Airport Development in Northeast India To Suffer As AAI Slashes Fund

By Bikash Singh

Parliamentary panel of Rajya Sabha has remarked that slashing of AAI budgetary support will hit the airport development programme in Northeast.

Guwahati, May 11 : Parliamentary panel of Rajya Sabha has remarked that slashing of Airport Authority of India's (AAI) budgetary support will hit the airport development programme in Northeast India.

Department related parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture has in its recently submitted report stated that budgetary support in the form of Grants-in-aid provided to AAI in annual plan 2013-14 is Rs 42 Crore, out of this Rs 32 Crores has been earmarked for the project at Pakyong (Sikkim) in the North Eastern Region and the balance amount of Rs 10 crores for construction of new terminal building including apron at Tirupati airport.

The Committee found that the AAI was allocated a budgetary support of

Rs 280 crores for the year 2012-13 while it has been reduced to Rs 42

crores in 2013-14. Out of this, Rs. 32.00 crore is exclusively for development works at airports in Pakyong and Tirupati.

The Committee was informed that AAI's requirement for various projects under Grant-in-Aid Schemes is to the tune of Rs 460.21 crores. The Committee feels that such a drastic cut in budgetary support for the airport infrastructure developer of the country will definitely slow down the ongoing projects especially in North-Eastern Region.

The Committee hopes that necessary funds will be allocated to AAI at the revised estimate stage so that its ongoing as well as future projects are not delayed for want of funds.

The Committee finds that the spending pattern of Plan funds has been poor

during 2012-13 which needs a lot of improvement. Slow progress in case of North Eastern Region projects is a cause of concern to the Committee. The Committee recommends the Ministry to take necessary steps urgently to finalize/approve these Plan schemes at the earliest to spend the allocated funds during the current year.

Union minister of State for Civil Aviation, K.C. Venugopal recently stated that at present, scheduled air services are available at nine airports in the NE Region viz. Agartala, Lengpui ( Aizawl), Bagdogra, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Guwahati, Imphal, Jorhat and Silchar. In addition, Lilabari, Shillong and Tezpur are also operational airports but scheduled flights are not operating from these airports at present. Shillong airport in Meghalaya is an operational airport. However, at present no commercial operations are taking place from this airport.

AAI has constructed a new terminal building at Barapani (Shillong) airport with an allocation of Rs 28.27 crores in the 11th Five Year Plan. The work commenced in June 2009 and completed in May 2010 at a cost of Rs.29.70 crores.

There is a proposal for expansion and modernisation of Shillong airport and Rs 75.65 crores has been earmarked for this project in the 12th Five Year Plan.

Move is on to develop at least eight airports in Northeast India. Greenfield airports are coming in Sikkim and in Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.

Northeast India has 23 airports out of which 12 are operational. Several non operational airports are expected to be developed by the 12th plan period.

Guwahati airport is the ninth biggest airport in terms of traffic. The airport has 95 movements per day (this includes 42 scheduled departures and landing).

Meghalaya's Controversial Private Varsity Has Centres in UP

Shillong, May 11 : Meghalaya Governor R.S. Mooshahary Friday said the controversial CMJ University, involved in issuing fake Ph.D. degrees to students, had also established centres in almost all districts of Uttar Pradesh.

CMJ University, the first private varsity in this mountainous state capital of Meghalaya, hit media headlines following Mooshahary, who is also the 'visitor' of the university, exposing various irregularities in its functioning.

The university has created a record of sorts by awarding Ph.D. degrees to 434 candidates in the 2012-13 academic year, and enrolled 490 students for the Ph.D. programme during 2012-2013, even as only 10 of its faculty members have doctorates.

"The university had opened up centres even in Uttar Pradesh... People from places like Andhra Pradesh have ostensibly received degrees from the university," Mooshahary told IANS.

He added: "There is also a possibility that this university has also set up centres in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other states across the country and might have also issued fake Ph.D. degrees to students."

He said he has written to the University Grants Commission (UGC) urging it to put on its website that action has been ordered into the functioning of CMJ University.

The state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested the varsity's registrar, Mrinal Kanti Deb, and his deputy Premlal Rai on charges of fraud and cheating.

