Manipur News

IMPHAL, April 11:  A one day workshop on media ethics organized  by the All Manipur Working Journalists Union has recommended setting up a committee to list a set of conducts for the media persons in the state to strictly adhere to media ethics.
The workshop on media ethics held at the Manipur Press Club was sponsored by state directorate of information and public relations and senior journalists of the state put across their views on does and don’ts to be followed by media persons.
In view of the conflict situation in the state, senior journalists of the state felt the need for list of does and donts for media persons in the state and also pressures from both the state and non-state actors on media houses.
Following the threats and pressures, the journalist body already had framed a code of conduct titled local adjustment in the line of the guidelines issued by the Press Council of India.
Following threats from various faction of militants on editors concerning publication of statements issued by the groups or rival groups, daily publications in Manipur often are disrupted sometimes even for days.
Speaking in the workshop, senior journalists of the state expressed their views and stressed the need to update the existing code of conduct  to suit the changing situations to give more strength to the media houses against mounting pressures on media houses.
Senior journalists further expressed concern over growing trend of “paid news” in the state over the years. They expressed that like every professionals in their own field, media persons must honour the ethics.
Addressing the gathering on the theme press council of India (PCI), A. Mobi stated that PCI had suggested over 10,000 guidelines in 1976 and invited feedbacks without any result. Later in 1982, PCI finally realized the need to frame and shape media ethics according to local imperatives.
B. B. Sharma, retired deputy director (news) All India Radio, Imphal stated that Journalists should strive to maintain integrity and honesty and should not do anything that could jeopardise the public confidence on media persons.
Senior journalist and former president of AMWJU AK Sanaton said that media persons have often overlooked ethics and professional code of conduct.
Former AMWJU president N. Tombiraj condemned yellow journalism which has become a common trend and expressed the need to guard ourself against it and maintain the integrity of professional ethics.
The  workshop concluded with two resolutions adopted. One sub committee to survey and analyze backgrounds of media person so that wage related issue may be gathered and  a sub committee to discuss and deliberate ethics of media according to local imperatives.

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IMPHAL, April 11: Adoptions of 3rd Party monitoring to the various schemes and projects undertaken in the state under the Special Plan Assistance (SPA) to enhance the progress of developmental works in the state.
According to an official source, state government, with strong directives from the Centre allowed the Development Alternative (DA), New Delhi and Karunya University (KU) Coimbatore as third party to monitor to take up third party monitoring of the SPA funded Loktak Lake Conservation Project and also started monitoring implementation of SPA funded projects in the Power and PHED sectors.
The official source further mentioned that, state government has appointed six third Party Monitors from the current financial year for monitoring of BADP in three districts of Chandel, Churachandpur and Ukhrul in this case reputed NGOs with excellent performance record have been engaged, and so far 94 Works taken up in the year 2009-11 have been inspected by the Third Party Monitors and the performances reports have been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the source added.
It may be mentioned that, since the financial components under the SPA projects for the state for the current financial year is very high, the approved outlay of Rs.2600 crores for Annual Plan for the state was increased to Rs.2645.78 crores. The increase in the allocation of Rs.45.87 crores is mainly on account of enhance allocation of funds under BADP from Rs.13.36 crores to Rs.20.93 crores, control of  shifting Cultivation from Rs Rs.6 crores to Rs. 9 crores, NSAP from Rs.20.24 crores to Rs.31.11 crores, GIA under Art 275(1) from Rs.7.83 crores to Rs.8.19 crores, RKVY from Rs.20 crores to Rs.24.81 crores, TSP from Rs9.50 crores to Rs.11.87 crores and AIBP from Rs.290 crores to Rs.306.31 crores.
The official source mentioned that, the revised outlay of Rs.2645.87 crores includes Rs.660 crores for filling up important critical infrastructure gaps under Special Plan Assistance.
The source mentioned that under the  SPA, the major projects including, Road & Bridges, PAB, Health, Flood Control, School Education, Higher Education, Water Supply, Arts and Culture, Sports etc are taken up in the state.
Further the under the SPA, the ongoing projects like, construction of Mini-Secretariat Buildings in all districts, road connectivity in both valley and hill districts, Upgradation of infrastructure of JNIMS, construction of Ima Market, construction of City Convention Centre,  Construction of Shopping Centre at Thoubal,  conservation and management of Loktak lake and its associated areas, construction of police outposts/housing, construction of  Training Centre and rehabilitation centre, renovation and modernization of 132/33KV S/S at Yurembam,  constructions of Tribal market, Tribal hostels, Flood Control programme in valley districts and anti erosion scheme in hill areas, upgradation of infrastructure of schools, setting up residential schools in all the blocks of hill districts, up-gradation of infrastructure of 11 higher secondary school in hill and valley districts, construction of  sport complex at district HQs of Thoubal, Chandel, Senapatiu and Jiribam,  construction of Food Park, restoration/up-gradation of Kangla Fort,  up-gradation of IT Park at Mantripukhri,  up-gradation of Urban infrastructure in hill districts, constructions of ITI at Ukhrul and Jiribam, up-gradation of science and maths education in hill district, up-gradation of distribution network in both hill and valley, modernization and strengthening of Government Polytechnic, up-gradation of bus terminus at Jiribam.
On the other hand, selectively, the third party monitoring like selectively the Development Alternative (DA), New Delhi and Karunya University (KU) Coimbatore have taken up third party monitoring of the SPA funded Loktak Lake Conservation Project, and they presented interim reports to the project steering Committee on January 28 last year.
The official report further mentioned that, the monitoring agency have expressed satisfaction on the work done to improve the Lotak Lake. They have also appreciated the fact that meetings of the Steering Committee, Chaired by the state Chief Secretary, have been held frequently, Nodel Officers from Line Departments have become operational and the a Committee on Convergence, chaired by the Commissioner (F&E) has successfully affected convergence of schemes/funds the official source added.

