Why Not Hold The Games in Manipur, Asks Aiyar

New Delhi, Aug 26 : Keeping up his campaign against organisation of Commonwealth Games, senior Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar on Wednesday questioned the rationale of Delhi hosting the event and said it would have been a "very good answer" to insurgents if it would have been held in Manipur. Speaking to a group of Delhi University students at Press Club, Aiyar wondered why such mega events...

Best Record of Achievement in Northeast: Chidambaram

“One of the main concerns is maintenance of communal peace and harmony” New Delhi, Aug 26 : Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram claimed here on Wednesday that besides containing terrorism, the best record of achievement was in the northeastern States. The year 2009 was a distinct improvement over 2008 and 2010. There was a dramatic decline in the number of incidents and casualties. He, however,...

Manipur Blockade Highlights India’s Northeast Dilemma

By David Lalmalsawma An entire state held to ransom for the past three months. And a central government that seems helpless to stop it. Naga groups on Tuesday said they were extending for another 25 days their blockade of the two highways linking landlocked Manipur to the rest of the country. This follows almost consecutive 20 days and 69 days of similar blockades, leaving the northeast...

Nagaland Sends 'ill-Equipped' Men to Fight Naxals

Nagaland IRB Jawans boarding train Kohima, Aug 25 : The Nagaland government is facing flak from the Opposition Congress, which held the Neiphiu Rio-led Nagaland People's Front government responsible for the virtual revolt by IRB jawans demanding better arms and logistic support before their departure for West Bengal to fight the "well-equipped" Maoists. The 10th IRB of Nagaland has...

Nagaland's 1st 'Centre of Social Work' at Mokokchung

Kohima, Aug 25 : The Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Social Work (MGCSW), first of its kind in Nagaland, was set up at Chuchuyimlang under Mokokchung district as part of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education and Development (MGIED). Official sources said here today that the Centre of Social Work has been established under the auspices of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)-as part of...

Manipur Traders Misusing Manipur Blockade

New Delhi, Aug 25 : There was shortage of goods of daily use in Manipur not due to blockade but because of other factors like rains and refusal of truck operators and the involvement of local traders in hoarding and black marketing taking advantage of shortage in some essential commodities, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Answering questions on the effect of blockade of Manipur for 68 days by...

The Great Indian PDS Scam

Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang, prime accused in the Rs 1,000-crore public distribution system (PDS) scandal that came to light in 2004, was arrested and remanded in a week's police custody today. Apang, 61, was arrested in Itanagar by the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) constituted by the Gauhati High Court, and charged under IPC Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420...

Focus on ‘Responsible Tourism' in Northeast Region

The organizers are incorporating the Code of Conduct on ‘Safe and Honorable Tourism' adopted by the Government of India in their draft policy to avoid any duplication. By Karma Samten Yangzom Gangtok, Aug 25 : A two-day regional consultation on ‘Responsible Tourism' in the Northeastern region of India, organized by the Shillong-based NGO, Impulse, in collaboration with Equations, Bangalore,...