Assam State Committee formed at CNCI Guwahati Meet

via E-PAO on May 28, 2015

Guwahati: In a two days meeting convened at Thirthanath Hall in Guwahati on the 24th and 25th May, 2015 the Chakma National Council of India (CNCI) has formed and constituted its Assam state Committee. The meeting was well attended by members of the community living in Guwahati, members of the Guwahati Chakma Students Union (GCSU), members from other parts of the state of Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. The National Committee was represented by Anirudha Chakma (President), Jagat Shanta Chakma (Vice president) and two other executive members Rupayan Chakma and Kina Mohan Chakma. The Mizoram State committee was represented by its President Dangu Rasik Mohan Chakma. Representatives from the YCA and MCSU were also in attendance.

The primary agenda of the meeting was to form and constitute the Assam State Committee of the CNCI and to discuss and raise various issues of concern for the community.

In the meeting CNCI National President Dangu Anirudha Chakma briefly spoke and outlined the organizations main aims and objectives and Dangu Rasik Mohan Chakma, during the course of his speech, has elaborated them in more details while also bringing into light the problems and challenges faced by the community around the world and the need to chart a road map for the future of the community. Dangu Rasik Mohan also stressed on the ‘need to infuse and induce a sense of nationalism’ among Chakmas all across the world.

Expressing deep concerns over the anti-Chakma attitude and policies of the government of Mizoram, the Meeting sought to remind the state government of its responsibilities towards the minorities of the state.

Taking exception to the attitude of the government of Mizoram towards Chakmas of the state, the meeting strongly condemned the action of the state government to exclude the Chakma students from their rightful entitlements through the recently Amendment brought out in the Mizoram State Technical Entrance Examinations Rules dated 24th March, 2015 which, the meeting observed and declared, was not only unfair and unjust but such an act is also unbecoming of a democratically elected government. The CNCI pledged to continue to demand and strive for equal opportunities for the community and would do all that it can to protect and promote the interests of the community and the meeting urged the government of Mizoram to do away with all such discriminatory policies and rather create an environment that will be conducive for all the ethnic minority groups of the state.

While dwelling on the challenges and problems of the Chakmas in details, the meeting observed that the root cause of Chakmas present plight in India and in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) was the injustice meted out to the community during the Partition of the country in 1947. The meeting sought to remind the members of the community and the outside world about the unjust Sir Cyrill Redcliff award of Bengal Boundary Commission which awarded the CHT to Pakistan with more than 97 percent non-Muslim against the very principle on which the Boundary Commission was formed, and consequently making the Chakmas the worst victim of partition.

The meeting also adopted a decision in which it decided to seek the attention and intervention of the Government of India towards the continued incidents of gross human rights violations and persecution faced by the Jummas (tribal communities) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh and seek to demand that the Government of India, as a responsible and key stakeholder of democratic ideals in the sub continent, must raise the CHT issue in all its bilateral engagements with the Government of Bangladesh.

On the concluding day, the Assam State Committee was formed and constituted. The 25 member strong constituted Committee is headed by Dangu Sambhu Dhan Chakma (Principle of Diphu Commerce College) as its President.

The Meeting expressed its appreciation of the commitment and dedication shown by the Chakma community of Assam in their efforts to protect and promote the interests of the community in the state. The meeting expressed its pride in the numerous contributions made by members of the Chakma community in the state of Assam since pre-Independence era in various capacities under both the State and the Central government services.

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MZP begins construction of concrete "Zofate Chawlbuk" at Borapansury

Present MZP 'Zofate Chawlbuk' at Borapansury

Past MZP Zofate Chawlbuk

Borapansury: The Construction of MZP ‘Zofate Chawlbuk’ at Borapansury, within CADC area has begun by the MZP cadres.

The construction of the concrete building will be up to first floor for as of now. 

The area of the building as measured is 45 feet in length and 30 feet in breadth. 

The construction of the building has been in full swing to complete the work as soon as possible, MZP said.

