Manipur News

IMPHAL, August 31: An international peace conference under the theme “Building Nations of Peace: Our Shared Responsibility” was held today at Political Science Lecture hall of Manipur University. The conference was attended by 11 members from Japan, US, Korea, was jointly organised by Universal Peace Federation of India (UPF) and Department of Political Science, Manipur University.

The topic of this event was about the balance of power in the world.

Speaking at the conference, UPF-Asia chairman Dr Chung Sik Yong said in this new Asian era, India plays a very critical role as it is the world’s largest democracy and the second most populous nation on earth.

Our world faces a multitude of challenges- from climate changes and poverty to geopolitical tension, terrorism and interreligious conflict, from family breakdown and crime to moral and spiritual confusion, he added.

Assuring that all have encountered many of these same challenges in their own nations and regions, he said these problems cannot be solved through the instruments of government alone because their root cause in not exclusively political or economic in nature.

The root cause is rather buried deep in the human heart: in selfishness and separation from God, he added.

Dr Chung Sik Yong, another Korean member, said the family is the most fundamental and necessary of all human institutions. Without it, humanity cannot survive as a species; he said, adding that when it fails, the society, nation and world fails. When we restore the health of marriage and family, center on god, we can restore societies, nations and the world, he added.

Stressing that the family is the school of love because we learn the nature of love there, he said we learn how to love in our families.

Everyone knows it is true because when families break up or become dysfunctional then gangs, violence, prostitution and drugs become prominent in a community, he added.

Lecturing on the introduction of peace, UPF-Asia principal director of education, Dr Robert S Kittel said that to build peace there is a need to have the principal to love others and sacrifice for others.

Prof (retd) Ksh Bimola Devi stated that even Mahatma Gandhi also accepted that the individual is the one to build peace which will extend further to others. Every individual have the power to reason and differentiate between what is wrong and what is right.

During the International conference which was participated by various eminent personalities from various parts of the country, she highlighted the role of Irom Shramila Chanu and her struggle for the repeal of AFSPA for the last 14 years.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/indias-role-crucial-in-balance-of-world-power/

IMPHAL, August 31: Members of the Waiton Gram Panchayat, Ideal Club, Youth Development Association, Prince Club, Meira Paibi and Nisha Bandh from the Waiton area took out a mass rally against the decision of the State government to acquire land for expanding the premisies of the Manipur Police Training College today.

Sources said that the director of MPTC served a notice to the pradhan of the area and the YDA secretary to remove the fencing from land adjacent to the MPTC which included a playground, pond and a crematorium on June 21 this year.

According to the pradhan of Waiton GP, Pukrambam (0) Surbala, the land in question have always belonged to the people of the area from time immemorial. The pond is the main source of water during the time of water scarcity and the playground where the younger generations play have produced many national and even international players, she said.

This piece of land is our soul and we would sacrifice our lives if needed to safeguard it, she added.

More than 200 people took part in the mass rally which begin at the area in contention and came to halt in front of MPTC main gate. They held a sit-in protest after returning back to the area.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/rally-taken-out-against-mptcs-attempt-to-acquire-land/

IMPHAL, August 31: The State health directorate will consider including Relaxone, an antidote of drug overdose in the essential life saving drugs list when the opportunity arrives for such consideration, said State epidemiologist Dr Sashikumar of the Directorate of health services, Government of Manipur.

He was speaking at the observation of the International Overdose Awareness Day under the theme ‘Rethink and Remenber’ which was organised by the Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) at the Imphal Press Club today.

Dr Sashikumar said he become interested in the overdose issue after realising that people who abused drugs were being discriminated by people. Lives saving drugs of drug overdose are found at high prices in pharmacies; so, the issue has reached the State health department and we need to frame a good policy for the drugs, he added.

Some professionals from the medical fraternity sometimes consider the medical case of a drug overdosed person as a criminal issue and not a public issue, he said, adding people also discriminate against them as if they are criminals. Drug abusers are stigmatized by the society and drug overdose persons receive double times that stigma, he added.

Urging drug overdosed victim to remain vigilant and be aware about the life saving drugs against to be used in case of an overdose, he said if such awareness is extended widely then one day drug overdose will be eradicated and many precious lives will be saved.

RIMS casualty medical officer Dr Naresh said cases of drug overdose are increasing as the population of the State has also increased.

We need to spread the awareness to people about drug overdose for preventing the deaths of drug overdose persons, he added.

Some pharmacies sold the anti-dote to overdose, Relaxone at the maximum rate for profit only when the actual price is just Rs 75, Dr Naresh said, and people can’t get this antidote easily at its normal rate but is sold at 2000 or more.

