NEDFi to Back Foreign Investors' Projects in Northeast

Agartala, Feb 9 : The state-owned North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) is keen to provide financial support to single or joint venture projects involving foreign investors, a top official said here Wednesday.

"If any foreign investor on his own or jointly with the Indian entrepreneurs is willing to set up any industrial or infrastructural or service sector projects in northeast region, the NEDFi would offer fiscal support," NEDFi chairman Buru Paul Muktieh told IANS.

"However, the foreign investor or the overseas firm has to be registered in India to get the financial aid," he clarified.

According to the finance body chief, the NEDFi has so far disbursed loans worth Rs.1,080 crore against the sanction of Rs.1,474 crore to 2,012 units and projects in eight northeastern states.

The NEDFi has also been providing training and skill development to entrepreneurs, making market linkages, operating research and development centre for medicinal and aromatic plants, organising exposure visits of the industrialists besides financial help.

"Unlike bank loans, the NEDFi's recovery rate is almost 100 percent," Muktieh stated.

The corporation, which was initially promoted by various financial and insurance institutions and now under the control of union ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), is also looking for financing more public-private partnership (PPP) ventures and projects in the region.

"We are keen to provide loan with simplified provisions, but the investors must come up with viable projects, specially infrastructure ventures," the NEDFi chairman declared.

A permanent exhibition centre, NEDFi Haat, has been set up at Ambari, near Assam's main city Guwahati, for providing market linkages to the artisans and entrepreneurs.

A Shrill Cry For Democracy

By D.Karthikeyan

Power-packed solo performance by Pune-based artiste enthrals audience

Photo:S. James

POIGNANT:Theatre artiste Ojas SV depicting Irom Sharmila's struggle to “restore” democracy, in Madurai on Tuesday. —

The issue around membership — who does and who does not belong — is where the politics of citizenship begins. It is impossible to chart the history of the concept very far without coming sharply up against successive attempts to restrict citizenship to certain groups and to exclude others.

— Stuart Hall and David Held.

MADURAI: The question of citizenship at a broader level is what which has become critical in the case of north-east people and a power-packed solo performance ( Torch-bearing Woman) by Pune-based artiste Ojas SV on the everyday life of people in Manipur and the portrayal of the indomitable spirit of Irom Chanu Sharmila left the audience with a lot of food for thought.

The event organised by People's Watch here on Tuesday took the audience to that time of what happened in Manipur and how democratic rights were trampled upon and how the situation, at its worst, made a young girl take up this ordeal of indefinite hunger strike for more than a decade — demanding the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958, — moved the audience.

The first few minutes of her performance highlighted the everyday life of Manipur people who still are devoid of proper basic amenities but still Manipur is seen as the potential powerhouse for mainland India. Citing the All Women's Indigenous Market in Imphal and the move to demolish it, she expressed how the Manipuris feel that the State is attempting to erase their own symbols of identity.

Malom massacre

The drama moved towards showing the young Irom Sharmila who loved poetry and who wished to spread the fragrance of peace to the world. She grew up with a lot of unanswered questions, the non-representation of leaders of the north-east who fought against the British in history textbooks but without any mention about their land in the national anthem.

Hailing from a rural background, Sharmila, while working as a journalist for Human Rights Alert, witnessed a lot of atrocities that were committed by the Army against the people of Manipur, felt that enough was enough.

On November 1, 2000, men of 8 Assam Rifles (AR) opened indiscriminate fire on a group of villagers waiting at a roadside bus shelter at Malom village, near Imphal airport, and killed 10, one of them a pregnant woman and another a National Bravery Awardee of 1988. This incident affected Irom Sharmila very much.

This incident was portrayed with a wonderful performance by Ojas where she, looking into the day's newspaper with tears, crushes the paper. The newspaper was sprinkled with red colour symbolising the blood stain.

Struggle for democracy

To stop all this, to shake up the government, to repeal this draconian law to bring back democratic values, on November 4, 2000, she decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike demanding the withdrawal of AFSPA Act.

Irom Sharmila was nearly four years into her fast when Thangjam Manorama, a young Manipuri woman, was taken away from her home on the night of July 10-11, 2004 by security forces on suspicion of being an insurgent, then raped, tortured and killed.

A powerful performance follows when Ojas goes near the military fatigues hanged on a stand, boots below trampling a girl doll. She takes the doll, removes the dress and unstrings her body parts thus reproducing the gruesome incident. After her bullet-ridden body was recovered, a dozen Manipuri women on July 15, 2004, walked naked to the historic Kangla Fort (which then housed the headquarters of the Assam Rifles) in protest, holding banners with the slogans, “Indian Army, rape us overtly” and “Rape us the way you did Manorama”.

The fading out of traditional Manipuri music which was followed by the sudden rise of sound of marching boots followed by staccato rifle shots and Ojas shouting high in her voice ‘Indian Army', ‘fake encounters,' ‘detentions', ‘mass killings' illustrated the everyday life of Manipuris.

