I Lead India Without North-Eastern States?

By Nitish Rajpurohit

'I lead India' is a recently made popular initiative by Times of India to channelize youth brigade in small groups in 26 cities across the country and bring about a change at grass-root level. While it is no doubt a great step, taken to give the youth a chance to solve a few grass-root problems of their city and stop being bogged down by the recent flood of negativity that has run rampant on social media in India after a series of rape cases, corruption scandals and irregularities but there are a few facts worth noticing about it.

There is not a single city from north-east India included in the list of 26 cities that has been published by TOI recently. Check out the list here.

This had led to a series of posts and tweets and great dissatisfaction among the youth who live in North-Eastern states of the country. "We too can lead India!" read one of the status updates on the popular social networking site Facebook.

The movement was launched on 22nd May by TOI has already got lakhs of people hooked to it. As far as the statics go, it has a budget of 15 crores and has an impressive network and tie-ups. So it is evident that the youth from North-Eastern states who wanted to be a part of this incredible movement are surely disheartened at seeing no proper way of being a part of this. But then some others have an opinion that if you have to do something then you don't need these big banners and flashy names, you can do so even with the most basic resources.

It's somewhat true that North-easters people are treated differently in other parts of the country. If the news reports are to be believed then they're misbehaved with, they're called by weird names depending on their facial structure and not given equal opportunities at many instances. The recent riots in Kokrajhar, fueled this exodus of people belonging to northeastern states to their home ground.

So we have enough ground to believe that due to some past incidents and some mis-happening. people from North East are deprived from many great opportunities and platforms where they can be a part of the mainstream change,and activity. I, having lived in that part of the country for 3 years now (I study in NIT, Silchar) have also come to believe that those parts of the country are most certainly alienated from mainstream development.

No, it's not at all wrong for a national newspaper to take a shot at channelizing some youth energy in nation building and getting some marketing returns on their investment but as a responsible entity of the national framework (Media is THE most powerful tool, said many) they are supposed to do it in a manner that i benefits the most parts of the country and hurts the least.

This opportunity from TOI is of vital importance to cities. Hopefully in the three month time frame of this project after selection of the youth brigade, cities will be able to find creative solutions to some of the problems they face. North-Eastern states already are at a loss when it comes to great opportunities and often are the repressed section of society nationally. There's just no dearth of talented people in North-East India, and the young brigade from fast-growing cities like Guwahati and Shillong, with such intense help from TOI, would've easily been able to present solutions to some pressing problems affecting the city. But none of it is going to happen!

TOI has a huge budget for the movement (nearly 15 crores) and this event marks their 175th anniversary so it's perfectly justified that it could have added one or two major cities from North East to the list not hurting the sentiments of such a large section of people. Sure other cities are also neglected (A few major cities like Allahabad and Varanasi aren't there) but each of these cities has a center within a twelve hour radius.

But TOI couldn't care less. No option of suggesting new cities, no option of getting suggestions from the public and no polling prior to publishing such a list which links to the sentiments of crores of young janta.

So, what should be done now?
Nothing much can be done for inculcating a city from NE THIS time in the movement because 15th June is the last date for application but we can most certainly make our voices heard to the people who call these shots and let them know that we're hurt by their decision; we can most certainly tell them it is shameful and disrespectful that they ignore one of the most important section of the country as far as development is concerned and that it must never be repeated.

If they're bringing about a movement of change in 26 cities in the country then we, the people from North-Eastern India, should make sure that this news of unequal opportunities and step-motherly behavior towards the land must spread to at least those cities and far beyond. We cannot sit here and brood, we cannot be negligent towards this alienation, we've to speak up and speak the truth.

We've got a movement of our own, we cannot sit on the chairs anymore! (To understand the last line please watch the promo video of I lead India):

From National Institute of Technology, Silchar

A Budding Archer Once, Manipur Girl Is A Child Solider Today

By Prasanta Mazumdar 

Imphal, Jun 17 : She had trained hard to hit the bull’s eye for gold. But circumstances forced Alice Kamei to swap her bow with a gun and become a child soldier.

Alice, 14 and a class IX student from Manipur, was reported missing in March after she had gone to school. On the same day, another girl, Khaidem Sanahanbi, 15, too went missing.

Both were allegedly abducted by the People’s Liberation Army, the armed wing of banned militant group Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF). A verified video now shows them at an RPF training camp in Myanmar where child soldiers, among others, are trained for war.

Alice’s parents Chakri Kamei and Sundari, both farmers, were pinning hopes that their archer- daughter would excel and get a government job. But now, they say their dream has been shattered.