Chandra Mohan Jha, chancellor of CMJ University, has gone into hiding.

The university has on its website announced that it offers Ph.D. in 79 subjects, which include agriculture, horticulture, engineering, forestry, fashion technology, insurance management, microbiology, nursing, peace studies, pollution control, physics, nanotechnology, police administration, Sanskrit, spots science, Urdu and yoga.

Asked if the Meghalaya government should refer the case to the CBI, Mooshahary said: "The CID is investigating and it is up to them to take action. They should not wait for the CBI but should continue with the investigation seriously."

The university was established in 2009 following a bill passed by the Meghalaya assembly, which became the CMJ University Act, 2009, after receiving the governor's assent.

India's Startup Companies Lacking Guardian 'Angels'

Indian entrepreneurs are struggling to find investors as venture capitalists increasingly shy away from risk. Only five percent of startups get funding.

It is seen as a land of entrepreneurs, economic growth and huge business potential, but India appears to be failing its promising startup companies which are struggling to find investors.


While there is no lack of ideas among the country's vast young population, funding is declining from venture capitalists and rich "angel" investors, as they are known, who are often crucial to a young firm's success.

"Risk-taking appetite from investors is low," said Internet entrepreneur Nameet Potnis, who is trying to address the problem by setting up Nurtured.in, a platform to connect startups with early-stage investors.

"It is easy to set up an online business in India but very difficult to do business," he told AFP.
Three decades after businessman N.R. Narayana Murthy and six other Indians sat around a kitchen table and formed leading IT outsourcer Infosys, the country is yet to create a favorable business environment for new entrepreneurs.

Just five percent of thousands of Indian startups get funds from sources external to friends and family, analysts say.

It is one of the toughest countries in the world for a start-up to flourish, according to a 2012 report by US-based research firm Startup Genome.

Venture capitalists invested $1.09 billion through 222 deals in 2011, but this dropped by 30 percent to $762 million through 206 deals in 2012, according to researchers at Venture Intelligence, based in southern Chennai city.

The decline could not come at a worse time for the young Indian professionals and business graduates who are risking branching out on their own, after losing or quitting lucrative jobs amid the global downturn.

India's own economic growth slowed to an estimated 5.0 percent for the fiscal year that ended March, its slowest rate in a decade, but that has not deterred many youngsters from trying to turn their ideas into businesses.

Some of India's well-established start-ups include Nasdaq-listed online travel firm makemytrip.com, shopping website Flipkart and digital entertainment company Hungama.

In recent years, ventures have branched into areas as varied as pet care, gaming, restaurant guides and e-learning, and the startup bug is spreading into smaller Indian cities.

"More companies are coming up and not that much... money is being put in," said Sampad Swain, an entrepreneur who founded "Instamojo", which helps to sell digital downloads.

Jubin Mehta of Yourstory.in, an online site which tracks startups and entrepreneurs, said venture capitalists tend to look over 200 ideas before investing in one.

"Roughly 500 start-ups come up each month. And less than five percent -- only about 25 -- receive external funding," he said.

Kulin Shah, an entrepreneur and former venture capitalist, said angel investors have become more demanding in the current economic climate, trying to avoid getting their money blocked in ventures for too long.

Angels are increasingly unwilling to fund firms that are clones of foreign start-ups or face intense competition, such as online car rentals, car pools and best-deal ventures, Shah said.

But too much caution can prevent investors spotting a hit, such as Nischal Shetty's Twitter application "justunfollow", which has more than three million registered users including 10,000 paid customers.
When he set it up three years ago, he generated revenues from day one despite a lack of enthusiasm from external investors.

"Angels asked me: how will you make money from this?" he said.

There are a few signs of hope for budding entrepreneurs.

In southern Kochi city, a massive glass-and-metal campus called "Startup village" is nurturing young engineers and aims to launch 1,000 Internet and mobile firms in 10 years.

Nasscom, an IT trade body, says start-ups are a "critical pillar" of the industry and last month launched "10,000 start-ups", a program which will shortlist and help fund as many ventures in the next 10 years.

"We have to create an environment where early-stage funding comes in," Nasscom president Som Mittal said at the program's launch.

