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MoU signed between Meghalaya Kingdom of Belgium

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Meghalaya Government and the Wallonia Region of the Kingdom of Belgium in the presence of Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma at Taj Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi.

The objective of these MoU was to promote favorable relations of partnership and beneficial cooperation between the two and to recognize the importance of the principles of equality and mutual in the fields of trade and commerce, training, healthcare, environmental areas, science and technology, agro-food including breweries, sports and leisure, architecture and heritage, urban development/eco-system management, veterinary & animal husbandry and other fields that shall be mutually agreed upon.

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Women to empower Assembly Election 2018

More and more women contesters in the Assembly Election 2018 are surfacing, prominent among is none other than Agatha Sangma, youngest daughter of Purno Sangma who is making an appearance from South Tura from the National People Party.  Agatha is not a stranger in the political field. She was the youngest minister of state in the UPA-II Manmohan Singh Government. Agatha has already started campaigning. It was Purno A. Sangma who formed the National People Party in 2012. The party is having two representatives in the Assembly. The NPP was formed in Jowai in a meeting convened by Purno Sangma in the presence of the NPP advisors Phidalai Toi. The National President Conrad K. Sangma is confident that Agatha being one of the aspirants would work for the interest to uplift the women folk in Garo Hills and also the state. Agatha would have therefore proved her worth and the parties interest facing the challenges of congress leaders for urban affairs, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh stated that NPP is in “a world of delusion”. 

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The evolution of the Chakma Autonomous District Council (C.A.D.C.) can be regarded as the opening of political Pandora box in the political situation of Mizoram. The issue has been propagated in different dimensions by certain political parties, civil societies and even the law-makers. The issue has been so tense and problematic because Chakmas are regarded as outsiders but Autonomous District Council has been created for the so-called outsiders with the trifurcation of the Pawi-Lakher Regional Council (P.L.R.C.) in 1972. It is an undeniable fact to admit that the original home of the Chakmas is Chittagong in Bangladesh and Chakma kingdom also flourished there since pre-British period. Chakmas appeared for the first time in Lushai Hills when the British authority engaged some Chakmas as Labour Corps with the permission of Chakma Queen, Kalindi Rani in the Lushai Expedition of 1871-1872, however, those Chakmas returned to Chittagong after the expedition. Thus, the Chakmas’ official association with Lushai Hills began in 1892 because of the transfer of some Chakma villages nearby Dimagiri from Chittagong administration to South Lushai Hills by the order of Sir Charles Elliot, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal but those Chakmas who were allowed to settle in South Lushai Hills were charged foreigner tax of Rupees Five per year. During that time, Chakma settlement was not found in Uiphum Tlangdung (Present CADC area) because Uiphum Tlangdung was the ancestral land of the Tlanglau and they ruled over the whole hill tracts. Other than the Tlanglau chiefs, there were also some chiefs from Bawm and Pang in the area. The geographical area of the present C.A.D.C. area was administered by the Tlanglau, Bawm and Pang chiefs since pre-British period and was known as Uiphum Tlangdung which means Uiphum Hill Range. The first Chakma migration in the Uiphum Tlangdung was recognized in 1905 and they were employed in the paddy field as workers by the Tlanglau chiefs. Chakma ’s population and influx from across the border increased at faster rate which led to the domination of the present C.A.D.C. area by the Chakmas. As a matter of fact, the Chakma Regional Council later on the Chakma Autonomous District Council (C.A.D.C.) surprisingly emerged as a result of the trifurcation of the Pawi-Lakher Regional Council (PLRC) in 1972 along with the creation and declaration of the Union Territory of Mizoram.

2. Status of the Chakmas in pre-independent era

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TUR oppose the Meghalaya Community Participation & Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017

The Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) has strongly opposed the implementation of the Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017 in its present form. Angela Rangad said that the Act which was meant for ‘community participation’ was legislated without any ‘community participation’ or pre-legislative consultation.

Six months after the Bill was passed, the government decided to hold a small ‘consultation’ with select group of CSOs in the presence of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, K.N.Kumar, IAS, B. Dhar IAS (nominated – retired), she said while stating that TUR was also one of those invited to the said meeting.

The TUR also raise questions at the State Social Audit Council by claiming that this Social Audit is not an independent body because all the members of the council are government nominees. The ‘’ without any announcement of vacancy or criterion of appointment goes against the very principle of independence and transparency claimed TUR.

Meanwhile, the TUR demanded that the Act needs to be amended in a consultative process and the rules for the implementation of the Act need to be framed in a consultative and transparent manner.