After 'Iron Lady', Manipur Produces a 'Mr India'

Panaji, Nov 24 : If Irom Sharmila, who is on a fast for the past 10 years to protest human rights violations by security forces in Manipur, is the state's 'Iron Lady', then Khundrakpam Pradip Kumar Singh is its 'Mr India'. Pradip was infected by the deadly HIV/AIDS virus in 2000, when he injected himself with an infected syringe in a drug-induced stupor. But instead of collapsing in defeat and...

Tripura Overjoyed With Somdev

Agartala, Nov 24 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today congratulated Somdev Devvarman for winning gold medal for India in the Asian Games, while Somdev's father Prava Ranjan Deb Barman narrated how tense he was when the match was in progress. In a message, the Chief Minister said, "Somdev made our country as well as the state proud by winning gold in both the doubles and in singles in Asiad....

Businesses Would Have to Pay Us First: Assam Student Body

Guwahati, Nov 24 : The influential All Assam Students' Union (AASU) Wednesday admitted to accepting donations from business houses, and said it is not doing 'anything wrong'. 'Yes, we have to depend on donations and we shall continue to take donations to run AASU. Whoever does business in Assam and reaps profits shall have to donate money for running AASU,' the student union's adviser Samujjal...

Bru Militants Blocking Obstructing Repatriation To Mizoram

Aizawl, Nov 24 : The Mizoram government Tuesday said militants are obstructing the repatriation process of over 41,000 Reang tribal refugees, sheltered in six camps of north Tripura for the past 13 years. The repatriation of 41,600 tribal refugees from north Tripura's Kanchanpur sub-division to their villages in western Mizoram began Nov 3. Since then, 400 Reang tribal refugees, locally called...

AASU Rejects Assam Govt Proposals

AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya addresses a news conference on the NRC update in Guwahati on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections Guwahati, Nov 24 : The All Assam Students Union today rejected Dispur’s formula to resolve the standoff over the stalled process for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), 1951 while the state government exuded confidence of a breakthrough within 15...

Manipur Reaps Mustard Success

A mustard field Imphal, Nov 24 : The agriculture department of Manipur has been successful in cultivating mustard on untilled soil on a large scale, and is preparing to unravel this feat to the country through a national conference early next year. The department adopted the method five years back, and now, after seeing the success, many farmers have started cultivating mustard in their fields,...

128 Manipuri Militants Undergo Rehabilitation Training

Bangalore, Nov 24 : Nearly 128 Manipuri militants underwent a 90-day intensive spiritual, behavioural and vocational rehabilitation training conducted by the Art of Living and its sister organisation, International Association for Human Values (IAHV) here. The militants from KCPMC Lallumba that laid down arms on August 6 joined the programme on August 16. "Manipur, today, is one of the...

Centre Looks Into Palm Plantation Scope in Northeast

By SANJEEB MUKHERJEE New Delhi, Nov 24 : The government is actively considering to bring in more areas under oil palm cultivation within the country in the next few years to reduce the palm oil import bill. At present, almost 99% of the country's annual palm oil requirement is imported due to low local output. The government, at a meeting on oil palm cultivation, has decided to explore the possibility...