Northeast Students Want Team To Review AFSPA

Shillong, May 10 : An apex body of northeastern students' groups has suggested to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to depute a parliamentary team to study the misuse of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the region, a student leader said Thursday.

"We have suggested to the prime minister to send a parliamentary delegation to assess and report on the misuse of the AFSPA by the armed forces deployed in the northeastern states," North East Students Organisation (NESO) supremo Samuel Jyrwa told IANS Thursday.

The AFSPA was passed in 1990 to grant special powers and immunity from prosecution to security forces to deal with insurgency in northeastern states - in large parts of Manipur, Tripura, Assam and Nagaland and some parts of Meghalaya and in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jyrwa said: "Although, the prime minister is non-committal on the issue of repeal of the AFSPA, but he has assured us that the government will take our concern into consideration."

"May be the government will depute a parliamentary team to study the ground realities," he said.

On Wednesday, a delegation of the NESO leaders, an apex student's body of various students' unions, met the prime minister in New Delhi and reiterated their demand to repeal the AFSPA.

Irom Sharmila Chanu, a human rights activist, has been on an indefinite hunger strike for nearly a decade in Manipur, demanding the withdrawal of AFSPA from the state.

Army officials maintain that it was for the central and the state governments to decide whether to revoke or continue the AFSPA.

"Human rights groups never speak against the violence committed against the security forces. For the men in uniform, the AFSPA gives them human rights protection," said an army official involved in counter-insurgency operations in Manipur.

Meghalaya Governor R.S. Mooshahary, who favoured the repeal of AFSPA, said: "The AFSPA should be repealed and the Criminal Procedure Code amended to protect the rights of the security forces and civilians."

Over 200 Houses Damaged in Hailstorm in Mizoram

Aizawl, May 9 : Over 200 houses, especially tin- roofed and those with asbestos walls, were damaged in rain and hailstorm in different areas of Kolasib district in Mizoram, official sources said today.

Sixty-three houses were damaged in Kolasib town and 100 others in nearby Thingdawl village in the rain and hailstorm yesterday, the sources said.

Around 40 houses were also damaged in Bukpui village along the Serkhan-Bagha road and three houses were damaged in Sethawn village, they said.

Several landslides, which occurred due to rains, also blocked a number of roads in Kolasib town, they said.

New Delhi Subway Riders Must Pass Breathalyzer

Critics worry new crackdown will put more drunks on roads

The New Delhi subway is so tired of drunken passengers starting fights at night that it's setting up breathalyzers at all its stations, reports the Hindustan Times.

Those who blow over the limit can't board a metro rail car. It's believed to be a worldwide first for any subway system, but critics are asking an obvious question: Do turned-away riders try to drive home instead?

"For activists like us it was a difficult task to raise awareness among people to exchange their cars for public transport when drunk, especially in Delhi," says a member of an anti-DUI group. "Now, all that will come to naught."

The Telegraph of India says the move is at least in part a reaction to the December gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi.

Though she was on a bus, not the subway, her assailants were believed to be drunk at the time.

Landslides After Heavy Pre-Monsoon Rain in Mizoram

Aizawl, May 9 : A large number of villages in Mizoram have become inaccessible after landslides, triggered by heavy and incessant pre-monsoon rains that have been lashing the state since Saturday, have blocked the roads, official sources said on Wednesday.

The landslides blocked the Champai road in Saiha district which connects the capital town with the Mizoram-Myanmar border.

Kolasib district was the worst hit with 100 houses damaged and four injured.

Power supply was disrupted in many places due to lightning and damage to electric cables, while broadband internet services and mobile services were constantly disrupted.

Some newspapers were off the streets due to frequent power cuts in Aizawl city, while Mamit district was without power since Monday.

Young Naga Entrepreneur Ventures Into Food Processing

Meet proprietress, T.J. Foods, T. Jemima Achumi, who ventured into non-conventional business by launching processed food under the product line ‘JEMMEEZ’.

Achumi said she envisaged setting up a meat processing business in the state while she was a student in Delhi after she noticed that non-vegetarian processed food were easily available in the market, while it was not so in Nagaland though Nagas are known for their love of meat.

