Development

NEW DELHI, Nov 2 ? The Centre has agreed to constitute an experts committee to review the contentious Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in a fresh measure to defuse the crisis in Manipur.

The decision to constitute the experts committee comprising representatives from various fields and organisations including the agitators was taken at an hour-long meeting between the Apunba Lup and the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, here this evening.

The Union Home Minister picked the thread from where the Prime Minister left off yesterday by agreeing to replace the AFSPA with a more humane Act...

IMPHAL, Nov 1 ? Claiming responsibility over the custodial death of a Kuki couple, the powerful Kuki insurgent outfit, Kuki National Front, has warned that any individual working against the outfit would not be spared but would meet the capital punishment.

While the law enforcing agency personnel and police are trying to find out clues leading to the death of the couple, the KNF in a statement clarified that Thangin Kipgen, 55 and his wife Lhingneikim Kipgen, 45, residing at the Military Colony under the Kangpokpi police station were killed after abduction from their residence.

They were...

GUWAHATI, Nov 1?A Regional Consultation on Identification of Research Areas on Women, organised by the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development, New Delhi, got under way today at its regional centre, Guwahati.

The Regional Consultation is being organised with the objectives of identifying gaps in researches on women?s issues in the region, determining priority areas of research, examining methodological issues and to draw a plan for networking amongst research institutions and developing a plan of action for carrying out researches on women of the region. About 40...

NEW DELHI, Nov 1? The spate of bomb blasts in the North East and rising activities of the ISI in the region, besides unabated infiltration from Bangladesh, would be the focus of attention when the country?s top cops meet for the 39th Conference of Directors General of Police and Inspectors General of Police that gets under way here on November 3.

The three-day meet, which is an annual affair hosted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, would be inaugurated by Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil while Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh would address the police officers on the concluding day. The law...

GUWAHATI, Nov 1 ? The All Assam Students? Union (AASU) has decided to launch an agitation in protest against the decision of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to retain the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act and members of the Union today burnt effigies of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in the city today.

AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the IMDT Act is protecting the interests of not only the foreign nationals but also of the agents of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He said that the students? union...

NEW DELHI, Nov 1? In a significant move aimed at breaking the deadlock in Manipur, the Prime Minister today agreed to review the contentious Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and replace it with another Act with a more humane face.

The assurance came at the end of a 45-minute meeting between a 10-member Apunba Lup delegation and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh here this afternoon. The Prime Minister is also visiting Manipur later this month to assess the law-and-order situation.

The organisation, however, declined to give their immediate reaction to the Prime Minister?s assurance. The...

GUWAHATI, Nov 1 ? The Assam Police has alerted all its district officials across the State to tighten security measures and keep a strict vigil in view of the threat by the proscribed ULFA to target Congress Ministers, MLAs and leaders. State Director General of Police PV Sumant told PTI here today in view of the new threat from the ULFA, the district superintendents of police had been instructed to keep a strict vigil on the situation and increase the security cover of Congress leaders.

The ULFA had on Saturday warned that it would target Congress Ministers, MLAs, district and local level...

NEW DELHI, Nov 1? Outlawed ULFA?s latest threats against Congressmen notwithstanding, the Assam Government is willing to go ahead with the peace process, even as Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today urged Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to put pressure on Bangladesh and Myanmar to bust the camps operated by the rebel groups.

The Chief Minister at the end of his current round of five-day tour met the Prime Minister this morning, and held discussions on a wide-ranging issues from insurgency to gas cracker project though the prime focus was the talks with ULFA and NDFB.

The Chief Minister meeting...

SHILLONG, Oct 31 ? Representatives from 28 women NGOs under the umbrella organization Lympung Ki Seng Kynthei on Friday walked out of the State level NGO Consultation organised by the National Commission for Women in protest against political appointment of the Meghalaya Women Commission by the State Government.

The State Women Commission was notified on the evening of October 27 and made public. The next day on the eve of the visit by the NGOs to the state to hold consultations with the women NGOs to find out the status of the weaker sex in matrilineal Meghalaya.

Placards saying ?We want...

SHILLONG, Oct 31 ? Though the matrilineal system in Meghalaya is often touted as the strength of women, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has observed with concern that the benefits, which the age-old social system was giving to the womenfolk, has started eroding in modern times.

Nirmala Sitharaman, NCW member, while interacting with the media here last evening, said: ?The matrilineal system is a strength for the women of Meghalaya, but the benefits from the system has started declining.?

She said the observation of the NCW is based on the feedback it has received from women and NGOs at...