Mizoram Click as a Team, Finally

By Shamik Chakrabarty

Mizoram football seems to have arrived on the national scene finally. The win against Kerala in the Santosh Trophy pre-quarterfinal match on Wednesday, which took them to the elite quarter-final stage for the first time, has set the tournament alight.

Suddenly, Beingaichho Beokhokhei & Co, with their electrifying pace and short-passing game, are among the favourites to win the title.

Team manager Vanlal Ngheta is confident about going the distance. “The win against Kerala is a huge boost and now we are aiming big. The boys are young, very fit and agile. We are missing our top two stars S hylo Malswamtlunga and Lalram Luaha owing to injury.

But in Beokhokhei, skipper Zaidin Moya and Robert Lalthampuana we have quality. We are definitely a title contender,” Ngheta told The Indian Express.

This despite the lack of infrastructure in the state. “We don’t have a single proper football ground in the state. Boys practise on hard grounds. The local football set-up is also not something to speak of. Only six teams play in the first division league and there is not a single academy to groom the youngsters,” Ngheta said.

“The state government is interested in football. They support the game financially as private sponsorship doesn’t exist. The government is also planning to build a good stadium,” he said.

Notwithstanding the odds, there has been a steady flow of talents from Mizoram. Malswamtlunga, Luaha, Robert, Beokhokhei, PC Lalawmpuia — all have been representing the top clubs in the country. But unlike their next-door neighbour Manipur, they have so far failed to taste success as a team.

“Young talents are usually picked up by the spotters of the Tata Football Academy and SAIL Academy and are nurtured there. From there they burst into the big league. Sometimes there is help from the North-East Council as well,” Ngheta said.

Without a proper training facility back home, the Mizoram team arrived in Kolkata 15 days before the Santosh Trophy. They did some conditioning in Aizawl, and here they have been using the SAI facility.

Delhi Games Put Accent on Sounding British

By Sanjoy Majumder

"Delhi Metro welcomes you. Before taking your seats, please check to see that no suspicious, unidentified articles are lying under it," a young Delhi Metro trainee says, looking up nervously after finishing his announcement.

"S-u-s-p-i-c-i-o-u-s," his instructor, Alka Gupta, prompts him. "Go on repeat after me."
"Suspicious," comes the hesitant reply.
I am at the Delhi Metro training institute where a special class is under way.

The class puts an emphasis on mastering a clipped British accent

It is a spoken English class and the students, all dressed in crisp yellow shirts with matching ties, are trainees who will eventually go on to work on the underground rail system.

Mostly in their early 20s, they have been hired after a stiff entrance test and interviews for a job, that for many of them, represents a major opportunity.

In October, the Indian capital Delhi will play host to the Commonwealth Games.

With large numbers of foreign tourists expected to visit the country during the event, India is taking steps to ensure that they have an enjoyable stay.

Regional accents

For the staff of the Delhi Metro this means brushing up on their English language skills and being trained to replace their local, Indian accents with clipped, British ones.

None of the students in the class are native speakers of English and the emphasis is on making sure they speak the language with the right pronunciation.

My English was never very good. But now I am much more fluent and a lot more confident”

Delhi Metro worker

Ms Gupta is from the Delhi-based British Academy for English Language and has been doing this for 17 years - teaching English language to those not familiar with it.

"The trainees who are here come from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and have a strong regional accent," Ms Gupta explains.

"So we first have to reduce their accent and then after neutralising it, we have to give them British accents, since that's the correct way to speak English," she says.

To try to simulate their working environment, the trainees are put through role-playing exercises.

So, in one exercise, a Metro staff member tries to assist a foreign tourist - played by one of the other trainers speaking in an accent that sounds like a cross between an American drawl and broad Australian.

"Since we have these Commonwealth Games coming up, they need to communicate with foreign nationals. If they cannot follow their English, it's going to be a problem," adds Ms Gupta.

Confidence boost

And with the Games just months away, there is a real sense of urgency.
"We are gearing up and we are training all our frontline staff, since we expect a lot of foreign visitors to come to Delhi and we want them to have a world class experience," says Praveen Pathak, the vice-principal of the Training Institute.

The Commonwealth Games are set to take place in October
At the Delhi University station on the Metro's Yellow Line crowds of passengers are coming up from the underground stations on escalators.
Others are gathering outside ticket counters with big glass windows, where metro staff deal with their queries - everything from tickets to which station to get off at and what local attractions there are to see.
"Good morning, how may I help you?". Customer care agent Kailash Chowdhury smiles as he tries to help a student from north-east India find her way to her destination.

Like many of his colleagues, Kailash has been through the English training sessions and is anxious to put his newly acquired skill to practice.

"My English was never very good. But now I am much more fluent and a lot more confident," he says. "My vocabulary has improved tremendously too."
The Delhi Metro is the pride of India's capital city. And why not? It is air conditioned, the stations are spotless, the trains are quick and always on time. It is a convenient way to swing across this vast city.

And for those foreign visitors who may choose to use the service, things may just have got a bit easier.

Northeast India Students Becoming Scam and Fraud Victims

Kohima, Jul 30 : Apart from fraudsters cheating the gullible public of the Northeast through SMS and e-mail making lucrative offer of money, many young people from the region, particularly from Nagaland and Mizoram, are became victims of bank frauds.

Reserve Bank of India has found that dormant or hardly used bank accounts and debit cards of students from remote areas of Nagaland and Mizoram studying outside the region were used for transactions by such fraudsters.

Disclosing this, RBI regional manager Surekha Marandi told newsmen here that fraudsters are targeting account holders of banks in remote locations in Nagaland and Mizoram, particularly students, to allow their accounts and debit cards to be used by them for depositing and withdrawing money.

