Day: June 19, 2013

Mail News Service
New Delhi, June 19 : Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh issued a statement to the media after an aerial survey of disaster affected areas of Uttarakhand: He said “Earlier today, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, UPA and I undertook an aerial survey of the rain and flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand. We saw for ourselves the large scale devastation that has been caused in the State. Our hearts go out to the families of those who have lost their lives and those who have suffered injury or loss of property in this huge tragedy.
Assessing the magnitude of the losses, both in terms of lives lost and houses destroyed, or the damage to buildings, roads and other infrastructure, is an exercise that will take some more time. The priority for the authorities at the moment is to rescue the stranded and provide urgently needed succor to those most in need of it.
What Chairperson UPA and I saw today was most distressing. While the most recent estimates put the death toll at 102, it is feared that loss of lives could eventually be much higher. So far, more than 10,000 people have been rescued and are being provided food, clothing and shelter. Many persons still remain stranded. The maximum damage has been in Kedarnath and its vicinity.
The immediate need is for rescue and relief operations and the Government will not spare any effort in this regard.
The Central and State Governments have deployed all possible resources to deal with the immediate aftermath of the ghastly tragedy. About 5500 Jawans and Officers of the Army, 3000 men of the Border Roads Organisation and 600 ITBP personnel are engaged in relief and rescue efforts. Thirteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed. The Air Force has deployed 18 helicopters and a C-130 aircraft. Private helicopters have also been engaged by the State Government.
The Central and State Governments will continue to work in close coordination to ensure that every possible effort is made not only to provide immediate relief to the affected persons but also to help them reconstruct their lives.
Ex-gratia assistance of Rs. 2 lakh each to the families of those who have lost their lives and Rs. 50,000 each to those who have been injured will be provided from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Further, we will also provide from the PMNRF ex-gratia assistance of Rs.1 lakh each to those whose houses have been completely destroyed and Rs. 50,000 each to those whose houses have been damaged.
I have decided to provide an amount of Rs.1000 crore to Uttarakhand for disaster relief, of which Rs. 145 crore is being released immediately. I have also directed all Central Agencies to render all possible assistance in their domain to the State.”

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/pm-announces-1000-crore-rupee-disaster-relief-for-uttarakhand/

AIZAWL, June 19 NNN : Fish farmers in Mizoram are doing brisk business these days, thanks to the New Land Use Policy (NLUP).
However, the state government of Mizoram wants that the local fish farmers should increase their products to the extent where they start exporting fish outside the state.
NLUP is a pilot project of the Congress led Mizoram government under the leadership of chief minister Lal Thanhawla. Under this scheme, the government of Mizoram attempts to provide alternative means of livelihood to the farmers who are heavily dependent on jhumming which is detrimental to the environment.Piggery, bee-keeping, fish-farming, grape-cultivation etc., etc., are some of the fields the government is encouraging the local people to pursue by providing financial assistance.
Meanwhile, the Mizoram Co-operative Fish Farming Marketing and Processing Federation Ltd. (ZOFISFED) organised Annual General Assembly-cum-Awareness Campaign for Integrated Fish Farming Programme at Agriculture Conference Hall recently wherein Mizoram Co-operation minister J.H.Rothuama graced the ocassion as chief guest.
The federation had resolved ‘fish farming as a tool for self-sufficient’ as its yearly theme during the assembly.
While delivering a speech minister J.H Rothuama expressed happiness over Mizo fish farmers for their work and products and also said that the practice of fish farming has been increasing which is a good sign for many fish lovers in the state. The minister added that having ‘our own’ products (fish) in the market is a great boon for the health and hoped that in the coming days Mizoram will not be needing a fish from outside. The state government has introduced New Land Use Policy (NLUP) for upliftment and development of farmers in the state and fish farmers were among them who did well with the assistance given by the state. He also believed that NLUP will serve as a tool for long-term development of the state in various fields.
ZOFISFED was established October 29, 1998 with 22 Primary Fisheries Cooperative Societies 22 under its wing. Since 2008, ZOFISFED is maintaining 8 Demonstration-cum-Fish Seed Farms. Through government sanction the federation has built Ice Plant at Buhchangpui with an expense of Rs. 22,52,500 besides purchasing one ‘Refrigerated Van’ during last year. 17,900 families have been enrolled in Scheme for Welfare of Fisherman Saving-cum-Relief Scheme for Fishermen of Mizoram State while 781 were benefited through Paddy-cum-Fish Culture. The assembly presided over by ZOFISFED chairman Thangchungnunga and had elected Board of Directors for 2013-2018.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/land-policy-benefitting-fishers/

