October 21, 2014 – Page 3

Remote villages of Chandel enduring without basic medical facilities

CHANDEL, Oct 21: The villagers of Saibol Joupi and surrounding villages under Khengjoi Sub-Division in Chandel District are facing acute medical problems and children are deprived of routine immunisation facilities due to unavailability of medical Staff at Primary Health Sub-Centre for the last few years.

While speaking to the media persons, Jamkholal Khongsai, Chief of Saibol Joupi Village has said that the Primary Health Sub-Centre in the village has been lying unattended since the transfer of ANM, the only staff of the Sub-Centre some two and half years ago.

The Village Chief further said that for the last few years the villagers of T. Bollon, Joupi, H. Hengcham, Nakong, Tm. Dingpi, Tuikong, Tolbung, Hengshi and Hollenjang besides the villagers of Saibol Joupi have not been administered routine Immunisation of DPT, OPV, BCG, etc. for their children due to absence of medical staff at the Primary Health Sub-Centre.

For getting routine immunisation and medical treatment, the villagers of these remote villages have to trek 25 kilometers by foot to the nearest Primary Health Sub-Centre at Shehlon or have to walk 35 km stretch long deplorable road conditions to Chakpikarong where the nearest Community Health Centre is located, said the Village Chief.

He also said that sometimes the villagers used to get benefits from free health camp organizsd by Assam Rifles/Army and District Health Society under National Rural Health Mission which are conducted once a year. However, the villagers cannot depend on such health camp throughout the year as routine immunisation of Children should be done in time at the specific intervals.

The Village Chief also fervently appealed to the State government and concerned authority to consider the plight of these remote villagers and sent the required medical staff of Saibol Joupi Primary Health Sub-Centre at the earliest.

Vigilance team interrogates Social Welfare officials, seizes files

IMPHAL, October 21: Officials of the Social Welfare department were today interrogated by State Vigilance sleuths in connection with a case registered by the superintendent of police (Vigilance). The Vigilance

IMPHAL, October 21: Officials of the Social Welfare department were today interrogated by State Vigilance sleuths in connection with a case registered by the superintendent of police (Vigilance).

The Vigilance team also seized files and documents from the office of the department located near the 2nd Manipur Rifles gate today in connection with case no 1/SP-V/ 2014. The case was taken up in connection with schemes and programme taken up by the department during the 2011-12 and 2013-14 period.

Sources informed the IFP that the interrogation of the officials and checking of the files was conducted inside the 2nd Floor Conference Hall of the department`™s building.

The team led by SP RK Meme Devi arrived at around 11am and the questioning continued till 3pm, sources said.

Prior to today`™s interrogation of officials, on October 17, director Rangitabali Waikhom had issued a circular stating that a meeting will be held according to a directive of the SP Vigilance. The circular also instructed 16 officials to attend the meeting.

The officials asked to attend the said meeting include retd head clerk of the department S Chandrakumar Singh, retd superintendent P Mohendro Singh, retd research officer Th Akhoikumar Singh and retd deputy director (ICDS) L Shyama Devi, former director of the department and presently posted as secretary election Th Chitra Devi. Chitra Devi was the director of the department during January 14, 2013 and July 31, 2013.

The other officials are joint director G Satyabati Devi who was the director of the department from February 24, 2010 to January 13, 2014; deputy director (WP) Surrender A Sishak; deputy director (SW) Th Joychanra Singh; deputy director (Trg) Jiteshwor Keisham; deputy director (Disabilities) Th Dilipkumar Singh; child welfare officer, Binobala Nongmeikapam; deputy director (ICDS) Ranjana Manoharmayum; probation officer (ICPS) K Saroja Devi; programme officer (SNP/ Sabla/ KSY) V Mingthingla; research officer (NSAP/ MOAP) W Birahari Singh and rehabilitation psychologist L Dhaneshwar Singh.

Don`t lose confidence of people, CM urges party members

Imphal, October 21: `As the political scenario has changed in the country and the Congress continues to fall like nine-pins in various States, we need to seriously discuss the fate

Imphal, October 21: `As the political scenario has changed in the country and the Congress continues to fall like nine-pins in various States, we need to seriously discuss the fate of Manipur with regard to the current trend`, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said while addressing the reception programme of newly elected Congress MLA Dr Elangbam Dwijamani in the Congress Bhawan.

Urging the newly elected legislator to serve the people on a war footing as his tenure is short, the Chief Minister also asked all the ministers and MLAs to do the same in their respective constituencies.

The Chief Minister said he is having sleepless nights after the party suffered heavy defeats in many big States across the country following the Lok Sabha poll debacle.