The construction of the Zofate Chawlbuk has started last February 6, 2015. The construction of the building up to first floor will be completed within this year. 

“The purpose of constructing the Zofate Chawlbuk is to safeguard the Mizo nation within Chakma inhibiting areas and in Mizoram as a whole,” MZP said.

As per MZP report, “the boycott of MDC by-election  last year held by the Chakmas against the construction of Zofate Chawlbuk at Borapansury was motivated by the Chakmas from Kamalanagar, not from Borapansury,” MZP further added.



Related News: 
1. MZP begins construction of controversial "Zofate Chawlbuk" at Borapansury
2. MZP, a militant Mizo student organization illegally Chakma's land, says JAC Chairman
3. MZP forcefully grabbing the Chakma's land and threatening them to bloodshed in Mizoram

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Mizoram's H & TE direct Chakma students to fill in Category-II forms for technical exams

Correspondence on May 19, 2015

Mizoram: The Chakma students who passed their class XII (science) are presently in disturbance, as they are not being allowed to fill up forms for state entrance under State Technical Entrance Exam (STEE) in Category-I for various technical courses like Medicals & Engineering etc. who have been in the category since its inception. In fact, the authority has directed the students to fill up forms in STEE-II category.

In an alleged discriminatory decision taken by Mizoram Govt with reference to the demand of some radical Mizo group (MZP) to place the Chakmas in category-II (2nd Class), the Mizoram Govt has made certain changes in "The Mizoram (Selection of Candidates for Higher Technical) Rules 1999" to put the Chakma Students of Mizoram as 2nd Class (Category-II) and Mizos(Zo ethnic) as 1st Class (Category-I). Here is the excerpts of the Mizoram Govt latest NOTIFICATION with reference to STEE and selection of candidates for Higher and Technical Education.

EARLIER RULE: 

"Children of local permanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-I". "the term local parmanents' means those who are indigenous people of the state of Mizoram and have been residing parmanently in the state'. This rule does not discriminate between communities. 

NEW RULE: 

"Children of local permanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-I". ''the term local permanents' means those who are indigenous (Zo-ethnic people who are native inhabitants) people of the state of Mizoram and have been residing permanently in the state'. 

The new Rule clearly put the Zo ethnic (Mizos only) over the Chakmas.

EARLIER RULE: 

'Children of non-local parmanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-II'. This rule is meant for various govt employees who are being posted in Mizoram. 

NEW RULE: 

Children of other parmanent residents of the state of Mizoram as category-II'. The NEW RULE further defines "The term other permanent residents' means those who are non-indigenous (Non-Zo-ethnic people who are non-native inhabitants) people of the state of Mizoram and those who are serving under the Government of Mizoram or Government corporation of autonomous bodies under the state of Mizoram, or other recognised organisations and in whose case, it can safely be inferred that they would reside permanently in Mizoram". 

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CNCI - Mizoram State Committee demands white paper on "Chakma Census"

via TNT on May 16, 2015

CNCI - Mizoram State Committee

KAMALANAGAR: The decision of the CYMA to go ahead with their resolve to conduct census on the Chakmas as learnt from a report of the Vanglaini issue dated 11.5.2015 has upset the Chakmas.

“To single out the Chakmas as a community for subject to census without genuine ground and that also by a non-state entity is but a humiliation and assault to their dignity as human being. Chakmas are equal citizen of Mizoram and they deserve equal treatment in all respects from the State Government,” the Chakma National Council of India said in a statement released.

It is quite normal for a duty bound citizen to get alarmed by any events/incidents of abnormal nature. However, it does not legitimize someone or for that matter any non-state entity to take the law into their hand. What the rule book warrants is to approach the concerned legitimate authority and urge them to address the issue.

“The Government of Mizoram should come up with a clear stand on the resolve made by CYMA to go ahead with their illegitimate exercise to conduct census on the Chakmas who are also equal citizen of Mizoram and whether Mizoram Government is not duty bound to enforce the rule of Law?” they said.

