Imphal, July 14: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh is yet to re-allocate portfolios even 10 days after the ministry downsizing because of squabbling over plum posts. All the 30 ministers resigned on the advice of the chief minister on July 4, a day after he returned from New Delhi after AICC president Sonia Gandhi approved the list of 11 ministers to be retained.

Ibobi Singh accepted the resignation of 19 of them and the list was forwarded to governor Arvind Dave the next day with his recommendations. The governor did not lose any time in accepting the recommendations.

The chief...

Aizawl, July 14: The Mizoram Assembly has amended the MLA?s allowances act to increase the pension and salaries of the legislators. According to the amendment, the MLAs? pension has been raised to Rs 5,000 from Rs 4,000, while their family pension has been hiked to Rs 2,500 from Rs 2,000.

The pension of legislators, who have served more than one tenure, will be raised by another Rs 1,500.

The amendment, however, scrapped the MLAs? vehicle maintenance allowance of Rs 52,000 but retained the provision to employ drivers for the legislators. The amendment also retained the provision to allow...

Shillong, July 14: Under pressure from his own MLAs, chief minister D.D. Lapang has decided to convene a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting on July 24 to explain his stand on the downsizing of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government. Lapang, who was forced to prune his ministry from 41 to 12 members to comply with the latest amendment to the Constitution, has been attacked by senior Congress MLAs for including several first-timers in place of seasoned and experienced hands.

Regional partners like the United Democratic Party (UDP), too, have protested against the chief...

Agartala, July 14: The crisis in the Autonomous District Council (ADC) deepened further yesterday with several organisations criticising the ruling CPM for supporting the National Socialist Party of Tripura (NSPT)-led council. The Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP), the tribal front of the CPM, the Tribal Students? Union and Tribal Youth Federation expressed reservations over the CPM?s support to the council, which they claimed had failed on all fronts.

Sources in the CPM, however, indicated that there would be no change in policy and the party?s support to the NSPT-controlled council would continue....

Imphal, July 14: Manipur police are taking time off from combating militants to do some moral policing. As many as 20 couples were rounded up recently during raids on sleazy restaurants that rent out dimly lit cabins to people seeking privacy. One of the couples, Robin Singh of Imphal East and Romila Devi (not their real names) from Bishenpur, will tie the knot the next week.

Robin and Romila spent a night in the police lock-up along with the other couples before they were handed over to their parents and guardians. The wedding was hastily finalised to perhaps prevent the duo from eloping...