Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Imphal, June 19 : Despite the significant steps being undertaken for the protection of women's rights and promoting their welfare, the status of women in Manipur continues to remain backward, said an analysis of the State Economic Survey Report of the Manipur Government compiled by the State Directorate of Economic and Statistics. The survey report said the goal of poverty alleviation cannot be achieved without the full and active participation of women who constitute a large section of work force, is a well known fact. Thus, women empowerment is critical to the process of the development. So, bringing into the mainstream of development is a major concern of the Government, the report maintained. In order to empower women and bring them into mainstream, an enabling environment with requisite policies and programmes, institutional mechanisms at various levels and adequate financial resources have been created. With gradual spread of education and empowerment, the position of women h...

Imphal, June 18 : Thousands of people of different communities including Naga and Kuki, wearing traditional dresses of their respective communities, today paid floral tributes to those who died in the movement for protection of territorial integrity of Manipur of which day has been observed as "The Great June Uprising" and "Integrity Day". Eighteen people paid with their lives in indiscriminate firing by security personnel in the explosion of public outrage on the issue of Manipur's territorial integrity on June 18, 2001 after the ceasefire between the Centre and the NSCN-IM was extended "without territorial limits". The United Committee Manipur (UCM) has been observing the day as the "Great June Uprising" with a public meeting held at Kekrpupat where the memorial site of the 18 victims is located while the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO) observed the day as "Unity Day" with another public meeting held at THAU gro...

Guwahati, June 17 : With at least 20 migrant workers killed in a series of violent attacks in and around Imphal during the past three months, migrant labourers from Bihar and West Bengal are living in fear in Manipur and some of them have started fleeing the strife-torn state. While three migrant workers were gunned down near the Central Agricultural University on the outskirts of Imphal last Thursday, two Bihari labourers were killed on June 2 — one each in Thoubal and Imphal (East) district. Those killed last week were construction workers engaged by a contractor, while those killed earlier this month included a barber and a hawker. A cobbler, hailing from Bihar, who was attacked at Lamphel in Imphal by an unidentified person on Tuesday evening, has been admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Science in the state capital. On May 12, nine Hindi-speaking migrant workers were killed inside the Keibul Lamjao National Park in Bishnupur district, about 50 km from Imphal. Twelve migr...

Suranjoy ends India's 15-year gold drought in Asian boxing Zhuhai (China), June 13 : Manipur's Suranjoy Singh gave India its first Asian Championship gold in 15 years while Thokchom Nanao Singh and Jai Bhagwan settled for silver medals as the country's boxers rounded off a 27-year-best performance in the elite event here today. India ended their campaign with a gold, two silver and four bronze medals, which went to Jitender Kumar (54kg) Vijender Singh (75kg), Dinesh Kumar (81kg) and Paramjit Samota (+91kg). The team was placed third in the overall standings behind hosts China and Uzbekistan. The performance this time is a marked improvement from 1982 championships held in Seoul where the country's boxers notched up two gold, an equal number of silver and a bronze medal. The last gold medal for India in the Asian Championship came in the 1994 edition in Tehran where Rajkumar Sangwan finished on top in the super heavy weight category. And today, it was a fly weight (51kg)...

Manipur theatre artists enthrall Delhi New Delhi, Dec 30: Various theatre lovers in Delhi had a special treat from north-east India, recently as they attended a Manipuri play here. The play "When we dead awaken" was staged by Ratan Thiyam, the noted Manipuri playwright and theatre director during the Delhi Ibsen Festival organized by Royal Norwegian Embassy in collaboration with Dramatic Art and Design academy. In 1899, Henrik Ibsen wrote a story "When we dead awaken", which is about the celebrated sculptor Arnold Rubek and his wife Maia. The play, based on this story, was reflected an intense desire for life. The festival offered a platform to theatre artists for showcasing their talent. R.K Bhogen, one theatre artist, said: "We encourage those who are interested in joining theatre. Everyone is welcome. Be it a Tangkhul, Kuki or Meitei, if they are interested, we will train them." Ratan Thiyam, the theatre Director on this occasion, said: "We are ver...