Time and again the Chakma issue has reared up its ugly head and yet there has been a conspicuous lack of action and policy to resolve the issue for once and all on the parts of the Government. Ultimately, the sufferers are the minority Chakmas. As a result this has contributed to build up a trust deficit between the two communities and which is not healthy for the overall development of the State, observed CNCI.

“CNCI is clueless as to what has caused the urgency to suddenly jump on to such an exercise to conduct census on the Chakmas. What is the justification, the CYMA has decided to take up the census of the Chakmas? Whether, the CYMA have been alarmed by any evidence confirming about the abnormal growth of the Chakmas in Mizoram?” they said.

The perceived abnormal growth rate of the Chakmas may be put to rest by the given table showing the growth rate of the Chakmas sourced from Mizoram at a Glance 2001 published by Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Mizoram. There is nothing abnormal about their growth rate if juxtaposed with that of the rest population of Mizoram.

Comparison of the Chakmas population of Mizoram vis a vis rest of the population of Mizoram after India’s Independence

YEAR	TOTAL POPULATION OF MIZORAM	CHAKMA POPULATION	REST POPULATION(2-3=4)	DECADAL GROWTH (CHAKMA)	DECADAL GROWTH (REST POPULATION)
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
1951	1,96,202	15,297	1,80,905	-	-
1951-1961	2,66,063	19,337	2,46,726	26.41	36.38
1961-1971	3,32,390	22,393	3,09,997	15.80	25.64
1971-1981	4,93,757	39,905	4,53,852	78.20	46.41
1981-1991	6,89,756	54,194	6,35,562	35.80	40.04
1991-2001	8,88,573	71,283	8,17,290	31.53	28.59
Average				37.55	35.41
Source: Mizoram at a Glance 2001, Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Mizoram; http://dipr.mizoram.gov.in/uploads/documents/document3.pdf;http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_mizoram.pdf

This also bears significance to the memorandum submitted recently to Amit Shah, President, BJP by the MZPs wherein facts have been misrepresented deliberately regarding the growth of Chakma population in Mizoram with inflated figures about the Chakma population as has been learnt from a press report of the thenortheasttoday dated 17/4/2015. For instance it was claimed that Chakma population have jumped to 80,000 in 1991 against the fact that Chakmas were only 54,194 as shown in the above table. It was also conjured that the population of the Chakmas could be around 1,50,000. Whereas, the population of the Chakmas is only 71,283 by 2001 Census figure (http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_mizoram.pdf) and as per a report of the Vanglaini issue dated 2/3/2015 the population of the Chakmas as of 2011 is only 96,972 (http://www.vanglaini.org/tualchhung/32034).

Despite such strong evidence against the perceived notion of Chakmas growing abnormally, if the CYMA set on to continue with its resolve to conduct census on the Chakmas it will be but very unfortunate on the parts of such a highly regarded NGO of the country which has been known for their service towards the society.

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Mizoram Gets Nirbhay Sharma as its 7th Governor in this Year

Aizawl: Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma has been transferred and appointed the Governor of Mizoram. He will be serving till his term ends in 2018. He is the seventh Governor the state saw in a year.

The frequent changes in Mizoram governorship began in July 2014, when V Purushothaman resigned after being transferred to neighbouring Nagaland, saying he was not consulted.

The next in office was Kamla Beniwal, who was earlier the Governor of Gujarat. Her tenure was marked by several clashes with Narendra Modi, who had been the Chief Minister of the state.

With just four months left in her term, the government transferred 87-year-old Ms Beniwal from Gujarat to Mizoram.

But days after she took charge in August 2014, Ms Beniwal was sacked on the allegations of gross impropriety, including misuse of state machinery.

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan was appointed in her place, but he resigned, refusing take up the assignment.

Over the next few months, former bureaucrat V K Duggal and former Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul held additional charge of Mizoram.

In December 2014, Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi was transferred to Mizoram, but in March 2015, he too, was sacked. Mr Qureshi has dragged the NDA government to court over the issue.

