Tingplik Express

GUWAHATI, Aug 9 – The influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh poses a grave threat to the indigenous or tribal population of Assam, which actually undermines their cultural and economic identity. However, inflow of non-indigenous people from within the country too could play an equally negative role in damaging the cultural, linguistic and material basis of the indigenous communities. This was a view expressed by Anjali Daimari, the advisor to Indigenous Women’s Forum of North East India (Assam Committee) while addressing a press conference to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.

“Both the threats have to be recognized because of their ramifications on a number of key areas, including possession of land and property, language and culture, and livelihood options regarding indigenous people…All of these stand to be affected if tribal people have to endure more and more people occupying their areas,” she noted.

Daimari said that a “better mechanism than the one currently in place was required,” if illegal Bangladeshi migrants were to be deported from India. She said that it was up to the Government to identify and expel illegal migrants as the present practice of identification by certain groups could not be expected to continue for long.

On the issue of conversion vis-à-vis the identity of indigenous people, she revealed that it could not be a serious threat, because, “in most cases the tribal way of life continued even if there was a change in religious belief.”

Referring to recent developments in Majuli, she pointed out that even though conversion was taking place in a particular community, it was not members of that community who had spoken against it, but outsiders who had their own reasons for doing so.

She, and the Indigenous Women’s Forum of Northeast India were united in the belief that the fate of indigenous people of Northeast India and the rest of the country depended to a great extent on India accepting and adhering to the term ingenious or tribal.

“The status of indigenous or tribal people would definitely go up if they were recognized in the manner they were in Nepal or Philippines, only two countries of Asia which had such a system,” she mentioned.

Daimari believed, there was a need to identify the real indigenous people, and come up with a strategy in consonance with that of the International Labour Organisation, which had made sustained efforts to protect the interests of indigenous people across the world.

Emphasizing the need to understand the term “indigenous or tribal people”, the Indigenous Women’s Forum of North East India stated that a modern understanding of this term would have to take into account several factors like historical continuity, strong link to territories and natural resources, distinct social, economic or political systems, among others.




If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

Shillong, July 4 (IANS) The seventh Indian Institute of Management started imparting lessons here Friday, becoming the first IIM in the northeast. Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy would do the formal inauguration in the evening.

The institute, which would connect the region with the world's growing marketing and management realities, is named Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management. It will functioning in the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus for the time being.


'This is a dream fulfilled for the people of the region and we hope this prestigious institute would contribute to the manpower of tomorrow, not only in the northeast, but also in the whole country and abroad,' the chief minister said.


IIM Shillong is the seventh IIM in the country after Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode.


Initially, 60 students, who cleared the the Common Admission Test (CAT), will attend the institute's flagship programme - Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM).


The intake of students will be subsequently increased to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year. The permanent campus, currently under construction, is spread over a sprawling 120 acres provided by the Meghalaya government.


'The institute would provide a new impetus to the quality management education in the northeast with its mission of modernising and globalising the country through the promotion of higher education,' Roy said.


The institute would later introduce courses like tourism and hospitality management, tele-services and telemedicine, information systems and technology, and subjects such as horticulture, besides hydel power.


