Mizoram Rejects World Bank Roads Report

We did better: Mizo PWD

Aizawl, Dec 23 : Mizoram has rejected the World Bank’s assessment of the state roads project being “moderately satisfactory”, saying it was “highly satisfactory”.

The bank, which had funded the project, in its recent report on the project’s implementation completion and results, termed its outcome as “moderately satisfactory”. The total amount disbursed for the project on June 1, 2011, was $103.15 million.

The report appreciated the government’s high level of commitment towards project design, preparation and implementation but said the state did not provide adequate resources recommended in the masterplan for maintenance of road network, including the project roads. This has put a question mark on medium to long-term sustainability of the project assets.

The bank stated that Mizoram, being the end beneficiary, could have taken more advantage of the project. But it did not and this resulted in some key institutional strengthening activities not reaching fruition. In particular, it pointed to the state’s failure to create a fund for maintenance of roads.

Reacting to the bank’s report, the Mizoram PWD said this was the state’s first World Bank project and the largest implemented by it and that it had no prior experience in this line.

“Our performance, lessons learnt and the benefits for the organisation in the fields of procurement, financial management, institution development and road safety are much better than it was expected,” the PWD observed.

It said only 40 days were left before project closure when the second additional financing of $13 million was approved. It said the department had fully utilised the fund for successful completion of the project in record time, which showed that it had become more experienced to manage the project towards the end.

This gave it “confidence to skilfully manage the second World Bank project,” it added.

Mizoram said the problems faced during construction in remote areas were skillfully managed and solved by a small team constituted for implementation of the project and that its work was worthy of being considered “highly satisfactory”.

The government’s views have been appended in the bank’s report.

Mizoram Teachers Get Christmas Gift On Time

Aizawl, Dec 23 : As promised by state Finance Minister H Liansailova, over 4,835 government teachers in Mizoram received their pending salaries right on time as Christmas shopping spree reached its peak in this Christian-dominated state of Mizoram.

The government teachers from 541 state-run schools, who drew their salaries under plan fund, had not been paid since October as the required allocation, about Rs 63.11 crore, was not sanctioned in the plan fund. Now I have received my salaries due from October in full.

I am truly happy that I will able to buy new Christmas clothes for my children, said Vanlalhriati, a middle-school teacher. People from all walks of life are thronging the city s markets as Christmas draws nearer.

The city streets already congested with vehicles and pedestrians has literally turned into a sea of shoppers.

To ease the problems of the shoppers, the state government is declaring a two-kilometre stretch of the city s main road that runs through the main market a no vehicle zone for two days, December 23 and 24, with the exception of ambulances and emergency services.

The city police have set up three temporary beat posts within the main market vicinity to curb increasing crimes in this time of year like pick-pocketing, robbery, burglary, bootlegging and drug-peddling.

Manipur Assembly Passes Lok Ayukta Bill

Imphal, Dec 23 : The Manipur Legislative Assembly today passed the Lokayukta Bill 2011.

Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh moved the Manipur Lokayukta Bill 2011.

Opposition Leader Radhabinod Koijam and opposition members O Joy, R K Anand, Dr Ibohalbi appealed to the House to consider full discussions on the matter, however, Mr Singh pressed for quick decision on the matter.

Mr O Joy said,"the Lokayukta can not initiate investigation against the Chief Minister without approval of the Assembly. For this two third majority is required and such pre-requisite will be hard to be achieved." Other Opposition members said the decision was a welcome step but it will be like a toothless tiger.

The Chief Minister has to take the decision regarding probe against a minister.

In spite of the opposition, the matter was taken up and passed by the House passed.

Regarding the issue of functioning of Naga People’s Front (NPF) in Manipur, the Chief Minister said the Election Commission was discussing the matter.

A branch of NPF was opened in Manipur and Manipur government informed the EC that as per constitution of the NPF, it shall be constituted by the state of Nagaland with 60 Assembly constituencies.

Mr Singh said the opening of NPF in Manipur appears to be 'violation of the Constitution of the NPF.'

Mizoram May Lift Liquor Ban in 2012

Aizawl, Dec 22 : The state which has been dry for the last 13 years may soon be wet again.

After the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act passed in the year 1997, the govt had prohibited sale, possession and consumption of any kind of wine/whiskey in the state.

However, as there have been various incidents of breaching the law, the state govt had formed the Mizoram Study Group of MLTP Act to study the failures and success of the Act.

The State Prohibition Council will study the reports of the Study Group and Sub-Group on MLTP Act, 1995 in January next year. The study group had asked various organisations on their opinion in connection with the implementation of MLTP Act.

Meanwhile, the State Prohibition Council held a meeting in Aizawl under the chairmanship the Excise Minister, JH Rothuama. The meeting discussed the report prepared by Presbyterian Synod which collected opinions from 1,008 persons.

The Prohibition Council also welcomed efforts made by the YMA and other voluntary organisations for creation of conducive and peaceful atmosphere during celebration of Christmas and New Year. Their representatives will also visit persons on duty in various localities on the 23rd evening.

Now the big question is whether the Mizoram govt will lift the Act legalising selling and consumption of wine/whiskey or any International brand in the market.