With Nagas’ food habit changing drastically over the years, Jemima felt the demand for meat in the market has also increased.

“There is an urgent need to frame the right strategy for the development of meat and poultry production in our state which will certainly bring prosperity as well as it will give employment opportunities” said Achumi.

She said the standard of the people in the state were moving on the fast lane and to keep pace with this trend, believed processed meat would be an ideal choice as it takes less time to prepare.
Here is an excerpt from the interview with YouthNet….

What prompted you to start the venture?
I come from a business class family of eight siblings born to Tovishe Achumi and Viholi Achumi of Aotsakili hailing from the Sumi Tribe.

It was always within me to become an entrepreneur someday though my parents initially wanted me to join the administration stream.

After schooling I moved out of the State to Delhi to pursue my graduation in sociology from Delhi University.

During my stay in Delhi, I saw the rise of demand in processed meat and consumers were getting more and more inclined towards it.

Realizing that a place like Nagaland or North East India has a major population of non-vegetarians, I was very positive that a meat processing unit would take off well and hence I started toying with the idea.

I researched for two years during which I met many entrepreneurs from all over India and with the encouragement and guidance of few this dream finally came true in October 2011.

About TJ Foods/Jemmeez:
We operate under the unit name of T.J. Foods and we manufacture and distribute our processed meat products (brand name Jemmeez) to our market in and around Nagaland.

This venture has given me the opportunity to employ female workers and it gives me great satisfaction that I can help our womenfolk in a small way.

What difficulties did you face during the setting up and running of the business:
To start off a venture like this was not very easy because setting up even the most basic food processing unit is a difficult task.

The financial aspect posed as a huge challenge as the investment were high but fortunately my family were able to provide me the financial assistance to start off.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries India does provide various subsidies to entrepreneurs, however, the procedures to avail these are lengthy and time consuming and so while I pursued to seek the Government’s help, I decided to start my venture with whatever financial help I had in hand.

In this business, there are less off-takes and more wastage of the raw material (meat) which becomes problematic when it comes to pricing it right.

Also the raw materials, like ‘local pork’ for our pork products, are not very easily available in the market so we bring it in from Assam every day.

The electricity problem in our State also makes it very difficult to run these kind of industries where everything is electrically operated. If all these problems can be solved, this industry can flourish smoothly.

Secret to success:
I believe, there is no end to success and to achieve the goals we need faith in ourselves, dedication, hard work, patience and focus.

Products and customer base:
One thing I learnt about our Naga fellowman is that we always tend to think that products which come from outside are always better than the ones produced in own state or the standards do not match up.

As long as our own people have this mentality, it is difficult for entrepreneurs from our state to operate businesses such as this. 

While this is not very encouraging but I’ve made it a point to ensure people tasted our products before judging it and I’m happy to say that after trying our products, many critics have only good things to say about it.

We deal with processed meat which compromises of three kind of sausages, i.e. breakfast/plain sausage, frankfurters, cocktail (ethnic style) etc.

Salamis come in plain and paprika and we have Ham as well. We are also the only manufacturer of Vacuum Packed Chinese Sausages in India.

All our products are available in Chicken, Pork and Beef. We ship in the best ingredients from Germany to give that unique and best taste.

We use only German Technology and all our products come in a vacuum pouch of 250 grams, available in most stores in and around Nagaland.

We market it under the brand name of “JEMMEEZ”. We send our products to Imphal, Guwahati, West Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan as well.

We have plans on expanding it to more States in and around North East. What future do you foresee for this kind of ventures in Nagaland.

Nagaland has a very huge potential market for food industry. In fact, food industry is the biggest industry in the world and the demands keep rising every day.

If more people can get into the food industry then we can depend less on the other States or Countries and raise our economy and at the same time, there will be more work opportunities and employments in our state which is very much needed at this time.

Message to the youth:
Our Youth today should understand that getting a government job is not everything. Every one of us should look for innovative careers.

Being an entrepreneur builds your confidence, develops your personality and it sets you aside from the rest.

It is always good to be different to bring change. Never lose faith in yourself, pray and always follow your dreams because I really believe in what a certain writer quoted, “And when you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”.

Source: nagalandpost.com