Manipur tops in number of casualties : Shillong: Manipur tops the list of insurgent related incidents and casualties in the past one year. The Union Home Ministry status paper on internal security situation spelt out 414 militancy related incidents in the Northeastern region, where 131 civilians lost their lives in the process, 171 extremist killed . In the past one year, there were 153 militancy related incidents in Manipur alone. 57 civilians lost their lives in Manipur and 64 extremists were gunned down, revealed the status paper. Altogether there were 153 incidents reported in which the security forces lost 39 men. In Nagaland, the number of insurgency incidents was reported as 67, in which 15 civilians and 10 extremist getting killed in the process. The paper reveals that during the same period, there is 152 incidents in Assam, out of which 55 civilians lost their lives and 35 extremists were killed. The security forces lost 7 men in the process in Assam. Tripura known for its vol...

Cancer centre in all NE States mooted: Imphal, May 13: Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss who arrived here today as part of his North East itinerary has expressed satisfaction over the measures taken up in the health sector particularly on Immunisation, HIV/AIDS, Cancer, TB and Malaria. Interacting with the media at the Jubilee Hall of RIMS this evening, the Health Minister said that since the North East people are susceptible to Cancer, the Centre has decided to open Regional Cancer Centres in all the North East State. Significantly, RIMS had earlier announced that majority of the lung cancer cases reported in the country are from the North East States particularly Manipur. Though health care facilities are perceived to be poor in the remote areas of the State, Ramadoss however noted that the health care scenario in the North Region is satisfactory. There are plans to improve the infrastructure at the Primary Health Centres, Primary Sub-Health Centres, Community Health Centres et...

Normal life affected in Manipur: Imphal, May 2 (PTI) The BJP-sponsored general strike against price rise affected normal life in Manipur on Friday with shops, markets and business establishments remaining closed. Very few vehicles were visible on the roads in view of the strike, official sources said. However, transport services between Manipur and the neighbouring states were not affected by the strike. Attendance in government offices was also normal. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the state. Source : Press Trust of India Another Story :

By Baba Strange things happen in Manipur. It is one of the states with highest literacy rates of the country. Unfortunately, people here behave like illiterates. The recent reports of a one Rajgopal of Wangkhei Nighthem Pukhri Mapal being expelled from the locality on charges of harassment of a minor domestic help is a case in point I am making it clear at the beginning that I am not supporting harassment of a minor domestic help. But, the question is: can under the law a social organization expel anybody from his lawful place of residence for doing a wrongful act? I think the answer is a clear no. The social organization and those who took the decision in the meeting should have taken a legal course, say filing a Public Interest Litigation or reporting the matter to the police so that the culprit enjoy the air of a jail. The matter could have been different in the case of the tribals. They have special laws under the Indian Constitution though these laws are also subject to reasonabl...

Arming citizens to fight their own people fraught with danger: By Baba There has been an increasing frustration of the people of Manipur to the violence and extortion perpetrated by the underground elements. I feel that for some time now the wanton killings of innocent citizens have exceeded the trigger happiness of security forces. Even as we do not accept trampling of civil liberties and killing by security forces under draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Power Act, we can not also remain as mute spectators to mindless violence by our so-called brethren. The writing on the wall is becoming clearer day by day. The protests by Imphal auto rickshaw drivers, by doctors and nurses of RIMS, by the councillors of Municipal Committees and Nagar Panchayats, shutting down shops in Awang Sekmai – all against extortion by the UGs, the demand to the state government by the JAC formed after the killing of 52-year-old Haorambam Robi Meetei of Lilong and by the people of Heirok to issue ...