Although the account holders of such transactions become party to crime, in most cases the young people whose account numbers were used by the fraudsters failed to foresee the legal consequences of such transactions mainly due to lack of awareness, she said.

“A person allowing a fraudster to use his account for committing fraud in banking parlance is called a mule,” she cautioned and called upon the account holders to immediately report to bank branches or police if one found such transitions or lost his/her debit card.

‘A Beautiful Living Lab’

What do the stories of a million Indian deaths say about global health? A Toronto researcher aims to find out.

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William Daniels/PANOS

On a cool day a few years ago in a village in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya, a group of government workers approached a thatched-roof hut. They had learned that a young man in his late 30s had died there several months earlier, and they wanted to ask his family some questions. How did he die? Had he been sick? In India, a medical examination or certificate of death isn’t required before burying or cremating a corpse, and so the workers were conducting a kind of verbal autopsy.

As the young man’s father told them the story—his son had developed a cough, then become sicker until he had trouble breathing—a few children and then a couple of older neighbours gathered around. His son had started smoking at age 10, the man said, but they didn’t know exactly what had killed him, only that he was in the hospital for three days before he died.


The researchers were documenting this story for one of the world’s largest-ever health studies, which is examining one million deaths in India. The study, run out of the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, which is partly funded by the Gates Foundation, aims to understand the changing nature of disease in a country undergoing massive societal transformation. It could have huge implications for global health. “By studying the dead, you can understand how to help the living,” said Dr. Prabhat Jha, a professor in public health at the University of Toronto and the founding director of the centre. Already, their model has been so successful it has been adopted by the World Health Organization and is being replicated in studies in places such as China and South Africa.

In India, the 800 field staff trained by Jha and his colleagues visit homes in every part of the country, where they know from census data—which tabulates births and fatalities twice a year—that someone has died recently. Researchers travel primarily by bus to big-city slums, middle-class apartment blocks, wealthy enclaves and the most remote villages to conduct these verbal autopsies. Unannounced, they knock on the door and ask family members to tell the story of how their children, spouses or siblings died.

Not everyone is as welcoming as the man in the hut, particularly in big cities, said Dr. Neeraj Dhingra, a Delhi-based doctor who is collaborating with Jha. “When you knock on the door, they won’t open,” he said. “The wealthy homes are more difficult because they ask more questions.” However, when they learn the research is for a not-for-profit study that may lead to better health services in their community, about 95 per cent participate. Sometimes researchers are invited inside and offered a cup of tea. Sometimes, most often in villages, they sit on a mat on the floor of a hut and pose their questions.

The stories they hear are often heartbreaking, said Dhingra. One case that stands out is that of a five-year-old boy, an only child, who died from enteric fever. His death was preventable, he said, which is true of so many—if only he’d been taken to a hospital. But field staff make no judgment. They record everything that’s said in the local language and never smile or show sorrow. “If someone cries, they say, ‘It is all in God’s hand,’ ” said Dhingra. After the stories are collected, they return to their offices and record the details, and pass the information on to two physicians who determine a cause of death. (A third is on hand in case of disagreement.)

Ten million people die each year in India—that’s over 27,000 people a day. And it is not only the elderly who are succumbing. If you live in India, you have a much higher chance of dying in childhood or in middle age than in Canada. Jha’s study began in 2001 and will continue to collect data until 2014. “In that period, there will be huge changes in India,” said Jha. Already, the country has seen booming urbanization and the growth of a new middle class. When people move to the city, they tend to burn fewer calories. From the 130,000 deaths they have tabulated so far, they have learned heart attacks are the biggest killer, and smoking-related deaths are on the rise, because when people move to the city, they tend to give up traditional beedis (tobacco hand-rolled in temburi leaf) for commercial cigarettes that contain more tobacco. There is also good news: AIDS death rates are four times lower than original estimates by the government and the WHO.

These changes tell the larger story of Indian society. Jha offers his own family history as an example. His grandmother, who passed away last year at 99, witnessed many of the diseases of her era. She remembered the Spanish flu of 1918, and the Bengal famine during the Second World War.

Her father-in-law had succumbed to tuberculosis when her husband was a child. Two of her children died of smallpox. After she moved to the city, one son died of a heart attack and she lost a daughter to diabetes. “What we find is a true snapshot of India at that time,” he said. “I call this a beautiful living lab of what’s happened to health as India has changed.”

Understanding what diseases are killing people in one of the world’s most populous regions is important to every human on earth. “In a globalized world, the main advantage you have is knowledge,” said Jha. “Global health is local health.”

Bordering on Darkness in Meghalaya

By Manosh Das

Shillong, Jul 30 : "At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom." This was India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's dream for the nation as projected by him in his famed speech Tryst With Destiny' on the eve of Independence.

And though governments have come and gone and India has been purported to shine', there are citizens of this great country who have been left in the darkness, quite literally.

Even after sixty years of the Partition and 39 years of attaining statehood, villages along the India-Bangladesh border languish in darkness with most of them having no electricity.

Bringing this dark fact to light, a 15-member delegation comprising headmen of 50 odd villages along the 70-km stretch from Mawpyllun to Khonjoi-Maheskola along the international border knocked the doors of the government Wednesday to apprise the state of their plight.

"We are still lying in darkness without electricity. We too deserve to live in the light of the modern world; our school-going children deserve to live and study and achieve like other children of the state," said a memorandum submitted to home minister HDR Lyngdoh by the delegation under the banner of Synjuk ki Rangbah Shnong, Border Area. "Our region has been totally neglected due to which our children cannot read or write properly and become doctors, engineers, lecturers or big officers," the memo went on.

