Mizoram decided to induct a woman minister in the state cabinet, at a time when political parties are working to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament to make it mandatory to reserve 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies.
The decision to have a woman minister in the state cabinet is historic as Mizoram got its fourth female Legislator after a gap of 30 years. Lalawmpuii Chawngthu a 35 year spinster became the fourth woman in Mizoram to be inducted in the state’s council of ministers since 1987. Lalawmpuii is the daughter of senior Congress leader C. Chawngkunga. She has been active in politics since last 10 years. Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma administered the oath of office to Chawngthu at a function in the Raj Bhavan. Chawngthu, President of the Mizoram Pradesh Youth Congress Committee was elected from Hrangturzo seat in Central Serchhip District in a byelection by a margin of 2,503 votes against her lone rival, Lalduhawma, of the eight-party combine United Democratic Front (UDF). Thanga and Chawngthu were inducted in the council of ministers following the resignation of Labour Minister Lalrinmawia Ralte and Fisheries Minister Buddha Dhan Chakma.
TRIPURA SIT STARTS INVESTIGATION INTO SHANTANU MURDER CASE
Despite stir for handing over the investigation of TV journalist Shantanu Bhowmik (28) murder case, Tripura Government constituted a fivemember Special Investigative Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General (IG) TSR and Training G S Rao.
Shantanu was murdered by unknown miscreants during a clash between CPI-M and tribal based Indigenous Peoples’ Front of Tripura (IPFT) supporters at Mandwi in Jirania subdivision on September 20 last in a mysterious circumstance that triggered uproar over the incident. Except ruling CPI-M and Agartala Press Club, all other political parties and Working Journalists organisations opposed SIT and demanded CBI probe while Congress asked for judicial enquiry by a sitting high court judge.
Amarjit Singh Khiyam from Manipur recently was elected as the captain for the U-17 FIFA World Cup. Young Amarjit was chosen as the captain by his teammates through a process of secret ballot that was engineered by the Portuguese coach Luis Norton de Matos. This will be the first FIFA tournament hosted by the country.
His father Chandra Mani Singh Kiyam a small time farmer and a part time carpenter believed that his son can carry the weight of responsibility in this prestigious sporting event. Born and brought up in Manipur Amarjit’s introduction to the beautiful game came through his uncle when he introduced him to the Chandigarh Football Academy. When the selectors were hunting for players to represent India at the Under-17 World Cup, Amarjit was invited for trials and he caught the eye of everyone. At first he was slotted with the reserve side and made the first team grade after German coach Nicolai Adam was impressed with his abilities in midfield. Young Amarjit, who has represented India in the age group teams on 29 occasions, is the joint most experienced player at the camp alongside Komal Thatal, the only Indian to score against a Brazilian national team. With this responsibility Amarjit is keen on fulfilling his father’s dream of seeing the national jersey for the senior team as well.
“IF THE PEOPLE ARE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON GOVERNMENT THEN THAT COUNTRY CANNOT BE SUCCESSFUL”
Eastern Panorama met with Shri Atul Kothari, General Secretary of Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (Trust for the Uplift of Education and Culture) and also former General Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and co-convenor of Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti The Nyas, founded on 18 May 2007, works in collaboration with a sister organisation Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti (Campaign Committee for Saving Education), which was also founded byDinanath Batra, a Pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the former Director of its Education wing Vidya Bharati. The mission of the Nyas is to find and establish alternatives to the present education system in India by changing its “syllabus, system, methods and policy” .
On the sidelines of National Conference on Revisiting Indology and Sanskrit in India held at NEHU (North Eastern Hill University) by the Department of Linguistics under the able Cordination of the Chairperson Prof Sailendra Kumar Singh , Editor Harsh Jhunjhunwala met Mr. Atul Kothari. The excerpts of the interview are reproduced for the readers.
Please explain you mission and what changes and why changes?
