Manipur Mail – Page 245

BJP will order CBI probe into activities of SPF govt: Nitin Gadkari

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 19: The President of BJP Nitin Gadkari today announced that the BJP will be coming back to power in 2014. The BJP Chief arrived here today and addressed a public rally at Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT).
Addressing the public rally Mr, Gadkari said during the NDA rule in the country there was no case of suicide committed by farmers. The emphasis on communications throughout the country was started by the NDA led by Atal Behari Vajpayee he added. Bad governance, corruption by the government led by Dr Manmohan Singh has broken the record of price rise he alleged.
If the BJP comes back to power it will take up politics of development and unemployment problem will be solved he said. The BJP is in charge of nine states in the country and all the nine states have witnessed growth and development he further said.
Allegations like the BJP is anti Muslim, anti minorities are made frequently but what has the Congress done during the long period of its rule in the country he asked. It was during the NDA period that a Muslim , Dr Abdul Kalam became the President of the country he further said.
For Manipur and rest of the country the BJP will take up new policies related to handicraft, education, handloom, communications he said. In states like Manipur the government is taking up contract works and looting the people he charged. If the BJP comes to power CBI probe will be ordered to look into corrupt practices and all wrong doers will be sent to jail he further said. Other BJP central and state leaders also attended the function. Mr Gadkari will leave Imphal tomorrow.
Nitins said there will be no more bandh and blockades as the party will try its level best to bring peace and development in Manipur if BJP comes to power at the Centre.
He said the UPA leaders are “corruption Pandits” who are neck deep in corruption and added that the recent Manipur visit of the Union home minister entirely aimed at giving lessons to the State Government on how to learn the corruption business.
“No peace and development can be brought in the State since the Secular Progressive Front (SPF) Government is just waiting for the opportunity to eat up and loot funds which are meant for public”, Gadkari alleged.
He further alleged that the entire UPA Government is involved in the 2G scam worth thousands of lakhs of rupees.
BJP national spokesperson Prakash Javedkar, who was also speaking at the rally, said there is a big doubt that the Government of Manipur is having a nexus with militant groups in the State saying there were only two to three militant organizations in the State before, but now it has been increased to more than 30 groups.
He said the state of affairs in Manipur has become very difficult and complicated to such an extent that nobody even knows when and how he or she will be killed by bullet. Citing instances on the bad governance, he said State works minister K. Ranjit shot and wounded Advocate General of Manipur besides FCD minister N. Biren’s own son also killed a youth and for that still no one is getting justice. Now the public see the SPF Government as militant organization, he further alleged. Recalling the recent incident that took place in chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh bastion in Thoubal district where BJP leader Najma Heptulla and her supporters were allegedly attacked by Congress supporters who went wild, Javedkar regretted and said democracy is a ballot not a bullet and the attack on Najma Heptulla during a rally in the chief minister’s home constituency was not an act of democracy.
Meanwhile, a BJP zonal meeting for Northeast region was held this evening at Hotel Classic here during which all the presidents of Northeast States attended.
The party will be fielding 10 candidates in the coming general elections in the State, they added.

Red Shield inaugurates Maj Jyotin Memorial Park

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 19: On 19 Dec 2011 at Leimakhong, the Red Shield Division dedicated a park to the people of Manipur in the memory of the martyr, Major L Jyotin Singh, Ashok Chakra (Posthumous), who laid down his life on 26 Feb 2010 while fighting terrorists with bare hands in order to save the lives of his colleagues and other country-men residing in a hotel in Kabul. Jyotin was a part of an Indian Mission to provide medical cover to the people of Afghanistan. Maj Gen Binoy Poonnen, VSM, in his address to the gathering, highlighted the supreme sacrifice of the fearless Army Medical Corps Officer, who responded beyond the call of duty with least regard to his personal safety. The General Officer further stated that the park will be a new source of inspiration for the people and state of Manipur, a monument of patriotism and selflessness which will groom and inspire the younger generation towards Nationalism and importance of dedication to duty. Dr (Mrs) Bina Kumar Devi, the elder sister of (Late) Maj L Jyotin Singh, AC (Posthumous) also graced the ceremony with relatives and extended her gratitude to the division stating that this park will forever signify the contribution of the Indian Army towards extending goodwill/recognition to all the residents of Manipur.