The village headman brought to the notice of the government yet another surprising fact the government has put up signboards claiming that around 50 border villages in the West Khasi Hills have been electrified under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Rojgar Yojana Electrification Scheme, while the reality is that there is not a single electric post in any of these villages, leave alone total electrification'.

The memorandum complained that the villagers are unable to set up even small-scale industries due to lack of electricity, and added that this has adversely affected the economic progress of the entire stretch along the Indo-Bangla border.

"The people have been left to fend for themselves as there are no proper roads, no workable healthcare, no facilities for education, and there does not even exist a rural water supply scheme or adequate police outposts for maintaining security and law and order in the border villages," a member of the delegation, Nasar Marwein, told reporters after meeting the home minister.

The home minister, meanwhile, is understood to have assured the border representatives that he would look into their problems in earnest.

CWG Queen's Baton Arrives in Mizoram

Aizawl, Jul 29 : The people of Aizawl turned out in large numbers to welcome the Commonwealth Games 2010 Queen's Baton on Thursday.

The baton was received at the Lengpui airport near here by secretary-general of the Mizoram Olympic Association, Zoliana Royte, who then handed it over to chief secretary Van Hela Pachuau.

The baton was taken around the city of Aizawl by eminent sports personalities of the state, former Mizoram sports ministers, leaders of the sports federations and top officials.

A function was also held in hour of the baton at the Vanapa Hall here, which was addressed by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, who is also the president of MOA.

The baton would stay overnight here from where it would be head to Kolkata on Friday, officials said.

Bru Refugee Numbers May Spoil Tripura-Mizoram Talks

Agartala, Jul 29 : A dispute over the number of Mizoram tribal refugees sheltered in Tripura for 13 years might create a fresh imbroglio between the two northeastern states, officials said here Thursday.

A survey sponsored by the Mizoram government says the total number of refugees is 27,261 while the Tripura government says the figure is 40,504.

“Disagreement over the number of refugees might create a serious impasse and an uneasy situation over refugee repatriation,” a top Tripura official said on condition of anonymity.

Since October 1997, Reang tribal refugees, locally called Bru, have taken shelter in six camps in north Tripura’s Kanchanpur sub-division, adjacent to Mizoram. They fled western Mizoram after ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos over the killing of a Mizo forest official.

“After the repatriation of 1,133 refugees to Mizoram in May, the total number of refugee families are 6,224 comprising 40,504 men, women and children,” Shiva Prasad Biswas, the Tripura government’s relief, rehabilitation and disaster management department director, told IANS.

“We are yet to officially get the survey or headcount report conducted during the past few weeks,” Biswas said.

Following the instruction and format of the Mizoram government’s home department, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), the apex body of the refugees, has done a survey and headcount of refugees in the past few weeks.

Refugee leader Elvis Chorkhy told IANS: “Within the next one week we would submit the survey and headcount reports to the Mizoram government for taking subsequent actions.”

“During 1997 ethnic troubles, several hundreds tribals had also taken shelter from southern Assam and they have been excluded in the survey and headcount,” said Chorkhy.

Sangliana Asks Northeast States to Form Minorities Commission

Shillong, Jul 29 :The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) today asked states in the Northeast to form the State Minorities Commission (SMC) to protect minorities' rights.

Among the seven Northeastern states, Assam has constituted the State Minorities Commission, while other states in region are yet to set up the commission.

''It is important for all states to form the State Minorities Commission as it can act as nodal agency to facilitate various development programs and welfare schemes for minorities,'' NCM vice-chairman HT Sangliana told reporters here.

Mr Sangliana visited Meghalaya today and discussed with state government officials regarding issues relating to minorities.

He said states in the Northeast were mostly Christians-dominated and happened to be majority in respective states though they were minorities in the country.

Mr Sangliana, however, maintained that those who were majority in the country but happened to be minorities in states were also being taken care off.

He also made it clear that the NCM was not in a position to recognize tribes practicing indigenous faith from states in the Northeast, including Meghalaya, as minorities.

''Being the tribals (practicing indigenous faith) they are under the nomenclature of tribal but not minorities but it does not mean that their problems are not taken care. We are ready to handle any issues or problems being faced by them also,'' Mr Sangliana asserted.

In Meghalaya within the Khasi community there are people who practice indigenous faith.

Mr Sangliana, who called on Chief Minister Mukul Sangna, took note on the implementation of various schemes in the state and discuss various issues on how to utilize the benefits of related schemes made available to the state.

He laid stress on better co-ordination between National Commission for Minorities and State Commission so as to have better understanding of the problems and needs of the minorities.

Mr Sangliana also requested the state government to organize more awareness and sensitization programs related to minority issues.

Census on Bru Refugees Completed

Aizawl, Jul 29 : There are total 27,261 Bru refugees from Mizoram in six relief camps in North Tripura district as per a head count completed today, reports PTI

The head count exercise was undertaken as per the instruction of the Mizoram Government, which is regarded as the first step in the effort to repatriate all Bru refugees this year following instructions of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram that it be completed by October end.

Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), which undertook the exercise said the relief camps were located at Kanchanpur sub-division in North Tripura district and the refugees were classified into two groups – those who migrated en masse in 1997 and those in 2009.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who visited Aizawl on May 25 asked the Bru leaders to ensure that all refugees were repatriated to Mizoram and said he would visit Mizoram again to oversee the repatriation process.

Our Correspondent adds: The MBDPF, apex body of the Reang refugees, has sought investigation at appropriate level over the distribution of inflammatory leaflets involving its leaders.

In a letter addressed to Superintendent of Police (SP), North Tripura district on Tuesday, A Sawinbunga, general secretary of MBDPF informed that some leaflets containing malicious campaign against the MBDPF were found in several places in Kanchanpur subdivision recently.

