Manipur News

IMPHAL, October 29: A 71-year old, who was on his daily morning walk, was hit by a stray bullet around 6:20 this morning.

The injured is identified as Ningthoukhongjam Ibopishak Singh, 71, son of (L) N Anganghal Singh of Wangkhei Lourembam Leirak, a retd assistant engineer of the State Public Works Department.

The bullet hit him on his right thigh from the back and is lodged inside.

Ibopishak identified the exact spot of the incident to be about 15 metres towards Mahabali from Haokip Veng crossing.

Every morning in between, 5 and 5:30, he goes for his walk upto Minuthong and then return home, he said.

He continued that during his return journey, he takes a detour towards the under-construction Sangjenthong from where he passes through Haokip Veng and Hafta Kangjeibung before reaching home.

He was returning along his usual route this morning when he saw a white coloured Bolero Jeep coming from behind and sidetracked a little along the Mahabali roadside, thinking that the vehicle was about to turn back, he said.

However, the vehicle stopped at some distance, and as he turned and started to walk again, he heard a gun-shot and then felt a pang of pain on his right leg and on looking down saw blood, he said.

That was when he shouted he has been hit by a bullet and lost consciousness, however, people standing nearby rushed in and took him to the nearby Advance Hospital.

As the bullet didn’t hit his bones, he is said to be out of danger, however, the bullet is still lodged inside his body, sources said.

Family members said the bullet could have been fired from a .22 rifle and even though personnel of the Imphal East police are deployed in the vicinity they are unable to seek out the direction from which it has been fired.

They have also said that Ibopishak has no personal enmity and hasn’t received any monetary demand or threat.

The Porompat police have also taken up a case in this regard, whereas following advice of the doctors to take out the projectile after sometime, Ibopishak has been discharged from the hospital.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/stray-bullet-hits-morning-jogger/

IMPHAL, Oct 29: The Kuki Inpi, USA will be organising the Kut 2014 in Tulsa city in Oklahoma between November 1 and November 2 with participants expected to come from different states of USA including special guests from India and Burma, said a press release.

According to the press release, there are about 200 kukis in the USA and the occasion will mark with Kuki traditional dances from Texas Cultural Troupe, Chicago Cultural Troupe, Maryland Cultural Troupe and Oklahoma Cultural Troupe, followed by performances by different bands from different states, Kids fashion, Miss Kut USA contest and talent show.

`Chavang-Kut`, the autumn post harvest festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Kuki tribes in India and Burma, said the press release.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/kuki-inpi-usa-to-organise-chavangkut-in-oklahoma/

IMPHAL, October 29: Irom Chanu Sharmila today said the Central government seems to have mistaken her hunger strike demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act as an attempt to suicide.

The anti-AFSPA crusader left for the national capital today, in connection with her October 30 and 31 court appearances. She was accompanied by two police personnel, a doctor and two nurses.

Sharmila will be appearing before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House in connection with case filed under FIR No 222/06 under IPC section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) filed by the Parliament Street Police Station.

Speaking to media persons at the Tulihal Imphal Airport before being led into the airport building, she said the government misperceiving her movement to be an attempt to commit suicide, has said that she would be release only if her fast ends.

She further exuded confidence, that the court will hear her prayer and understand that her movement is for the people to live in peace and harmony.

Stating that she will be put up close to the Prime Minister’s bungalow, Sharmila said the Centre being protective about the draconian Act is meaningless and unfortunate.

As the people of the North East look different from those from other regions of the country, the Indian soldiers who are mostly from outside the region have a different sentiment for the people of the region and are using the Act as a tool against the people, Sharmila asserted.

AFSPA, 1958 denies the people of the basic human rights, dignity and justice, which is regrettable in a democracy, she told the media persons.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/centre-wrong-in-perceiving-my-movement-as-suicide-attempt-sharmila/

IMPHAL, October 29: The Imphal branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) organised a workshop at its office in Lamphelpat in connection with the observance of the Vigilance Awareness Week which began on October 27 and will continue till November 1.

The workshop conducted under the theme “Combating Corruption – Technology as an enabler” was graced by CBI ACB Headquarter, head of bureau additional SP Balasubramony, additional SP, L Hangshing; inspector Gaurav and Inspector W Ashok Kumar.

Speaking to media persons, Add SP Balasubramony said “corruption in India is a major issue that adversely affects its economy. A study conducted by Transparency International in 2008 found that more than 40% of Indians had firsthand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices successfully”.

In 2012 India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International`s Corruption Perceptions Index, tied with Benin, Colombia, Djibouti, Greece, Moldova, Mongolia, and Senegal. If corruption levels in India are reduced to the levels of developed economies such as Singapore or the United Kingdom, India`s GDP growth rate could increase at a higher rate.

Studies pegged the loss caused by corruption, in terms of investment, growth and jobs for India at over US$50 billion a year, he said.

He further said that to combat corruption, technology can act as an enabler such as in the case of e-governance which offers full potential to help harness transparency and reducing the drain on development caused by corruption.

Secondly, digitisation is the first step towards the use of technology and innovative models in an e-governance environment. Digitisation is a central database and the ability to get an authenticated printout of ownership from multiple points together made the process easy and corruption-free, he added.

He continued that corruption in schemes like MGNREGA can be minimised by using the unique identity (Aadhaar) to transfer funds to the beneficiary and to match worker and recipient. It can also be used in providing food (PDS) and other subsidy schemes to ensure minimal misuse, as also in transitioning, to cash transfer of subsidies.

Thirdly, e-procurement and e-auctions can be collusive in rooting out corruption. The prime target for corruption is public procurement, where corruption is most pervasive and also has more negative consequences, he said.

Public procurement may account for 45% of government expenditure and up to 20% of the Gross Domestic Product for any country. Setting aside government salaries and social service payments, public procurement accounts for the largest share of public expenditures for all levels of government, he adds.

Balasubramani continued that mobile phones and social media also play a vital role in dissemination of information. Mobile and social media can be used as an effective tool, for instant access to information about government financed projects, as well as a means of instantly reporting concerns of fraud and corruption, he adds.

He stated that India’s Right to Information movement had tremendous success in making strategic use of transparency for securing government accountability. Demanding and disseminating information are among the most used tools in the work of activist organisations in the country. Public records are typically demanded on paper and disseminated manually, making the process costly and slow, he added.

Corruption has destroyed the very moral fabric of the society as even education and Health care are not free from the disease of corruption, he laments.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/10/cbi-imphal-branch-conducts-workshop-for-combating-corruption/