Till now, West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi was holding the additional charge of Mizoram.

During a visit a few days ago by BJP president Amit Shah to state capital Aizawl, many had greeted him with posters and banners saying the constant juggling of Governors in the state was not good in a democratic system of governance.

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Rights Activist Suhash Chakma slams Salman Khan's supporters

via Telegraph on May 7, 2015

New Delhi: Never before has a section of Bollywood come out in such a blatant manner to support one of its own.

An exception was actress Alia Bhatt, who was hailed on social media as one of the few voices of reason from showbiz. "It hurts when your own are punished, even if they are in the wrong. We love you and are standing by you," she tweeted.

But singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya returned from the wilderness and plumbed the depths to tweet: " Kutta rd(road) pe soyega kutte ki maut marega, roads garib ke baap ki nahi hai I was homless (for) an year never slept on rd (If dogs sleep on the roads, they will die a dog's death on the roads. Roads are not the property of the poor)."

"Mumbai ke road aur footpath pe sone ka shauk hai?? (You want to sleep on Mumbai's roads and footpaths?) Y not at your village no vehicles to kill u... Come out fraternity, support @BeingSalmanKhan boldly not hypocritically. Roads, footpath are not meant for sleeping, not driver's or alcohol's fault."

According to the 2011 census, 17.7 lakh homeless people live on roadsides, railway platforms and under flyovers in India. In urban areas, the homeless population grew from 7.78 lakh in 2001 to 9.38 lakh in 2011 but rural areas saw a decline from 11.6 lakh to 8.34 lakh.

The singer's tweets sparked outrage even as Bollywood in general came out in support of Salman. Abhijeet later clarified that he wasn't speaking up for the star but raising a crucial issue.

"I did not defend Salman, I was addressing a more serious issue. It is a question of dignity of a human being who are all creatures of God. Why should they sleep on roads?" Abhijeet asked.

"For more than a year, I was homeless in Mumbai but I never slept on the roads because I knew that if a drunk driver mows me down, I will die and my loved ones will also die with me. People have a choice not to sleep on roads. If they do not have any option, there should be an option of clearing these roads for cars, so that vehicles don't ply in those areas where people are sleeping," he added.

"To sleep on the pavement at night is like suicide," he said.

Abhijeet's comment, however, continued to evoke strong reactions. One Niliam Kumar tweeted: " Abhijeet ji bade ghar mein rahte hai, unko ye pata nahi ki gareeb aadmi ka pariwar raat kaise basar karta hai (Abhijeet lives in a big house, he doesn't know how a poor man's family spends the night)."

The singer wasn't the only one who blamed it on the pavement-dweller. Jewellery designer Farah Ali Khan, the sister of actor Zayed Khan and the wife of DJ Aqueel, tweeted: "No one should be sleeping on the road or footpath. It is dangerous to do that just like it is dangerous to cross tracks.

"It's like penalising a train driver because someone decided to cross the tracks and got killed in the bargain. The government should be responsible for housing people. If no one was sleeping on the road... Salman would not have driven over anybody."

Like Abhijeet, Farah's remarks drew criticism. She clarified: "Maybe my opinion stems from the fact that he is a friend and I know his family but I will still maintain my stand.

"I didn't justify the fact that Salman was right in drinking and driving. I was mocking the government for not providing homes for the poor, and not mocking them."

A Calcutta-based Twitterer, Utpalendu Ghosh summed it up: "#SalmanVerdict shows that strong class barriers exist. It is stunning that people have the audacity to question why someone is homeless!!!!"

Psychologist Harish Shetty feels that the "cruel" reaction towards the hit-and-run victims is a response to the shattering of the image of "invincibility" that the film industry seemed to have.

"They have an inherent sense of invincibility, omnipotence and they feel like real-life heroes.They feel that nothing can touch them as many had escaped with minimum punishment. However, in the past few years, the film fraternity is realising that the glass ceiling has broken. They thought that the ceiling was, in fact, made of steel," said Shetty.