The leaflets written in local dialect read that Elvish Chorkhy, R Laldawngliana and A Sawibunga – all MBDPF leaders – are heading the Bru National Army, an outfit and they are working for the community to target Mizo people in near future.

The distribution of such leaflets has triggered tension among Bru and Mizo communities in Kanchanpur subdivision.

A team of MBDPF has already met Officer in Charge (OC), Kanchanpur subdivision and handed over some leaflets to him. A letter has been sent to the SP urging him to conduct a probe into the matter and nab the people responsible for the cowardly act.

In the letter, it also mentioned that the move is aimed to destabilise the existing mutual understanding between Mizos and Reangs (Bru) in the subdivision where more than 30,000 refugees are sheltered due to ethnic strife in neighbouring Mizoram.

India Pledges Millions in Credit to Myanmar Regime

New Delhi, Jul 29 : Myanmar's military ruler Than Shwe flew to Hyderabad Wednesday on the latest leg of a controversial state visit to India that has garnered millions of dollars in grants for infrastructure projects.

The general left New Delhi having received a full, red-carpet welcome Tuesday and held talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Human rights groups have severely criticised India for bestowing a formal state visit on Than Shwe, arguing that it helps legitimise a military regime that has been widely condemned for systematic rights abuses.

The two countries signed a series of pacts Tuesday including one to strengthen security along their common border, where India is struggling to curb ethnic separatists.

India also offered a grant of 60 million dollars to build a road connecting Myanmar with the northeast Indian state of Mizoram.

India's EXIM bank agreed to provide a 60-million-dollar line of credit to fund various railway projects, and New Delhi also pledged 10 million dollars for the purchase of modern agricultural equipment.

Once a staunch supporter of Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, India began engaging the junta in the mid-1990s as security, energy and strategic priorities came to the fore.

As well as needing the military regime's help to counter the separatists along the common border, India is eyeing oil and gas fields in Myanmar -- formerly Burma -- and is eager to counter China's growing influence there.

China is the junta's key ally and trading partner, and an eager investor in the isolated state's sizeable natural resources.

The Myanmar junta, which has ruled with an iron fist for nearly 50 years, has promised to hold the first elections since 1990 later this year, and Singh had been urged by rights groups and some Western countries to pressure Than Shwe on the need for a free and fair ballot.

A joint statement said the prime minister had simply "emphasized the importance of comprehensively broad-basing the national reconciliation process and democratic changes being introduced in Myanmar."

Western nations have dismissed the proposed election as a sham, and Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy is boycotting the ballot.

Than Shwe was due to meet Indian business leaders in Hyderabad on Wednesday. He flies to the eastern city of Kolkata the next day before returning home.

Subansiri MoU After Doubts Cleared: Assam Minister

By Supratim Dey

Guwahati Jul 29 : The Assam government has made it clear that until and unless it was "sufficiently comfortable" that the 2,000MW Lower Subansiri Hydro Project would not have any adverse impact on the downstream areas in the state, it would not sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NHPC Ltd.

The state government will rely on "scientific studies" to assess the impact of the dam on downstream areas in the state.

"Only when we are fully comfortable that the proposed dam will not have any adverse affect on downstream Assam, we will sign the MoU with NHPC," said Assam's power and industry minister Pradyut Bordoloi.

He added that to arrive at any conclusion regarding the cumulative impact of the dam on ecology and downstream areas, sufficient "scientific" studies should be carried out.

A part of the Rs 6,400 crore Lower Subansiri Project falls in Assam and the rest in Arunachal Pradesh. The MoU with Arunachal Pradesh government had been signed following which construction on that side of the border is undergoing.

An inter-ministerial group, formed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had submitted a report in March 2010, and recommended further studies on the Lower Subansiri Project. Bordoloi said that the group would soon send a team of experts to undertake further studies on the impact of the dam.

Recently, an expert committee report of Assam, which was critical of mega dams in Arunachal Pradesh and particularly the Lower Subansiri Project, has resulted in various students' and civil organisations taking to streets demanding immediate suspension of the project. "We have taken the expert committee report very seriously. We have already forwarded it to the Centre, and want the centre to take further steps. Our chief minster too has written to the Prime Minister requesting him to take up the matter," Bordoloi said.

Coming down heavily on the agitating organisations, Bordoloi said: "It is experts who, after detailed studies, will say us if the dam should be constructed, and not any students' or civil organisation leader who lacks such expertise to assess the impact."

When asked if he too favours immediate suspension of construction work at the site in the wake of the expert committee report, Bordoloi said, “We cannot forcibly stop the construction works. But we need to be comfortable through further scientific studies.”

“I assure you, if it is found that the Lower Subansiri Project is not in the interests of Assam, our government will never let it happen,” Bordoloi added.

Clubbing Their Passion For Bikes

Guwahati, Jul 28 : Royal Enfield owners love to flaunt their bikes and like it even better to do so in droves. So, four years ago seven Bullet enthusiasts formed the Royal Enfield Riders Association of Meghalaya.

Today, the total headcount is just a few short of 100 and is only increasing. Besides raving about their passion for the bike and roaring about the streets in style, they also make efforts to convey social messages and propagate awareness about diseases like AIDS.

"We started the club in 2006 as a tribute to the world's favorite motorcycle. By 2008 the number of members was 23 and now we have about 85 members," said P S Warjri, president of the club. He added that of these members, about 35 are hard-core Bullet enthusiasts while the rest are less obsessed with their bikes, though as much enamored by them.

"I fell in love with the Royal Enfield in 1974 and have been riding the bike since then," said Warjri, who will be turning 50 this December. "I have three bikes now and all of them are Royal Enfield Bullets.