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JAC demands resignation of CE PHED

The JAC formed in connection with the brutal killing of Chawkidar of Irilbung water Supply Scheme and his son demanded resignation of CE, PHED on moral ground or govt. should terminate the CE as he failed to bear the responsibility of the father son abduction. Actions should also be taken against the officials of Home deptt. as they could not save the chawkidar and his son. The govt. should pursue the killings and appropriate punishment should be awarded only then the last rites of them will be held, according to JAC.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/jac-demands-resignation-of-ce-phed/

No prosecution yet under AFSPA : Antony

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Dec 19: About 24 cases seeking sanction for prosecution under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) have been received from Jammu and Kashmir Home Department during the last five years (from 2007 up to 15.12.2011). Of these, 5 cases are under examination. In remaining 19 cases, the requests for prosecution sanction were rejected as it was found on examination that no prima facie case was made out against the accused army personnel.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri PL Punia in Lok Sabha today.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/no-prosecution-yet-under-afspa-antony/

Indian Automotive Industry on a High Growth Trajectory

We have come a long way since the Automotive Industry in India was delicensed. Today, this sector is one of the shining examples of what can be achieved in a relatively short span of time with the right kind of support of the Government, combined with the entrepreneurial skills and managerial talent that the Industry has to offer. Today India is the seventh largest vehicle manufacturer, second largest two wheeler manufacturer and the fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world. The past ten years have witnessed a six fold increase in the industry turnover and the automotive exports growing by almost twenty times.
The Government and the automotive industry had jointly set a road map, a vision, for the future of the Indian auto industry in the shape of the Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) 2006-16. During the period of downturn from 2007-09, there were many people who believed that it would be extremely difficult to meet the AMP targets. However, the spectacular rebound and growth witnessed by the industry during the last two – three years has belied these apprehensions. During 2010-11, the Indian automotive industry registered a total turnover of USD 73 billion, with exports worth USD 11 billion. Of this, the turnover by the auto component sector stood at USD 30 billion, with exports valued at USD 5 billion. The moderation of growth in the recent past is a transient phenomenon. The coming years shall continue to witness high levels of growth for the Indian automotive industry owing to the fact that most of the primary demand drivers like level of vehicle penetration, growth of the economy, the demographic profile of the country, increasing wages and salaries coupled with the huge investments being made by the government in the infrastructure sector are all very favourable. It has been projected that the Indian auto component industry has the potential reach a turnover level of USD 66.4 billion by 2016 and USD 113 billion by 2020. This translates to a fourfold increase over a period of ten years.
One area of concern is the ever increasing trade deficit in auto components. The import of auto components during 2010-11 was at USD 10 billion which meant that imported components constituted 1/3rd of the total auto component turnover of the country. In 2010-11, India was a net importer of auto components worth USD 5 billion and this deficit has been on the increase since the past 4-5 years. Some of the reasons for the continued sharp increase in imports include capacity constraints of domestic manufacturers, price competitiveness of the imported products, lack of design capabilities with domestic industry etc. This is not a desirable situation as a significantly large portion of value addition and job creation is captured in auto component manufacturing.
The focus of the government is to ensure inclusive and equitable growth which would necessitate large employment generation for the vast numbers of youth, especially from the rural and semi urban areas, who are joining the work force. Since the job creation potential from agriculture and services sectors can only go so far, the vast number of new jobs will need to come from the manufacturing sector. It is therefore not surprising that one of the focus areas for the government is to spur manufacturing in the country so that this sector can contribute at least 25% to the national GDP from the present level of 14%. For this to happen, the automotive industry which today contributes 22% of the manufacturing GDP, will need to play a major role. Therefore, one of the primary objectives for the government is to ensure that the huge future market potential that exists in this sector is met by the indigenous industry and not by way of imports. Clearly, this is an area where the government would like to work more closely with the industry to reverse the trend.
The impressive numbers for the possible future size of the Indian auto component industry represents high potential; however, huge challenges will need to be overcome if the Indian auto component industry is to realize this potential. In order to realize the 2020 vision, the Indian auto component industry will need to build and optimize their capacities, focus on continuous improvement, absorb advance technologies, adopt latest manufacturing processes, build R&D competencies, inculcate and promote organization culture of innovation. In addition, it will need to continually strive to improve quality, cost and delivery standards to global benchmarks. Further, as the industry move towards an era of shortened product life cycles and faster roll out of newer models and variants, it will be imperative for the Indian auto component industry to graduate from the present “build to design” capabilities to developing “product design, testing and validation” capabilities. Also availability of capital at reasonable costs, availability of skilled manpower, stable long term government policies, protection of the interests of the domestic auto industry in the various bilateral free trade negotiations are some of the most critical areas where government support is essential.
The Automotive Industry in India shall continue to grow at a very fast pace in the foreseeable future. This confidence is based on strong sector fundamentals which include extremely low current levels of vehicle penetration in the country, projected high rate of GDP growth for the Indian economy, huge investments being made by the Government in infrastructure along with a very large upwardly mobile middle class population with aspirations for better living standards. These factors will ensure that the demand for personal mobility in India will continue to remain very high. Recent studies project the size of the Indian passenger vehicle segment annually to be close to 9 million units and the two wheeler production to be close to 30 million units by 2020.
The Indian Automobile Industry has traditionally enjoyed the advantage of cost competitiveness mainly on account of the low cost of skilled labour available in India. This, however, cannot be the sole paradigm for sustainable competitive advantage for the Indian automobile manufacturers in the long term. This is especially so in the wake of rising competition form other low cost countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific Region. Sustainable competitive advantage for the Indian Automobile Industry can only come through enhanced investments for scaling up the entire supply chain, adopting newer, cleaner and more efficient manufacturing technologies and processes along with greater commitment to research and developmental activities. In addition, w are faced with a acute shortage of skilled manpower to meet the ever growing requirements of the industry, both in terms of quality and quantity. Further, the development of a strong and vibrant corporate culture facilitating innovation is also essential for effectively responding to ever changing competitive paradigms.
The most important challenge before us would emanate from the need to mitigate the adverse impact of transportation on the environment and the need to lessen the dependence on fossil fuels. Sustainable mobility is therefore the “Mantra” of the resent and the future for this Industry. In order to work towards achieving the objective of sustainable transportation, we will have to redouble our commitment for automotive research and development, adoption of latest vehicles technologies, especially those that relate to advance and efficient internal combustion engines, hybrid and electric fuel technologies, including electric mobility.
The Government has always been keen to support the Automotive Industry and is committed for building and strengthening its partnership with the private sector. The Government has a key role to play in creating an enabling and conducive environment, catalyzing research and development activities supporting the adoption of new technologies and initiatives.
Continuous effort from both the Government and the automotive industry will be the key to unlocking the full potential of the sector.
With inputs from M/o Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/indian-automotive-industry-on-a-high-growth-trajectory/

