UPA Government Making Efforts To Tap Talent In Northeast

The UPA government is making all-out efforts to tap talents in northeast which has huge sports potentiality. United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday that the central government is giving special attention to boost sports in northeast India.

"There is huge sports potentiality in Mizoram and other northeastern states. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is making all-out efforts to tap these talents," Gandhi said in her address after laying the foundation stone of the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Mualpui, on the outskirts of Mizoram capital Aizawl.

She said, "If we develop the talents of sportspersons in the northeast, India's performance in the national and international meets would be further improved."

The stadium, the first full-fledged sports arena in the border state, is to be constructed inside the headquarters complex of the third battalion of the Mizoram Armed Police (MAP).

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is constructing the 20,000-seat stadium. The 12th Finance Commission had granted Rs.250 million for the Rs.1.32-billion project.

Sonia said the central government would extend all help to implement the Mizoram government's flagship programme - the New Land Use Policy (NULP).

The Congress president added that as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, Mizoram would get Rs.8,835 crore for the next five years.

Addressing the inaugural function, Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said, "If Mizoram gets all-out support from the centre, we would produce world class players."

"With the laying of the foundation of the sports stadium, one of the visions of late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for the land-locked state has been fulfilled," he said.

The chief minister thanked the UPA chairperson for her support to the NLUP."The NLUP would be implemented for coordinated, balanced and inclusive development of farmers and poor people. It would help in economic empowerment of all sections of people," he said.

"The NLUP would also help in afforestation and protect the environment.

"The Mizoram government has taken a series of steps for women empowerment and also supports the women's reservation bill," he added.

"The Congress, particularly Rajivji, had played a great role in bringing back peace to Mizoram, shattered by two decades of militant violence," the chief minister said.

"We do not want to don the robe of a beggar with a begging bowl for all time to come. We want to be self-reliant as quickly as possible. But there are countless hurdles on our way forward," Lal Thanhawla stated.

Sonia promises all help for the Mizoram development

Aizawl, Mar 6 Extending her support to the establishment of medical and engineering colleges in Mizoram, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today promised all help for the development of the state.

"Let there be no doubt that we will fulfil our promises to undertake different developmental programmes so that the state would become more productive in all spheres," Gandhi told a huge gathering after laying the foundation of the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Stadium.

The Congress president said Mizoram was one of the most peaceful states in the country due to the dedication of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi during whose tenure the historic Mizo Peace Accord was signed in 1986 and the sacrifices made by Lal Thanhawla.

"The signing of the Mizo Accord shows that given the will, all problems can be resolved," she said, adding the power of the people in maintaining peace was most laudable.

Number of HIV positive climbs down in Mizoram

AIZAWL | February 20 : In order to spread awareness among the Mizo youths regarding the dreaded HIV/AIDS in the state, Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) in collaboration with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had launched various programmes in the state, stated MSACS Project Director Dr. K Ropari today. Spearheaded by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), a multi media campaign on HIV/AIDS was launched in three states of north east viz,. Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.
As part of the awareness campaign, the MSACS also worked with churches in Mizoram and organised various sports event to spread the message ‘prevention is better than cure on HIV/AIDS’ among the youths.
Among the sport event, Red Ribbon Inter Village Football Tournament 2010 starting from 25th January to 19th February. The sporting event organised by MSACS with close collaboation from UNODC, ZONET (Private Cable TV) and Mizoram Football Association was participated by hundreds of youths from across the state. Stressing on the aims and objective of the multimedia campaign, the Project Director stated that the campaign has been launched in order to spread the dreaded killer disease, teaching on the importance of protected sex among the people, to keep themselves aloof from drugs, to spread unity in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Among 4169 HIV positive in Mizoram, 26.31% are from the age gruop 15-24 while 40.44% are from the the age gruop 25-42, said sources from MSACS yesterday. Sources also added that unprotected sex is the main cause of transmission of HIV in Mizoram where 62.39% of the victims are transmitted through unprotected sex and 29.88% are transmitted from through the using of drugs (sharing syringes).
In the meatime, local dailies have stated that trend of HIV positive had climb down to 17 % during January, 2010 in compared with December last year and it is found out of blood samples tested for HIV, 4% of the total population is living with HIV/AIDS. According to MSACS data, out of 2000 people blood sample tested on Janaury, 80 persons came out with positive while 38 people were full blown AIDS.Four persons have also died due to AIDS in January which is equal during December last year. The record highlighted that on December last, 86 people have been confirmed contracted with HIV positive from 2,067 blood sample tested. Out of this figure, 63 were males and 23 females.Accordingly, from October 1990 to December 2009, the state housed 4169 HIV positive people. AIDS claims 168 lives in Mizoram till today.