CoNE president RK Nalinikanta said till date there has been no official data collected about cases of drug overdose and life saving drugs are found in health service centres. He narrated an incident in which an overdose person was treated like a criminal and a FIR was registered against him by the police instead of give aid to him.

Now the trend has changed in the last two-three years and the police have co-operated and save some overdose persons from road sides also, he added.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/antidote-to-drug-over-dose-to-be-included-in-lsd-list/

IMPHAL, August 31: The government has not initiated any steps for the rehabilitation of Special Employment Generation Programme , SEGP beneficiaries by sanctioning funds for poverty eradication and as such the beneficiaries are now living in a hand to mouth condition by doing odd jobs for survival.

This was stated by All Manipur Selected (SEGP) Beneficiaries Committee general secretary Zakir Hussain in a press meet at the Manipur Press Club here today.

He said that the loans given are mainly in connection with agriculture products, poultry, fishery and other allied business.

On account of natural calamities such as bird flu, draught and frequent floods, many agricultural and fishery products are damaged, Hussain added.

Moreover, there are un-natural calamities faced by the people in the State mostly due to the frequent economic blockades imposed by anti-social elements and various NGOs of the hill districts which resulted in the failure of small schemes like SEGP in the State and besides the State government as well as the Union government have not taken any positive steps in this regard, he said.

In connection with the grievances faced by the beneficiaries, the committee had submitted memorandum on August 27, 2013 to the then Prime Minister of India, Union Minister of Finance and Chief Minister of Manipur and another memorandum was submitted again on June 19 this year to the Prime Minster, Union Minister of Finance of the current NDA government and the State Chief Minister.

The committee has also appealed to all the beneficiaries of the SEGP w.e.f 2004-2007 to come forward and join the ongoing demand for waiving loans given to the people of the State, he said.

The committee also urged to the State government to take up positive step for waiving the loans in the interests of the beneficiaries at the earliest.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/beneficiaries-of-segp-bemoans-govt-apathy/

IMPHAL, August 31: The Thangmeiband Kendra Development Organisation has blamed Andro MLA Th Shyamkumar of resorting to blame game regarding the impasse in the Manipur Pradesh Trinamool Congress.

Speaking to media persons at the Manipur Press Club, TAKDO spokesperson Mutum Rajendro Mutum Rajendro said the MLA Th Shyamkumar has alleged that the MPTC is a newly formed party by Thangmeiband MLA Kh Joykishan and his four associates MLA O Lukhoi Singh, MLA Th Biswajit Singh, MLA K Sarat Singh and (L) M Kunjo Singh.

Elaborating further on the issue he said since MLA Kh Joykishan was nominated by the organisation, it had tried to find the truth behind the allegation.

Unfortunately, the organisation found that MLA Shyamkumar had resorted to alleging that MPTC was newly formed , he said.

He said the MLA has deceived both the general public and the State Assembly Speaker into believing that the MPTC is a newly formed party.

He continued that TAKDO has found out that MPTC is a unit of the AITC inaugurated in April 2010 and that all the concerned MLAs had fought the State Assembly election with MPTC tickets.

He further said that considering all the development in the party, Andro MLA Th Shyamkumar should resign from his seat.

Today press conference was also attended by vice president RK Sanyaima, vice president Th Budha, joint secretary Basant Sharma, women secretary Th Tampakleima among others.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/takdo-bemoans-mla-shyamkumar-over-trinamool-fiasco/

IMPHAL, August 31: Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat, an Infantry Officer from the Gorkha Regiment, has taken over the command of the prestigious Spear Corps from Lieutenant General SL Narasimhan, who is proceeding to another challenging assignment as Commandant, Army War College, Mhow, said a press release by PRO Defence.

According to the press release, Lieutenant General SL Narasimhan has conveyed his deep appreciation and gratitude to the people of the North East region, for their whole hearted support and cooperation during his tenure as the GOC of Spear Corps.

Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat is an alumnus of St Edward’s School, Shimla and was awarded Sword of Honour from Indian Military Academy in December 1978 and the General Officer has rich experience in Counter Insurgency as well as conventional operations and had a distinguished career spanning various command, staff and instructional appointments, said the press release.

It is further said that besides commanding an Infantry Battalion, a Rashtriya Rifles Sector and an Infantry Division, he also has the distinction of commanding a Multinational Brigade in a United Nation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC).

Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat is the Fourteenth GOC of Spear Corps since its raising on February 4, 1985, said the press release.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/lt-gen-bipin-rawat-takes-over-as-goc-of-spear-corps/