She ended the performance with Irom, in her force-fed nasal drip visiting Rajghat in Delhi on October, 2, 2006 where she paid floral tributes at Gandhi's samadhi, but was arrested on the charge of attempt to suicide. She also showed Shirin Ebadi, Nobel laureate from Iran who visited her in Delhi and highlighted her statement that if Irom died, the Parliament, Indian State, its machinery and the press would be held responsible. She espoused her struggle for democracy at international forums. After meeting Sharmila in person, Ojas has been performing across the country demanding support for the cause.

UBI Committed to Develop Northeast's Socio-Economic Condition

Silchar (Assam), Feb 9 : The United Bank of India (UBI) was committed to develop the socio-economic condition of the people of North East, particularly Assam, with special emphasis on the rural sector.

UBI Chairman and Managing Director Bhaskar Sen, inaugurating the Financial Literacy and Credit Counselling Centre here today, said the bank would give all assistance to people with their personal financial management as well as credit counselling.

This is the fourth centre in the country and the first in Assam with the bank planning to open seven more such centres in the near future and five of these will be in Assam, one in West Bengal and another in Manipur, he said.

The Bank has established nine Rural Self Employment Training Institute in India and of this one each would be established in Assam and Tripura.

These centres would give training in piggery, poultry, fishery and dairy to unemployed youths with the motive to establish new business and so far a total of 10,608 rural people has already taken training of which 4789 were women.

Sen said the bank was committed to improve Credit-Deposit ratio in Assam but there was some infrastructural and communication problems due to which it was not able to extend financial help or loans as needed.

In Assam, UBI has an important role to play with Lead Bank Status in 12 districts and trying to expand its branch and ATM services.

Census Head Count Begins in Northeast India

Agartala/Guwahati, Feb 9 : The second and final phase of census 2011 began Wednesday across the northeastern states.

The family members of governors, chief ministers and other important personalities were among those enumerated on the first day of the final phase.

The final phase of the India-wide census will conclude Feb 28.

"Census officials and enumerators were on job from early morning," senior census official Dilip Acherjee told IANS.

The chief ministers have urged the people to cooperate with the officials to make an error-free counting with a slogan "our census, our future".

Wrong information by individuals or wrong registration by enumerators will attract legal action, the official said.

"A fine of Rs.1,000 and jail term for up to three years could be given to those who deliberately give wrong information and to officials deliberately registering wrong data," Acherjee said.

According to officials, around 100,000 enumerators and supervisors have been appointed in the eight northeastern states to make door-to-door head count of people, including beggars, sex workers and eunuchs.

Soldiers and para-military troopers have been engaged as enumerators in their camps and barracks.

The 45-day first phase of the census for the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) was conducted from April to September 2010.

Acherjee said: "Each person will be asked 29 questions and the information will remain confidential."

Midnight of March 1, 2011 will be the reference date and time for the collection of information.

A five-day revision round of survey will be conducted from March 1-5 to record the births and deaths that have taken place during the 20-day period, Acherjee added.

The final census result will be declared in the third week of March.

Second Round of Census Begins in Mizoram

Aizawl, Feb 9 : Second round of Census 2011 or population enumeration kicked off today in Mizoram with enumerators recording information about people.

H P Sahu, Director of Census Operation said that 2,20 enumerators, 450 supervisors were engaged for the census and were imparted training by 50 master trainers, three master trainer facilitators and one gender master trainer facilitator.

The second round would be conducted during February 9to 28 and the revisions round would be taken up during March one to five, Sahu said.

State General Administration Department issued a notification instructing all the government officials involved in the census to remain in their respective jurisdiction during the exercise.

The notification warned that any one obstructing the ongoing census would be liable to be punished under relevant sections of Census Act, 1948 which entails imprisonment up to three years and fine of Rs 1,000.

ILS Work at Mizoram Airport To Be Completed By Next Month

New Delhi, Feb 9 : Civil works relating to installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Mizoram's Lengpui airport is likely to be completed by next month, with the Centre approving nearly Rs 51 crore for the purpose.

After a recent meeting with Civil Aviation Ministry officials, Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister B K Handique approved Rs 50.93 crore for installation of the ILS equipment at the Lengpui Airport in Aizawl, an official spokesperson said here.

At the meeting, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and the Mizoram Government reached an understanding to complete the civil works pertaining to the ILS within March 31.

On installation, the DGCA would grant technical clearance to the ILS, following which a team of pilots will be trained to operate to and from the Lengpui airport.

North Eastern Council has so far sanctioned Rs 19.42 crore towards the infrastructure development of the airport.

At the meeting, Handique said his Ministry was committed to strengthen infrastructure at various airports in the Northeastern region, with special focus on those like Lengpui which fall in a landlocked state like Mizoram.

Handique expressed hope that after the implementation of ILS, Lengpui airport will be able to offer regular flights, which is not possible at present due to issues relating to bad terrain, security concerns and lack of ILS.

The DoNER Ministry has also sought expeditious completion of pending airport projects like the one to upgrade and operationalise airport at Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh at a total cost of Rs 79 crores.

