Adult rhino gunned down in Assam
Morigaon:An adult male rhino was gunned down and its horn taken away by poachers in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday, taking the toll of rhinos killed by poachers here this year to two, a forest official said. A group of three poachers shot dead the rhino in wee hours near Hahsora forest camp before taking away the horn, the official said. Hearing gunshots, the Forest Vigilance Squad searched the area and found the carcass of the pachyderm, he said. A massive dragnet has been spread with the help of police to trap the poachers, the official added. Another adult rhino was killed and its horn taken away earlier this year at the sanctuary. The 38 sq km Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the western part of the district and adjacent to Guwahati, harbours the densest population of Great Indian One-horned rhinoceros in the world with over 90 rhinos in its only 16 sq km effective rhino habitat. The sanctuary had reopened for tourists on November 2 after a routine closure of four months during the monsoons. Pobitora has leopards, wild boar, barking deer, wild buffalo, etc, and is also home to more than 2000 migratory birds and various reptiles, the official said. (PTI)
Week-long Bal Swachhta Mission launches in Nagaland
Kohima:With the rest of the country, Nagaland Department of Health & Family Welfare is observing ‘Bal Swachhta Mission’ which is being launched nationwide from Friday. Official sources said the Health and Family Welfare Department is observing the six day campaign from November 14 to 19 by conducting free comprehensive health check-ups of school students and hand washing demonstration in various government and government aided schools in all the 11 districts.During the campaign, all the district mobile health teams under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) or School Health Programme of the National Health Mission (NHM) will be visiting schools under their respective districts to carry out the activities.At present, the Department has 22 mobile health teams for schools, two teams per district, consisting of one medical officer and one nurse for each health team. (UNI)
Crime against women increasing in Arunachal: Police
Itanagar:The crimes against women have increased in Arunachal Pradesh, although the overall crime rate is on decline in the state, officials said here on Saturday. The information was given to the state Home Minister Tanga Byaling by senior police officials at a meeting here last evening, they said.The crimes against women, which were on rise in comparison with the overall declining rate of crime, were in the nature of abduction, molestation and domestic violence, police officials had told the minister.The minister directed police to register such cases promptly, provide security to the victims and take all steps to grant speedy justice, they said. Byaling also directed the police to effectively coordinate with the army and paramilitary forces deployed in disturbed Changlang, Tirap and Longding districts to tackle insurgency. (PTI)
Media council for print and electronic demanded
Guwahati: Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA), raised voice for a powerful media council in India comprising both the print and electronic media. The empowered media council, in the line of Press Council of India (PCI) which emerged on November 16 of 1966, should work as a moral watchdog to ensure the press/media freedom as well as quality journalism in the country, said a statement issued by the JFA to be celebrated on Sunday. The National Press Day symbolizes a free and responsible press in India. On this day, the Indian Press Council started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that not only did the press maintain the high standards expected from this powerful medium but also that it was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors.’India today supports over 800 satellite channels, half of those are news based, with thousands of FM and alternate media outlets. As the PCI has no authority over the electronic media, we would like to urge the Union government for empowering the council and renaming it as Media Council of India,’ added the statement signed by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria.(UNI)
1 killed in mishap
Imphal:One person died in a road accident at Nung Dalal area under Nungba police station in Tamenglong district this morning, official sources said.A passenger vehicle was coming from Jiribam to Imphal on the National Highway No 37. (PTI)