"It is typical that the industry shows sensitivity while portraying issues in films but they are extremely cruel when it comes to testing situations. These responses show what the industry thinks and feels from within," he added.

Another argument some celebs underscored was the extent of Salman's "humanitarian" work through the NGO, Being Human, which was launched shortly after the 2002 hit-and-run.

"It doesn't matter what anyone or any court says. He doesn't deserve this at any level... will stand by @BeingSalmanKhan no matter what...," tweeted Arjun Kapoor, who for a while dated Salman's sister Arpita.

"@BeingSalmanKhan is a man who has always helped d underprivileged! A man who has done so much humanitarian work. Prayers for a fair judgement," tweeted Bipasha Basu.

"Today I wish he wasn't a superstar. Prejudice," tweeted Pulkit Samrat, who acted in Fukrey.

Sushmita Sen tweeted: "Prayers n strength 4 my friend @BeingSalmanKhan n his family. Harsh sentencing doesn't mean justice. Must appeal. Deeply saddened."

Supreme Court lawyer Ravi Kant said that the tweets were not just "disgusting" but also amounted to "contempt of court."

"If someone casts aspersions on the orders of the court, it amounts to contempt of court," he said, adding that if anyone has any problems with the judgment, they should "approach the high court".

"The conviction has come as a rude shock, so the outrage. It is disgusting and reflects the mindset of the people living on the other side of poverty-stricken India," said Kant.

Actor Kamaal R. Khan suggested that Salman leave India forever - "like M.F. Hussain Sahab instead to spend many years of his life in jails".

"These kinds of comments are unacceptable in any civilised society. There should be some respect for the rule of law. These people should be prosecuted This shows the divides that exists in our society. How the rich expect to get away with crime. This is the real India, where the rich can do and say anything they want and go scot-free," said rights activist Suhas Chakma of the Asian Centre for Human Rights.

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Why Medical Workers are taking personal loans to keep Mizoram’s Healthcare System running

via Scroll on May 5, 2015

Delays in funding have brought the state’s healthcare to the brink of complete breakdown. The situation is only going to worsen unless the government finds a quick solution.

One late evening in April, a senior official with the Mizoram health administration sat in his office in Aizawl, frustrated and angry. It was dark outside. Most of his staff had left for the day. “If they delay it by two months it is okay, if they delay it by three months we may manage, but it is four months now,” said the official, with discernible worry.

The Mizoram Health Society, which decides how healthcare funds get used in the state, was to get Rs 25 crore from the treasury last November. That was the third and final instalment for the year 2014. Even today, the society is waiting for the funds transfer.

While the official watches helplessly, all around him the healthcare system is collapsing.

Funds are needed for running hospitals and clinics, for programmes fighting malaria, tuberculosis and disease control, for immunisation, family planning, childbirth and care of new mothers. The delay is disrupting them all. “It’s not that our funds don’t come,” the health official said. “They eventually do. But the problem is the mismatch between the routing of funding and the needs of the schemes.” To tide over these shortages, he added, “We are telling staff to take loans to keep the work going. That we will reimburse them when the money comes.”

In the meantime, the department is cutting back on essential services.

About 200 kilometres from Aizawl, in Champhai district, a white-coloured caravan makes its way down rutted and broken roads. At the head of the Champhai health administration’s mobile medical unit is a minibus with doctors and nurses. Behind them follow two more minibuses, one carrying an X-ray machine and the other bearing a laboratory.

Till last year, the mobile medical unit used to range across this district in eastern Mizoram, spending as long as a week in every village. With money drying up, things have changed.

Its trips are more sporadic now. Zalawma, a former serviceman who now drives the minibus with the X-ray machine, says the unit now covers shorter distances of 50-80 kilometres and then heads back, leaving behind the rest of the 230 km long, 90 km wide district. There is no way it can cover all the 83 villages in this remote and sparsely-populated part of India. Last year, the mobile medical unit did not function at all for two or three months.

