 (ANI): With the deadline looming large for the safe release of abducted Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh on Tuesday urged the Maoists not to fix a deadline till the negotiations are over.
“It will not be appropriate to fix a deadline because mediators are going to sit and negotiate the issue. I have also appealed that the deadline should be extended till the negotiations are over,” he said.
The state government today appointed two retired bureaucrats, as mediators to negotiate with the ultras to secure Menon’s safe release.
Singh informed that both officials, Nirmala Buch and S. K. Mishra, had given their consent after a telephonic conversation with him.
“I talked to retired chief secretary of (neighbouring) Madhya Pradesh Nirmala Buch and sought her help in the negotiation. The second person is retired chief secretary of Chhattisgarh S. K. Mishra. I talked to both of them last night (April 23) and sought their consent,” he said.
The state government also rushed medicines for Menon hours after the rebels informed that he was critically ill.
“The necessary medicine will reach Tarimetla (village) in time and it will help to address the problem related to his health,” added Singh.
In a statement, the Maoists termed Menon’s health as critical and asked the mediators to bring medicines along with them.
The Maoists asked the government not to indulge in ‘delay tactics’, as Menon’s health was deteriorating.
They said only the three persons named by them will be allowed to negotiate in Tarimetla village and asked them to accept the invitation to act as mediators.
The Maoists have also nominated the names of former National SC/ST Commission chairperson B D Sharma, Team Anna member and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and All India Adivasi Mahasabha President Manish Kunjam.
Both Bhushan and Kunjam have, however, refused to mediate in the matter.
The Naxals have demanded the release of eight colleagues: Markam Gopanna alias Satyam Reddy, Nirmal Akka alias Vijay Laxmi, Devpal Chandrashekhar Reddy, Shantipriya Reddy, Meena Choudhari, Korsa Sunny, Markam Sunny and Asit Kumar Sen.
The ultras also want anti-Naxal Operation Green Hunt to be cancelled, security forces to be withdrawn from the region and persons against whom they allege “fake cases” have been registered, released from the jails.
In an audacious operation, Maoist rebels on Saturday abducted Menon, an IAS officer of 2006 batch, from the middle of a meeting with villagers from Majhipara village in Keralapal area of the Naxal-infected district.
The Sukma district collector’s kidnapping comes even as uncertainty continues over the fate of ruling BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka in neighbouring Odisha who was abducted by the Maoists about a month ago.
Menon is the first collector of the newly-created Sukma district and was known to be pro-active in undertaking development work in the backward region.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/chhattisgarh-cm-urges-maoists-not-to-fix-deadline/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Apr 24: A total 426 cases of alleged fake encounters by police, defence and central armed police forces were registered by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) during the period 2009-10 to 2011-12. For the current year 2012-13, as on 17.4.12, no such case has been registered. During the above period, in none of the cases, any recommendation for disciplinary action / prosecution of the public servants was made by NHRC.
Against 426 cases of alleged fake encounters, 84 cases have been solved and the remaining 342 are unsolved. For expediting the unsolved cases, concerted efforts are made by NHRC for obtaining the inquest reports, post-mortem report, magisterial inquiry report etc. from the concerned State Governments.
As per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, “Police” and “Public Order” are State Subjects.
It is for the State Governments to take action in every crime. The Central Government issues advisories, while the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issues guidelines and recommendations to be followed by the States/UTs in all cases of deaths in the course of police action.
This was stated by Shri Jitendra Singh, Minister of State of Home Affairs in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/426-cases-of-fake-encounters-registered/