Manipur CM Hopeful Of Early Solution To Ethnic Crisis In State

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Before departing for the national capital on Thursday, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh expressed optimism about finding a solution to the ongoing ethnic unrest in the state.

Imphal, July 25: Before departing for the national capital on Thursday, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh expressed optimism about finding a solution to the ongoing ethnic unrest in the state.

The Chief Minister sounded confident that his meetings with the Central leaders in Delhi would provide an opportunity to find an early solution to the ethnic turmoil.

“Some positive developments would surely come out soon. I would brief the Prime Minister and other Central leaders about the prevailing situation in the state,” he told the media.

In Delhi, Singh is scheduled to attend the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting and a Chief Ministers’ Conclave on Saturday, both to be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He is also hopeful for a one-on-one meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the state's issues and find a tangible solution to restore normalcy.

Since May 3 last year, Manipur has been hit by unprecedented ethnic violence between the Chin-Kuki-Zos and the Meiteis, claiming the lives of at least 220 people, and displacing over 60,000 people from both communities.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, have criticised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not allocating any special financial assistance to Manipur in the Union Budget.

Commenting on the matter, Singh accused the opposition of doing 'petty politics'.

The Chief Minister also claimed that the Centre has provided sufficient grants to address the resource crunch caused by the ongoing unrest and natural disasters, as he emphasised the need to avoid petty politics at this critical time.

Commenting on the recent violence in Jiribam district, the Chief Minister said the incident was not related to ethnic violence.

The Chief Minister said it was a stray incident caused by elements exploiting the ethnic tension for their own agenda, as he assured that the police are investigating the case and are expected to make arrests soon.

On the budget session of the Assembly starting July 31, Singh said efforts are being made to ensure the participation of the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, including two ministers, who abstained from House proceedings since the violence broke out more than 14 months ago.

These tribal MLAs along with several tribal organisations have been demanding a division of Manipur on ethnic lines in the form of a separate administration or a Union Territory for the Kuki-Zo tribal communities.

"I’ve also personally invited them. The House is also inviting them. They should come and attend the session. We would facilitate their presence in the House if they seek my assistance and cooperation,” the Chief Minister said.

--IANS

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Odisha Celebrates ‘Nuakhai’ With Traditional Pomp And Gaiety

by Hemanta Pande

Bhubaneswar, Sep 8: People of Odisha, mostly western and some southern parts of the State, are celebrating 'Nauakhai' festival, an agricultural festival that marks the beginning of new rice season, today with traditional pomp and gaiety.

The festival is observed on Panchami tithi (the fifth day) in the lunar fortnight of Bhadrapada or Bhaadra (August-September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

This year, the Nuakhai festival celebrations began with 'Nabanna' or new crop offering to Goddess Samaleswari in Sambalpur between 9 AM and 9.27 AM and 9.35 AM to 10 AM in Balangir district.

Nua means New and Khai means food so the newly harvested food is offered to the village Goddess by the people of Western Odisha.

After offering Nabanna to the Goddess, the food is distributed among people and they consume it together. After completing all the rituals, people prepare delicious food and celebrate this festival with great pomp and show.

On the day, each and every member of the family wear new dress and they greet each other, show affection and take blessings from the elderly members of the family. This ritual is popularly known as 'Nuakhai Juhar'.

People staying outside visit their houses during the festival. An ambience of religious fervour is marked everywhere in western Odisha during the festival.

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP, Dharmendra Pradhan and other dignitaries extended greetings to the people of Western Odisha and wished Nuakhai – the unique festival of love, devotion and harmony to bring happiness, peace and prosperity to all.

Marking the occasion, CM Majhi will launch the CM Kisan Yojana from Sambalpur today.

The landless farmers who were not covered under PM Kisan Yojana will get the benefit of CM Kisan scheme. Around Rs 4,000 will be given to farmers as assistance in two phases. In the first phase, i.e., on Nuakhai, the farmers will get Rs 2000, and on Akshaya Tritiya, they will receive the remaining half, officials said.

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Lucknow Building Collapse: Death Toll Climbs To 8, 3 More Bodies

by Hemanta Pande

Lucknow, Sep 8: The death toll in the building collapse here climbed to eight, with rescuers pulling out three more bodies from the debris, officials said on Sunday.

Twenty-eight people were injured when the three-storey building housing godowns and a motor workshop collapsed in the Transport Nagar area here on Saturday evening.

Police said the building was constructed around four years ago and some construction work was underway at the time of the incident. Most of the victims were working on the ground floor when the incident occurred at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday.

The operation is still underway.

A senior district administration official said they are now focusing on ensuring that no one else is trapped under the rubble.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered the bodies of three people, who were identified as Raj Kishore (27), Rudra Yadav (24) and Jagrup Singh (35), during the rescue operation, Relief Commissioner G.S. Naveen said on Sunday.

The injured have been admitted to various hospitals, including Lok Bandhu Hospital, in the district.

According to the officials, the building had a motor workshop and warehouse on the ground floor, a medical godown on the first floor and a cutlery warehouse on the second floor.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed district officials to accelerate relief efforts and ensure that those injured in the incident are immediately taken to the hospital and given appropriate medical care.

"Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the building collapse incident in Transport Nagar, Lucknow,” the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's Office (CMO) wrote on X on Saturday.

"The Chief Minister has directed the district administration officials, SDRF, and NDRF teams to reach the site and expedite the relief work, ensuring that the injured are immediately taken to the hospital for proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Defence Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow, Rajnath Singh, has expressed his sorrow over the deaths.

Taking to X, Rajnath Singh on Saturday said, "The news of the collapse of a building in Lucknow is extremely painful. I have spoken to the District Magistrate of Lucknow over the phone and got information about the situation at the spot. The local administration is carrying out relief and rescue operations on the spot and is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way." (IANS)

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Manipur CM Hopeful Of Early Solution To Ethnic Crisis In State

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