Manipur News

IMPHAL, January 17: State governments have been urged to open more purchasing centers and assess all necessary infrastructure requirements for increased procurement of foodgrains for implementation of Food Security Act, said a PIB press release.

It should include storage space, credit and staff requirement. A meeting of Food Secretaries of various States has been convened in the second week of February by the Government of India to review the arrangements for procurement of wheat for coming marketing season and other infrastructure requirements, it continued.

Further according to the release, in order to implement the National Food Security Act, requirement of foodgrains is estimated to be 614.3 lakh tons against the average procurement of 514 Lakh tons in last five years.

Under the National Food Security Act, the Government of India will now provide assistance to States in meeting the expenditure incurred by them on transportation of foodgrains within the State, its handling and FPS dealers’ margin as per norms to be devised for this purpose, it said. In the meeting, estimated marketable surplus ratio of wheat for each State and estimated procurement of wheat for Rabi Marketing Season will also be discussed.

Under the Act, Grievance Redressal Mechanism at the District and State levels have to be set up and provisions have to be made for disclosure of records relating to PDS. The Act also provides for social audits and setting up of Vigilance Committees in order to ensure transparency and accountability. Provision for penalty on public servant or authority, to be imposed by the State Food Commission, in case of failure to comply with the relief recommended by the District Grievance Redressal Officer, has also been made in the Act, it said. One of the most significant features is the provision for Food Security Allowance to entitled beneficiary in case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals. No doubt, the Act will provide food security to two-third population of the country and with its focus on nutritional support to children and pregnant women it will address the problem of malnutrition also effectively, further said the release.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/01/states-asked-to-open-more-purchasing-centers-for-implementation-of-nfsa/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=states-asked-to-open-more-purchasing-centers-for-implementation-of-nfsa

CCPUR, January 17: The first ever Paite Cultural Festival 2014 was held at the Mission Compound under the aegis of the Paite Cultural Festival Committee (PCFC) today.

The secretary of PCFC, Siam Ton Sing said that the program was held to rejuvenate the cultural aspect of the Paites who is the major constituent group in Churachandpur.

During today’s program, several cultural practices including Phitlam, Suktuah lam, etc of the Paites’ were shown.

The PCFC leader also said that the program was to help preserve the cultural history of the Paites’ for posterity.

He continued that the activities of the PCFC will continue in the years to come.

Minister Phungzathang Tonsing who was supposed to attend the function as the chief guest due to his busy scheduled couldn’t attend and instead sent his son Khanthang to attend the function.

Parliament secy Vungzagin Valte who was not an invitee came on his own accord and spoke on the occasion.

He said, “I found that it is my duty to grace this occasion at the old Churachand village which is the major center.”

Valte said, “If we forget our own culture and fail to preserve it, we are like a flower which cannot produce juice and those who don’t preserve their culture are like a dried out flower.”

In reaction to the use of the social networking sites as a platform for criticism, Valte said that the politicians, as servants of the people, are too busy to look at the criticism; and further requested the people to come directly to them so that a solution could be reached to their problem.

He praised the many cultural troupes that perform during the occasion and said that he will do his best to promote the culture of the tribe. Langkhanpau Guite chairman ADCC was another leader who came on his own accord and offered solitary with the organizing committee in particular and the Paite community in general.

Delegates from all the other 17 branches of PTC and other Paite organisations including from Mizoram, attended the cultural festival.

Thangkhanlal Samte, who is the general secretary of PTC/SSPP Sialkalh Tang area in Mizoram told IFP that he was quiet impressed by the program and will go a long way in promoting the Paite culture and tradition in the years to come.

He added that the right course of action had commenced today and the people need to keep it up.

On the occasion SSPP Rayburn Collage unit performed the original Suktuak lam, commonly known as bamboo dance in the original customary way of using long pestle instead of bamboos.

Amzarthang acted at the festival father, with general president PTC/GHQ Tualkhanhau and ex-president PTC/GHQ T Singneng hosting the festival.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/01/paite-cultural-fest-livens-up-ccpur/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=paite-cultural-fest-livens-up-ccpur

CHANDEL, January 17: MLA of 41 A/C Chandel, St Nunghlung Victor today went on to inspect the progress of the application form submission for identification of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act underway at SDO Office Chandel.

The MLA interacted with the village chiefs, who have come to submit the form and met with SDO Siva Killu Kumar Naidu.

The MLA also went to the DC Complex and look over the interview conducted by the DIC Chandel for identification of beneficiaries under PMEGP. He met the officials and advised them to conduct the interview in a free and fair manner.

Briefing media on the PMEGP interview, MLA Victor Nunghlung strongly come out that no beneficiary irrespective of the fresh applicants or the backlog will be considered for selection unless the applicants face the interview.