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Guwahati, April 11(NNN): Assam`s final phase assembly polls concluded today with an estimated 70% of 9,677,113 voters turning out to elect their representatives.
However, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh failed to turn out to excercise his franchise, a bad precedent.
Mentionably, Dr Manmohan Singh – a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam – and his wife Gursharan Kaur are the 720th and 721st voters in polling centre number 156 of Assam’s Dispur assembly constituency.
During the ensuing electioneering, Dr Manmohan Singh had come to Assam three or four times to campaign for the Congress but he did not turn up to cast his own at the polling centre at Dispur Higher Secondary School on Monday. Neither did his wife.
K Balaji, the returning officer of Kamrup (Metro) district said no application was received from  Dr Manmohan Singh seeking postal ballots to cast vote under Clause 20 (4) of The Representation of The People Act. This clause has a postal provision for special category people like the President and PM, as in case of officials on poll-duty or security personnel. “There was no request from the PM within the stipulated time, so there’s no question of his exercising postal ballot,” Balaji said. Manmohan Singh has been representing Assam in the Upper House since October 1991. Former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia made him his ‘tenant’ and had him registered as a voter overnight to facilitate his nomination. Dr Manmohan Singh  has been dutifully paying a nominal rent to Saikia’s widow Hemoprova Saikia for a duplex at Nandan Nagar in Guwahati’s Sarumataria area. Most of his ‘neighbours’ believe Singh is too busy with ‘national duty’ to come all the way from New Delhi to cast his vote.
But the Opposition parties have not spared him for ‘giving democracy the thumbs down’. Said Asom Gana Parishad leader Lachit Bordoloi: “He cast his vote during the Lok Sabha polls in 2009 but skipped th2006 assembly election like this time. Does he vote only when he has a stake? If as the PM he doesn’t cast his vote, his faith in democracy is questionable.”
BJP spokesman and candidate from Jalukbari seat Pradyut Bora went a step further. “His Rajya Sabha membership is based on a lie  that he is a natural resident of Assam. Hence his prime ministership is also based on a lie,” the BJP leader said.

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