Mizoram Sets Up Election Watchdog

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Mizoram election watch dog the People Forum (MPF) has previewed on the upcoming assembly elections in the state and decided that all the candidates must co-ordinate with the poll watchdog.

The Mizoram Peoples' Forum (MPF) is floated by the Synod, the largest Church body in Mizoram as an election watch-dog.

This time round, the MPF has formulated its agenda to be applied in the next assembly election due in the next few months' time.

On Saturday, the MPF in its meeting held here had invited the various recognised political parties in Mizoram and had discussed over the setting up of party campaign offices in the wake of elections and about the participations of the candidates in the MPF joint platform.

Last month, the Mizoram Peoples' Forum (MPF), had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with major political parties in Mizoram so that free and fair elections could be held. The memorandum of understanding is nothing but rule for co-operation by the political parties with the Mizoram People's Forum.

The parties which had signed the MoU with the state election watchdog are Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizo Peoples Convention (MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP), Mizo National Front (MNF) and the BJP for co-operation at Synod Committee Hall in Aizawl.

About 27 rules have been made by the MPF for the political parties to abide. Among the 27 points, one is that the political parties should only make an election manifesto which they can implement. If any political party violates any one of the 27 points, the MPF will "invalid" that party.

Meanwhile, Mizoram corruption watchdog the People's Right to Information and Development Implementing Society of Mizoram (PRISM) has started its spade-work as to what extent the present Congress government has implemented regarding the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC)’s election manifesto of 2008. The PRISM said it will put its findings in public domain.

Like in the previous 2008 assembly elections, the PRISM in its executive meeting recently had declared that as soon as the date and time of 2013 state assembly elections is declared, it will have temporal halt on its ‘Anti Corruption’ campaign but will start an exclusive study of the background of different candidates in different respects and exposed the same before the public. In case of any faulty or wrong information in the nomination paper (self declared affidavit) filed for the assembly election, PRISIM decided to take stern measure against the illicit candidate to bring right judgment over the case.

PRISIM further requested any interested person to report himself/herself to PRISIM office if he/she wishes to talk about the status of implementation of election manifesto by the present government.

Earlier on September 1, PRISM had issued ‘Peoples' Manifesto’ to eight different political parties in Mizoram for the upcoming Mizoram assembly elections due in either October end or November.

The manifesto contains 20 chapters in which there are 87 duties and obligations where any political party that comes to power after the poll must implement them. Of the 87 duties, 43 are to be done within a specific time, while the other 44 duties do not have a time limit.

Earlier, 'Peoples' Manifesto' had been submitted to different parties including Bharatya Janata Party (BJP), Hmar People’s Convention (HPC), Maraland Democratic Front (MDF), Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram Peoples Conference (MPC), Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizoram Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) to use as their manifesto in the upcoming election. The same copy was given to 20 organizations including AMFU general headquarters, Aizawl; Chhim Bial Chhantu, Lunglei; Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), Aizawl;FOMTU Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; LDDVF, Lawngtlai; MHIP Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; MJA General Headquarters.,Aizawl; MKHC, Aizawl; MPF Hqrs., Aizawl; MSEWC, Aizawl; MSU Gen. Hqrs., Aizawl; and MUP.


Source: Newmai News Network

Church Urges Parties Not To Use Insurgents in Mizoram Polls

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Presbyterian Church of Mizo Synod today asked political parties in Mizoram not to use insurgent and armed groups during campaign for the ensuing polls in the 40-member assembly in the state.

In a message, the largest church in the state also urged all political parties, candidates and campaigners not to indulge in character assassination, baseless allegations against political opponents and use muscle and money power to get elected.

The church also asked voters not to support candidates indulging in purchase of votes, criminal intimidation, threats and character assassination.

"Candidates living beyond their means and having movable and immovable asset disproportionate to their known sources of income are to be regarded as greedy people with corrupt mind, unfit to rule the state and the people," the message said.

BJP Eyes Pre-Poll Alliance in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sep 30 : Keeping its eye on the Mizoram assembly elections this November, BJP has decided to try its best to forge a pre-poll alliance with all non-Congress parties in the state so that they can edge out the Lalthanhawla government from the 40-member house.

At a recent meeting of the BJP Mizoram state unit high command, held in Aizawl under the supervision of the visiting national general secretary (organization) Ramlal, an election alliance committee was formed to initiate discussions with all non-Congress parties.

The committee includes BJP state in-charge & national executive member Nalin S Kohli, the party's Mizoram president Lalhluna and former state president Khawvelthanga.

A press statement issued by the state unit said the committee will hold negotiations with Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram People's Conference ( MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP) and others.

The Congress government in Mizoram, the statement said, has failed to keep the promises it had made and the people of the state are suffering because of total misgovernance, lack of development, inflation and rampant corruption.

"Teachers and other government employees in Mizoram are not receiving their salaries on time," the statement said.