To change the country we have to change our education. The kind of country and society we want will come form the education we impart. So basic change in education is our first prerogative.
Secondly, Instead of problem we need to discuss the solution. Everybody knows the problem, some may be little more. But I have been seeing since last 40 yrs that all seminars discussions that take place discuss only problems and not the solution.
Thirdly, Mother, Motherland and Mother tounge there is no alternative.
Fourthly, In a country with democracy, if the people are totally dependent on government then that country cannot be successful and education is a field in which the involvement of people from the society, people concerned with education has to be more than that of the government.
In a democratic country, the role of government and that of the society is equal for creating a positive change, so both have to work collectively.
The change in education is that since last 70yrs we have not been able to decide what is the aim of our education? What is the crux of education that we are imparting?
Swami Vivekananada said, “Man making and character building is the primary purpose of education.” The personality and psychological development of a child should be as such that they can decide by themselves whether they want to be a doctor, engineer, industrialist, professor, etc. The proper development is what education should do. So this primary concept should come into our education system. In education our Indian knowledge system is no where to be found. Before five years not only India but the whole world was celebrating Srinivasa Ramanujan’s 25yrs of birth anniversary. During that time there was international conference in Delhi. Though I was not able to go, my friend from mathematics field had visited. He was telling me that mathematicians had come from all over the world including America, Europe, Australia and enquired from him has to why the Indians were not working on Ramanujan when the whole world was? Ramanujan was such a great mathematician. In 2011, when we were celebrating his life, people in our country did not know that Ramanujan belong to the field of mathematics. It is not their fault but the fault of the system. Ramanujan does not exists in our system. There are three hand-written diaries of this great mathematician whose solution no mathematician in the whole world is able to find. Such a great mathematician of our country but not in our system!! So this Indian knowledge, sciences of our own is missing in our education. Today, the world is moving with such great pace and great scientific research is taking place but our syllabus since decades is the same. Then how our children will be able to compete in the world. There should be communication of both. Similarly,the education system that we have has nothing to do with the society. People have done B.A.,M.A.,B.COM., but have u asked people if there is any help in your job? Nothing. Very less useful things in our present education system that will help in a person’s personal life or social life or nation building.
Mukul Sangma, the head of state of Meghalaya, who came into the political scene in 1993, elected to the state legislature, as an independent from the Ampatigiri constituency in the Garo Hills, claimed the political leader to become Chief Minister, is now in the helm of political developments, whether he can steer the Congress to the victory stand in the ensuing 2018 general elections of the State Assembly. The present Chief Minister and leader of a national party, has an advantage, specially being a ruling party, though heading a coalition government known as the Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA), which include regional parties, such as the United Democratic Party (UDP) and others.
Mukul Sangma had passed the test of being elected as a Congress candidate in 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and was first given the responsibility of being the Home Minister and also Education, under the D.D.Lapang Ministry in 2005. Another up gradation of Mukul Sangma, was his appointment as Deputy Chief Minister in 2005. Yet here followed by one of his down-fall, when he had to resign, following a police firing killing five persons at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills District and four persons in Tura and that about 100 persons were injured, in an agitation against a state level committee recommendations on the restructuring of the Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education (MBOSE).
The Government of India has made public names of 55,000 directors of shell companies across the country. Surprisingly Northeastern states have also been featured in the list released by the Union Corporate Affairs Ministry. It has brought “Name and Shame” where multiple names from the Northeast, India have come out in the exercise by the Centre in the racket involving shell companies. Disqualified under Section 164 (2)(A) of the Companies Act, 2013, these directors/promoters cannot float new companies or be appointed in any other company in similar capacity.
On 12th September 2017, Ministry of Corporate Affairs statement revealed that 1.06 lakh directors of ‘shell companies’ have been identified for disqualification under the relevant provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. Government has taken an initiative to break down the network of ‘shell companies’ to fight against black money/money laundering.
