Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

SILCHAR, June 20 : A powerful social organization from Mizoram has extended support to a convention proposed to be held in Silchar, Assam on Sunday demanding immediate implementation of the much-delayed Lumding-Silchar broad gauge project. Young Mizo Association (YMA) members will also take part in the agitations to be chalked out by the Silchar-based Citizens' Forum during the meet. YMA expressed concern over the "inordinate delay" in implementing the broad gauge project, as the 221-km rail link is considered the lifeline for southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur. Sources said this is for the first time a Mizo organization joined hands with its Barak Valley counterpart for the cause of the rail project. Source : Times of India

Imphal, June 20 : "Looking at my three children, I am trying to forget the harrowing experiences of the past". These are the words of Chitra who lost both her first as well as the second husband in the prevailing gun violence. There are hundreds of women like Chitra in Manipur who are trying to piece together their shattered lives after their life partners have been killed without any trial by the State actors, non-State actors or simply armed hooligans. When her first husband fell to the bullets of CRPF personnel, Chitra thought it was her destiny. But thinking that living under the protective care of a husband may shield herself from the scornful look of the society and put an end to the persistent nagging of her child who did not know his father, she tied the knot again. Unfortunately, her second husband too fell to the merciless bullet of unidentified armed person and she never knew why her second husband was killed. When death of a husband is something that any women wou...

Imphal, June 20 : With the quantity of rainfall recorded in Manipur midway to June not enough for agricultural activities, the State Government has prepared an Action Plan to combat the prevailing drought-like situation. The Government is also likely to announce the State drought-affected very soon. A meeting of the State Cabinet held today with Chief Minister in the chair seriously deliberated on the issue and formulated an Action Plan in this regard. During the meeting, Disaster Management has also been entrusted to take up necessary measures in connection with declaring Manipur a drought hit State. According to a senior Cabinet Minister, around Rs 5.11 crores would be spent on implementing the Action Plan which include preparing nursery over 1000 hectares at the estimated cost of Rs 27,000 per hectare. A sum of Rs 2.70 crores which would be set aside for purpose of preparing the nursery and the task would be given to farmers and the nursery thus prepared would be distributed among t...

Imphal, June 20 : Manipur police may take action against a transport agency here for failing to report the alleged seizure of a truckload of medicines by the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) in Senapati district last month. The KRA allegedly seized medicines and life-saving drugs worth Rs 70 lakh from an Imphal-bound truck on May 20 and then released the vehicle belonging to Reliable Cargo. The Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association disclosed this yesterday. “It has been nearly one month since the reported incident took place and no transporter or medicine store owner informed us about the incident till today. If reported on time, we could have acted immediately and recovered the items. We will pull up the concerned transport operator,” DGP Yumnam Joykumar Singh told The Telegraph. Senapati district SP Nishit K Ujwal said the police would take action to recover the looted items. Source : The Telegraph

Imphal, June 20 : Even though the spreading of HIV/AIDS in the valley area has been able to control, the same is continuing in the three hill districts bordering with Myanamar, Churachnadpur, Chandel and Ukhrul, said project director of Manipur AIDS Control Society, Dr Kh Promodkumar today. The project director observed this while speaking as guest of honour at the concluding function of the two-month entrepreneurship development programme for people living with HIV/AIDS organized by the Institute of Co-operative Management (ICM) under the sponsorship of the MACS and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Co-operative commissioner, P Vaiphei attended the function as chief guest in the function which was presided by ICM chairman Kh Borkishore. Promodkumar said, the spreading of the dreaded disease in the three districts of Manipur, Churachandpur, Chandel and Ukhrul located along the 358 km long porous international border with Myanmar is on the raise citing the main spreading agen...

Imphal, June 20 : The Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has demanded 'white paper' from the government on the killing of Professor Islamuddin and urged to immediately release the five students who were detained under National Security Act (NSA) in connection with the killing. In a statement the Publicity and Propaganda Secretary of DESAM, KC Ibomcha made clear the position statement of the students' body on the detention of some students under NSA while also pointing out the achievements of the students' body since its inception in 2002. DESAM has conducted survey in educational institutions and detected the ailments of the education system, the statement stated. Remedial measures to address the defects have also been suggested with due consultation with experts, teachers and concerned individuals, and the fruits have already been enjoyed by the state, it added. The students' body has also achieved in checking and eradicating the rampant practice ...

IMPHAL, Jun 20 : An audio and a video cassette were released in connection with the “Save Loktak - our life,’ a mass campaign started by singer Ranbir Thouna in order to save Loktak lake, the only fresh water lake in the north eastern region, which is also a lifeline for the Manipuri people, at a function held this evening at the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy in Imphal. The release function was attended by state tourism minister, TN Haokip as chief guest and education minister L Jayentakumar as the president. The state IFCD minister N Biren, T Mangibabu the chief whip of the Congress, Dr. Kh Ratankumar, chairman of the MANITRON, MLA M Prithiviraj and RK Jnanranjan, general secretary of the AMMIK were the guests of honour on the occasion. TN Haokip said he felt that only the state government’s initiative was not enough to save the Loktak, but it required the cooperation and support of the people too. He appealed to the public of the state to work jointly to save the Loktak whic...