AR apprehends four foreigners

Discovering the movement of foreigners in general area Khudengthabi of Chandel district, troops of 31 Assam Rifles of 26 Sector under HQ IGAR(South) launched operation in the area and apprehended four Myanmarese Nationals on 17 Dec 2011. The apprehendees were identified as Md Elais, 25 years, s/o Aanmiya, Salamat, 30 years, s/o Husen, Alam, 22 […]

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/ar-apprehends-four-foreigners/

69 suicide cases in Mizoram this year

Aizawl, Dec 18 NNN : As per record prepared by NeLiCS (New Life Charity Society), Aizawl, there are 69 cases of suicide from January till December 15 this year.
Out of these, 62 cases of suicide were by hanging while the rest were jumping from roof and self immolation.
NeLiCS had tried to record all the suicide cases across the state as far as possible but it is believed that there are several cases missing from NeLiCS, an official from the society informed NNN. Suicide had been on an increasing in the state and becomes the most lives takers of youths in the modern day, added NeLiCS official.
At NeLiCS Counselling Clinic, 472 persons were treated who are trying to kill themselves. Out of the 69 suicide cases, 62 were of the age group between 15-45 years while there is 9 years old also. The oldest being 71 years old. 34 persons were from Aizawl alone while the rest were from villages.
According to a research carried out by NeLiCS, the main cause of suicide in Mizoram has been due to mental depression. Love affairs were also the reasons among the youths in Mizoram.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/69-suicide-cases-in-mizoram-this-year/