If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

New Delhi: Northeast India generally brings to mind two diametrically opposite images — the first, a picturesque region abundant in forest and rivers, and the second, a terrain bludgeoned by bullets, bombs and bloodshed.
Geographically knitted to the mainland by a slender land chain called the Chicken’s Neck, the northeast has always remained a politically isolated mass. Inhabited by heterogeneous tribes and sub-tribes of Aryan and Mongoloid origins, the region has been rocked for decades by insurgency, with several terrorist groups either demanding sovereignty or separate statehood.
Unabated violence has exacerbated under-development in the region and has fostered socio-economic problems such as unemployment, rising crime rates and drug addiction. The last of the three has, in turn, fostered another alarming situation that the northeast is now being forced to deal with — a rapidly increasing HIV-infected/AIDS population.
How serious is the problem?
The first case of an intravenous drug user (IDU) being infected by the HIV virus was detected in Manipur in 1990.
The state shares its international borders with Myanmar, a country that falls in the dreaded Golden Triangle. With a 350,000-sq-km area thriving on illicit drug trafficking along the Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand route, the vulnerabilities of Manipuri youth, given the porous borders, have been intensified.
The neighbouring state of Nagaland shares a similar fate. According to the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), which is a division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that provides leadership to HIV/AIDS control programme in India, both Manipur and Nagaland are highly prevalent states with high infection and vulnerability. Assam is also highly vulnerable but in the low prevalence category, as are Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim.
The lack of proper awareness and education about HIV has seen infected persons transfer the virus to their sexual partner and unborn baby. The malady has, in the past few years, shifted to the rural areas where stigma and discrimination invariably render the infected person a social outcast.
Red Ribbon Express in NE
It’s a train with a mission. Its passengers, traveling across the country on a year-long journey to create awareness about HIV/AIDS in the interiors, found that people in the north east were still highly ignorant about HIV transmission.
Bijano, counsellor at the Dimapur Civil Hospital, admits that despite aggressive campaigns and information dissemination across different media, including radio and television, awareness levels continue to be abysmal.
“Many people do not know the difference between HIV and AIDS. For them both are synonymous. It is tough explaining it is not contagious and that lack of knowledge could lead to cruelty, humiliation and ostracization of those whose positive status is known,” says Bijano.
Remoteness, non-industrialization and lack of infrastructure make it difficult for NGOs and health providers to be consistent in their service delivery. Also, the law and order problem, compounded by rising unemployment, has made the youth more susceptible to substance abuse and risky behaviour such as indulging in unsafe sex and sharing needles while shooting addictive drugs.
Voices from the region
Father Joe Ngamkhuchung, chief functionary of the Dimapur-based NGO, North Eastern Drugs HIV Training Centre drew attention to the situation in Nagaland, saying, “Transmission through the sexual route is as much as 60% and unless sex education is made mandatory, ignorance will most certainly not be bliss.”
Father Joe NgamkhuchungEfforts have been made by agencies to attract people from blocks, sub-divisions, panchayats and zilla parishads and make them participate in the country’s battle against HIV/AIDS. Self-help groups and mahila mandals have been mobilized to create awareness among women, so as to minimize the ‘feminization of the epidemic’.
J.S. Rao, project director, Assam State AIDS Control Society said there are an estimated 10,700 HIV/AIDS cases in the state. Extensive training programmes have been held with medical personnel to ensure there is no bias and discrimination. Focus has also been on busting myths and misconceptions relating to the infection spreading through touch, sharing vessels or using the same bathroom.
Outlining plans for Assam in the next financial year, Rao said, “We will identify places with high migrant population, IDUs and commercial sex workers along with NACO. The attempt would be to mainstream and integrate people with HIV/AIDS into society and to step up our intervention with the high risk groups like truckers, for whom Guwahati is the entry point to the entire Northeast.”
Jahnabi Goswami, general secretary of Indian Network for People living with HIV/AIDS (INP+) and treasurer, Assam Network of Positive People (ANP+), felt that the states in the northeast are more cut-off than other parts of India. Even local NGOs find it difficult to work for long stretches because of factors like inaccessible terrain, low funding and lack of infrastructure.
“NACO’s programmes revolve largely around spreading awareness in order to reduce HIV infection. Not enough emphasis is being laid on issues of basic care and support like rehabilitation and nutrition,” said Father Joe Ngamkhuchung.
Non-existence of programmes post-antiretroviral therapy (ART) is another area that requires urgent attention. “Patients who feel better after visiting the ART centres often ask for some kind of employment to sustain themselves. Unfortunately, such programmes ran either by the central or state government. Training in small-scale industry programmes such as piggery, duckery and fishery should be conducted to help people earn their livelihood,” he added.
Currently there are 35,000 unemployed youth in Nagaland. Post-ART people should have the option to pick up work that is aligned with their medical condition. Employers need to be sensitized to ensure that the person is not victimized or robbed of his livelihood. “Lack of mid-way homes where those on ART treatment can stay, receive counseling and engage themselves gainfully are the need of the hour,” Ngamkhuchung said.

If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

INDIA: Up to three airlines are bidding for the right to operate a dedicated regional airline for India's north-eastern states, the Press Trust of India reports.
One of the bidding airlines is state-run Alliance Air (now renamed Air India Regional after its merger into Air India), the other two are Universal Empire and Ace Airlines .

"Three airlines have participated in the tender for the regional airline," Minister for Development for North-Eastern Region Mani Shankar Aiyer told the PTI.

The government wants the airline to use Guwahati as its hub and serve 11 regional airports currently operational in the region, including Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Jorhat, Silchar, Dimapur, Imphal, Agartala, Aizawal and Bagdogra.
In return, the winning airline will be eligible to receive government subsidies from the North Eastern Council, which wants a regional air service operational by the end of this year.