AGRICULTURE SCIENTIST INTRODUCING SHORT DURATION RICE VARIETY IN ASSAM
Agriculture scientists are planning for the introduction of short duration variety of paddy to increase the cropping intensity.Chikon, a short duration variety has been brought from Tripura which is being tasted in the field of Assam’s farmer. Krishi Vigyan Kendra KVK Kamrup has brought this variety in 2016. To increase the cropping intensity of field crops like paddy cultivation of this variety is necessary to make farming a more profitable venture.“The mono cropping system of farming which is generally practiced by our farmers fails to augment the farmer’s income.So, double or triple cropping is required to enhance farmer’s income,” Dr DN Kalita, Principal Scientist cum Head of Kamrup KVK suggested and added a best cropping sequence is imperative to make the best use of land resources of the poor farmers.
Chikon can be the answer to increase the cropping intensity.This variety needs 116 days from seed sowing to harvesting. “The crop is ready for harvesting by the second week of October if 15 days old seedling is planted in the first week of July. The same field will be ready for second crop like rapeseed,” Kalita adds. In Assam,Ranjit, the popular variety of paddy is long duration crop which take 155 days for harvesting. In this case, the paddy field will be ready for second cropping like rapeseed or other pulses either in the last week of November or first week of December. Till then, the moisture in the field becomes production constraint. As a result farmers are deprived of farming second crop in the same field. But in short duration rice variety can be boon for farmer in this regard. “Short duration rice variety is imperative to bring more area under double cropping,” Head of KVK said.
MISGUIDED PREACHING OF SOME ASSAMESE INTELLECTUALS
“The irresponsible campaigners even made early resolutions that Hindu Bengali would never mingle with Assamese locals in the State. This is unfortunate to say the least that a group of people, who do not even have a modicum of shame, tried to mislead the common people by misrepresenting facts”
Could Assam, a Northeast Indian province, be put on a red-hot pan anytime by few motivated leaders even though with a wrong reason? Even though, most of the Assamese speaking people often listen to a section of biased intellectuals, who often make statements time and again with little facts to create confusions, could those preachers succeed in their evil mission? Many such pertinent questions are being raised after a simple incident that was used for manufacturing series of protests against the outsiders (if not foreigners) in the State. A group of traders, primarily from the Bengali speaking community, physically assaulted few former-rebels belonged to the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa)recently in Nagaon locality of central Assam. Initial media reporting on local news channels narrated that the ex-Ulfa youths went there asking money and then both the group ended up quarrelling and finally physical assaults. The traders were seen slapping some of the youths in CCTV footages. Few of the group also fled from the location. Finally, the police arrive, in the location to reduce the tension successfully.
Recentlly, Mr Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited, Varanasi where the noticeable element was this that he outrightlly appreciated and endorsed his dreams by saying Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is translating on ground.This is palpable that Yogi Adityanath has always remained in the limelight ever since he was sworn-in as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in March this year. With his government completing six months in office, Adityanath released a detailed ‘white paper’ on the working of previous government in the state, his own government policies and achievements since March. While the Adityanath-led BJP government claims to have fulfilled most of the promises, it made during the election campaign, the opposition has stepped up the attack on the ruling party by claiming that have outnumbered the hits. If we go back, we would be encountering several remarkable steps which was taken under his leadership. In his first state Cabinet meeting, the Adityanathled government waived off farm loans to the tune of Rs 36,000 crore. Described as populist and a quick fix measure to win brownie points, the move is believed to have benefitted around `86 lakh small and marginal farmers. Four days into office, the Adityanath-led Opportunities for the completion of six-month term. Information about the achievements of his government in the press conference, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government launched a crackdown on illegal slaughter houses, prompting strong reactions from the meat traders. Besides unlicensed private slaughter houses, many government-owned slaughterhouses too closed down due to license issues, leading to a severe shortage of meat in the state. People from the Kasai community and meat traders were the ones who were severely hit by this decision.