Mistreatment of minorities unacceptable :CM

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 18: The chief minister of Manipur Shri O. Ibobi said his govt. will not tolerate any atrocities on ministries. The minorities can study as govt reserved form p.c. in technical and professional courses.
The govt is trying to fill up necessary staffs of Manipur State minorities commission. The general courses will be added in the madrassas of the state in order to modernize the same for which govt. included in the budget.
The C.M. was speaking as chief guest at Minorities Rights day organized by Manipur State commission for minorities at Kangla Hall, Imphal.
The govt. is also planning to teach Arabic and Urdu languages. He was of the view that in order to impart knowledge to minority in habited areas, awareness programmes should be held in such areas. Md. Alauddin, RD minister, Helim Choudhury, Chairperson Manipur State Minorities commission, Md. Helaluddin MLA Lilong A/C also attended the function.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/mistreatment-of-minorities-unacceptable-cm/

Government offices to be closed down

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 18: As empowered by the Special General Body Meeting held on the 6th December, 2011, a meeting of Executive Bodies of JAC of AMTUC & AMGEO, Manipur, Manipur Secretariat Services’ Association (MSSA) and Manipur State Pensioners’ Union (MSPU) was held on Saturday, the 17th December, 2011 with Shri Dr. M. Rajendra Singh, Acting President, JAC of AMTUC & AMGEO, Manipur, Shri Th. Muhindro Singh, President MSSA and Shri H. Yaima Singh, President, MSPU as presedium members. After having a minute discussion the meeting decided to change stretegy of the ongoing cease work strike and decided to declare HOLIDAY of all departments/offices under the Government of Manipur. Accordingly all the departments/ offices will remain closed w.e.f. Monday, the 19th December, 2011 until a solution is brought between the strikers and Government of Manipur or until a notification is issued in this regard whichever is earlier.
So, all the employees and workers under the Manipur Government are requested not to attend office and any consequence occurred during their presence in the office will be the full responsibility of the concerned employee.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/government-offices-to-be-closed-down/

Effigies burnt, bandh called

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 18: JAC has burnt the effigies of chief engineer, PHED, Imomcha and Kesho Meitei of KCP (MTF) against the govt’ inability to meet the demands of JAC formed in connection with the killing of chawkidar of Irilbung water supply scheme and his son Yaipu.
The JAC has also called a 24 hour general strike from the midnight of December 19 to the midnight of December 20.
While talking to media convenor of JAC’s standing committee Manihar Luwang said, the govt. remains a silent spectator in such killing.
It is of no use to favour CE, PHED, Imomacha. The CE should bear the responsibility of the father-son killing. The KCP(MTF) has claimed the killing but the son of the chawkidar is not serving in water supply deptt. The JAC asked the reason for the killing of his son. JAC also asked to kill all the member of the family.
The convenor further appealed all civil organizations to support the 24 hour general strike.
The Manipur electricity employees union expressed sorrow over the killing of Soram Ibomcha, Chawkidar of Irilbung water supply Scheme and his son Geetchandra alias Yaipu.
The union appealed the concerned not to repeat such incident in future.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/effigies-burnt-bandh-called/

President Appoints Ajit Singh as Civil Aviation Minister

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Dec 18: The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has been pleased to appoint Shri Ajit Singh as Cabinet Minister in the Council of Ministers.
The President of India administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shri Ajit Singh at a ceremony held in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, today.
Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President of India has been pleased to allocate the portfolio of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to Shri Ajit Singh.

ZUF not involved in blocking Gaikhangam

Imphal, Dec 18 NNN : Refuting to the report that Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) was involved in the recent Khoupum fiasco where Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Gaikhangam and some MLAs were “blockaded” by it, the outfit today washed off its hands regarding the incident.
ZUF joint secretary Aihong Remroi said the allegation was unfounded and baseless. The outfit then warns those elements responsible for dragging its name in the Khoupum incident. Remroi said the report was an attempt to tarnish the name of the ZUF by certain elements.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/zuf-not-involved-in-blocking-gaikhangam/

THANGJALET FOOTBALL MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

Thangjalet Football Memorial Tournament was a noble initiative by 27 Sector under HQ IGAR(South) organized at Churachandpur from 03 Dec to 17 Dec 2011. The final was held on 17 Dec 2011, 18 teams participated in the tournament to find a place in the finals, however, the final match was played between Lamka Sporting Club (LSC) & M. Songgel Youth Club (MSYC). It was a fiercely contested match. Lamka Sporting Club (LSC) lifted the trophy along with a cash prize of Rs 40,000/-. The runners up i.e. Songgel Youth Club were given a cash prize of Rs 25,000/-. Other prizes was also distributed to all participating teams and individual who excelled in the tournament.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/thangjalet-football-memorial-tournament/

KRA resorts to firing near inauguration venue Killing each others will not bring any solution: Cm