Parents of Kidnapped WWF Volunteer in Shock

Shillong, Feb 9 : Parents of a World Wildlife Fund-India volunteer, who along with five other co-workers were kidnapped by armed militants in Assam on Sunday, are in a state of shock and have appealed for their daughter’s release.

Pallabi Chakraborty, 25, along with her colleagues Torali Goswami, Shrabana Goswami, Syed Naushad Zaman, Pranjal Saikia and Gautom Kishore Sharma were abducted by suspected militants at Ultapani forest range under Manas National Park, near the Indo-Bhutan border, in western Assam’s Kokrajhar district where they were on a field work.

Five of them are residents of Assam and the other is from Shillong. Based in Shillong, Pallabi’s father Gopal Chakraborty, who is a tailor, wondered why the six volunteers were abducted and made a humble appeal for their release.

Pallabi is passionate about preserving environment. She has no political leaning. Her commitment is only towards conservation. I humbly appeal to the abductors to release her and the co-workers, Chakraborty told reporters here.

The police had not yet contacted the family, he said. I came to know of the abduction from a friend who watched the news in TV last evening. WWF officials are in touch.

Pallabi, who had a very good academic record, bagging the first class fifth rank in M.Sc. Botany from North Eastern Hills University after achieving first class second rank in degree courses, joined the WWF project only a few months back.

She had gone to the Manas National Park on January 18 and was scheduled to leave for the Sunderbans after completion of the project in about a months’ time.

Negotiations on For Release of WWF Hostages in Assam

3 Released

Contact established with victims, families worried

On the map: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

By Ratnadip Choudhury & Suneha Dutta

Guwahati/New Delhi, Feb 8 : Latest Update: Three girls from among the six World Wildlife Fund (WWF) volunteers abducted in in Assam have been released, sources have confirmed. The other three are likely to be released tomorrow morning. The released girls are being brought to the Bongaigoan police station.

P K Dutta, SP Kokrajhar, who is conducting the rescue operations, said they are not ready to name the group that kidnapped the volunteers for fear of jeopardising the release of the other three. “We are mounting pressure on them. They realised they made a mistake by abducting innocent apolitical WWF volunteers,” said Dutta.

Earlier, negotiators have established contact with the six kidnapped World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hostages in Assam, leading to hopes of their release, WWF Assam said. The six WWF volunteers were kidnapped on 7 February by armed militants from the Manas National Park in Assam, about 200 km west of Guwahati and bordering Bhutan.

The volunteers were carrying out a tiger and elephant census when they were abducted.

Dipankar Ghosh, head of Species Programme, WWF Delhi, said the family members of the six volunteers abducted have been in constant touch enquiring about their children. Ghosh said, “We are trying to calm them and keep them up to date with any progress in the search.”

Meanwhile, on 8 February, a day after the kidnapping, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) condemned the abduction. In a press release a little after noon, ULFA said every citizen in Assam is free to move anywhere without fear. WWF is a renowned organisation working in the field of wildlife conservation so ULFA urges the unknown armed group that is behind the kidnapping to immediately release them, the ULFA statement said.

The police thinks the kidnapping has been done by a faction of the National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB), which is opposed to talks with the Centre. In the past, the NLFB has taken note of the ULFA’s views and it is believed that the ULFA statement condemning the kidnapping might have similar influence on the NLFB.

The statement was issued by self-styled second lieutenant Arunudoy Dohutia , in-charge of the central publicity wing of ULFA.

The six abducted are:

1. Pallavi Chakrabarty, 24
Shillong, Meghalaya

2. Tarali Goswami
She works with the company NE Logistics, which is an authorised PSA of Cox and Kings. She has been working in Assam since September 2010. She has a Masters in tourism, 2007, Pragiyoth College, Guwahati.

3. Gautam Kishore Sharma, 25
Graduate from Assam

4. Pranjal Saikia
Assam

5. Shrabani Goswami, 22
Graduate, Guwahati University, 2009
School Shankardev Shishu Niketan, 2004
Is from Assam. Her last Facebook update was on 7 December 2010, which said, “Hi”. She was also a part of the Save water and Save the Tiger.

6. Syed Naushad Zaman, 25
Masters in Tourism Management, Assam

WWF Assam co-ordinator, who is with the search operation party, told TEHELKA that he has spoken to all the six hostages. “They are together and are unharmed,” he said.

However, the hostages didn't know where they are being kept currently. Other than the phone call to the search party, they have not been allowed to speak to anyone else from the outside world till now, TEHELKA has learnt..

The officials, however, are still not sure which group is behind the abduction and where they have kept the hostages.

WWF India has released a formal press release saying: "We, along with the families of our volunteers, strongly appeal to the group and individuals involved in this abduction for the safe and immediate release of our young brothers and sisters.

We also thank the Bodoland Territorial Council, local administration, civil society groups, print and electronic media and others for their continued support in trying to resolve this crisis. We are hopeful that this appeal will be heard and responded to.

via Tehelka