Day: January 18, 2013

Jaipur, Jan.18 (ANI): Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday urged party leaders and activists to recognise the emergence of a new changing India where the younger generation is becoming more aspirational, more impatient, more demanding and better educated.
Describing this as a natural and welcome outcome of rapid socio-economic change brought about by the success of the programmes introduced and promoted by the UPA Government, Gandhi said:”Our youth is getting more assertive. It wants its voice to be heard and we would have to respect that.”
It what appeared to be a call for allowing the youth brigade more say in the affairs of the Congress Party, Gandhi said: ” Over one crore youth seek productive employment every year and the country has to pay a serious attention and create opportunities for their better skill development as well as employment”.
It is a known fact that over 56 percent of the country’s population is in 20-35years age group.
The Congress president noted that women’s security was on top of the party’s agenda, and added the issue must be discussed at length.
“Atrocities on women, both in urban and rural India are a blot on our collective conscience and a matter of shame,” Gandhi said.
The Congress President also appeared to use the platform of the Chitin Shivir to express her anguish over issues such as corruption, garish lifestyles of some party leaders and the questionable hunger for acquiring power at all costs.
“Being in power is not the sole purpose of political activity,” she said, and added that celebrating weddings, displays of wealth, pomp and show, raises the question, “where it is coming from?”
“Is it not the case that we have floundered many opportunities that people are willing to give us simply because we have been unable to function as a disciplined and united team,” Gandhi asked at the party conclave held at the Birla Auditorium here.
“I hope that you would take it seriously and come up with suggestions and norms that we may all accept and adhere to,” she said.
She added: “Our citizens are rightly fed up with the levels of corruption that they see in public life at high levels. This is a phenomenon, a churning that we must understand and continue to respond to. we can not allow our growing educated and middle class to be disillusioned and alienated from the political process.?”
She urged party leaders to set aside personal ambitions and egos, introspect to work cohesively and ensure that the party puts up a better performance, particularly in states where it is out of power.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/we-have-to-recognise-emergence-of-a-new-changing-india-sonia/

MNS:- To highlight the tourism potential of the North East region in the domestic and international markets, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is organizing an International Tourism Mart at Guwahati from the 18th to 20th January 2013.
Announcing this in Guwahati today union Tourism Secretary Shri Parvez Dewan said that buyers and media delegates from around the world and from different regions of the country will participate in the Mart and will engage in one-to-one meetings with sellers from the North Eastern Region and West Bengal. He said this will enable tourism product suppliers from the region to reach out to international and domestic buyers and promote tourism in the region. Shri Dewan informed that about 85 buyer delegates from 23 countries including ASEAN countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Japan, Korea, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, U.K. and USA have confirmed their participation in the Mart.
The overseas delegates include Deputy Tourism Minister from Lao PDR, Executive heads of National Tourism Organisations from Cambodia, Singapore, Bangladesh and Bhutan, 55 tour operators, 9 hoteliers and 14 media representatives.
Besides foreign delegates, there are approximately 70 domestic buyers from other parts of the country and 108 sellers from the nine participating States.
In addition to the business meetings, the three day event will include, presentations, cultural evenings and press meets with the media from India and overseas. Post-Mart familiarisation tours to the states in the region have been arranged by the State Governments for the overseas delegates, from the 21st to 28th January 2013 to create awareness about the rich and varied tourism products of the states of the North Eastern region and give them first-hand knowledge and experience of the destination.
The International Tourism Mart will be inaugurated on January 19, 2013 at Guwahati by Shri Janaki Ballav Patnaik, Governor of Assam in the presence of Shri Chiranjeevi, Union Tourism Minister.
The International Tourism Mart, Guwahati 2013 is not only the first ever international tourism event to be organised in the North Eastern region, but also the first international tourism mart to focus on a specific region of India. It will bring together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight North Eastern States of India and West Bengal. The event has been planned and scheduled to facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, media, Government agencies and others.
A special blog on the event has been operational since December 2012 with all information about the event which can be accessed from the home page of the Ministry of Tourism Website www.incredibleindia.org. This blog is being updated regularly.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/international-tourism-mart-at-guwahati-23-countries-to-attend/

Manipur Information Centre

NEW DELHI, January 18:The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Union Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde yesterday assured the delegation of all political parties from Manipur for taking appropriate actions on handing over of Livingstone, self-style Lt. Col. Of NSCN (IM) to the Government of Manipur and removal of NSCN(IM) camps from Manipur.
The 15-member delegation led by the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh today met the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at 6.10 pm and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde at 1 pm and submitted the memorandum demanding handing over of Livingstone, self-style Lt. Col. of NSCN(IM) to the Government of Manipur and removal of the NSCN(IM) camps from Manipur. Union Secretary of Home R. K. Singh and Joint Secretary of Home (North East) Sambhu Singh also attended in the meeting with the Union Home Minister.
The delegation comprised of Okram Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur, Gaikhangam, Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur and the President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, Dr. M. Nara Singh (CPI), Y. Mani Singh (MSCP), M. Tombi Singh(JD/U), N. Sovakiran (MPP), Manihar Goswami(JD/S), L. Ibomcha Singh (NCP), N. Kavita Devi(BSP), S. Samungou Singh (Siva Sena), Kh. Gyaneswar(AIFB), R.K. Shivachandra (AITC), Sarat Salam(CPM), Karam Shyam(LJSP) and Prof. S. Tikendra (BJP).
After the meeting, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said here that both the meeting was very cordial, and the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister gave patient hearing to the Manipur delegation. He said, “The Prime Minister told the delegation that the act of molestation to a woman was highly condemnable and he would inform the Union Home Minister to take appropriate action in the matter.” The Chief Minister also informed, ”The Prime Minister reiterated that the Centre would not compromise on Manipur’s territorial integrity while working out a peace package with the NSCN(IM).”
All political party delegation from Manipur arrived here yesterday to appraise the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister of India on the prevailing situation in Manipur aftermath of the incident of molestation and assault to the artiste at Chandel District in Manipur by NSCN)IM) cadres.
In the memorandum, it was stated that the Mahamani Women Society of Chandel invited Momoko, a renowned Manipuri film artiste, H. Guna Sharma, film artiste and S. Prakash Singh, singer to participate in a music concert organized by them at Chandel on December 18, 2012. While Momoko was doing compere the concert, R. T. Livingstone Anal, a self-styled Lt. Colonel of NSCN(IM) molested and assaulted her physically in presence of the public and fired upon the artiste H.Guna Sharma and S. Prakash Singh who rushed to help the artiste.
Since the cease fire between the Government of India and NSCN(IM) was not enforced in Manipur, the said incident incited the general public of Manipur instantly. They attributed the incident due to the existence of NSCN(IM) camps inside Manipur which was much against the will of the people of Manipur.
The memorandum also recalled that a massive general uprising incident had taken place in Imphal when the news of attempt to enforce the cease fire agreement between the Centre and the NSCN (IM) was contemplated

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/all-political-parties-delegation-from-manipur-meets-prime-minister-home-minister/