Ex-NSCN(IM) leader dead

A former revolutionary leader of the NSCN-IM Angelius Paiza Shimrah, died yesterday due to ill health at a private hospital here. Paiza did his Masters degree in English as well as Economics from Bangalore.

He joined the Naga National Council (NNC) under AZ Phizo in 1976. Shimrah was one of the founding leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1980. He also mobilized the Naga cause in Europe, undertook the Bougainvillea Peace Mission and was also a part of the Nagalim Constitutional Drafting Committee along with Anthony Raven.

Thousands of people, including representatives of Naga Hoho, NSF, NPMHR and other NGOs attended the funeral service and paid their last respects to the departed leader

Sino-India border trade attracts few traders

The second season of Sino-India border trade, which is conducted through the Nathula Pass in east Sikkim, began on a low key today with the participation of only 13 Indian traders and 29 businessmen from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

The Sino-India border trade was held at the Sherathang trade mart, about five kms down the border outpost at Nathula in India.

Rice and biscuits were the main items traded at the mart today, official sources said.

The 13 Indian traders led by the Sino-India Border Trade Association president Anil Kumar Gupta also visited the Renquinggang trade mart in the Tibet Autonomous Region to gauge the market expectations of the people in TAR.

Gupta appreciated the Centre’s decision to extend the trading period through Nathula by three months, but said increasing the daily limit from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh and expanding the list of items for trading would help in acquiring the desired pace and volume.

Manipur looking for alternative site for NIT

Manipur Government is likely to abandon cultivable land of Kiyamgei, popularly known as Kyamgei Loukon as site for setting up the controversy-marred National Institute of Technology (NIT) as hectic efforts are under way to select an alternative location.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi-led high-level official team had been reportedly trying to find out an alternative site for the construction of the Institute following public pressure.

Basically the government want the construction of the institute close to the Manipur University complex. But due to the public outcry at Kiyamgei Loukon, the government have slowly started to find a new site either close to the Central Agriculture University, Iroishemba or the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Lamphelpat both in greater Imphal area.

Ibobi informed the accompanying media persons that the State Government desired to maintain status-quo in Kyamgei Loukon and is determined to find an alternative site for the NIT.

Blind child falls to his death in school

A visually handicapped boy of eight years died after falling from a three-storeyed building at the Montfort Centre of Education School at New Tura.

The child, Agut Marak, hailing from Rajapara area of Assam had been transferred to Montfort for better education only a couple of days ago. On Monday night, shortly after everyone fell asleep, the child is said to have moved out of the dormitory and somehow managed to open the terrace door.

It is not known whether he accidently fell or tried to jump, but, he reportedly was lying on the courtyard the whole night only to be discovered early next morning by the officials of the school who informed the police about the incident.

NE has highest percentage of working women’

A national sample survey found that the North-eastern region had the highest percentage of working women in rural and urban areas.

A Press Information Bureau (PIB) press release said here today that the highest percentage of working women in rural areas was in Nagaland (50.4 per cent), while Mizoram had the largest percentage of women workers in urban areas.

The percentage of women workers in the rural areas increased from 29.9 per cent in 1999-2000 to 32.7 per cent in 2004-05 in the country”, the release said adding that in case of urban women, the percentage of women employed in jobs went up by just 2.7 per cent, up from 13.9 per cent in 1999-2000 to 16.6 per cent in 2004-05. –

3 Mizo villages bag award for cleanliness

Three Mizo villages were among the recipients of this year’s ‘Nirmal Gram President Award’, a national award for cleanest villages.

Baktawng, Ngentiang and Rawpui village council presidents received the award from President A P J Abdul Kalam in New Delhi.Baktawng village is located on Aizawl-Lunglei highway in Aizawl district, while Ngentiang and Rawpui villages are in Serchhip and Lunglei districts respectively.

The award carries Rs 5 lakh and a citation.The State Public Health Engineering department has asked all villages to follow the footsteps of the three award winners and cooperate with its total sanitation campaign

IAF adopts Pomlum village in Meghalaya

With a view to encourage better representation in the Indian Air Force (IAF) from the North East, the IAF adopted Pomlum village in Meghalaya.

The village would get concession in education, periodical health care and vocational training apart from familiarization with the IAF.Speaking on the occasion, Wing Commander Anurag Rai said that the IAF hoped there would be better representation in the IAF from the Northeast by such gestures.

As part of the adoption, school children would be able to undertake education at the Air Force school inside the Eastern Air Command (EAC) headquarters.

Underprivileged children from the village would be given admission at another school in the EAC complex with high concession.Moreover, women from the village would be provided various vocational training and crash course to read and write in English. Children would be provided with computer, dance and other training programmes, added Rai.

The IAF would also provide medical health care for the villagers on a quarterly basis. Today, the IAF issued forms for special identity cards to help villagers to access the EAC complex.On-the-spot admission for children and a free medical check up camp was today held at the village. Free sports kits were also distributed to the villagers.

Computerised reservation in Arunachal

All the 16 district headquarters of Arunachal Pradesh will soon have railways computerised passenger reservation system facility.

In a recent letter to BJP MP Kiren Rijiju from the state, Minister of State for Railways R Velu said computerised passenger reservation system had been sanctioned to 11 more districts - Aalo, Bomdila, Daporijo, Yingkion G, Khonsa, Ziro, Seppa, Anini, Changlang, Kurungkume and Hawai.

As soon as these systems are installed, the people of the eastern most border state will have the facility to book railway tickets online from all the district headquarters in the state.

At present PRS facilities are available at Tawang, Teju, Pasighat, Tenga and Roing besides capital Itanagar.
West Kameng district will have one additional PRS at Tenga besides one at the district headquarters at Bomdila.
Emergency quota of 22 berths in nine trains have been provided to the state government, he added. –

Special package for closed tea gardens

At least 33 tea gardens are lying closed out of which two are in Assam, while maximum number of 17 are in Kerala, affecting 31,000 tea workers. The depressed price situation since mid-1999 coupled with other factors like high cost of production and low prices of tea have affected the viability of tea gardens resulting in closure and even abandonment of some of the tea gardens.

A package for rehabilitation of closed tea gardens is being worked out in consultation with the concerned Ministries, Minister of State fro Commerce, Jairam Ramesh said.

The Government has set up Special Purpose Tea Fund for financing re-plantation and rejuvenation of old tea bushes.

German loan for Tripura

The German Government will provide a loan of Rs 72 crore (15 million Euro) to Tripura for “social empowerment of tribal and rural people through natural resource management”.

A five-member German delegation met Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Chief Secretary Sashi Prakash and told them that the project was in the stage of final approval, official sources said yesterday.

The Tripura Government had sent a project proposal to the German Government two years ago.

Of the Rs 72 crore, Rs 16.50 crore will be given as technical assistance that will not be refundable and the rest will be sanctioned as a loan with interest at the rate of 2.5 per cent, the sources said. The Central Government has agreed to repay 90 per cent of the loan and the remainder will be paid by the State.

The sources said the amount will be invested in Dhalai and North Tripura district for improving the standard of life of tribal and rural people by using natural resources.

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