Exercise deferred in Assam, Arunachal, Manipur, Nagaland: New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) Government has amended the Representation of the People Act 1950 to enable the Election Commission conduct future elections with the redrawn boundaries of constituencies, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. The Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2008, which came into force on April 16, is aimed at helping the EC consolidate the delimitation orders and take steps for holding elections in terms of these orders, Law minister H R Bhardwaj said in written reply. The minister informed the House that delimitation exercise in respect of all the states, except Jammu and Kashmir, has been completed. The exercise in respect of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland has been deferred, he said. The Delimitation Commission's final orders in respect of the Jharkhand have been nullified till 2026 by section 10 B of the Delimitation Act 2002, he said. Source : The Press Trust of India

Shifting cultivation in Nagaland, Manipur one reason: New Delhi: The forest cover of the country has decreased marginally by 728 square kilometers between 2003 and 2005, the Rajya Sabha was informed on 24 April. Minister of State for Environment and Forests S Regupathy said forest cover in 2001 was 653,898 sq km which increased to 677,816 sq km. However, it came down to 677,088 sq km in 2005, he said. "The forest cover of the country has more or less stablised," he said replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) carries out forest cover assessment of the country using remote sensing technology once every two years. He said the reasons for fall in forest cover was tsunami's effect on vegetation in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, construction of dam in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and shifting cultivation of bamboo in the North-East especially Nagaland and Manipur. Source : The Press Trust of India

Needs urgent attention, say visiting ambassadors: Imphal: Loktak Lake is the only fresh water lake surviving in India, but the present condition of the lake is quite unhealthy. The state government and the people of Manipur should take up measures to preserve and develop it. This was the opinion of three ambassadors from the countries of Finland, Sweden and Denmark who are on a visit to the state. Lars-Olof Lindgren, the ambassador of Sweden, Asko Numminen, the ambassador of Finland and Ole Lonsmann Poulsen, the ambassador of Denmark expressed that they had come on a visit of India since a few months back but their real objective was to visit the north eastern part of the country. Therefore, they approached the Indian embassy for a visit to the north eastern areas and had so far visited Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. The ambassadors said that the people of Manipur were excellent in hospitality and they really appreciated the rich cultural heritage of Manipur and really respected...

Cabinet Secy to visit state to review security: New Delhi, Apr 22: Lawlessness and tardy development in Manipur will come under the Centre’s scanner when Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar visits the state for a comprehensive review of the troubled state later this week. He will be accompanied by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and top officials from ministries handling development in the region. Coming close on the heels of a high-level meeting in New Delhi, the visit, slated for April 25, would involve a comprehensive review of the current security and development scenario in the state, official sources said here on Tuesday. As reported by The Indian Express, the Cabinet Secretary held a security review meeting on April 1 where senior state government officials including the chief secretary had briefed him about the situation. Naga and Meitei militant groups have unleashed a reign of terror in the border state, virtually running a parallel government where extortion thrives and k...

Manipur retains title: Guwahati, Feb 2: Manipur expectedly retained the championship crown of the annual North East Games with dominant performances in almost all the disciplines in the 22nd edition thereby once again underlining the State's supremacy in the region. The North East Games, previously known as the North East Sports Festival, which concluded on Saturday with the closing ceremony held at the Sarusajai Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, saw Manipur outclass sportspersons of the seven other participant States in judo, weightlifting, wushu, women's football, men's kho-kho, taekwondo and boxing in addition to stupendous show by the female athletes. Moreover, the champion State secured runners-up titles in men's boxing and women's kho-kho. The overall championship trophy bagged by Manipur in the latest edition is the State's triumph for the 20th time since the competition began in 1986 at Imphal. Objective of the annual competition held under the aegis of Sp...