Appealing to all the ministers, MLAs and Congress workers to completely dedicate themselves in undertaking programmes or projects in their respective constituencies from today onwards, he said even though the Congress rule in the State is going to complete three consecutive terms they should not create an environment in which people may raise questions to the government.

We must work hard for the people so as to not lose the confidence of people, he said.

Stating that rumours of decreasing Central funds allocated to Manipur is not true, Ibobi said when the UPA government was in power it didn`™t affect fund allocations to Gujarat and similarly the NDA rule wouldn`™t affect the allocation of central funds to Manipur.

The BJP Manipur Pradesh is no cause of concern for the State government, he said. The development programmes taken up in both hill and valley districts bear testimony to what the Congress has done for Manipur, he stressed.

But we must complete those infrastructural projects and development programmes so that the people of Manipur may not lost hope in the Congress, he added.

MPCC president Gaikhangam said the electoral success in Hiyanglam resulted from the support of ministers and MLAs of the Congress.

Now, the party has regained the seat that it lost. The collective effort of MLAs of the Congress is being witnessed in the Hiyanglam bye-poll, he said.

If this practice continues in the future then the Congress can retain power in Manipur and need not be worried about failing in the upcoming elections, he added.

Hiyanglam people knew the political scenario of Manipur so they supported the Congress by sending an MLA from Hiyanglam, Gaikhangam said.

ATSUM revokes highway bandh after government invitation for talks

Imphal, October 21: ATSUM has called off its indefinite strike along the national highways, and of the railway project, this evening after the Chief Minister invited the tribal students`™ body

Imphal, October 21: ATSUM has called off its indefinite strike along the national highways, and of the railway project, this evening after the Chief Minister invited the tribal students`™ body for negotiations.

Addressing a press meet at its office in Nagaram, ATSUM president Maun Tombing said the students`™ body decided to impose the indefinite bandh in the hill districts from October 21 after the government failed to comply with the agreement made last year.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi invited representatives of ATSUM today for holding talks on their pending demands.

The negotiations will be held in the morning of October 22 at around 8 am at the Chief Minister`™s chamber. We hope that the talks bring positive results, Tombing said.

He added that the bandh imposed by ATSUM on the national highways and the railway project in the State has been revoked on October 21 at around 3:30 pm.

`If the talk with government fails then ATSUM is free to launch an agitation at any moment. We are counting on the government to keep the promises it made on November 29 last year` the president of the Maun Tombing faction of ATSUM said.

ATSUM had called an indefinite blockade starting today which would have stopped all sorts of vehicular movement along the National Highways and the National projects including railway construction works etc.

TSA opposes land acquisition for smart city at Moreh

IMPHAL, October 21: The Thadou Students Association strongly oppose the reported acquisition of 3000 acres of tribal land for the purpose of setting up a smart city at Moreh/Haolenphai, Chandel

IMPHAL, October 21: The Thadou Students Association strongly oppose the reported acquisition of 3000 acres of tribal land for the purpose of setting up a smart city at Moreh/Haolenphai, Chandel district, said the student body`™s president Lamminlung during a press conference at the Manipur Press Club here today.

Lamminlung stated that it is against the customary law and tradition to sell land for any reason whatsoever and added that `We are ready to die to safeguard the traditional land for the cause of our people.`

The Thadou Students`™ Association demanded the State government to clarify whether the reported acquisition of land as stated by Industries minister Govindas Konthoujam through the press statement is true.

He said the Kukis`™ and other tribal people`™s interest, culture, languages, tradition, social set-up and land rights should be respected and protected at all times.

The TSA also urged the government to issue a press statement in tribal interest regarding the above demands at the earliest, failing which the TSA, together with the public and other like-minded organisations will take up appropriate actions at right time in pursuit of the demands, said Lamminlung. The TSA reiterates its position and that of Kuki tribal that people of Haolenphai wants or need the seting up of the smart city in the area.

Stating that the student body`™s demand supported by several other organization, he added that even an inch of Kuki tribal land will not be compromised for any reason as it is not a negotiable issue. Lamminlung further asserted that `we want development that we need, but not imposed development that we do not need. What the Kukis are really struggling for is the land, culture and ethnic identity and it is the land that we need most.`

He also said that a memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister of Manipur and also to the Union Home Minister on September on September 15 on the issue.

Car crash ignites inferno killing 5-year-old; buildings razed to ground

IMPHAL, October 21: An accident caused devastation at Koirengei bazaar this late evening when a speeding Getz car hit a shop igniting an inferno. A five-year old boy who was

IMPHAL, October 21: An accident caused devastation at Koirengei bazaar this late evening when a speeding Getz car hit a shop igniting an inferno.