Meanwhile, since the passing of MLTP Act in 1997, though an interested person can still find liquor in various places but open sale and consumption was totally banned. It was in the year 2007, MLTP Act was amended which legalised manufacture of wine from guavas and grapes but with strict rules.

In this amendment, manufacturer should follow govt rules on percentage of alcohol to be included in the wine and the quantity of wine to be possessed by any individual. The amendment also forbids transport and export of local manufactured wine outside the state.

During the year 2010, the state after 13 years of prohibiting grape cultivators from producing wine have brought out Zawlaidi, love potion, a locally manufactured grape wine, thanks to the amendment of MLTP Act 1997 in 2007.

The enthusiasm of the grape farmers has been fuelled by the amendment of the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition (MLTP) Act. The Act had earlier prevented them from large-scale commercialisation of their products and wine-making from grapes.

Newmai News Network

Can Northeast Be The Next Driver For Indian Stock Market?

UTI CNBC-TV18's special show Financial Advisors Forum focused on the techniques of increasing investment penetration in a market like Guwahati. There are lots of tools available and most people have a lot of money in savings, but they don’t know whether they want to put that into investment. The discussion highlighted on that idea for the people.

The forum also targeted on various aspects of how to mould a client into becoming an investor. North East is a labour oriented industry with timber and tea exports. The people there don’t plan for retirement and could have a lack of funds post retirement.

A lot of North East youth and children go out to metros to pursue higher education. The programme also focused on how parents fund their education costs. The aspects like how can financial advisors tap a market, penetrate this market and make these savers into investors would also be covered.

The panellist for the discussion included BP Muktieh, chairman and managing director of North Eastern Development Finance Corporation; Naresh Pachisia, managing director of SKP Securities and a certified financial planner; Debashish Mohanty, country head of retail network at UTI and RK Garg, chief general manager of North Eastern circle at SBI.

Here is the edited transcript of their discussion.

Q: How to increase the investment penetration? What should be the roadmap for it?

Mohanty: The investment penetration is very low in this part of the country and whole of the country. Out of 120 crore population, there might be around 1.5 crore unique mutual fund investors. It clearly states the agenda that we need more penetration.

This product is intangible which delivers value at a future point of time, and need a bit of effort to explain and create the need in the minds of investor who doesn't feel the necessity on its own. For this, we need to create more number of advisors, whether it is an individual financial advisor or a banker acting on behalf of its remote branch or a post office or a sub-broker of a distributor.

At present, we have only 40,000 KYD compliant advisors to promote or penetrate in 120 crore population. We should encourage and facilitate anyone coming for more advisors.

We should also create an atmosphere of investment by spreading investor education, which not only required creating the amount the people who can invest, but it can also be started at an early age in school or colleges by inculcating the right curriculum.

Q: What has been your experience? You have seen this market. Do you think that your bank is playing a crucial role in terms of penetrating in this market in terms of financial planning?

Garg: The awareness about investment product is very low here. People mostly back with different banks, put their money in fixed deposits or savings bank accounts and wait for that annual rate of interest.

Therefore, SBI reaches out to different clusters of people spread across the North East, for example, executives of Oil India, ONGC and army establishments as we have nearly 200 thousand army men across seven states.

We organise groups, collect 50 people and send out people to inform them to improve their returns from various types of investments.

Q: What is the key factor needed to penetrate a market like this? What are the challenges that a financial advisor has to go through?

Pachisia: More number of advisors penetrating a very under penetrated market of investors potential investors, who are right now savers but not yet investors, and educating them about the need to think of the financial wellbeing of their family. Then, they create of a good relationship with them and think of this profession on a scalable basis.

Q: The advisors should meet the needs of the customers or harp on those needs. What is the mindset of people here? Most of the youth go out of North East to metros to pursue higher education and the costs are large. Are parents doing enough? Is it a need that financial advisors can look into and everyone needs to be trained on that?

Muktieh: As far as North East is concerned, it is a very potential market and very underserved. The capital market has been largely ignored. There is a need for advisors where people from the region can attend to and they can advise them on how to invest.

As of now, when we look at the region, each of these states have been growing at a very high rate almost at the all India level in the last seven-eight years. People will be turning to the capital markets only when they are confident.

Since there is a lack of knowledge, there is a need to educate them and that’s the role of the financial advisor. For that, they need to be very confident themselves. There is need for the advisors to upgrade and educate themselves. Their confidence will encourage these people to invest in these areas.

 

Source : CNBC-TV18

5 Types of Condoms For Great Sex

By Biben Laikhuram
It's a lot of fun to choose the right condom before a steamy love making session. Today there are many varieties of condoms available in the market, from flavoured condoms to dotted condoms. It's always safe and feels good to wear condom while having sex.

If you are not on a baby-making mission and want to arouse and stimulate your partner like never before, we list down 5 varieties of condoms for great sex.

1. Flavored condoms
Such condoms are best for oral sex. They are available in a wide range of flavors such as chocolate, coffee, strawberry, mint, vanilla and many more. If you are using it for vaginal or anal sex, always make sure they are sugar-free in order to avoid yeast infection.