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 17: Several bursts of gunfire were heard today at Kangpokpi in Sadar Hills where Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh paid a visit to inaugurate a newly constructed office building of Additional Deputy Commissioner in the Deputy Commissioner office complex and also to lay foundation stones for four SDO offices.
At about 11:30 am, several rounds of loud gunfire started bursting near Heijang range located just opposite to the Additional DC office complex at IB when the convoy of the chief minister was about to reach its destination, police said.
The police said prima facie the blank fire shots were triggered by the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) militants but further said the tattering of the gunfire, which they believed a threatening move to the chief minister’s visit, could not thwart to go ahead with his scheduled programme.
The chief minister inaugurated a new building constructed at DC office complex and also laid foundation stones for four SDO offices and another SDC circle there.
The CM, O. Ibobi said there is no change in the decision of govt. regarding the upgradation of Sadar hills autonomous district council to state level for which process has been going on. India is a democratic country. There is no harm when someone demands in a democratic way.
While we are alive, we should live cordially to keep an exact record of hills, it is necessary to open a separate department.
We was speaking at the inaugural function of newly constructed building of AWC complex, Kangpokpi and laying the foundation stone for construction of SDO, Tuyang Waichong sub-division, SDO Dhamphai sub division, SDO Kangchup heljang sub division and SDC Lungtin circle today.
Due to lack of records in hills, the state govt. is facing a lot of problem. He announced to set up district sports complex in an appropriate area of Sadar Hills. Adequate security forces will also be posted at ADC complex, he said and added that to take up measures for the development of hills the people should not call band and blockade in the near future.
Presiding over the function, Th. Debendra, revenue minister said, the demand of a full fledged states of a district is reasonable and he was of the view that priority should be given to Sadar hills for the states of a full fledged district. To have more districts will develop the state.
K. Ranjit, works minister, Thangminlen Kipgen, chairmen of hills areas committee, Haokholet Kipgen, MLA, ADC members and concerned officials also attended the function.
Addressing at the function, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said Sadar Hills district could be granted only after development of “adequate infrastructure” that required to a full-fledged district.
Apparently showing anger to the gunfire shots that he encountered on his way today, the chief minister said “gun culture” cannot bring any solution but coming to the table is the only way out in resolving issues.
The government is making efforts to set up a separate revenue directorate for hill districts for smooth record for everyone as population will keep on growing which may make more and more complicated situation in the near future without a revenue directorate, Ibobi said.
Meanwhile, the gunfire which police said an undesired disruption stopped just as the chief minister team left Kangpokpi.
The police said they recovered strewn of projectiles on the roof the office building of Additional DC even as some bullets smashed through the wall of the building. No one was injured in the firing, they added.
The Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) Saturday claimed responsibility for the gun fire incident at Kangpokpi that happened during the visit of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh where he inaugurated an office building of Additional Deputy Commissioner.
KRA publicity secretary P. Simte while clarified that the gun fire shots were triggered by the militant group to protest the change of office location of SDO and it was not opposing the visit of the chief minister.
Sadar Hills Disricthood Demand Committee (SHDDC) and the Government of Manipur are working in the interest of just one particular clan in their attempt to solve the Sadar Hills issue, Simpte alleged.
He said, “KRA does not oppose to the much expected inauguration of Sadar Hills district and we are indeed demanding a speedy resolution of the issue to facilitate its inauguration at the earliest possible.”
Simte also said KRA and all the communities in Sadar Hills by and large have boycotted the inauguration of the newly built sub-division office at a new location. But he said only one clan among the communities accepted it.
The SDC Kangchup Chingkhong has been upgraded to SDO and transferred to P. Golyang village, the Chalwa SDC to Tujanwaichong village and Kangpokpi SDO to Champhai village, he further said.
KRA wants to keep the offices where they were before, Simte said, adding that the militant group has been working hard for the betterment of all the communities.