A five-year old boy who was at a shop with his mother to buy household items has been confirmed burnt to death. The mother also recieved burn injuries.

Around 8pm, a speeding Getz car coming from Imphal side crashed into a shop igniting a fire which speedily spread to the nearby houses devastating more than eight structures including shops, houses, workshops, hotels.

The car has also been damaged beyond recognition.

The boy has been identified as Thokchom Loyumba son of T Shyamkishore and T (o) Ibempishak. The family who is originally from Achanbigei runs a shop opposite to the buildings razed by the fire.

The occupants of the car including the driver managed to flee from the site, locals said.

Locals also said that the mother of the boy has been rushed to the nearby Catholic Medical Centre along with some other injured women. However, the exact number of injured cannot be confirmed till the filling of this report.

Locals also said that there is no confirmation of how many people are trapped inside the building, as the inhabitants of the buildings are nowhere to be found in the area. This has created apprehensions that many more could be buried under the debris, locals added.

More than five fire tenders arrived around 8:20pm to control the fire, they said. The fire was brought under control only around 9pm, although by that time the buildings were already razed to the ground.

Heingang police have taken the body of the boy for post mortem.

Responding to HIV and AIDS

With the detection of the first HIV infection case in the country in 1986, the National AIDS Committee was constituted in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare the following

With the detection of the first HIV infection case in the country in 1986, the National AIDS Committee was constituted in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare the following year. Various steps were taken up to address HIV and AIDS on a national level with India`™s first National AIDS Control Program (NACP) being launched in 1992 and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) set up to implement the program. The objective of NACP-I (1992-1999) was to control the spread of HIV infection. The main component of the program at this stage was prevention, another major step taken up was the initiation of the HIV sentinel surveillance system. Following this first phase, the second NACP (1999-2006) was focused on intervention programs with measures being taken up for what was known as targeted interventions for high risk groups of sex workers, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, truckers and migrants. This second phase included the earlier program components but also put in new elements of behavior change communication, setting up voluntary counseling and testing facilities etc. Free anti-retroviral therapy was initiated in selected Government hospitals across the country while equal importance was given on developing policies to aid the work on the ground.
With the NACP third phase, the focus is on integration and mainstreaming where HIV and AIDS programs and services are to be owned by community based bodies and Government machineries taking the lead. This phase is where all the work covered under the earlier two phases are being tested as Government machineries in the country, have never been known to have functioned effectively, qualitatively and with transparency. Of course, a generalization would be far off the mark for there are states where Government Departments have taken the lead in mainstreaming HIV and AIDS programs. An example of this is Tamil Nadu where even before the third phase of NACP began, the state Transport Department ensured that people who were traveling to ART centers to get medicines were exempted from paying their fares. It was also in this state that people living with HIV and AIDS were given the benefit of various social welfare schemes.

The first HIV positive case in Manipur was reported in February 1990 from the blood samples of October 1989 among a cluster of Injecting Drug Users (IDUs). The state began strong with a State AIDS Policy being adopted in 1996, becoming the first state to do so. The range of programs and best practices taken up in the state have in fact been replicated in other parts of the country but these were mainly the initiatives of the non government sector and specifically those taken up by affected communities. They have not only taken the lead with regard to initiatives on the ground but have also been the ones who have been most vocal when it comes to loopholes in the HIV and AIDS programs and policies being implemented by the state government. Hence it comes as no surprise that such a body, the Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) along with another body called the MACS Partner NGOs Forum (MPNF) has stepped in to make a poignant plea to the state authorities not to keep shuffling officials in charge of the state AIDS control program. Their positioning is that Government officials take time to be sensitized about HIV and AIDS and the communities affected by it, and that constant shuffling affects the pace of work on the ground. The Government has its ways of functioning but that does not mean that it shies away from ensuring that officials aware and sensitized about HIV and AIDS are the ones who lead programs.

Leader Writer: Chitra Ahanthem

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/responding-to-hiv-and-aids/

JCILPS decries bringing in of labour from outside

IMPHAL, October 21: Getting information that a passenger bus had dropped 48 non-locals at Sekmai bazaar this afternoon around 2pm, a team of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System

IMPHAL, October 21: Getting information that a passenger bus had dropped 48 non-locals at Sekmai bazaar this afternoon around 2pm, a team of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System rushed to the spot and met with the non-locals, said the committee`™s coordinator Thabi.

Speaking to media persons, he said one of the non-locals identified themselves as from Malda district of West Bengal and that they have been brought into the State as labours of Yurembam Power grid.

