Moa Jamir There are often stylised arguments while deliberating the issue of empowerment, particularly in the context of progressive policy and action designed to benefit a section of the populace, hitherto underrepresented or marginalised. The debate on Naga women’s participation in the decision making process via representative politics and other mechanisms is a casualty of such ‘stylisation.’ Many well-intentioned individuals often argue that empowerment shou

On February 1, 2021, Burma’s military shocked the world as it seized the reins of an elected civilian government. Given its history, this was not completely unexpected, especially so after the ruling National League for Democracy won convincingly with an overwhelming majority in the November 2020 elections. Meanwhile, the Myanmar military alleged ‘irregularities’ and ‘voter fraud.’ In the aftermath of yet another coup, the new election commission on Februa

Imlisanen Jamir Women in Nagaland, despite being at the forefront of many sectors, continue to be left out of political and structural decision making. Failure to include them in this crucial area will be detrimental to the otherwise tremendous strides that Nagaland’s women have made.  According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019, women far exceed men in higher education (PHD, M Phil, PG & UG) enrolment in Nagaland. Workforce participation of

Witoubou Newmai More important is commitment to common aspiration  What the protestors in today’s Myanmar have in common is “more the sense of the common evil” i.e. the Tatmadaw, while we have a great degree of hesitation to comment on the common aspirations of the people of that country for ample reasons. Given the Myanmar apparatus, the February 1 coup did not surprise people. The coup is one of the symptoms of the Myanmar configuration. As long as the

Imkong Walling Nagaland is not new to having political bigwigs as state guests. These are routine governmental obligations, but to the larger public in the far east of India, the visits are extraordinary events that do not pass unnoticed. The premise for such visits often involves the inauguration/announcement of Union government-sponsored development projects/schemes or on other occasions— as special guests at the year-end Hornbill Festival.  Great fanfare surrounds s

Dr Asangba Tzudir About a year ago, the All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA) asked the school education department to punish teachers who give them a bad name by hiring proxies or substitutes. Subsequently, the department issued notice to teachers who employ substitutes in their place of posting to immediately report to their respective schools and strongly added that failure to comply with the directive could lead to termination of service. During a verification driv

Dr Moa Jamir The daily collection of garbage in Dimapur averages almost 115 Metric Tonnes (MT) and added to the existing 50 lakh MT of waste at the city’s dumping site, The Morung Express reported on February 26. The collection, however, pertains only to 96 colonies under the Dimapur Municipal Council’s (DMC) jurisdiction and excludes ever-expanding localities in the city’s periphery. This explains the enormity of the challenges associated with waste management

Imlisanen Jamir The Central Government on February 25 notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 which has huge implications on how the internet works in the country and redefines regulation of content distribution online. At the outset, the Centre’s reasoning for the new regulations seem sound. We all now recognise that while the internet, social media in particular, provides a space for dissenting opinions, the i

Witoubou Newmai What is not normal is to do wrong things and admit it. And what is normal is to commit wrong things and rationalize it. This is not a new trend, however, one that is intensifying at a great pace. Various reasons can contribute to this intensifying trend. One of the reasons can be the diminishing space of the culture of valuing moral values complimented by the enlargement of space for interpretation of things. The enlargement of space for interpretation is informed

The recent World Bank - Nagaland project a crucial opportunity to push ahead with inclusive and quality education in the State The World Bank has signed a $68 million project to improve teaching practices and learning environments in ‘select schools’ in Nagaland. According to a statement issued through the Press Information Bureau, the ‘Nagaland: Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project,’ inked on February 23, will support the State’s

Dr Asangba Tzudir Kohima was selected for the Smart City project in 2016, and was incorporated under Companies Act 2013 in the year 2017. Subsequently on the structural part a City level Advisory forum was formed and in the years that followed a Chief Executive Officer, Company Secretary, and Finance Officer were appointed. Today, with the objective to foster sustainable and resilient community-led development as a regional hub for tourism and transit, it has made notable achievemen

Imlisanen Jamir Time has come for the political leadership to find courage to demand that people pay for the power they consume, and stop pretending that financial engineering can fix the problem of ever-mounting losses in the State’s energy sector.  In the recently concluded Nagaland Legislative Assembly session, the Chief Minister informed that revenue collected by the Department of Power Nagaland (DoPN) has been less than 50 percent of the (energy) purchase cost sin

Dr Moa Jamir A government budget, apart from being in the annual financial statement of the estimated government expenditure and receipts, has transformed beyond mere monitoring of how the government receives and spends resources. It is an important platform to review and announce specific economic and other policies of the incumbent government with the ultimate objective to ensure sustained development and enhance citizen welfare. Different sectors of the economy, experts and th

Witoubou Newmai Sedition charges and arrests are rampant around the world today. In some cases, it is the people who rise to the occasion and in some it is the authorities. But in many more places, neither of the sides does the needful. But still in some places, peculiarities of the situations and unresolved issues, which are political, have been ruffling the ambience. But the thing that one must not miss, if we are genuinely looking for a long term panacea, is about human &lsquo

 Dr Moa Jamir When Nagaland Lokayukta Act 2017 came into force, it was seen as a crucial step towards engendering transparency and accountability in the system of governance in the State. The swearing-in of a former Judge of a High Court, as mandated by the Act, as the first Lokayukta of Nagaland on February 22, 2019 further cemented such lofty notions.  As per the Nagaland Lokayukta’s ‘First Annual Report 2019-20,’ from February 2019- February 2020, a

Dr Asangba Tzudir The recently released official report of Ravi Zacharias ‘Sin’ by RZIM, the very ministry which he founded, has send shock waves worldwide especially in the Christendom. RZIM has done the right thing in publishing the report thereby establishing the truth of the allegations besides uncovering more. However, beyond this uncovering RZIM’s priority here should be the victims. In context, there is a lesson for Naga society too, on the need to uncover t

Imkong Walling Governors in (the states of) India are appointed by the President. The role of a Governor is, in essence, titular or by the standard school text definition— a Constitutional post.   That is how it is in theory— a ceremonial and non-political entity with nominal powers.  Notwithstanding this definition, the position of the Governor gets caught in the whirlwind of electoral politics, more often than not, handpicked by the party/coalition in r

Imlisanen Jamir It was disheartening to note that a sizable portion of health care workers in Nagaland — people who know well the dangers to health and well-being — are hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  The Health Department revealed last week that only 31% of the 21,549 registered health care workers in Nagaland have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the first phase. Add to that the mere 5% of the 51,718 registered frontline workers who have been vaccinat

Imlisanen Jamir It was disheartening to note that a sizable portion of health care workers in Nagaland — people who know well the dangers to health and well-being — are hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  The Health Department revealed last week that only 31% of the 21,549 registered health care workers in Nagaland have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the first phase. Add to that the mere 5% of the 51,718 registered frontline workers who have been vaccinat

Witoubou Newmai   Almost all happenings generate reactions, supports, oppositions, debates and immense difficulties. They may be considered as natural. But somewhere in a faint corner, there is something to be asked about the immense difficulties—why so? This is not to revile anyone or any other society, but rather for the sole purpose to contribute by saying that, what one needs to study closely are the circumstances in which many societies have attained the present po