Blooming tea industry

Guwahati, Dec 17 NNN : Tea industry is doing a roaring business and in the next three years time the industry’s turn-over will be almost double the present income.
On Saturday, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said the total turnover of India’s tea industry is likely to be Rs 33,000 crore by 2015 from the current level of about Rs 19,500 crore. Assocham is the apex industry body and today’s revelation was based on its study.
With nearly 600,000 hectares under tea cultivation, the domestic tea industry is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 15 per cent, according to the study titled ‘Indian Tea Industry’.
Assocham general secretary DS Rawat while releasing a booklet containing the findings of the study said, “India is world’s largest consumer, second largest producer and fourth largest exporter of tea after China and accounts for nearly 30 per cent of global output and nearly 25 per cent of tea produced worldwide is consumed in India.” “Branded market accounts for nearly 55 per cent of the total market and is growing at about 20 per cent while the unbranded market is growing at 10 per cent annually,” DS Rawat added.
About 35 lakh workers are employed in over 1,500 tea estates across India and about 65 per cent of these are employed indirectly. Assam produces more than half of India’s tea and accounts for more than 12 per cent of annual global tea yield, Assocham said.
Nearly 90 per cent of Indian households are regular tea drinker, the beverage being cheap, affordable and addictive. According to an Assocham estimate the tea production during the current year is likely to stay over 950million kg as against 966.4 million kg in 2010.
“Awareness about health benefits associated with moderate intake of tea is another significant factor behind this upsurge in its demand as now more and more people are familiar with healing properties of tea,” Rawat said. “It not only helps combat heart related ailments but also helps lower cholesterol, protects skin, keeps cancer at bay, strengthens bones and teeth and contains no calories, fat and salt.”
Historically regarded as a hot beverage, the penetration of tea in the non-alcoholic cold beverage segment is another driving force for this industry owing to the rising affinity towards ice-tea which currently accounts for over five per cent of entire non-alcoholic beverage market in India, Assocham said.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/blooming-tea-industry/

Orange festival begins

The eight state level orange festival was held at Lower Ground, Tamenglong district headquarter, Gracing the occasionas chief guest, the horticulture minister Shri Phungzathang Tonsing said due to hard pressure of state govt. the centre has agreed to hand over a package to Tamenglong district for the enhancement of oranges and bomboos. For this, the govt. sent DPR. The People of Tamenglong should get benefit from next year. It is due to the good governance of SPF govt.
DD Thaisii who spoke as guest of honour said, Tamenglong is a land of oranges. He assured all possible helop from govt. side. Namphujai of Namlulong village, Rk hawkire and Tousuangnibou stood first, second and third positions in the festival. The winners get Rs. 1.50 lakhs, 1.25 lakhs and one lakh as cash prize.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/orange-festival-begins/

Five militants held

Mail News Service
Imphal, Dec 17: Discovering the movement of UG cadres in general area Wangu Nongyaikhong Mapal of Thoubal district, troops of 27 Assam Rifles of 9 Sector under HQ IGAR (S) launched operation in the area and apprehended one KYKL cadre on 17 Dec 2011. The apprehendee was identified as No. 2357, SS Pvt Khumanthem Borjen Singh alias Boinao, 38 years, s/o Khumanthem Shamu Singh, r/o Wangu Nongyaikhong Mapal.
In yet another incident, troops of 30 Assam Rifles of 9 Sector under HQ IGAR (S) launched operation in general area Keibi Heikakmapan Awang Leikai and apprehended two cadres. The apprehendees were identified as No. 3185 Pvt Okram Sanatomba alias Nganba (PLA), 18 years, s/o I Ibomcha, r/o Keibi Heikakmapan Awang Leikai, Imphal West apprehended at 16 Dec 2011 and No. 2194 Pvt Luwangsangbam Ramananda alias Commando Meitei (UNLF), 23 years, s/o L Thaba Meitei, r/o Sekta Makha Leikai, Imphal apprehended at 17 Dec 2011. 01 x 9 mm Pistol with Magazine, 02 x live rounds and 3 kgs of White Powder explosive were recovered from the apprehendees.
Troops of 43 Assam Rifles under the aegis of 59 Mountain Brigade, Red Shield Division apprehended two active cadres of KNF (P) on 15 Dec 2011 from Kanglatongbi Bazar area of Senapati Dist. Both cadres were carrying out extortion in Kanglatongbi Bazar. The apprehended cadres were identified as Mr Soilen Vaiphai, age 38 years, s/o Paojalhum Vaiphai, r/o of Ng Phalnom, district Senapati. He joined KRA in 2007 and later defected to KNF (P) in Feb 2011. He was the town commander of Saparmaina. Other cadre was identified as Mr Paothang Khonshai alias PK, age 30 years, s/o Paosei Khongsai, r/o Maojang Saikul, district Senapati. He joined KNF (P) in 2008. He was in charge of food and civil supply department of KNF (P). The apprehendees were handed over to PS Sekmai.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/five-militants-held-3/