Alice proved her mettle by winning a bronze at the 15th International Tribal Archery competition held in Vijaywada last year.

She had called up her mother a day after she went missing.  “When the mother asked her if she did not love them, she started crying. And when her mother asked her where she was, she said she didn’t know,” said Tingenlung Pamei, president of All Zeliangrong Students’ Union of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.

Alice belongs to the Zeliangrong tribe of the Nagas.

In the wake of protests by several Naga organisations, the RPF recently claimed that Alice had joined the outfit “on her own volition”. It said both the girls were safe in the camp.

“They have been taken outside India and the information we have is that they are likely to be in Myanmar,” a senior Manipur police officer said.

There are over 40 militant outfits in Manipur, a state ravaged by insurgency and traumatised by the menace of child soldiers for more than a decade. That children are recruited by militants in the state was first brought to light in 2008 by one Angom Rita, a widow, when she had reported the abduction of her only son, Angom Langamba, to the police.

Two men lured Langamba, 11, and his friend Yengkhom Naobi, 13, to a rebel training camp of a militant outfit. They were released later in the wake of protests by groups and organisations.

Meghalaya outfit Garo National Liberation Army is also notorious in luring minors to join their ranks.

Northeast Coming On Bollywood Radar?

Guwahati, Jun 17 : It`s a region that has produced acclaimed directors like Jahnu Barua and Utpal Borpujari, singers like Bhupen Hazarika and actors like Danny Denzongpa and Adil Hussain, but sadly the northeast has never been on Bollywood`s radar. Hopefully, this is set to change with the announcement of Kalpana Lajmi`s biopic on Hazarika and Sanjay Leela Bhansali`s film on Olympic boxing bronze medalist from Manipur Mary Kom.

"Bollywood has not touched the northeast with due seriousness though it has got so many stories to tell and has such beautiful locations for shooting," rued Borpujari, a national award winning film critic-turned-filmmaker from Assam. His film `Mayong: Myth & Reality` is being archived by the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain & Ireland.

It`s not only the stories and the people but even the beautiful landscapes of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Megahlaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland have failed to attract the Bollywood filmmakers over the years.

"Bollywood filmmakers would like to shoot in places where there are sops and facilities given to them. They get so many sops for shooting their films in various European countries that they prefer to head there. Unless the northeastern states create a proper business model and infrastructure to lure film crews, Bollywood would not take a look at the northeast," Borpujari told The Journal of Sikkim.

The few Bollywood efforts to `portray` the northeast have ended in disaster.

"Mani Ratnam`s `Dil Se` was set in the northeast but was shot in Himachal (except for the `Chaiya Chaiya` song that was supposed to be set on the Lumding-Haflong railway line but was shot in Ooty). Priyadarshan`s `Bum Bum Bole` was also set in the northeast but shot in Ooty. A village in Assam in that film was shown getting snowfall! Mani Shankar`s `Tango Charlie` represented Bodo militants as having cannibal tendencies," Borpujari said.

Kalpana Lajmi is the only Mumbai-based filmmaker to actually shoot a film in the northeast, Borpujari said.

Lajmi`s `Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence` (2001) was the tale of a battered wife in the backdrop of Assam. Raveena Tandon won a Best Actress National Award for her role as Durga Saikia.

Nine-time national award winning filmmaker Jahnu Baruah who made his Bollywood debut with "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" with popular Bollywood actors Urmila Matondkar and Anupam Kher in the lead, said most filmmakers did not want to come out of their comfort zones.

"They do not have the urge to explore various aspects of India`s rich cultural diversity. The Ahom kingdom that ruled Assam for 600 years is a rare historical event, but not a single Bollywood filmmaker has come forward to explore the subject," the noted filmmaker lamented.

He however denied that there was any cultural bias or racial prejudice against the people of the northeast. He said that people in India generally lacked the urge to know one another.

Sikkimese singer and director Prashant Rasaily, who assisted Anurag Basu in Hrithik Roshan-starrer "Kites", said bad roads, short-sighted policies and poor facilities for filmmaking kept Bollywood away from the northeast.

"It`s just that we haven`t reached their level of professionalism and we don`t have the resources to fulfil their demands. It becomes hard for them to work in an environment where there aren`t enough resources and people are not as professional," the young filmmaker told The Journal.

After Danny Denzongpa, Adil Hussain, who was born in Assam, is among the very few successful contemporary Bollywood actors from the northeast. He first came to limelight in Abhishek Chaubey`s `Ishqiya` (2010) and went on to bag major roles in `Agent Vinod` (2012) and `English Vinglish` (2012).