Zalawma says he has not been paid his salary since last August. The only reason he manages despite this is because of his Rs 11,000 pension. Those without pension, he says, are having a hard time. “They are borrowing from everywhere.”

Former serviceman Zalawma stands before the mobile medical unit minibuses in Champhai. 

Grimmer than the medical workers’ situation is the state of the populace. Most people here subsist on livestock and farming, neither of which yields much cash income. But since the medical units are not coming to them, they are being forced to pay to travel to the units or to Champhai for health check-ups.

“The mobile medical units used to reach people who were far away from the primary health centres,” said Dr Lalnuntluangi, Champhai’s medical superintendent. “There are some people who cannot travel. Normal people can always come. But people with HIV, if they do not have the money, they may not be able to come.”

It has been four or five months since the district administration received funds from the state health department, says Lalnuntluangi. This delay has put the local administration in the impossible position of choosing between running local medical infrastructure like the hospital and primary health centres, programmes such as immunisation, and keeping the mobile medical units on the road. In Champhai, it has picked immunisation.

The mobile units travel only when funds arrive. “We need money to buy medicines for the free clinics, dearness allowance for the staff, and fuel for the vehicles,” said Lalnuntluangi. “We stop work and start again when the money comes. We cannot go when there is no money.”

Even then, there are complications. The unit’s doctor has left and there is no replacement. The mobile unit runs by borrowing doctors from the civil hospital which, in turn, affects the hospital. This, says Lalnuntluangi, is another reason why the unit is making shorter trips than before.

Children in Zochachhuiah village in Lawngtlai. Faced with insufficient funds, the state health society is prioritising immunisation over everything else.

Similar choices are faced by the Mizoram health society at Aizawl. Across the state, while the immunisation programme is being protected, other services are witnessing cutbacks. Medical staff, for instance, has not been paid since January, and there is a shortage of medicines for drug-resistant tuberculosis.

The Janani Suraksha Yojana, a scheme to reduce neo-natal and maternal deaths, has suffered the most. “The Ashas [accredited social health activists] are not getting any payment,” said the senior official in the Aizawl office. “The hospitals have not been paying the mothers either.”

How did things reach such a pass?

According to the official, the problem started with a change during the final months of the United Progressive Alliance government in how funds flow to Mizoram’s health society. “Under the old system, the money came to the Health Society directly from the Union Ministry of Health,” he explained. “But now, the Central ministry sends money to the state treasury, which then releases it to the society.”

The trouble is that “the money gets stuck in the treasury”. said the senior official on condition of anonymity. "It is not releasing the money on time."

To understand why the treasury is holding up funds for healthcare, it is important to look at the state’s economy first. Like other states in the North East, it depends on the Centre for most of its funds. Revenues generated within Mizoram are a tenth of what the Centre gives it each year.

Between state revenues and its share of Central taxes, Mizoram gets Rs 1,580 crore to spend any way it likes. The rest comes with preset uses. However, in the recent past, the state’s expenses have exceeded Rs 1,580 crore.

In 2010, Mizoram accepted the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations and increased the salaries of state government employees. Between that and subsidies on power, food and water alone, the state is spending close to Rs 2,000 crore each year.

This has created a cash flow problem for the state government. It has high monthly expenses but unpredictable monthly income – it doesn’t know when the Centre’s allocations will come.

Unable to balance expenses and inflows, it periodically runs out of money. At times like these, it either has the choice of borrowing from banks or, like the hapless official in the Health Society, of redirecting funds towards expedient or urgent needs. It chooses the latter, rerouting Central allocations towards meeting its monthly expenditure like government salaries.

When the Centre decided to send healthcare funding to the state treasury instead of to the state Health Society, this swamp of expediency engulfed that money too.

In Mizoram, delays in allocations have become the rule, not an exception. As previous stories in this series of Scroll.in have described, funding delays are threatening the AIDS programme, forest guards in the Dampa Tiger Reserve have not received salaries for six months. In March, students went on strike protesting about delays in their scholarships. Teachers in middle schools, recruited under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, are facing similar delays with their salaries.

