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...

GUWAHATI, Oct 31 ? About three decades ago, the north-eastern region lacked NGOs and voluntary agencies having experts in the field of overall exhaustive development of women and children. This attracted the attention of the higher authorities culminating in the setting up of the Guwahati Regional Centre (GRC) of the National Institute of Public Cooperation & Child Development (NIPCCD) on the Children?s Day, 1978.

Since then this centre has been rendering yeoman?s service to the cause of overall all-round development of women and children over an extensively wide area covering the entire...

GUWAHATI, Oct 31 ? On the last day of submitting feedback on the draft National Environment Policy (NEP) 2004 to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), some NGOs of the North East were able to formulate a response and dispatch it to the authorities concerned.

In what could be described as a belated, yet necessary step to express their doubts and discontent over the draft NEP, the NGOs are hoping that the MoEF give serious thought to their feedback. ?It is a document that is far from perfect, so it is expected that our queries would be given due importance,? said Soumen Dey of...

GUWAHATI, Oct 31 ? S Kabilan today became the 40th Chief Secretary of Assam after taking over from JP Rajkhowa who retired today on attaining superannuation. Kabilan took charge from Rajkhowa in a brief ceremony at the Janata Bhawan here that was attended by senior officials of the state including the state DGP.

An officer of the 1972 batch of the IAS, and belonging to the Assam-Meghalaya joint cadre, Kabilan brings with him vast experience in various fields. He was the Additional Chief Secretary in the state before taking up his latest assignment.

A graduate in mechanical engineering from...