I like this particular motorcycle model so much because it has a powerful engine and looks much more macho than all others bikes available in the market," he said.
The Bullet is almost a state favorite there are about 4000 Royal Enfields in Meghalaya.

The Royal Enfield Riders' Association is one of the most active bikers clubs in the region. Besides biking activities, it has been actively involved with issues of social welfare in Meghalaya the members organize and participate in rallies to create awareness about diseases like HIV and AIDS, educate people about disaster management preparedness and other such things.

"We organize roadshows to create awareness about issues plaguing our society and support other sports events as well," said Warjri, popularly known as Bah Bhang. Recently, he added, the club organized an event in which the members rode down to Guwahati when Meghalaya soccer club Lajong played with the East Bengal Club in the final match of the Federation Cup.

The club members also regularly participate in Riders Mania, an annual meet of Royal Enfield enthusiasts, which is organized in various parts of the country.

"In 2008, the event took place in Ooty. About 15 Royal Enfielders from Meghalaya took part in it. We rode our bikes all the way to Chennai and then further down to Ooty," said Warjri.

B Shabong, a 59-year-old Meghalaya government official and the oldest member of the club, feels that once one gets used to riding a Royal Enfield one would not like any other bike as much. "It is perhaps this edge the machine has over others that is leading to the renewed Royal Enfield craze in the state," Shabong said. While he is the oldest member of the club, the youngest is about 24 years old.

Almost at the same time that the Royal Enfield Riders Association was set up, another group of Meghalaya bikers formed their own club Royal Rhino Club. Saranjit Singh Bedi, the vice president of the club, who is from Guwahati, said, "We formed the Royal Rhino Club in 2006 and have 25 registered members so far. We have travelled through almost all the northeastern states on our bikes," he said.

Bedi is a Bullet lover and started his journey on the Royal Enfield in 1980. "The Bullet was my dream bike since my childhood days. My father, who was also a bike lover and owned a Bullet, bought me my first Royal Enfield when I passed my class X exams," said Bedi, who is just back in city after a trip to Ladakh. Recently, the club organized a Save Tigers' rally on their Royal Enfields.

"We also took the junior members of our club to Thimpu in Bhutan on a leisure trip recently," said Bedi.

Mizoram Police Compile Database on Burmese Nationals

Aizawl, Jul 28 : Mizoram police officials in Lunglei district, the second capital of Mizoram state in northeast India have been compiling a data base on Burmese nationals as of 21 July and, it is learnt.

The police are seeking detailed information including the names, addresses in Burma, Burmese ID card numbers, present address, and name of the house owner, where they stay, and taking photographs.

Pu Kapte in Lunglei said, “The policemen said they were collecting the information to investigate Burmese people in the event of their being involved in any crime. It will be easier for the police to trace them. There is no reason to worry on this score.”

Lunglei policemen collected data of over 70 Burmese people in Venglai and Electric block after which they will cover the rest in other blocks.

There have been instances of Burmese people being involved in drug cases, fake money laundering and other crimes in Mizoram state. On 3 July, two Chins got into a fight in Lunglei and one died on the spot. A woman was murdered by two men in Lawngtlai district. One was arrested and the other, a Chin fled to Burma. These incidents were highlighted in Mizoram daily newspapers.

The authorities seized fake notes worth Rs. 1.4 lakhs in Lawngtlai district in the second week of this month. The Chin involved in the racket, living in Sangau village, Lawngtlai district was arrested.

Rackets in drugs and smuggling are rampant in Aizawl, the state capital and Lawngtlai district. Drugs worth Rs. 19 lakhs and liquor were destroyed by the Young Mizo Association (YMA) in Aizawl city between 29 May to 2 July this year.

A Lunglei Ramthar Kumpuan Committee report says Rs. 4.5 lakhs worth of drugs and liquor were destroyed in Lunglei District between 23 May and 11 July.

via bnionline

Maradona No Longer The Coach of Argentina

Buenos Aires, Jul 28 : The Argentine Football Association said Tuesday that it would not renew Maradona’s contract, ending his erratic 21-month stint in charge of the national team that had mirrored his own long personal history of unpredictable behavior and defiance.

The AFA had offered him a four-year contract to continue through to the 2014 World Cup, but Maradona said he would only stay if his entire staff remained.

AP Argentina's head coach Diego Maradona reacts prior to the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Argentina and Germany in Cape Town, South Africa on July 3, 2010.

That was an unacceptable condition to AFA president Julio Grondona, who wanted to replace several assistants including Maradona’s close friend, Alejandro Mancuso.

The AFA executive committee sided with Grondona on Tuesday, ending Maradona’s tenure.

IPI Concerned Over Threats Against Journalists in Kashmir, Manipur

 

Kashmiri journalists hold placards as they protest against government's alleged use of force against the media, in Srinagar on July 10, 2010.

Vienna, Jul 28 : The International Press Institute (IPI) is concerned at reports that the media is facing harassment in India's conflict-ridden northern and north-eastern States, according to Nayana Jayarajan, Press Freedom Adviser.

In Manipur, where the security forces are locked in conflict with several armed separatist groups, local media declared an indefinite cessation of publication on Friday in response to threats against S. Singlianmang Guite, a local journalist, by members of an armed group.

According to a statement from the All-Manipur Working Journalists' Union, three armed men forced their way into Mr. Guite's house on July 21 and demanded to speak to the journalist about a report in the day's issue of the Sangai Express, the journalist's employer.

In response, the print media community in the State declared a cessation of publication until the government takes action against the gunmen.

In Kashmir, which is still reeling after a month of demonstrations and protests which left 16 people dead, government curbs against the media were met by a three-day cessation of publication by the local media. Journalists' associations in the State declared a three-day strike from July 8 to 11 in protest against the restrictions on journalists.

