Northeast Platform

IMPHAL, Mar 17: The state budget estimate of Rs. 4550 crore for the year 2009-10 was tabled before the Manipur State Assembly by the finance minister in charge, chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today.However, the chief minister qualified his statement saying that the provisions under plan are tentative as the plan outlay for the state for 2009-10 has not yet been finalised as the final round of discussions with the deputy chairman, Planning Commission, are pending on account of the announcement of the elections.Under the circumstance, the estimate would have to be revised through supplementary demands when the outlay is finalised, he said.The chief minister said of the total of Rs 4550 crore total estimated expenditure, Rs. 1733 crores would be under plan, Rs. 2592.79 crores under non-plan and Rs 224.21 crores under Centrally sponsored schemes, Central plan schemes and NEC schemes.“As these estimates will be subject to the finalisation of the Central Budget for Non-Plan, Plan and CSS...

IMPHAL, March 17: The 4-lawyer “fact finding team on the working of the ceasefire in Naga areas” in its 10-page executive summary of its findings, concludes on page-3, perhaps a little hastily, that a particular official document clearly states the Shirui camp of the NSCN(IM) was officially approved, backing up this conclusion with the following line from a letter which says the “new location of the NSCN(IM) camp stands approved.” The above parenthesised line quoted by the report is from a letter (No. CFMG/IM/2007-1566 dated February 6, 2007) but the entirety of sentence which gives it a rather different hue is omitted. A photocopy of the letter is attached as Annexure-A in the executive summary. The letter does have a line (or part of a line) which says the “new location of the NSCN(IM) camp stands approved,” but this does not at all appear to be an official order or notification. On the other hand, this seems to be what the former Ceasefire Monitoring Group chairman, Lt. Gen. R.V. K...