"The business part dominates art in Bollywood. So, many people are hesitant to explore new territories. They are making films that they are comfortable with," said Hussain, who has played important roles in Hollywood director Ang Lee`s `Life of Pi` (2012) and Meera Nair`s `The Reluctant Fundamentalist` (2012).

Many feel that had the northeast been made more visible in Bollywood films, the sense of alienation that many in the region have could have been alleviated to a large extent.

"Some small but sensitive scenes in `Chak De! India` must have helped people in understanding the people of the northeast to some extent. If mainstream films are made with stories and characters from the northeast, it will definitely help remove the gap," said Borpujari.

Assam Government Blood Bank Spreads HIV

By Prasanta Mazumdar

Guwahati, Jun 17 : Four persons have tested positive for HIV after they were transfused blood at a government-run hospital in Assam, sparking off protests.

The matter has came to light on the World Blood Donor Day on Friday. All four of them claimed they received blood from a professional donor at the Mangoldoi civil hospital in Darrang district. The state government immediately ordered a probe, to be conducted by additional chief secretary PP Varma.

A statement from the chief minister’s office said four persons were infected while health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma put the number at two.

One of the victims alleged that he was forced by hospital authorities  to buy blood from the professional donor. “I was suffering from malina and required blood. So, I arranged a donor but the hospital authorities forced me to buy blood from the man,” he alleged. The donor said he had donated blood only on four occasions.  “Every time my bl

'Revoke AFSPA From Northeast To Protect Women'

Guwahati, Jun 17 : Woman activist and secretary of All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA), KavitaKrishnan, on Saturday said here that the government should repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, since many women have been raped, tortured and humiliated by the armed forces personnel and have not been brought to books.

Kavita, who played a key role in the protest against the Delhi gang rape case, said she will now lend her voice against atrocities and violence on women in the northeast.

She said, "According to National Crime Branch report, incidences of rape in the country have been increasing rapidly. The scenario in the Northeast is also the same. Here, many girls, women and children are raped by armed personnel but due to prevalence of Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), the culprits are not punished."

She said that martial rape is also very common nowadays.

"Still the reporting rate of rape is very less. Unless and until an FIR is lodged, the records are not available with the crime branch," she added.

GM India sees North East next growth mkt, aims 8% jump in 2013

GM India is expecting a growth of around eight per cent in its sales in North East market this year even as the overall car segment is witnessing a steep fall.

Guwahati, Jun 17 : General Motors India is expecting a growth of around eight per cent in its sales in North East market this year even as the overall car segment is witnessing a steep fall across the country in the recent months.

"North East is an important and emerging growth market for General Motors. In terms of sales, it contributes as much as 32 per cent of the total sales in the Eastern region with Assam contributing a major part of the share," General Motors India Vice-President P Balendran told PTI.

At present, the North East (NE) contributes three per cent to the total sales of the company annually, he added.

GM India had clocked a total sales of 92,435 units during last year.

When asked about the company's expectation from the NE, Balendran said: "It's growing at a rate of five per cent even in these tough market conditions and is expected to grow around eight per cent overall by the year end of 2013."

Assam contributes the highest at around 60 per cent of overall sales in the North East region.

Talking about the models, he said the small car Beat and the newly launched Sail hatchback and sedan continue to generate good demand in the region.

"All our models, regardless of the fuel type, have significant demand in the North East. In Assam, diesel and petrol both are accepted well," Balendran said.

Car sales in India fell for a record seventh consecutive month in May with a decline of 12.26 per cent, prompting industry body SIAM to caution that the prolonged slump in the market may result in job losses in the automobile sector.

As per SIAM data, domestic passenger car sales in May stood at 1,43,216 units as against 1,63,222 units in the same month of 2012.

GM India, which had set up its first showroom in the region in 2004, is also expanding its network in the NE.

"We have recently opened new showrooms in the cities of Nagaon and Tinsukia. We will shortly open two more new showrooms and service outlets in cities like Tezpur and Jorhat," Balendran said.

Currently, GM India has 14 sales points and service outlets in the North East. The company currently has a warehouse in Guwahati with a total capacity of 350 cars.

The Eastern region for GM India comprise states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Sikkim and West Bengal.

The company had reported 39.83 per cent increase in its sales at 8,500 units in May 2013 compared to 6,079 units in the same month of 2012.

The sales during May 2013 included 1,506 units of Beat, 2,851 units of Sail, 2,177 units of Enjoy and 1,475 units of Tavera.