The media community was protesting the government's reluctance to issue curfew passes to journalists to allow them to continue coverage during curfew.

“They issued only 10 curfew passes per media organization,” said Anuradha Bhasin, Editor-in-Chief of the Jammu-based Kashmir Times. “This is not enough. You need at least 40 passes even to run the paper with one-third of its staff.”

Ms. Bhasin also told IPI that while there had been no outright curbs on coverage, the security forces were harassing journalists whose coverage they saw as unfavorable. “Those whose reporting they don't like, they are harassing them in various ways,” she said.

“The media in these regions are often forced to work under extremely difficult conditions,” said IPI Director David Dadge. “It is heartening to note the united response of the local media to these press freedom threats; however, the Indian government must do more to prevent the harassment of journalists. If not, it runs a very real risk of becoming part of the problem.”

Assam Ministers Blatantly Violated Cabinet Decision

‘There has been misappropriation of funds during the year 2007-08 and 2008-09. This is how public funds advanced to the Council by the Government of Assam have been utilized’

Guwahati, Jul 28 : In order to put an end to the rampant misuse of Central and State government funds meant for the NC Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) in the State, the State Cabinet had taken a decision to release all funds to the council through the Hill Area Development (HAD) Department only.

However, in what could best be termed as an outright violation of the Cabinet decision, the State Health and Family Welfare Department led by Himanta Biswa Sarma as minister — apart from the Social Welfare and Food and Civil Supplies departments — directly released crores of rupees to the NCHAC at a time when embezzlement of funds had been at its peak in the hill district leading to the multi-crore-rupee NC Hills scam.

The unusual promptness on the part of the State Health Department in particular in releasing crores of rupees to NC Hills district violating the Cabinet decision has made many in the State wonder whether Dispur was directly involved in the multi-crore-rupee scam in the hill district.

Surprisingly, even after the Rajkumar Manisana Singh Commission pinpointed the violation of rules in the release of funds by the departments in question, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi fell short of taking any action against the ministers concerned.

An otherwise vocal Himanta Biswa Sarma, on the other hand, has also been silent on the violation of the Cabinet decision in the release of funds by his department that were brought to light by the Manisana Singh Commission.

On June 22, 2007, the State Cabinet had discussed the issue of rampant embezzlement of development funds meant for NC Hills district.

After a detailed discussion, the Cabinet meeting had taken the decision to release all funds to the district, both of the Centre and the State Government, including funds under Plan and Non-Plan heads, through the HAD Department only.

The Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had taken the decision in order to effect fiscal discipline and to keep a watch on the funds being pumped to the hill district. It was imperative for all the departments to respect the Cabinet decision.

The State Health department, however, did not bother to follow the Cabinet decision, nor did the other departments as mentioned.

The Health Department continued to pump crores of rupees to the hill district directly, bypassing the HAD Department.

The Social Welfare and Food and Civil Supplies departments also released funds directly to NC Hills district.

Within a month of the Cabinet decision, the Health Department had directly released Rs 63.43 lakh to the NCHAC on July 17, 2007, and then Rs 24.25 lakh on August 4, 2007, Rs 118.75 lakh on September 27, 2007, Rs 30 lakh on October 11, 2007, Rs 1.81 lakh on January 11, 2008, and Rs 94.18 lakh in two installments on March 24, 2008.

The Social Welfare Department, to which the prime accused in the multi-crore NC Hills scam RH Khan belonged, had released Rs 1,92,91,770 on October 10, 2007, while the Food and Civil Supplies Department had released Rs 1.19 lakh on March 12, 2008 to the NCHAC directly.

All these violations of the standing rules were mentioned by the Manisana Singh Commission in its report. The report said: ‘‘In the above view of the matter, some of the line departments were not following the decision taken on 22/06/07 by the Cabinet. These may be prima facie a breach of the decision of the Cabinet.

The decision of the Cabinet is required to be followed strictly as the decision is for the purpose of promoting measure for maintaining purity and integrity of the administration of the State.’’

The report added: ‘‘There has been misappropriation of funds during the year 2007-08 and 2008-09. This is how public funds advanced to the Council by the Government of Assam have been utilized.’

The Health and Family Welfare, Social Welfare and Food and Civil Supplies departments have not been able to give any appropriate reply as to why they had released funds directly to the NCHAC despite the Cabinet restriction on such practices.

The mysterious silence being maintained by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who is also a State Government spokesman, otherwise very vocal, on the issue only adds to the suspicion as to whether Dispur was involved in the multi-crore-rupee scam.

Another question that can be raised is whether the funds released directly by the departments in question constitute a part of the multi-crore-rupee NC Hills scam.

What is even more astonishing is that the State Government washed its hands off the issue by making a mere statement in the action taken report (ATR): that ‘‘a Committee of Experts is constituted for monitoring the funds sanctioned and released by the Government to the Council’’.

Though the CBI has been investigating the NC Hills scam, a number of departments, including the Health Department, are outside the purview of the inquiry.

There are demands from all quarters that all departments of NCHAC be brought under the purview of the CBI probe.

via The Sentinel Assam

Shillong Ensemble Wins 3 Gold at Choir Olympics

Shillong, Jul 27 : A Shillong ensemble has won what are perhaps India's first golds at a choir Olympics, claiming three of the medals at the sixth edition of the event at Shaoxing in China.

The 16-member Shillong Chamber Choir won the golds Monday night in three categories of music - scared, gospel and spiritual and popular Choral - at the World Choir Olympics that began July 22, its trainer said.