This pattern extends beyond welfare programmes. Take the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, a programme for building roads linking villages to larger thoroughfares. According to an official in the state Public Works Department, it was to get Rs 54 crore in September. However, till now, it has received only a part this money, in four instalments spread over January, February and March. The balance of Rs 19 crore is still with the finance department.

Funding delays are not limited to just the health programme. T Lalramliama, a school teacher and a graduate from the Pune University, is now driving an autorickshaw to support his family.

Not all of this can be blamed on the Centre. The state administration runs a loose ship. It is overstaffed. It runs large welfare programmes like the New Land Use Policy, which was meant to create alternative livelihoods for jhum farmers but is mainly used by the ruling Congress government to dispense political patronage. Furthermore, these delays are not unique to Mizoram. “Every state in the North East is facing this problem,” said the health official. “Money is being pooled in the finance department.”

Still, what is worrying is that things are going to get much worse.

An overhaul of central funding to states is underway. Acting on the 14th Finance Commission’s recommendations, the Centre will from now on give states a larger share of central tax revenues – from 32% to 42% – while cutting back on the programmes it funds in states.

This includes both states’ development schemes and recurring expenditure (like salaries) for some centrally-funded programmes.

Abhijit Sen, a former member of the erstwhile Planning Commission, says the 14th Finance Commission’s recommendations will hurt states like Mizoram. They will “lose more than the additional tax devolution they get. They will find a large source of money is no longer there”.

Till now, officials in the Mizoram finance department do not know precisely what the new allocation will be. An official in the state’s planning department said, “Till now, after discussions with the Planning Commission, the size of the state budget used to be fixed in January and the allocations would come in March.”

This year, however, that process has not taken place – partly due to the decision to scrap the Planning Commission. “So far there is no allocation from the central government,” said the planning department official. “There is no indication either about the allocation. The 14th Finance Commission has released some numbers. But we do not know how much we are getting.”

If the allocation does fall, can the state make up that deficit? In recent months, the state government has increased the cost of food in its ration shops. It has repealed prohibition even at the cost of displeasing the Church in a state where 85% of the population is Christian. The state government’s fiscal policy statement for 2014-’15 says it expects to earn Rs 30 crore-Rs 40 crore more annually as excise from alcohol. But that is nowhere enough.

One way out of this mess could be provided by new planned roads that seek to connect Mizoram to the rest of the world. The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Programme, for instance, will link Mizoram to Sittwe, a port in Burma, but it is running late on the Burma side.

For the people of Mizoram to get better healthcare, the state government will have to think of something else and fast.

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Mizoram Forms Committee to Monitor Projects

via Telegraph on May 5, 2015

Aizawl: The Mizoram government has formed a high-level monitoring and surveillance committee to ensure timely completion of centrally sponsored development projects. 

The committee, headed by chief minister Lal Thanhawla, will monitor the progress of development projects, worth Rs 50 crore and above, and chalk out strategies to resolve hindrances, if any, in the implementation of the schemes in the state. It will also prepare a risk assessment report and develop plans for financial management.

Lal Thanhawla said most projects and schemes in Mizoram were centrally sponsored. "At present, a number of development projects are being implemented as part of the non-lapsable central pool of resources under DoNER ministry," he added.

There is no state government project at this moment in Mizoram, barring the New Land Use Policy, which aims to develop and give all farmers suitable, permanent and stable trade in the state.

The chief minister said there was a need for active monitoring and surveillance for expeditious completion of development projects and schemes as many a project had faced obstacles for want of proper planning. Hence the panel was formed.

He said the department of urban development and poverty alleviation was implementing Rs 137-crore project for Swachh Bharat Mission, PWD Rs 1,328.40 crore and the power and electricity department was looking after a project of Rs 297.90 crore. He added that Rs 1,526.14 crore had been sanctioned for New Land Use Policy (NLUP) in Mizoram.

