Northeast Platform

NEW DELHI, Aug 19: Commonwealth champion Judoka Khumukcham Tombi (48 kg) who represented India along with Diviya at the Beijing Olympics 2008 has been selected for Arjuna Awards for the year 2007. She was among 11 sportspersons selected for the awards.The government of India today announced the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Awards for the year 2007, Dhyan Chand Awards for the year 2008 and Dronacharya Awards for the year 2007 based on the recommendations of the selection committees constituted for the purpose. Milkha Singh was the chairman of the Selection Committee for selection of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2007), Arjuna Awards (2007) and Dhyan Chand Awards (2008). Kh Tombi from Manipur, presently working with the CRPF, won the gold medal in the Commonwealth judo championship in January this year. She also bagged the bronze in the Asian Judo Championships held in Kuwait last year.26-year old Tombi is the daughter of Kh Munal of Mayang Imphal.Arjuna Awards are given...

IMPHAL, Aug 19: The accumulated losses to the economy of the state due to bandhs and economic blockades during the period from 2004-05 to 2006-07 (i.e. three years) was estimated at Rs. 1319.96 crores, the state directorate of information and public relations stated today in a report.The economic loss due to bandhs and economic blockades on the national highways during the year 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 was Rs. 246 crores, Rs. 553.23 crores and Rs. 520.73 crores respectively while the loss in the per capita per day was Rs. 22, Rs. 24 and Rs. 27 respectively. Thus the accumulated economic loss during the last three years has been estimated at Rs. 1319.96 crores, it said.Reduction of per capita income due to bandhs and blockades was 6.10 percent in 2004-05, 11.79 percent in 2005-06 and 9.93 percent in 2006-07 upto January this year, according to data available with the state department of economics and statistics.An analysis of the Manipur government said that the number of bandhs and...

IMPHAL, Aug 20: Life in the state remained paralysed for the second consecutive day today as another 12-hour nationwide general strike called by the Sponsoring Committee of Trade Unions kept people off work after the 24-hour statewide strike yesterday.The Sponsoring Committee of Trade Unions, Manipur while claiming that 65 different organizations supported the general strike, said that it was carried out successfully and peacefully in the state. They also thanked the people for their cooperation.Normal life was severely affected yesterday owing to the 24-hour general strike called by the coordination committee against the exclusion of L Monika from the Beijing Olympics. The strike concluded at 5 am today. However, another 12-hour general strike commenced from 5 am today.The 12-hour general strike of the Sponsoring Committee of Trade Unions concluded at 5 pm this evening peacefully. No violent or untoward incidents were reported during the strike hours.Even though the strike was support...

IMPHAL, Aug 2: Womenfolk and students have still not overcome the shock of child abductions in the state even after the proscribed PREPAK outfit clarified that they would stop recruitment of children as child soldiers and the Manipur government stepped up security measures to check kidnapping of children. "We want to know who are the real culprits in the current trend of kidnapping attempts that are being reported every day," said a woman participating in a sit-in protest staged at Khurai Lamlong bazar in Imphal east today. "We have been kept in a confusing situation and fear still exists in our minds as the reports of attempts to kidnap and escape of children from abductors are still coming frequently," she said. The woman while recounting the incident of July 31 in which two boys from a school at Khurai Heikrumakhong were reportedly taken away by some miscreants before being released later after police and locals conducted a massive manhunt for them in Heingang hi...

IMPHAL, Aug 1: Police today said that it has rescued a driver of a truck kidnapped by KRA(U) with the nabbing of three of its cadres including its self styled finance secretary and a woman cadre.On the other hand, two cadres of different militant outfits were detained under the Naitonal Security Act, NSA by an order of the state home department, an official source said Friday.SP, Thoubal police in a statement today said that a team of police commandos rescued a non-local driver hailing from Kohima, Nagaland who was kidnapped by KRA(U) cadres from Kakching in Thoubal district. The driver named Manoj Suraj, son of Man Bahadur hailing from Kohima was kidnapped from Kangpokpi by the cadres of the outfit and was rescued in a follow up action of the commando team who nabbed the cadres of the outfit yesterday from Namdulong, Stadium road, Imphal.Two cadres of KRA(U) including a woman were nabbed by a team of Thoubal district police commandos during a frisking and checking operation from Namdu...

IMPHAL, Jul 31: An international seminar-cum-workshop on the "Spiritual and physical dimension of Manipur martial arts" is to be held at the Manipur University campus in Imphal from August 9 to 12.The four-day event is an attempt to put together at one place the overwhelming complexity of the entire martial arts tradition of the ethnic communities of Manipur and the venture has never been attempted before, according to the organisers.The necessity to bring the various hills and plains traditions of martial arts together at one go is compelled by the need to draw the attention of the academics, the university intellectuals and the general public about the ascent of the cultural practice of Manipur martial arts in the international arena, the organisers said adding that it was the desire of the students from the international community to learn and practice this art.The organisers further mentioned that though attracting unprecedented attention the exhibitory character of its p...

IMPHAL, Jul 31: In yet another episode of child kidnapping a major operation was launched after a complaint was made by school authorities over the disappearance of two students this afternoon to the Imphal east police. The operation was conducted in Heingangching area by the Imphal east police.The matter came to light following complaints from the authorities of Jatra English School Khurai Heikrumakhong under Porompat police station in Imphal east district. The school authorities said they found two students identified as Leimaram Rudrajit Singh, 13, son of L Birbabu Singh of Khurai Heikrumakhong and Akash Sai, 13, son of the school chowkidar identified as Johny Sai, residing at the school campus, missing from the school during school hours this afternoon around 2.30 pm after both went out through the half broken wall of the school and accompanied some unidentified persons who came in a Maruti van.In the meantime, the school authorities on being suspicious over the disappearance of bo...