Forging a strong non-Congress alliance will give the people of the state an option and they will be able to vote for change as is evident from the distinct anti-Congress mood in the country, it added.

"In this atmosphere of despondency and economic turmoil, the announcement of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate is being received with great enthusiasm, hope and excitement all over the country," the statement said.

It also pointed out that as a result of its failure at governance and sullied image during UPA-II, the Congress party is unable to present either Manmohan Singh or any other alternate prime ministerial candidate before the people.

However, regional parties in the state are not very keen to join hands with BJP which is known for its Hindutva agenda, a senior leader of MNF said. He added that it would be a political suicide to team up with the BJP which has become an untouchable party in this Christian-dominated northeastern state.

Mizoram Crowned Junior National Football Champions With 6-1 Thrashing of Assam

Mawihmingthanga (three goals), Vanlalremkima (two) and Vanlabiaa Chhangte (one goal) found the target for Mizoram while Bhahma Jwngbla scored the lone goal for Assam.

Ranchi:  Mizoram pumped in five second half goals to thrash 10-man Assam 6-1 to clinch their maiden Junior Nationals Football Tournament title here on Sunday.

Both the sides were levelled 1-1 at the breather but a mistake by Assam custodian Jikil Basumatary led to his expulsion as the referee red-carded him at the stroke of half-time, turning the game on its head.

Mizoram overawed their opponents by capitalising on their one-man advantage and the second half turned out to be a lop-sided affair as they win their maiden title of the Under-17 tournament and bag the B C Roy Trophy.

Mawihmingthanga (three goals), Vanlalremkima (two) and Vanlabiaa Chhangte (one goal) found the target for Mizoram while Bhahma Jwngbla scored the lone goal for Assam.

Mizoram Premier League - Season 2 Kick-Off Night!

The second edition of 'Mahindra Two Wheelers' Mizoram Premier League was 'kicked off' Friday Night, September, 27 by Lal Thanzara, the President of Mizoram Football Association at the I&PR Auditorium in Aizawl.

pic source: arunfoot.blogspot.com

‘Least Developed’ Tag For 3 Northeast States

Shillong, Sep 30 : Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have been ranked as one of the “least developed” states in the country by a panel headed by Raghuram Rajan.

The panel for “Evolving a Composite Development Index of States” headed by the then chief economic advisor and present Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan, was set up by the Centre amid demand by Bihar for “special category” status.

Among others, the panel suggested a new methodology for providing funds to states based on a Multi Dimensional Index (MDI).

Based on the MDI scores, the 10 least developed states include Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

States with scores of 0.6 and above on the index have been classed as “least developed”; states with scores below 0.6 and above 0.4 as “less developed”; and states with scores below 0.4 as “relatively developed”, the report said.

In New Delhi, Union finance minister P. Chidambaram stated that the panel has proposed a general method for allocating funds from the Centre to the states based on both a state’s development needs as well as its development performance.

The committee has recommended that each state may get a fixed basic allocation of 0.3 per cent of overall funds, to which will be added its share stemming from need and performance to get its overall share.

Chidambaram further informed that the panel had come-up with a “multi-dimensional index” (MDI) of backwardness based on per capita consumption as measured by NSSO, the poverty ratio, and a number of other measures which correspond to the multi-dimensional approach to defining poverty outlined in the Twelfth Plan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed that the recommendations of the panel be examined and necessary action taken, Chidambaram added.

This report directly contradicts the praises showered by Singh on Meghalaya for its “economic growth”.

On February 15 at Polo grounds, the Prime Minister revisited past “economic successes” as the state was gearing up for the Assembly polls.

“During the Eleventh Plan, Meghalaya’s economic growth was faster than what was targeted in the plan. The plan size nearly doubled in the last three years to around Rs 4,000 crore,” he had said. He had also lauded the Congress-led government in the state “for providing Meghalaya with an honest, transparent and effective administration”.

The Prime Minister had also said that in infrastructure, Meghalaya was one of the “fastest-growing states” not only in the Northeast but across the country.

Though the Rajan panel report may not sound good to the powers-that-be in the secretariat who have been harping that the state is witnessing growth, Meghalaya may just end up getting more funds from the Centre for “development” provided it shows progress at ground zero.

Trip to Garo, Meghalaya's Lost Hills

(The lost hills of Meghalaya-…)

The Garo hills are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India.

They are inhabited mainly by tribal dwellers, the majority of whom are Garo people. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests eco-region. Since Sohra (earlier name :- Cherrapunjee) and Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya lie in the West Khasi Hills region, as a result the bulk of tourism in Meghalaya is mainly concentrated within the Khasi Hills region. The Garo Hills, though occupying a substantial part of this undulating terrain, is predominantly lesser known and even lesser visited throughout the year.