North East Games begin: Guwahati, Jan 30: Strong title contender Manipur began its campaign in the 22nd North East Games on a bright note grabbing seven gold, seven silver and eight bronze medals in athletics while both the women and men's teams tasted success in football competitions here on Wednesday. The State's medal hunt began with Ch Sonia claiming the women's 1500 metre race in 5:00.16 seconds before M Priya added the second yellow metal by emerging as the region's fastest women with a timing of 12.02 seconds in the 100 metre competition. Two gold medals won in judo competition by Semion kamei (men's open) N Bina Devi (62 kg) and three in weightlifting from Kh Khogen (56 kg), M Rita (48 kg) and Kh Bidyapati (53 kg) further bulged the medal haul. The silver medallists are Ph Nanao (1500), S Binodini (javelin), ksh Romika (5000 mtr), W Somarjit (men's 5000 mtr) in athletics; Ch Karishma (40 kg-judo), T Bobo (56 kg/WL), N Sumanbala 58 kg/WL) . A Surbala (100...

Student body denied audience: Imphal, Jan 11: Manipur Students' Association, Delhi (MSAD) has decried conduct of the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh for turning down the appointment granted even after making its delegates to await from 10 am to 5.30 pm on Friday. The delegates have reportedly gone to meet the Chief Minister to discuss the issues related to the problems being faced by the students in the light of the recent molestation of two girl students from Manipur at the National Capital. In a statement, the student body observed that recurrence of the incidents of molestation and harassing of Manipuri students at the National Capital has shown that there is no one to protect them. If the Chief Minister of Manipur himself does not respect the students of the state then who is going to respect them?, it questioned. The student body, however, expressed its gratitude to MLA Oken and MLA Bijoy Koijam for visiting their victims at their Gandhi Vihar rented house and extending their mor...

People's convention on Sunday: Imphal, Jan 3: A people's convention inclusive of civil organisations and student bodies has been convened on January 6 to deliberate on the issue of delimitation. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, convenor of Delimitation Watch Manipur H Nabashyam stated that any delimitation process based on the contested census report of 2001 will be opposed till the end. He asserted that the planned delimitation exercise of the Delimitation Commission of India is aimed at creating communal distrust and tension in Manipur. With ample evidence to prove that the census report of 2001 was full of flaws, a representation was submitted to the Registrar General of the Census Commission of India in 2005.Acknowledging that the census report was faulty, the Registrar General assured that the matter would be forwarded to the Home Ministry, he said. For the people of Manipur it is unacceptable that there was 100 percent population growth in some hill districts when the v...

Myanmar, India to step up vigil: Imphal: India and Myanmar on Friday agreed to step up vigil along the international border to curb cross-border smuggling of narcotic substances and help each other in dismantling drug factories. An official source said field officials of the two countries met at Moreh on Friday. The meeting focused on the problems of cross-border drug smuggling and measures to tackle the problem through co-operation. “The meeting agreed to step up vigil along the border and also share information on drug smuggling activities. We also agreed to help locate drug refineries and dismantle them,” the source said. The Myanmarese delegation was led by Lt Col Aung Ten, political in-charge of Tamu district. The Indian delegation was headed by superintendent of police, narcotic and border affairs, Manipur. Senior officials of the Assam Rifles, Narcotic Control Bureau and state police were present at the meeting, held at the office of the Customs Preventive Force. The meeting al...

IIT Delhi to help Nagaland, Manipur: New Delhi: The Nagaland Government has sought the technology for preserving fruits and vegetables from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The request has particularly been made to increase the shelf-life of Mandarin oranges grown in that State. The State Government had approached the National Research Development Corporation to request IIT Delhi to send its experts for training officials and farmers in the technology. “We have an agreement with NRDC. The Nagaland Government has contacted them for a training programme to be run by IIT experts. The Government has already deposited the money. My team will go there in January for a demonstration,” reveals H. M. Chawla of the Chemistry Department at IIT Delhi who led research work on this technology. “The Manipur Government has also shown interest in preservation of passion fruits. The officials of both the State governments had come to the laboratory on our campus to see the experiments being ca...