10 deacons of Catholic Archdiocese to be ordained today
SHILLONG: Ten deacons of the Shillong Archdiocese of the Catholic Church will be ordained by Archbishop Dominic Jala at an open air religious function at the Cathedral Church of Mary Help of Christians grounds on Saturday. Sources say the 10 priests form the largest number to be ordained in a single ordination ceremony in recent times. The last sacerdotal or priestly ordination, where there was more than one priest, was the one held at the same venue last year when four deacons were ordained priests by the Archbishop. The 10 deacons to be ordained priests belong to different religious orders of the Catholic Church.
Military equipment and band display
SHILLONG: On the occasion of Army day and Republic day, a military equipment display was organised on Friday at Shillong to enhance public awareness about the Indian Army, it’s equipment and job opportunities in the elite armed forces. With the designated theme of ‘Know Your Army’, small arms, nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) equipment, archery equipment, disaster management machinery and stalls displaying the achievements and benefits of national cadet corps (NCC) were available for viewing by the public along with multiple avenues available to join the Indian Army. The event not only showcased weapons and equipment but also included a display by the military band. Meanwhile, five cadets from NCC Dte, NE Region, Shillong won various awards at the Inter Directorate Equestrian Competition at RDC 2019 at New Delhi. Cadet Abdullah Ashraf won the Best Show Jumper Trophy along with one gold medal in dressage and one bronze in hacks event while SUO Prakash Nehra won one silver medal in tent pegging and two high commendable medals in each dressage and tent pegging events, where the riders from NER Dte competed with the riders of 17 other directorates from all over India.
Leader sees women’s wing as sign of UDP’s growing strength
MAWKYRWAT: The president of UDP Mawkyrwat cirle and candidate for the upcoming MDC election, Anvil Lyngdoh, on Friday said the party is getting stronger by the day and the formation of the women’s wing is testimony to that. More than 200 women supporters of the UDP Mawkyrwat circle had gathered at a recent meeting in the district headquarters, Lyngdoh informed. “The meeting also formed the zonal in charge of eight zones in which they will tour the length and breadth of the constituency to form primary and sub-units at the village level,” Lyngdoh said, adding that all the leaders of the UDP Mawkyrwat Circle women wing will be involve. Praising the women members of the party, the council poll candidate said the party’s organisation has to be complete by this month to ensure the party’s win.
Bakdil PHCs honoured with ‘Best PHC’ awards
TURA: Five PHCs run by the Bakdil, an NGO in Garo Hills are among those which have been given awards for providing quality healthcare to the people of their respective areas. The PHCs which were earlier run by the government were later handed over to Bakdil for maintenance about a decade ago. Salmanpara PHC in South West Garo Hills, Babadam PHC in West Garo Hills, Siju PHC in South Garo Hills and Wageasi and Gabil PHCs in North Garo Hills each were awarded the ‘Best Primary Health Centre’ title along with cash prizes of Rs 200,000 each. “From being the worst to best in 10 years, it has been years of struggle and hard work in the wake of constant tension but it was worth the struggle. 15,000 people are alive in Garo Hills thanks to these PHCs,” Fr Sunny Mavelil, the Director of Bakdil said while informing of the achievement.
Training for marginal, landless farmers begins in Ri Bhoi
NONGPOH: The Ri Bhoi district administration has started a two-month training programme for marginal farmers and landless households with an aim to improve their living standard by introducing simple methods with minimal investment. The training in integrated farming and rural occupation in Khasi-Jaintia region was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner RM Kurbah at Umran on Friday. Seventy trainees have been chosen from six Khasi-Jaintia Hills districts for training in piggery, IMO medication castration, management in livestock, vermicomposing and other organic composts, bio pesticides and their application in agriculture, vaccination, brooding, feeding and sustainable poultry (local breeds), among other things. They will also be trained in social programmes like Swachh Bharat. Kurbah praised St Joseph’s Agricultural Training Centre for the training. The government is encouraging youths to undertake such training which would enable them to build up their capacity with adequate knowledge of the technology required in the field of farming. The training is held under the project Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya —Package 22, organised by the training centre in collaboration with Meghalaya State Skill Development Society in Shillong. It is funded by the Asian Development Bank.