The PTI reports that 25 new airports will be built under a five year plan and a projected 400 monthly flights operational by the end of next year.


If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

NEW DELHI, Jul 2: The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today said that all-round development of the north eastern states was the topmost priority of the government and announced its decision to link all state capitals in the region by rail lines.

Emphasizing that connectivity and infrastructure development was the cornerstone of development in the region, the Prime Minister said the government had taken several initiatives to bridge the infrastructure gap including an ambitious road-building programme for the north east region. He was addressing the ceremonial function of the release of the North Eastern Region Vision 2020 Document at the plenary hall of the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi today at 10.30 am.

He said, "The north eastern region is the land of rising sun for India. The time has come for the sun to shine on it and shine brightly. This Vision 2020 defines the path to that bright future."

Referring to the initiatives being taken in Manipur, the Prime Minister highlighted that work on the Tipaimukh and Loktak downstream hydro electric projects costing about Rs. 6,000 crores and Rs. 800 crores respectively had been expedited. The Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal railway line, which would put the Manipur valley on the rail map of India, had also been sanctioned as a National Project for Rs. 727 crores.

Stating that violence had been the recurrent theme of discourse for the north east for too long, the Prime Minister appealed to all the patriotic people of the region to work together to create an environment of peace and security to improve the quality of life of all people.

Manipur Governor Dr. SS Sidhu stated that the Vision 2020 provided the road map for economic development of the north eastern region by 2020 and also the integration of the region.

The Governor also emphasized the need for strengthening infrastructure, improvement of road networks and power, maximizing self-governance etc. for a good future of the region.

All the Governors and chief ministers or representatives of the all north eastern states were dignitaries at the function. Manipur Governor Dr. SS Sidhu and Speaker of the Manipur legislative Assembly were among the dignitaries on the dais.

The hall was packed with students and youths of the north eastern states. MLAs and senior officers of the Manipur government also attended the function.


If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

Shillong, July 3 (PTI) A study by the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) on the genetic characteristics of the inhabitants of India's Northeast considered as a 'malaria zone' - may open up a fresh lead among researchers to develop a new drug for the mosquito-related disease.
The ongoing study has found that deficiency of enzyme G-6-PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), which helps red blood cells (RBCs) function normally is a common sex-linked trait in the region, M Arabind Singh of the ASI's Northeast Regional Centre told PTI on the sidelines of an exhibition here.

G-6-PD is one of many enzymes that help the body process carbohydrates and turn them into energy. It also protects red blood cells from potentially harmful byproducts that can accumulate when a person takes certain medications or when the body is fighting an infection.

The ASI study detected cases of disorder like jaundice among those G-6-PD-deficient persons who had intake of chloroquine. "Though researchers have found evidence that the parasite that causes malaria does not survive well in G-6-PD-deficient cells, yet it is seen that the enzyme's deficiency results in other disorders after a person consumes drugs like chloroquine," Singh said, quoting the study.

As per the study, there was a high incidence of G-6-PD -deficiency among the Amgami Nagas (27 per cent), Mikir Rabhas (19 per cent) and Khasi-Garos (9 per cent). PTI


If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

The Union Health & Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss has said that North Eastern States are a priority area for revamping of health infrastructure. Keeping in mind the special needs of the region, the Central Government is actively considering revised guidelines for North East with regard to establishment of medical colleges, the Minister assured the Meghalaya Chief Minister, Shri Donkupar Roy who called on him late evening yesterday.

Dr. Ramadoss said that the relaxation regarding number of beds and patient load are under consideration for establishing medical colleges in North Eastern region. With regard to the State’s request for change in selection criteria for North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong, the Minister said that the proposal will be considered in the context of norms and requirements of similar autonomous institutions established by the Government of India.

The Minister encouraged the Meghalaya Government to establish nursing colleges to meet the growing requirement. The Central Government will provide due support for such colleges.

Recognizing the mosquito menace, Dr. Ramadoss emphasized an improved infrastructure for malaria control. He assured the Chief Minister that the Union Government is actively working to ensure malaria offices in all the districts of North Eastern States.

The Chief Minister who was accompanied by the State’s Health Minister, Dr. A. Pariong appraised the Union Health Minister about the status and requirements of the State Health infrastructure. Dr. Ramadoss reiterated the need for sincerely implementing the initiatives under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). He asked the Chief Minister to personally monitor the progress of the NRHM in the State and suggested that a review of the programme should be conducted at the Chief Minister level every three month.