"It is a really proud moment for us and the country to achieve this milestone at the World Choir Olympics. Perhaps, these are India's first golds in the World Choir Olympics and we are proud of it," Pauline Warjri, the trainer of Shillong Chamber Choir, told IANS.

The choir is mentored by its pianist, Neil Nongkynrih.

Eighty-eight countries from Asia, Africa, Europe and America are participating in the 12-day biggest choir competition in the world that is held every two years in a different continent.

The Shillong Chamber Choir had managed only a silver medal in the folklore category at the previous edition of the event in South Korea two years ago.

"The silver medal had emboldened them to perform better and here they got three gold medals," Warjri said.

"I am at a loss of words, but Shillong Chamber Choir has added another feather to its cap," William Richmond Basaiawmoit, a soloist with the choir, told IANS over phone from China.

The Shillong Chamber Choir was formed in 2001 by a group of singers who came together to produce a variety of music. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is often called India's rock capital.

The group made their debut at Shillong's Pine Wood Hotel in January 2001. Their repertoire includes works of western classical greats Handel, Bach, Gershwin and Mozart, as also Khasi folk songs and Neil Nongkynrih's compositions.

Nongkynrih's composition, "Sohlyngngem", has since earned rave reviews in several European nations.

Last year, the choir performed with the world renowned Vienna Chamber Orchestra in Shillong and Kolkata as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Austria.

Northeast's 1st Bio-Fertilizer Plant Starts Operation in Tripura

Agartala, Jul 27 : The Northeastern region's first Bio Fertilizer Production centre on private initiative started operating at Budhjungnagar Industrial estate on the outskirts of Agartala.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar yesterday formally inaugurated the unit at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore spread over about 2.5 hectares of land. He said it would help in the state government's drive of ensuring a clean environment.

Speaking on the occasion Mr Sarkar targeted the Centre and alleged that though it had given emphasis on agriculture in the current five year plan, land reform and other issues related to the interest of the farming community had not been resolved because more than 75 per cent of Indian farmers did not have their own land.

''The National Development Council has stressed on corporatization of agriculture but we strongly oppose the move because it will destroy the very objective of allotting good amount of fund for agriculture during this plan period,'' Mr Sarkar underlined.

He pointed out that Tripura had been using only 41-42 kg fertilizer per hectare while it is 78 kg per hectare at the national level.

Mr Sarkar maintained that farmers of the state had been facing acute crisis of fertilizers almost every year as a large amount was being illegally exported to the neighboring country.

This illegal business was going on through almost all the borders of the state though barbed fencing has been erected on the international boundaries, he said.

Shwe in Delhi, Citizenship Concession on Table

By Shubhajit Roy

New Delhi, Jul 27 : In a significant move, Myanmar is all set to give citizenship cards to people of Indian origin even if they have no documentation.

This is likely to be part of the agreements signed between India and Myanmar as General Than Shwe comes to New Delhi.

This will allow people of Indian origin who crossed over a long time time ago and live on the India-Myanmar border areas to buy land and settle there.

Myanmar and India are also likely to sign an intelligence cooperation agreement, crucial in the backdrop of insurgent groups active in the border areas. The treaty will cover mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to combat transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, money-laundering and smuggling of arms and explosives.

The leader of the military junta in Myanmar, Than Shwe is on a five-day visit to India and will hold formal talks with the Indian delegation led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday evening.

An India-Myanmar-Thailand highway project, a border trade point on the Mizoram-Myanmar border, a truck assembly plant by Tata Motors, a hydro-electric project at Tamanthi to be built by NHPC, an Indian cultural centre at Yangon and funds for agricultural equipment — these are likely to be part of the agreements reached.

India is also likely to announce grants and lines of credit for developing power, road, railway and cross-border connectivity projects with Myanmar along the 1,645 km border between the two countries. A $60 million line of credit for developing the railway sector is on the way, said sources. A $1 billion-plus Indian investment in Myanmar’s gas and energy sectors may also be unveiled.

Shwe will also travel to Hyderabad and Jamshedpur to meet Indian business leaders. In Jamshedpur, he will see the Tata-owned Telco factory, which manufactures trucks.

UNICEF to Formulate Strategy on 'Gender Mainstreaming'

Agartala, Jul 27 : To address the problem of atrocities against women migrants and other fringe groups, the UNICEF has invited Census officials of eight Indian states, including Tripura, to an open house strategic discussion on Gender Mainstreaming in New Delhi on July 30.

Director Census (Tripura) Dilip Acharjee here today said besides Tripura, West Bengal, Haryana, New Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa and Chandigarh had been invited to formulate strategy to tackle the problem.

''UNICEF has identified infants, girl children, elderly domestic helps as the most vulnerable groups in these states and the discussion would include issues like average marriage age of girls, women literacy and participation of women in decision making process and combating migration of women from and to the states,'' Mr Acharjee said.

Referring to Census record Mr Acharjee maintained that there were reports of migration of girl children from south and north Tripura to North Indian states in connection with marriage and seasonal migration of labourers from Jharkhand and Bihar for the brick industry.

However, he pointed out that the situation was not so grim as compared to other states of the country.

He also added that Tripura had already taken steps to ensure political and economic participation of the women in the family decision making and other spectrums of governance.

The state has already introduced 50 per cent reservation for women in all political institutions early this year and in the last three-tier panchayat election more than 35 per cent of women got elected.

All PETA Pics of Celebs

Here's a look at the hotties who strip for a cause...

Pamela Anderson poses naked in first ever PETA Europe humanitarian awards. 

Pamela Anderson stands naked in the first ever PETA Europe humanitarian awards.

Baywatch actress Bonnie-Jill Lafin with a goat during a photo shoot in Dallas, Texas for PETA.

