Passport Seva Kendra inaugurated in Itanagar
Itanagar: India’s chief passport officer-cum-external affairs ministry’s joint secretary Mukesh Kumar Pardeshi along with regional passport officer (RPO) Bibhuti Bhushan Kumar on Monday inaugurated a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) here. This PSK brings the NE region under the country’s passport radar, Pardeshi said urging the Arunachalees to obtain passport. People are travelling to different parts of India and abroad for work for whom passport would prove to be a genuine identity, he said. The service would be normalized very soon with the deputy passport officer Lobsang Tsering being a local, whom he asked to create awareness about passports in engineering colleges and university. He lauded the state government, particularly former chief minister Nabam Tuki, Chief secretary Ramesh Negi, nodal officer Joram Beda for cooperation to set up the PSK. The RPO termed it as a great achievement that fulfilled the long felt need of the people of Arunachal Pradesh with posting of three data entry operators and an engineer to discharge the duties in a transparent manner While 1 crore Indians obtained passports in 2014, 1.2 crore in 2015, it would be raised to 1.35 to 1.4 crore target this year, Pardeshi said. (PTI)
Assam CM urges Parrikar to set up defence production unit
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday urged Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to set up a major defence production unit in the state. “The setting up of a defence production unit in Assam would not only enable the people of the state to get a share of employment opportunities like other parts of the country but also strengthen the growing emotional bond of the local people with the armed forces,” Gogoi said in a letter to the defence minister. He said that in spite of a sizeable deployment of armed forces in Assam, there was no major defence production unit in the state for development and production of arms, ammunition and defence equipment. “It is felt that a major defence production unit should be set up in our state so that Assam is not left out of the purview of the ‘Make in India’ policy as well as the policies for defence procurement and production which are aimed at establishing a vibrant domestic defence manufacturing sector,”Gogoi said. He said the state government would provide all necessary support on priority, including land for the purpose. (PTI)
Election official asked not to hear claims of Bru voters
Aizawl: Mizoram’s NGO Coordination Committee and representatives of all major political parties on Monday urged the state chief electoral officer not to conduct hearing on claims and objections of Bru voters in the six Tripura relief camps till the repatriation process is completed. In a meeting convened by Manisha Saxena, the NGO Coordination Committee leaders said they would not allow conduct of special summary revision of voters’ lists in the relief camps as they are situated outside the state. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India instructed the state election department not to release final publication of the voters’ list unless the hearing on Bru voters in the relief camps were conducted. The state election department notified the final publication of voters’ lists only in 31 assembly constituencies and was compelled to withhold the final publication of nine assembly constituencies covering three districts till April 30, as directed by the ECI. The final publication of voters’ list was withheld in all the three assembly constituencies of Mamit, all the three constituencies of Kolasib and three of seven constituencies in Lunglei district. The NGOs and political parties in the state have been insisting that Brus lodged in the Tripura relief camps should return and those who refused to be repatriated should be disfranchised in Mizoram electoral rolls and should be allowed to settle down in Tripura. (PTI)
PLA claims responsibility for Ukhrul blasts
Imphal: The People]s Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday claimed responsibility for the blast at Ukhrul district on Monday. Bangkim, chief department of publicity of PLA said in a statement that on February 14 around 1730 hrs a blast occurred at Hundung Junction, Ukhrul district, in which a vehicle of 41 Assam Rifles sustained damage. It was carried out by a team of special warfare.The attack was carried out to protest for carrying out anti people activities, it was stated. Chief of Army staff of the war office has complemented the team, the statement added. (UNI)