People who reside in the Garo Hills are known as the Garos. Besides the Garo hills, there are Garo settlements in the plains of Assam and Bangladesh.

The Garos call themselves Achik-mande. In the Garo language Achik means Hills and mande, Man. So, Achik-mande means the Hills people.Garo Hills comprises 5 districts. Tura is the largest town with a population of about 70,000 located at the foothills of often cloud covered Tura peak. These places are rich reserves of natural flora and fauna.

A traditional Garo woman
Baghmara is the headquarters of South Garo Hills district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The place is bordered by Bangladesh and is about 113 km from Tura. A river known as Simsang flows through its expanse and is also covered in hills and tracts along the way.The river criss crosses the entire region and finally enters Bangladesh as Samleshwari. This region also houses the Balpakram National Park, famous for elephants and clouded leopards.

Baghmara Town, district of south Garo Hills
We hired a 4*4 Sumo from Sohra (Cherrapunjee) to Ranikhor, Ranikhor, lying close to the plains of Bangladesh, is a popular town In the Khasi district,. From Ranikhor, another 4*4 Mahindra Camper was provided by Samrakhshan Eco tours, one of the premier organizations dealing in community based eco tourism and conservations in Garo Hills. The journey was an absolute roller coaster ride with the border gates of both neighbouring countries providing a lot of thrill and wonder throughout. This part of the region is a porous border and if one zeroes into the google maps, there is a visible road through this area but the condition of the road is extremely pathetic due to the operation of large number of coal mining trucks.

River at Ranikhor
A better route is through Nonstoin to Baghmara from Shillong later joining NH62 which starts from Dudhnai and goes all the way to Tura through Williamnagar and Baghmara. The more regular and common route is from Guwahati to Baghmara through NH37 and later joining NH51 to Tura and further through NH62 to Baghmara.

How to get there
By Air
The nearest airport is Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is also known as Guw?h?ti International Airport and was formerly known as (Borjhar Airport).

Baghmara is about 345 KM from Guwahati International Airport.

Guwahati airport is a major hub for flights to North-East India and limited international destinations.
Shillong and Tura are connected by regular scheduled helicopter services run by Pawan Hans. Shillong (30 min), Tura (50 min), Naharlagun ( Itanagar), Tawang (75 min).

By rail
The nearest railway station is in Guwahati. Baghmara is 320 km from Guwahati Railway Station.
Guwahati is connected by train with major cities like Kolkata, New Delhi, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Mumbai.

I took the Saraighat Express which leaves Howrah at 3:50 PM and reaches Guwahati at 9:30 AM in the morning.

By road
There is only one overnight bus service available from Guwahati to Baghmara. However, there are regular overnight bus services available to Tura (Nearest town which is well connected to Baghmara). Buses start from ISBT, Guwahati at 8:30 PM and reach Tura at 4 AM and Baghmara at 9 AM respectively. A ticket to Tura will be around Rs 250 per head and to Baghmara, it will be Rs 320 per head.

From Tura, there are customary shared sumo services available for Baghmara. The distance from Tura to Baghmara is around 106 KM and the journey takes around 3 and a half hours. A single ticket costs Rs 150 and the shared sumo services are available from 6 in the morning till 2 in the afternoon.
Alternatively, there are shared taxi services available from Bharalumukh, Guwahati to Tura which depart at 6 AM and 2 PM. The drive is 6 hours long.

Climate
The best season to visit this region is during the monsoons i.e. July-September and also in the winters i.e. around November-December as this region remains pretty warm and sunny in the summers.

Where to stay
We stayed in Baghmara Tourist Guest House which is located at the high hillock of Baghmara town offers a bird's eye view of the region's landscape and Simsang River. The Baghmara Tourist Guest House has all the basic facilities for a comfortable stay.

Meghalaya is 'Least Developed' State: CM Sangma

Shillong, Sep 30 : Welcoming the Rajan panel report, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma admitted that Meghalaya is "least developed" state.

"Is it not true? If it is not true, then why are our boys and youths joining the militants?" asked Sangma to a query on the report at a news conference.

"We are far behind, and we need to catch up with the rest of the country. Forget about the world. If you are looking from a global perspective, India itself has to catch up with the rest of the world," he said.

The panel for "Evolving a Composite Development Index of States", headed by the then chief economic advisor Raghuram Govind Rajan, now the Reserve Bank of India governor, was set up by the central government amid demand by Bihar for "special category" status.

Based on the multi dimensional index scores, the 10 least developed states are Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Describing Rajan's panel as "true", Sangma said, "We have many things to do. A number of initiatives are on from the government. Meghalaya should be a destination for everything which would open up hundreds of new opportunities for our youths. That is what we are looking at."

"We are candid in saying that we are behind. We are much behind despite having the potentialities and the strength among the people. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all of us to create an enabling environment so that at the end of the day, people will stand to gain."