The MLA said this with a special reference to the striking or agitating JAC who refrained from taking the interview.

Dwelling on the National Security Food Act launched in the district, the MLA appealed and advised to all citizens to avail this scheme now by submitting necessary documents.

He informed that necessary instruction has been given to the SDO to avoid people’s inconvenience. Therefore all, especially the village chiefs must ensure maximum applicants from their respective villages with correct documents and see that no eligible applicant is missed out.

A team of Naga Chiefs’ Association during the inspection had thanked the MLA for such arrangements and for monitoring the PMEGP interview by himself.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/01/chandel-mla-inspects-nfsa-applications-forms/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chandel-mla-inspects-nfsa-applications-forms

IMPHAL, January 17: The joint action committee against the brutal killing of Mema Bibi has demanded the immediate replacement of the investigating officer of the case and the office-in-charge of the police station concerned.

Speaking at a press meet held today, convener of the JAC Rahaman said the committee strongly condemned the brutal attack by a police team under the command of T Inaobi, the OC of Irilbung PS, on women protestors present at the court complex of the CJM, Imphal east on January 16. The women were there to demand the truth on the involvement of Nur Khan alias Khan in the killing.

The OC had reportedly ordered lathi-charge and other forms of physical assault on the women injuring three of them, who were identified as Thambal, 41, Reshma alias Bembem, 20, and Samerun, 21. They were admitted to a nearby hospital and discharged after receiving first aids. In this connection the JAC raised serious concern and draw the attention of the authorities to investigate the conduct of the OC of Irilbung PS.

He accused the police of acting favorably for the culprit’s family and asserted that they have not managed to produce any evidence against Nur Khan even though the latter had made a confession of murdering Mema Bibi. The police have claimed that important pieces of evidences like the clothing of the accused and murder weapon could have been destroyed or lost when his house was dismantled by a mob on January 2, 2014, he stated.

Daughter of the deceased, Rukaya expressed her strong conviction that more persons could have been involved in the murder. She claimed that after she saw three persons in front of her mother’s grocery shop and then her mother lying in a pool of blood just ten minutes later. JAC members further demanded that the other conspirators in the murder should be arrested within five days. If the concerned authorities do not take up any positive actions for fulfillment of the demands then they will launch serious forms of agitations.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/01/replace-io-in-mema-bibi-murder-case-demands-jac/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=replace-io-in-mema-bibi-murder-case-demands-jac

IMPHAL, January 17: After the pioneering work laid down by Lamyanba Hijam Irabot, Communists groups that took to arms and others that did not, have become puppets as there was no subsequent movement for the welfare of the peasantry, stated the Maoist Communist Party.

In a press statement, the MCP stated that a glaring example of the assertion is that none of the Communist groups in Manipur or other concerned organizations have aired their protest over the abduction of three poor laborers and their supervisor from Singda Dam by unidentified persons. Those organizations that had come up to follow the footsteps of Lamyanba Irabot should always keep in their minds his cherished dream to build a sovereign nation based on egalitarian beliefs.

Mere pretense in order to appear sincere, hectic activities and observations in the month September, and random distribution of seeds with the assistance of ‘parasitic’ officers of the state agriculture department cannot be regarded as following the path of the leader, the press statement said.

Many drivers had been taken as hostage for ransom by armed persons, others were killed in incident like the RIMS massacre and fishermen were used as human shields in Ningthoukhong, it added. Different communist parties have conspicuously responded with silence during those incidents and their behaviors cannot be termed as supporting the ideologies of Lamyanba Irabot, it contended.

On the other hand, the armed groups of communists have donned the role of armed revisionist parties and became extortionist and visionless drifters who are despised by the public. Communist leaders who have treaded the path of electoral politics are selling the name of Lamyanba Irabot for their benefits, it charged.

Manipur is a fertile ground for communism and there are countless adherents to the communist philosophy from Sekmai to Sugnu and from Lamlai to Kumbi, it added asserting that the socialist movement has suffered due to the misguidance of groups formed in the name of Lamyanba Irabot. The party asked the comrades whether they had ever come across help given by such groups to farmers during the time of natural calamities and crop failure. It surmised that the existing communists have abandoned the teachings of Lamyanba Irabot and forsaken the ideologies of Marxism.

National liberation can be a reality only when a communist party based on Marxism comes into existence and MCP will set forth to establish a political alliance of communist parties based on particular issues under the model of People’s Progressive Front, the party announced. It invited followers of Lamyanba Irabot and believers in communism to be a part of the venture.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/01/communist-movement-has-weakened-mcp/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=communist-movement-has-weakened-mcp