2. Dotted condoms
If you want that extra pleasure this is the right condom for you. Textured or studded condoms are meant for increasing pleasure for both the partners. These condoms have slight bumps that run through the length of the condom on both the sides.

3. Super thin condoms
If you want to use a condom and still get the same kick as condom-free sex, this one will suit you fine. This type of condom is transparent with a thin layer made of sheerlon material that acts like a second skin. It is highly effective against pregnancy and STDs.

4. Pleasure-shaped condoms
This type of condom heightens sensitivity for both the partners. It has loose and enlarged tip.

5. Glow in the dark condoms
If you want to experience kinky sex, this is the right choice. When exposed to light for 30 seconds, it glows in the dark. It is non-toxic and has three layers. The inner and the outermost layers are made up of latex and the middle one contains a safe pigment that makes it glow.

Even with condoms one needs to take precautions. So, next time you are buying one don't forget to check the label if it is FDA approved for use against unplanned pregnancy and STDs.

Arunachal Stares At Food & Fuel Crisis

Itanagar, Dec 22 : Food and fuel crisis looms large over three Arunachal districts following a road blockade launched by anti-dam activists in Assam's Lakhimpur district in protest against the Lower Subansiri hydroelectric project.

The ongoing blockade by All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Somiti (KMSS) in Lakhimpur since the last few days has badly hit the three districts of East, West and Upper Siang resulting in a halt in supply of fuel and essential commodities, an official said on Wednesday.

The organizations have launched an agitation against construction of mega dams in the Subansiri River at Gerukamukh which they fear would jeopardize the existence of people living in the downstream areas of the river.

They have accused the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) of failing to act on the recommendations of an expert panel that pointed out perils of the ongoing 2000-MW Lower Subansiri Project. The organizations staging protests have blocked movement of vehicles carrying construction materials and fuel to the project site at Gerukamukh thereby sending a strong message to the authorities concerned to stop dam construction.

The protesters have blocked movement of all material-laden trucks and fuel tankers to Lakhimpur, which has resulted in acute fuel and food crisis in the Siang belt. East Siang deputy commissioner Talem Tapok on Wednesday requested his Lakhimpur counterpart for releasing the detained vehicles, including oil tankers, which are on the way to Arunachal.

"Lakhimpur DC has assured us to allow the vehicles in after a negotiation with the protesters," the DC said. The Siang districts have been hit by shortage of fuel for the second time this year. In August, due to flashfloods in Dhemaji (Assam), surface transport on National Highway-52 was disrupted for which three Siang districts had to face acute shortage of essential commodities and petroleum products for a fortnight.

The NH-52, which passes through Lakhimpur and Dhemaji district, is considered the lifeline of people for the three districts.

$130 Million World Bank Aid for 300,000 Village Homes in Northeast India

New Delhi, Dec 22 : The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$130 million credit to finance the Government of India’s (GOI) efforts to empower rural communities in the growth-deficient North East (NE) region to improve their livelihood opportunities.

The North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) seeks to support the rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth and the severely disadvantaged, in four North Eastern states to improve their standard of living by establishing sustainable community institutions and enhancing their livelihoods.

Despite its rich natural resources and relatively good human development indicators, the NE region lags behind the rest of India in important parameters of growth. Almost 35 percent of its predominantly rural population lives below the poverty line; agricultural productivity is low; and high school drop-out rates and lack of skills have led to high unemployment among the youth.

This low-growth scenario is exacerbated by problems of geographical inaccessibility, protracted insurgency in some areas, and recurring natural disasters. Recognizing the urgent need to put economic growth on track in the NE, the Government of India developed the North Eastern Region (NER) Vision 2020, endorsed by all NE states.

The Vision envisages using a partnership-approach with all relevant stakeholders to make interventions responsive to people’s needs and aspirations for a better quality of life.

The NERLP will be implemented in eight districts of the four participating states- Aizawl and Lunglei in Mizoram; Peren and Tuensang in Nagaland; South, West and 15 Panchayat wards of East District in Sikkim; and West and North Districts in Tripura.

“The Government of India is committed to address the development challenges facing the NE states and we hope that the World Bank’s experience in rural livelihood projects worldwide will help improve livelihood opportunities for the rural poor in the region,” said Roberto Zagha, Country Director, World Bank. “The Project will hinge on people’s participation, and village communities will be helped to design livelihood programs that can improve their lives.”

The Project seeks to develop an institutional platform for the communities, which will help them link up with the private sector, public sector, and civil society and to acquire the institutional, technical, and financial capacity needed for improving their livelihoods. Global development experience shows that absolute poverty can be overcome by equipping a member of the household (especially a youth) with employable skills and job creation.

A separate activity for skills development and job placement has thus been included in the project to ensure that such opportunities are available to the rural poor.

Some livelihood opportunities envisaged under the Project include natural resource management activities such as forest management, non-timber forest produce storage and processing, horticulture, preservation of riverine fishes, water harvesting and recharging of ground/surface water in the villages; Community-based infrastructure activities like upgrading of small agricultural link roads, micro hydro-power schemes, wind-cum-solar mills, to name a few.