If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

PUSH FOR DEVELOPMENT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Mani Shankar Aiyar, releasing the ‘North Eastern Region Vision 2020’ document in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: All capitals of the northeastern States will be linked by rail, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Wednesday.

Infrastructure deficiency in the region remained a major concern. So infrastructure projects there were given the status of “national projects” with a special funding pattern.

“Airports are being modernised and new ones are being built. An ambitious programme of road building has been taken up under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme and Rs. 31,000 crore is being invested in roads in the 11th Five Year Plan period. There are relaxed guidelines for rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana so that even the farthest hamlets on the border are linked by road.”

The Prime Minister was releasing a document, “North Eastern Region Vision 2020,” which has been approved by the Northeastern Council. It envisages a slew of development schemes.

“Let development be the leitmotif of the region now. For too long has violence been the dominant recurrent theme of discourse on the northeast. It shall, and it must now be development and inclusive development … violence has no place in our society and our culture.” There was no grievance that could not be represented through the ballot.

Along with infrastructure development, focus should be on agricultural and rural development in the northeast, which “requires a second Green Revolution specific to the region.”

Referring to disadvantages faced by the region because of geography and the history of partition, Dr. Singh said: “History and geography cannot be changed but the constraints they impose can be broken.”

The northeast is the land of the rising sun in India. “The time has come for the sun to shine on it. Vision 2020 defines the path to that bright future.” The United Progressive Alliance government had made connectivity and infrastructure development the cornerstone of regional development in the northeast, he said. The vision document, running into two volumes, seeks to alleviate poverty in all its dimensions and emphasises that the “Look East Policy” should focus on the northeast.



If you like this article Share it and spread the word!

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008) — North-east India has always been a hotspot for population geneticists due to its unique, strategic geographic location and the presence of linguistically, culturally and demographically diverse populations practicing varied occupations (from hunter-gathering to settled agriculture).

There are an estimated 532 tribal communities who inhabit the different geographical regions, who vary in their morphological features and ethnic origins (Australian, African, East Asian) of varied cultural features and who belong to three linguistic families (Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman). These are important in understanding the genetic history and peopling of the Indian subcontinent, and to derive further insights into the antiquity and past human migrations to other parts of Asia and their genetic relatedness.

In a new study, Dr T.S. Vasulu and colleagues at the Indian Statistical Institute examine, for the first time, the genetic status of sub-tribes of one such remotely located tribal cluster -- the Adi, a Tibeto-Burman-speaking tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in the north-east of India. Based on 15 autosomal microsatellite (STR) markers, the authors studied the genetic affinity, differentiation and sub-structuring among six Adi subgroups, as well as their genetic affinity with other, neighbouring, Tibeto-Burman-speaking tribes of India and with the linguistically divergent east and south-east Asian populations, with whom they share common ethno-historical and cultural attributes.

The researchers investigated to what extent the six Adi subgroups are genetically divergent or affiliated. The results of the pair wise and locus wise comparison indicate that of the six groups, the Adi Pasi Upper sows significantly differ from others in case of two loci: D7S820 and D13S317, whereas locus D8S1179 shows no significant differences between the six groups compared.

However, the overall results of the AMOVA and STRUCTURE analyses based on the 15 autosomal STR loci indicates a low degree of genetic differentiation and the least sub-structuring among the sub-tribes. This indicates that the recognized subgroups are more geographical and cultural constructs and show the least genetic differentiation, although the clustering tree shows some tendency for the Adi Pasi Upper to deviate from the rest.

A comparison with the 16 Tibeto-Burman-speaking tribes of the neighbouring region in northern and north-eastern parts of the country as revealed by the cluster analyses indicates geographically proximate populations forming a close cluster. This is to be expected if these populations have indeed diverged from a common source after their settlement in different regions of the country in the recent past.

In a comparison of the 50 populations (including populations from east and south-east Asia) for genetic diversity based on the autosomal loci, the resultant clustering tree showed some of the Tibeto-Burman tribes clustering with the populations from Tibet and China and whereas other Tibeto-Burman tribes of India cluster with linguistically different Southeast Asian populations.

These results support the possibility that Tibeto-Burman populations have derived from more than one common source. Overall, the Adi and other Tibeto-Burman speaking populations of India are regionally well differentiated and exhibit genetic affinity with the neighboring populations of East/Southeast Asia, based on their shared ethno-history. However, a clearer picture may well emerge from the analysis of increased number of informative genetic markers and from the uniparental markers like mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome.


If you like this article Share it and spread the word!