Lal Thanhawla said the urban development and poverty alleviation department had carried out surveillance work for below Rs 50 crore projects in the state. But earlier there was no committee to look after the big projects.

The formation of the newly formed monitoring and surveillance committee was a part of the state government's approach to developing comprehensive growth strategies.

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PM Narendra Modi lead nation in prayers on Buddha Purnima

via Zee News on May 4, 2015

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday led the nation in prayers and solidarity with the people of India and Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.

Speaking on the occasion of International Buddha Purnima Diwas 2015, the PM said the messages of Buddha are relevant even today.

Sharing the "pain" of quake-devastated Nepal, Modi hoped that the "beloved brother" bounces back quickly from its current crisis even as he observed that the task of recovery was long and arduous.

"We should share the pain and wipe the tears of people of Nepal," Modi said while referring to the devastation caused in the birthplace of Lord Buddha on the occasion of his birth anniversary.

He was addressing a gathering here on 'Buddha Purnima' where one-minute silence was observed in memory of those killed in the massive earthquake in Nepal and India.

"The birthplace of Lord Buddha, our beloved brother Nepal is going through a massive crisis. People of Nepal have to bear this difficult situation. It is difficult to imagine how long and arduous this journey will be. We share the pain of the people of Nepal. Let us pray to Lord Buddha that they get new strength," he said.

Invoking Lord Buddha, he said his teaching of compassion inspires one to rebuild lives.

India has deployed massive resources, including military forces, for rescue and relief operations in Nepal.

Address the gathering attended by ambassadors, MPs, scholars and Buddhist monks from across the globe, Modi also said the world is going through "turmoil" and added the teachings of Lord Buddha can show the way out.

"Violence is at its peak. Major part of the world is soaked in blood....People are baying for each other's blood. In this situation of bloodshed, where will the message of compassion come from? The only resort is Lord Buddha and his teachings," the Prime Minister said.

He cited how Buddha, who was born as a prince, renounced the wordly things like power and wealth to seek salvation through spiritualism 2500 years back.

"Some people think power and prosperity are good enough to solve all problems.... But Lord Buddha renounced all these to seek greater powers through love and compassion for welfare of humanity. This thought is not small. He must have been having big conviction and courage to renounce all these," Modi said. 

Modi said Lord Buddha had always championed the cause of dalits, oppressed and deprived classes of the society besides empowerment of women.

He did not believe in "ekla chalo" (march alone) but always laid emphasis on bringing people together, which has inspired dalit icon Baba Ambedkar.

"Lord Buddha wanted evolution in the society... The issues being discussed presently were taken up by Lord Buddha 2500 years ago. His teachings are relevant in this age also," the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the talk that 21st century belongs to Asia, he said this cannot happen without Buddha and application of his teachings.

"Buddha's words had immense power and that is why the world accepted him," he underlined.

Taking a dig at his critics, Modi said he, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, had placed a statue each of Lord Buddha at the entrance of the state Secretariat and his official residence but "apparently their (critics') attention has not gone to that aspect. Otherwise, they would have flogged me."

He said he proposes to build an impressive Buddha temple in his ancestral place Vadnagar in Gujarat where materials related to the founder of Buddhism had been found.

Earlier this morning, the PM took to microblogging website Twitter to extend his greetings on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.

बुद्ध पूर्णिमा के अवसर पर देशवासियों को हार्दिक शुभकामनायें।भगवान बुद्ध के सत्य, अहिंसा और शांति के संदेश हमे सदैव प्रेरित करते रहेंगे। he twitted.

Only twice since Independence has Buddha Purnima been officially commemmorated, in 1956 and 2007.

Buddha Purnima or 'Vesak' is recognised as the thrice sacred day that marks the birth, enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha. While Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal, he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya in Bihar, preached first in Sarnath and attained Nirvana in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, it said.

Thousands of people died in Nepal last week in the devastating earthquake on April 25. The quake affected various states of India too, killing many.

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