Australian Penthouse Pet of the Year Kobe Kaige poses naked for a PETA ad in Melbourne.

Model and actress Alicia Mayer wears a bikini made of lettuce during a photo shoot for a new PETA campaign promoting vegetarianism in Manila.

Model Patrick Ribbsaeter (L) and his wife Avi Siwa pose naked during a photo shoot for PETA in Bangkok.

Model Imogen Bailey poses topless for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Los Angeles.

Daughter of former US President Reagan, Patti Davis stands next to an anti fur advertisement for PETA in which she posed nude.

Baywatch actress, Pamela Anderson's poster for PETA in a bikini has been banned by authorities in Montreal. The ad reads, 'All animals have the same parts. Have a heart. Go vegetarian' with Pam's body parts marked as pieces of meat. The Montreal Film and TV Commission has refused permission to stage the poster.

Earlier, a commercial featuring Pamela Anderson was also banned from television. The Baywatch star appeared in a promo for internet company Crazy Domains that showed her as a smart businesswoman who striped off to reveal a gold bikini and had milk poured over her by male colleagues.

The commercial was banned by Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau after it sparked hundreds of complaints.

There is one thing that Joanna Krupa would never model for and that's fur. She posed nude to back the cause.

Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian spurred airbrush rumors after flaunting her exposed figure in an ad for PETA.

Joanna Krupa poses nude, sporting only angel wings and a strategically placed crucifix in a new PETA ad.

Jenna Jameson, ex-porn star goes nude for PETA ad.

Baring it all: Justin Gaston (R), Giglianne Braga and Ben Elliot pose for the PETA campaign.

In her second PETA ad Maggie Quigley has strategically placed lettuce leaves to form a sexy bikini next to tagline "Turn Over a New Leaf – Try Vegetarian!"

'The Hills' star, Stephanie Pratt bares her buns in PETA's new 'Be Nice to Bunnies' campaign.

Krupa reveals her support of adopting animals. She posed nude for PETA.

Maggie Q's PETA ad shows the nearly nude diva in a bed of crimson chili peppers to spread the word that going vegetarian is the best way to 'spice up your life'. A vegetarian for many years, Maggie says that giving meat the boot is one of the most rewarding decisions she has ever made.

19-year-old, Christian Serratos bares it all for a PETA ad campaign.

Sophie Monk posed for a PETA ad that promoted people to spice up life by going vegetarian.

Wig-loving star, Kim Zolciak, support for marriage equality against the ban on same-sex marriage. She strips for PETA campaign.

'Dancing with the Stars' stunner Karina Smirnoff would rather dance naked than wear fur off stage. She posed nude for PETA campaign.

Nia Long goes nude for PETA campaign. She said, 'When I became a mother I started to really understand the importance of all living creatures in a way that I didn't ever think about before.'

Someone who cast away her inhibitions for a cause is Charlotte Ross. Ross loses her uniform for PETA's 'I'd Rather Show By Buns Than Wear Fur" series, replacing her badge with one, carefully positioned, white rabbit.

Co-host of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, Layla Kayleigh strips for PETA ad.

'Girls Next Door' star Holly Madison showed off her curves in this PETA ad, released in April 2007.

Fashion icon Eva Mendes slipped out of her skimpies and got to the bottom of the PETA cause by going nude. One of the faces of anti-fur campaign refuses to wear fur when it comes to the red carpet.

Ballet dancer Sian Murphy, strips for a calendar sold to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support.

Singer Imogen Bailey posed in shackles for PETA to stop people from visiting Thailand due to the cruel use of baby elephants in the tourism industry.

Kimora Lee Simmons posed nude for PETA with her pooch Zoe in January 2008 ad.

Jude Law's ex-wife, actress Sadie Frost, bared her backside in 2006 for PETA.

Miley Cyrus' ex boyfriend Justin Gaston (R)and Ben Elliot (L) strips naked for PETA.

PETA proponents: Justin, who is also an aspiring musician, appears in the PETA campaign with Giglianne Braga, an aspiring model and Ben Elliot, an aspiring actor.

Naked but for a slick of snakeskin body paint, this is Channing Tatum's wife Jenna Dewan. The actress is the latest star to pose for the animal charity PETA.

Alicia Silverstone, a long-time Vegan, just bared it all during the filming of her PETA commercial.

To highlight the cruelty in the fur trade, TV actress Jodie Marsh goes nude with just body paint to cover up. (Pic: Getty images)

Olympian Amanda Beard strips off her swimsuit for a good cause. She doesn't have any regrets posing nude for a charitable cause.

Pamela Anderson bared all for the animals with an enticing message, 'Give Fur The Cold Shoulder'.

Sadie Frost turns her back on fur for print-ad campaign for animal rights group, PETA. This 'fur-free' designer shed all her clothing to protest against the designers who used fur in their couture.

Australian supermodel Imogen Bailey says, "Hands off the buns!" Joining the global campaign, the PETA supporter protests against the inhumane treatment of animals.

Here is the most classy act for a protest against animal cruelty. In the eyebrow-raising ad, Dominique Swain appears naked in a classroom, writing, "I'd rather go naked than wear fur," on the chalkboard.

Even the catwalk star Naomi Cambell is a pro-fur who is against the cruelties of the animals. But she was later accused for using PETA for her own means because months later after joining anti-fur campaign she was seen modelling wearing fur.

Dennis Rodman unveiled his provocative new PETA ad in the very tents where designers were pushing fur at a fashion show. In PETA’s ad, Rodman appears nude—except for his tattoos—alongside the caption, “Think Ink, Not Mink,”

The former adult star, Jenna Jameson shows quite a bit of skin In PETA's "Pleather Yourself" ad campaign. A woman of her word practices what she preaches.