Saran Reveals Tipaimukh Contrast

By Nurul Islam Hasib

Indian envoy Pankaj Saran has pointed to an interesting contrast -- Bangladesh has concerns over the Tipaimukh hydel project in northeast India but also wants power from it.
“We have a situation where on the one hand Bangladesh has included the Tipaimukh project from which they would like to receive power but on the other hand they have also expressed concerns over it," Saran told a "Meet the Press" at the National Press Club.

“So we have to reconcile the two. There is a need to recognise the contradictory situation,” he said.

Talking of India-Bangladesh relations, Saran said it was more complex than it appeared to be. But he said the relations were at a "new high".

Bangladesh has been voicing concerns over the Tipaimukh dam on the upstream of the Barak River despite Delhi’s assurances that “nothing will be done that will be harmful to Bangladesh”.
The issue is being discussed in the Joint River Commission between the two countries.

Saran touched upon all aspects of the bilateral relations in six categories: political and security, development cooperation, trade, commerce and investment, water issues, regional and sub-regional cooperation and people to people contact.

Based on the historical experiences, he said both countries could “maximise gains without harming each other”.

“We both benefit by working together to maximise our gains,” he said.

Saran said India always respects a sovereign and independent Bangladesh and that “cooperation does not mean anyone is sacrificing sovereignty”.

He said 16 projects worth of $794 million had been identified and $200 million grants under India’s $1 billion line of credit (the biggest ever to any country) has already been made available to Bangladesh.

The Finance Minister in Parliament said Bangladesh would use the $200 million for the Padma Bridge project that Bangladesh plans to do with its own resources.

The envoy said they had invited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina again to visit India, but date has not been fixed yet.
He once again reiterated India’s commitment to resolve the unresolved issues including Teesta water sharing deal and ratification of the land boundary agreement that the ruling Congress government was trying to implement in the face of resistance from the opposition.

The envoy said India's ruling party politicians were working to build consensus within their country as ratification of the land boundary agreement would need a bill to go through the parliament.

He, however, acknowledged that issues of border management were challenging and sought support of the Bangladesh government.

He said border killings came down ‘zero’ between January and a week ago.

Kaladan Project Must Involve indigenous Peoples, Says Report

A new report by the Kaladan Movement raises community concerns about the lack of government transparency surrounding the implementation of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.
The $214 million Kaladan Project—estimated to be fully operational in 2015—will see the construction of a combined inland waterway and highway transportation system connecting Mizoram State in Northeast India with a Bay of Bengal deep-sea port at Sittwe in Rakhine State. The deep-sea port will transfer cargo from large container ships to smaller 300-tonne barges (from 50 to 200 metres in length) that will ply the 160 km inland waterway north to a port complex at Paletwa Town in Chin State.

At the Paletwa port, cargo will be transferred to trucks, and driven on a yet-to-be-built 130 km highway connecting to a new Land Customs Station at Zorinpui on the southern-most tip of the 1,634 km India-Burma border. The Project, classified as Indian development aid to Burma, is a cornerstone of India’s “Look East Policy” aimed at expanding Indian economic and political influence in Southeast Asia.

The Kaladan Movemnet says the report, titled “One cannot step into the same river twice: making the Kaladan Project people-centred”, provides an overview of the current on-the-ground impacts arising from the lack of transparency, and focuses on the concerns and hopes of the local people.
“The report also aims to highlight the potential benefits of the project, particularly for Arakan [Rakhine] and Chin States, the two most impoverished regions of Burma,” the report says.
While acknowledging the need for improved infrastructure and the potential benefits of increased trade opportunities for local farmers and producers, Kaladan Movement says the prospect is enhances of further land confiscation and forced evictions, as well as disruption and loss of existing livelihoods, and increased militarization in connection with the project.

“Local people must have full participation in major development decisions in Burma,” said Twan Zaw, Executive Director of Arakan Rivers Network, a core member of the Kaladan Movement. Twan Zaw added, “Comprehensive environmental, social, and health impact assessments should be conducted and made public before the Kaladan Project proceeds any further. Unless the Kaladan Project is implemented with a people-centred approach, it may lead to increased tension between India and Burma rather than improving ties.”

Zo Indigenous Forum Director C. Lalremruata said, “People living in the project area in Mizoram State want the Kaladan Project to be a sustainable development which brings local economic benefits and does not destroy the environment.

Indigenous peoples in both India and Burma must be involved in all decision-making regarding their ancestral lands, and the principle of free, prior and informed consent must be the foundation of this kind of infrastructure development project. There must be fair compensation for land acquisition for the Kaladan Project.”

The full report can be downloaded at: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/102872850/KM_Report_Eng.pdf

source: mizzima.com