AIZAWL, June 19 NNN: Repatriation of Mizoram Bru refugees from Tripura camps to Mizoram is likely to resume soon.
This information is received by the Mizoram government from Tripura Government which stated that the situation has become conducive once again after a short-lived tension in the inter-state border areas during the last two months.
Meanwhile, the initiative taken at the official level is expected to be approved by the Government in a few days time.
According to official sources, Mizoram officials are likely to be sent to the refugee camps in Tripura for identification of the refugees who are willing to return to Mizoram.
It may be mentioned here that the inter-state road between Mizoram and Tripura which was blocked at Langkaih Bridge has been reopened with effect from the first June following improvement of the situation.
The process of repatriation was temporarily stalled by officials of Tripura Government following tension in the border area in the aftermath of the death of Siberamriang. But now, the situation has improved further with reopening of Langkaih Bridge which connects Mizoram and Tripura.
On May 7, in the wake of the move to resume the repatriation of the Bru refugees, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP),the largest students’ body of Mizoram had asked the state government of Mizoram not to resume the repatriation process of Bru refugees from Tripura camp to Mizoram unless the refugees inform the government in writing that they were willing to come back to Mizoram.
The MZP leaders had said that the Bru people did not want to return to Mizoram when they were given chances five times by the Centre and the government of Mizoram as they left Mizoram for Tripura on their own volition.
The MZP also expressed concern over the increasing law and order problem in the border area including kidnapping of Mizos by the Brus for ransom.
It is pertinent to note that hundreds of Brus left Mizoram in 1997 and 2009. The first case was triggered when Bru militants murdered two Mizos who were forest guards on October 21, 1997. The second case happened after a 17-year-old Mizo boy was killed by the Brus near Bungthuam village on November 13, 2009. When the Bru left Mizoram they had driven out some Mizos in villages of Sakhan Hill Range in Tripura like Sakhan Serhmun, Sakhan Tlangsang, Sakhan Tualsen and Upper Dosda which had kicked up much ruckus in Mizoram then.
Meanwhile, a couple of years ago, head count conducted by the MBDPF found that there had been 31,703 Brus in the relief camps belonging to 5,448 families who were bona fide residents of Mizoram.
The repatriation of the 1997 batch of Bru refugees was underway until it stalled by the November 13 killing.
In the year 2011, conglomeration of major NGOs in Mizoram had submitted a joint memorandum to the then Union Home minister P Chidambaram to rehabilitate displacedMizos in Tripura and stall the ongoing repatriation of Brus from Tripura to Mizoram. The memorandum was signed by representatives of four large NGOs in the state—the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the MZP, the Mizoram Upa Pawl (MUP) or elders association and the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or the women’s federation and four political parties.
The memorandum had mentioned that more than 80 Mizo families displaced from Tripura’s Sakhan Hill range in 1998 after being threatened by Bru militants should be adequately rehabilitated by the Centre, otherwise, the repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura relief camps should not be allowed.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/bru-repatriation-likely-to-resume-soon/

SHILLONG, June 18 NNN : The National People’s Party (NPP) has condemned the inaction and inability of the Congress led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA)-II government in locating and arresting the rape accused Sub-Inspector Nurul Islam, who is accused of molesting and raping two minor sisters at Ampati Police Station on March 13 and on May 31.
“It is a matter of great shame that such a crime was committed in the constituency of Chief Minister and instead of monitoring the situation himself and seeing to it that the accused is arrested immediately and brought to justice, CM is again camping in Delhi,” NPP Spokesperson James K Sangma said in a press statement on Tuesday here.
The NPP leaders wondered if ‘the soft pedaling and shoddy investigation being carried out is because as per some reports, the accused S.I. Nurul Islam is related to the Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma from his mother Roshanara Begum’s side?”
At the same time, James also condemned the ‘hypocrisy’ of the MUA government on its empty talk on tackling the rising cases of Rape in the State. “The reality is contrary to this because Rape cases are rising at a meteoric rate and all the cases of Rape are still hanging fire with absolutely no conviction. The Government seems to be content with its obligation of giving a meager compensation of Rs. 50,000 to the rape victims,” he said.
Asking government to nab Islam at the earliest, NPP said the biggest deterrent to such crimes is conviction and punishment, which can only be initiated if the accused is arrested in the first place.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/npp-condemns-govts-inaction-against-rape-accused-islam/