According to the non-local, they were supposed to wait at Sekmai bazar for the authorities to pick them up, Thabi told media persons.

He said the non-locals were found waiting at the Sekmai Police Station, however, the bus went back soon after dropping them.

Meanwhile, according to Sekmai Police sources, non-locals have been dropped in the area on two counts earlier and each time department officials had come to pick them up.

When they had asked, they were informed that the non-locals were labours for the Yurembam Power grid.

On the other hand, Thabi said this is unfortunate as the JCILPS has been trying hard with support from the public to check the illegal influx of non-locals into the State.

The officials are showing irresponsibility, he said before urging local authorities to hire people of the State if they need labours.

Students vandalises administrative office of Manipur University – KanglaOnline

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Students vandalises administrative office of Manipur University
KanglaOnline
IMPHAL, October 21: Activist of Manipur University Students`™ Union Revival Demand Committee and Joint Students Coordination Committee vandalised the administrative block of the Manipur University early noon today. The students stormed towards the …
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EMA Celebrated Ningol Chakkouba 2014 in Europe

Ningol Chakkouba, the most loved festival of Manipuris, especially among meeteis, signifying age old culture of strong bonds between ningols and pibas in the society of Manipur , was

Ningol Chakkouba, the most loved festival of Manipuris, especially among meeteis, signifying age old culture of strong bonds between ningols and pibas in the society of Manipur , was celebrated in England on the 11^th of November 2012 at Borstal , Kent, England with many ningols from other parts of Europe participating in the feast.

This day is a ningol’s day out when pibas are obliged to invite ‘ningols’ at their place for a ‘chaak’, exchanging gifts and pleasantries apart from sharing many fond memories .This festival strengthens the bond of love between brothers and sisters, parents and daughters and friends. This festival reaffirms family ties and values in the society when the occasion re-kindles the love and affection between them.

For the people of Manipur origin in Europe, this festival has become a key to uphold the tradition far away from home, even more strengthening the feeling of oneness and the emotional bonding among the members across Europe. This is a special day to pass on a beautiful culture & heritage to the next generation of Manipuris living in the continent.

The event was closed by exchanging khudols (gifts) , greetings, blessings, and reaffirmations by the participants to celebrate the occasion again with the same spirit and vigour in the next year.

Message from some of the Ningols who attended the occasion :

Hi All, Me and my family want to personally thank for the NC celebration. Must say it was a grand success. Gauri although don’t speak yet but she was narrating in her language to us about all that happened. She was really excited. My husband Sutharsan also had a very good experience with people, food and above all, our culture. Thanks EMA, for keeping few of our tradition alive even being so far away from our motherland. Promila D. Sutharsan Huidrom .Oslo-Norway

Dear EMA committee and all members, I cannot begin to express my admiration and gratitude for all your hard work and generosity in organising such a fabulous Ningol Chakouba celebration and making us ( Ningols) feel so special. It is indeed an honour to be a member of the ever growing family. Sanjeeta Thangjam, UK.

‘Thoroughly enjoyed the day’ Indira, Germany.

Dear Brothers and EMA committee,
Thank you for organising such a wonderful Ningol Chakauba celebration. We really enjoyed every bit of it. Bijyenti Ireland, Republic.

Released by
European Manipuri Association (EMA)
Website: www.ema-europe.org

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/ema-celebrated-ningol-chakkouba-2014-in-europe/

Delhi comes out in full support #ForAssam

New Delhi, October 20, 2014: Delhi stood firmly behind the Music Fraternity yesterday and lent its earnest support for the concert titled #FORASSAM. A packed Blue Frog witnessed the

New Delhi, October 20, 2014: Delhi stood firmly behind the Music Fraternity yesterday and lent its earnest support for the concert titled #FORASSAM. A packed Blue Frog witnessed the biggest names of the music industry as all the stars performed live to an enthralled audience. Spearheaded by Papon and Vishal Dadlani, the concert at Blue Frog in Delhi was held to help generate funds for the people who have been ravaged by the recent floods in the state of Assam.

Said Papon, “The intention was to generate awareness and attention about the flood situation in Assam and generate as much relief funds as possible towards the cause. We will collect the funds and hand it over to the chief minister’s fund soon”.

“This is probably the biggest concert in Indian music history where the music fraternity has come forward for a cause. Flood is an annual phenomenon in Assam, but due to some reasons, it doesn’t get properly highlighted enough to be considered as a national calamity. ” said Vishal.

Photo Courtesy: Shatabdi Chakrabarti

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/delhi-comes-out-in-full-support-forassam/