Gourakishore selected for tagore akademi ratna

Manipur Information Centre
NEW DELHI, December 17 : Manipuri martial arts Guru G. Gourakishore Sharma was among 50 prominent performing artistes of the country selected for the Tagore Akademi Ratna which carried the purse money Rs. 3 lakhs.
Karam Chaoba Singh in Sankritana (Ariba Pala), Devjani Chaliha in Manipuri dance and Abungbam Kabui in Tribal dance of Manipur were among 50 eminent artistes selected for the Tagore Akademi Puraskar which carried the purse money of Rs 1 lakh.
As a part of the ongoing commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the Sangeet Natak Akademi decided to institute a one-time honour of Tagore Samman to be awarded to 100 personalities of the age of 75 years and above who had made significant contribution in the field of performing arts. The proposal of the Akademi was approved by the National Implementation Committee headed by Union Minister of Finance Pranab Mukherjee.
The General Council of the Sangeet Natak Akademi at its meeting held on December 13 and 14 this year held here unanimouslly selected 50 emeinent personalities in the field of performing arts for the Tagore Akademi Ratna and 50 eminent personalities for the Tagore Akademi Puraskar.
Fifty selected Tagore Akademi Ratna awardees were Satguru Jagjit Singh Namdhari, Rajanikanta Rao, P V Krishnamurthy, Laxmi Narayan Garg, B N Goswami, Birendranath Datta, M Nagabhushana Sarma, Prabha Atre, Laxman Krishnarao Pandit, Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Ghulam Mustafa Waris Khan, Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, Ram Narayan, Sabri Khan, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Sripada Pinakapani, R.K. Sreekanthan, Nedunuri Krishna Murthy, M.S Gopalakrishnan, N Ramani, Vellore G. Ramabhadran, Guruvayur Dorai,Vanraj Bhatia, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Kalanidhi Narayanan, M K Saroja, Kumudini Lakhia, Mankompu sivasankara Pillai, Mayadhar Raut, Pasumarthy Venugopala Krishna, Maya Rao, Amala Shankar, P K Narayanan Nambiar, Satyadev Dubey, Vijaya Mehta, Rajender Nath, Rudraprasad Sengupta, Alyque Padamsee, Soumitra Chatterjee, V Ramamurthy, Mohit Chattopadhyaya, R Nagarathnamma, Gurcharan Singh Ragi, Yamunabai Waikar, Kamala Murthy, Lalit Chandra Ojha, Sonam Tshering Lepcha, Arghya Sen, Kartar Singh and G Gourakishore Sharma.
Thirteen Tagore Akademi Puraskar selected in the field of music were Shankar Lal Mishra, Sunanda Patnaik, Ganesh Prasad Sharma, Amiya Ranjan Banerjee and Babanrao Haldankar in Hindustani vocal, Faiyaz Khan in Hindustani instrumentaL (Tabla), Tanjavore Shankara Iyer in Carnatic vocal, Mavelikkara R. Velukutty Nair in Carnatic instrumental(Mridanga), S.R.G. Rajanna – Carnatic instrumental(Nagaswaram), Thirukokarnam Chelliah – Carnatic instrumental (Thavil), Mayavaram Saraswathi in Carnatic instrumental (Flute), R Visweswaran in Carnatic instrumental (Veena) and Karam Chaoba Singh in other major traditions of music-Sankirtan(Ariba Pala).
Eleven artistes selected in the field of dance were Pandanallur Swaminathan Pillai, N.S. Jayalakshmi and Rajee Narayan in Bharatanatyam, Chemencerri Kuniraman Nair and Nattuvan Paramasiva Menon in Kathakali, Devjani Chaliha in Manipuri, Bhagavatula Yagna Narayan Sarma in Kuchipudi, Rita Devi in Odissi, Haricharan Saikia in Sattriya, Patrayani Sangeetha Rao and Bhagavatula Seetarama Sarma in Music for dance.
Eight artistes selected in the field of theatre were Bijoy Mishra and K.M. Raghavan Nambiar in Playwriting, Prasad Sawkar, Chatla Sreeramulu, Sushma Seth and Jayamala Jayaram Shiledar in Acting, Madhukar Toradmal and Jalabala Vaidya & Gopal Sharman (Joint Award) in Direction.
Thirteen artistes selected in the field of traditional / folk / tribal / dance / music / theatre and puppetry were Jahoor Meer – Folk theatre of Haryana, Abungbam Kabui – Tribal dance of Manipur, Gambhari Devi – Folk music of Himachal Pradesh, Ali Mohamad Bhagat – Bhand Pather of Jammu & Kashmir, Gopiram Borgayan – Traditional music of Assam, Sumitra SEN – Rabindra Sangeet of West Bengal, Bishwa Bandhu – Folk dance of Bihar, Hiralal Yadav – Birha folk music of Uttar Pradesh, Ramsahai Pande, – Folk dance of Madhya Pradesh, Satemmeren Longkumer – Folk song of Nagaland, Radha Krishna Kadam – Folk theatre of Maharastra, Anusuya Devi – Folk music of Andhra Pradesh, Mahipat Kavi – contemporary puppetry of Gujarat.
Five artistes selected in the field of overall contribution / scholarship in performing arts were M L Varad Pande, B M Sundaram, Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere, Raja Mrigendra Singh and Neelamadhab Panigrahi.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/gourakishore-selected-for-tagore-akademi-ratna/

