NORTH-EASTERN STATES

‘Meghalaya is cancer capital of India’

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NEIGRIHMS(North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences) director Dr Nalin Mehta calledMeghalayathe “cancer capital of India” during a consultative meeting with the religious leaders of Meghalaya and state health authorities, organised by the department of surgical oncology of the institute.

He said Meghalaya is among the states with the highest incidence of cancer (131 per lakh Population) in the country and hence it is important to raise awareness through every available option.

Meghalaya has one of the highest cancer rates in the country and the state also grapples with a significant prevalence of tobacco use, with 47% of adults (Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2016-17) and 34% of 13-15 year olds (Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2019) consuming tobacco in various forms. Esophageal cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer amongst the state’s populace, with a staggering 71.2 per lakh people affected. This surpasses the national Average by more than 10 fold and poses a considerable concern for Meghalaya,” an official record highlighted.


New species of African violet found in Mizoram

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Researchers of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, have discovered a new endangeredspeciesof plant belonging to the African Violets family inMizoramand its adjacent areas inMyanmar.

The newly-described species Didymocarpus vickifunkiae (Gesneriaceae) is currently known to grow in three locations in the frontier state Mizoram. It is an epiphyte, Plants that grow on trees, and produce Light pink flowers during monsoon. The species is named in honour of Dr Vicki Ann Funk, a renowned botanist, who worked at the Smithsonian Institute, USA.

Along with other discoveries, this recent find shows that the rich of the northeastern states remains unexplored and there are many species of plants waiting to be discovered. Researches have always been allured by the complex geology and climatic conditions ofnortheast India, which is Home to a diverse range of Flora and Fauna. However, much of it remains poorly documented, even as theIISER Bhopalteam was studying the evolution and biogeography of Didymocarpus plants.

ONGC Tripura Asset posts highest ever gas productionThe ONGC Tripura Asset has recorded the highest ever annual gas production at 1,675 Million Standard Cubic Metres (MMSCM) in the northeastern state for 2022-23 FY breaking all its previous records, a senior official said on Friday. Prior to this, the maximum amount of natural gas produced by ONGC in the northeastern state was during 2020-21 FY, when the company registered a gas output of 1,634 MMSCM.Oil and gas exploration is a risky business, where the outputs do not always tally with the inputs and there are so many moving parts and involvement of technology at every step of the way. We are happy that the ONGC Tripura Asset has managed to pull it off despite inherent challenges”, the official said. He said to achieve record production and also to sustain a high level of output in the coming days, a lot of operational initiatives were set in motion in the past couple of years such as installation of plunger lifts, mobile separators and regular activation of low-pressure wells.

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MoU inked for Manipur film archive

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TheManipurState Film Development Society (MSFDS), a undertaking, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mumbais Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) for setting up afilm archiveofManipuricinema inImphal.

Partnering with FHF, a day after the year-long golden jubilee celebration of Manipur cinema kicked off, MSFDS will be setting up the film archive to save the cinematic heritage of Manipur, said MSFDS secretary Sunzu Bachaspatimayum, who signed the MoU with FHFs founder-directorShivendra Singh Dungarpurat the societys complex.

FHF being a non-profit organization, dedicated to supporting conservation, preservation, and restoration of film heritage in India, will provide technical and intellectual consultancy and support to MSFDS in starting the archive. Special attention will be paid to restoration, preservation and digitization of the cinematic heritage of Manipur.

Centre ready for talks with northeast rebel groups: Rajnath Singh

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Union DEFENCE ministerRajnath Singh, while taking note of the insurgency problem gripping the northeast, on Monday said that the Centre is ready to hold talks with rebel groups of the region to resolve the problems.

The rate of violence in the northeast has come down to the lowest, said Singh, who arrived here on a days visit to address BJP poll rallies for theManipurassembly polls.

Prime Minster Narendra Modi, during the formation of the government at the Centre, had vowed to provide good road, rail and air connectivity in all NE states, and things have now become reality, he said.

Intl folklore film festival begins

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The fifth edition of the International folklore film festival began here on Saturday with the screening of Mizo Soundscapes produced by Joshy Joseph. The festival will continue till January 5. Even though this is projected as a documentary, the film powerfully brings out several concealed aspects of the HISTORY of the ordinary people ofMizoram. A Flowering Tree produced byMeera Krishnamoorthyand Gone Mens Bride Robabehrouhi from Iran were also screened.

The festival is expected to showcase 275 films from 72 countries. The Life Time Achievement Award was presented to C R Rajagopal for his outstanding contributions to the field of folklore. The award was presented to Rajagopal, who is ailing, at his house by higher Education ministerR Bindu. Revenue ministerK Rajaninaugurated the festival.

Tripura govt gives nod for Buddhist university

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The Tripura government has given its approval for setting up a Buddhist university in Manu Bankul in Sabroom, officials said on Saturday.

The gave a Letter of Intent to Bahujana Hitaya Education Trust for setting up the university, they said. Students from 31 countries will get a chance to study as well as research Buddhist Literature, culture and tradition in the proposed varsity. Besides, there is also a plan to establish medical, technical and general degree colleges on the campus, they added.

Now, the organisation will have to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for building necessary infrastructures at the proposed site at the earliest, he said. The government will bring a bill in the assembly for setting up the university once necessary facilities are built, he said. Sabroom MLA Sankar Roy said that a plot measuring 25 acres has been given to the Buddhist organisation to set up the varsity.

“If everything falls in the right place, the foundation stone of the project will be laid within a month or two,” he said.

At present, Tripura has three varsities — Tripura University, which is a central varsity, state-run MBB University and privately-owned ICFAI University.

Naga Peace Process – Niki Group of Nagaland State

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The Indian government has signed a ceasefire agreement with the National Socialist Council (K) Niki Group of Nagaland State, effective September 8, 2021, for a period of one year.

Highlights:

More than 200 cadres of this team along with eighty three weapons joined the peace process. The Indian Government has already signed a Ceasefire Agreement with different Naga groups namely, NSCN(R), NSCN(NK), & NSCN(K)-Khango and Framework Agreement with NSCN(IM) .

Mizoram’s 1st trade facilitation fair begins

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Mizoram’s first trade facilitation fair is being held at the Millenium Centre inAizawland showcases over 25 solutions that use to improve livelihoods of small farmers, weavers and entrepreneurs.

The two-day trade facilitation fair, jointly organised byAtal Incubation Centre – SELCO Foundation, planning and programme implementation department, government of Mizoram,NorthEast Initiative Development Agency(NEIDA) andMizoram Science, Technology and Innovation Council(MISTIC), was inaugurated by state commerce and industries minister.


Greater Tipraland, Demand of Tripura

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The party is demanding a separate state ofGreater Tipralandfor theindigenous communitiesof the north-eastern state.

They want the Centre to carve out the separate state underArticle 2 and 3of theConstitution.

Among the 19 notifiedScheduled Tribesin Tripura,Tripuris(aka Tipra and Tiprasas) are the largest.

According to the 2011 census, there are at least 5.92 lakh Tripuris in the state, followed byBru or Reang(1.88 lakh) and Jamatias (83,000).

They are demanding a separate state not only for the indigenous people but also for all communities who live in theTripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC)area.