Mizoram police to assist Assam in curbing terrorism More at : Mizoram police to assist Assam in curbing terrorism http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/mizoram-police-to-assist-assam-in-curbing-terrorism_100305841.html#ixzz0cycYQLp1

Aizawl, Jan 18 : Two battalions of the Mizoram Armed Police (MAP) are being deployed in Assam to help in the fight against terrorism, an official here said.

“Following the direction of the union home ministry, two battalions of the Mizoram Armed Police (India Reserve Battalions) would be deployed in Udalguri and Darrang districts in eastern Assam adjoining Bhutan,” said an official of the state home department.

“The first batch has already been sent to Assam and the deployment would be completed by this week,” the official told IANS.

The state police forces raise the India Reserve Battalions with full financing from the home ministry and they can be deployed anywhere in the country.

After 25 years of terrorism (1961-1986), the mountainous northeastern state of Mizoram, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, is more or less peaceful while Assam has been facing the insurgency problem for the past many years, with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) being the key separatist outfit.

'North Eastern states most environmentally sustainable'

Chennai, Jan 12

The northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim, along with Uttarakhand, have been rated the highest on the environment sustainable index (ESI), developed by think-tank Centre for Development Finance (CDF) here.

The ESI has been developed as a composite index from 40 key environmental indicators grouped into nine thematic sub-indices -- air quality and pollution, water quality and availability, land use and agriculture, forest and biodiversity, waste management, energy management, health impact, population pressure and environmental budget.

According to the index, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal figure among the more sustainable states.

Among the larger states - in terms of size and ecomomy - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh rank low in the chart, while Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have managed to balance economic growth andenvironmental quality.

States with abundant natural resources such as Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Goa fall in the medium and less sustainable categories in ESI 2009.

"The overall ESI is aggregated from data on various aspects of the environment and environmental policy in order to understand the larger picture of sustainability, while the sub-indices provide more specific information aboutenvironmental sustainability in particular issue areas such as water, air, land and forest cover," CDF director Jessica Wallack.

The CDF has also launched India's first website to assist pollution monitoring.

"The website or the pollution map will aim to support more meaningful tracking of environmental change by creating a repository on pollution monitoring," said Rajesh Rangarajan, senior researcher at CDF and head of the Online Pollution Map Initiative.

He said the website makes existing pollution data more accessible and informative by transforming it into user-friendly visual displays, which link pollution levels and monitoring sites to specific places in the country.

In the first phase, CDF has developed the pollution map for Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Mizoram will take back Reang refugees: Tripura chief minister

Agartala, Jan 13 – Mizoram will soon take back around 35,000 Reang tribal refugees who have been staying in Tripura since 1997 after fleeing their state due to ethnic violence, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said Wednesday.

‘The Mizoram chief minister during his visit in north Tripura held a meeting with refugee leaders Jan 8. He also asked the refugee leaders to study the proposed land and areas where the immigrants would be settled after their repatriation to Mizoram,’ Sarkar told reporters here.

He had Monday held talks about the repatriation of tribal refugees with Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla in New Delhi.

Sarkar said: ‘I have also discussed about the Mizoram refugee repatriation with union home secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai in New Delhi. Pillai will visit Tripura next month.’

Over 35,000 Reang tribal refugees have been sheltered in six north Tripura camps since 1997 after they fled Mizoram following ethnic clashes with the majority Mizo community.

‘The Mizoram chief minister assured us that he would call a Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting immediately to discuss the refugee repatriation issue,’ said Elvis Chorkhy, who led the three-member refugee delegation that met Lal Thanhawla in north Tripura last week.

Lal Thanhawla visited north Tripura’s Mizo-dominated areas and participated in a Mizo cultural function. There are several thousand Mizos residing in north Tripura adjacent to Mizoram.

He had told reporters: ‘It was not possible to constitute an autonomous council for Reang tribals (locally called Bru) residing in Mizoram. The refugees came to Tripura voluntarily and they should go to their homeland willingly.’

‘A road map for the repatriation of tribal refugees from Tripura has been prepared and it was approved by the union home ministry,’ he added.

The tribal refugees are unwilling to return to their homes in Mizoram until their demands for fool-proof security and sufficient financial assistance are accepted by the state government.

‘The Mizoram government’s package for the home-bound refugees suggested a Rs.20,000 cash grant instead of Rs.50,000 as promised earlier. The package also recommended a scattered resettlement of the 35,000 tribal refugees in three different districts of Mizoram – Mamit, Kolashib and Lunglei. We want compact rehabilitation of the tribals in two districts in western Mizoram,’ Chorkhy told IANS.

Three securitymen die in Mizoram road accident

Aizawl: Three security personnel were killed and seven others injured when a car plying between Assam's Silchar and south Mizoram's Lunglei town met with an accident near the Tlawng river in Lunglei district, the police said today.

The police said ten people including the driver were inside the vehicle when the accident took place yesterday.

Three persons died on the spot, the police said.

Six injured persons were flown to Silchar by helicopter while one of the injured was admitted in Lunglei District Hospital, sources said.