End the orgy of violence once and for all

There are evil forces working strongly day and night to carry out nefarious activities throughout the world. Our share of evil seems to have outweighed our share of good. We have to do whatever penance we have to do to wash the evil forces. A father and a son were killed today. After a grueling nine days in the custody of the kidnappers they were shot dead. We pray for peace of their soul. They are gone but they leave behind a family, a society and a state utterly shattered and shocked. There must be few who are not shocked by such atrocious crimes . We also pay tributes to all those who gave their lives for no reason and we heap our anger to those who take away lives of so many precious lives without any reason for their petty gains. The sole motive for killings is money and to what end the money will be used we have no knowledge. We have seen similar incidents in the past but state preparedness seems to be lacking in fighting such killings. Some organizations had also voiced their oppositions to such acts in the past but the trend continues much to the chagrin of one and all. Chief Minister, O Ibobi Singh repeatedly announced earlier that there will be no compromise with anybody or organization on the issue of kidnapping. The complain which we have is that the incident happened a long time ago and state government did not initiate any action to rescue the two. Another issue is the responsiveness of the state to the woes of lower ranking staff and deprived people. Providing security to one and all is not possible but a safe environment has to be created by the state government. Proper planning is required to fight the menace. Neither extortion nor blackmail require a threat of a criminal act, such as violence, merely a threat used to elicit actions, money, or property from the object of the extortion. We have adequate laws to fight all criminals but what we are lacking is the will to implement the laws. An honest approach will be accepted by one and all. Nobody expects an ailing and corrupt system working overtime to safeguard the lives of the citizens. The system needs to be tuned to effectively fight the evil forces operating in our state. People are doing their job, they pay tax, elect people. Those in the helms of affairs need to wake up to teach a lesson to all evil doers.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/end-the-orgy-of-violence-once-and-for-all/

CLOSING CEREMONY OF 37TH ANNUAL ATHLETIC MEET, SAINIK SCHOOL

The 37th Annual Athletic meet of Sainik School Imphal which was inaugurated on 12 Dec 2011 concluded today on 16 Dec 2011 with Shri Hemochandra Singh, Hon’ble Speaker, Member of Legislative Assembly, Govt of Manipur and Dr N Bijoy Singh, Hon’ble MLA, Khurai Kendra, Imphal being the Chief Guest and President respectively. The programme of the day started with a welcome address by Wing Commander E Srinivas, Offg Principal of the School. Tagore House bagged the trophy of best House in Athletics and Raman House took the trophy of best house in Games and sports. Cadet Nehru of Raman House bagged award for best Athlete for junior category while the duo of Cadet Ajit Kumar and Cadet Imran both from Raman House won the best Athlete Award for senior category.

To mark the closing ceremony, the cadets put up a wonderful display of March past. Hon’ble Chief Guest gave away the prizes to the winners. In his address to the cadets and parents, the Hon’ble Chief Guest appreciated the contribution made by the school to the state of Manipur and the country by providing quality education. He made a special mention about record performance of the school in UPSC exam for NDA every year. Lastly the Hon’ble Chief Guest in consonance with the President Dr N Bijoy Singh, Hon’ble MLA assured of full support from the Govt of Manipur to improve the quality of training and living condition for cades and staff.