Manipur Protem Speaker appointed Imphal, March 18 (PTI): Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla has appointed BJP MLA V Hangkhanlian as the Protem Speaker of Manipur Assembly, official sources said today. V Hangkhanlian would be sworn in as the Protem Speaker by the Governor tomorrow at Raj Bhawan here, the sources said. The Protem Speaker would then administer the oath to all newly elected MLAs, the sources said. Hangkhanlian, was elected from Churachandpur assembly constituency on a BJP ticket. Another Rhino killed in Assam's Orang National Park Guwahati, March 18 (IANS): Poachers have killed yet another one-horned rhino in Orang National Park in Assam, officials said on Saturday. Authorities said that they recovered a carcass of a male rhino near Pichola anti-poaching camp in the park on Friday. The horn of the rhino was missing, indicating it to be a case of poaching. "It was a full grown male rhino and there were bullet injury marks," the park officials said. The poaching took place days after police in Assam's Baihata Chariali recovered a blood stained rhino horn from three victims of a fatal road accident on Tuesday. Assam's forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma said that the three victims killed the rhino somewhere near Kaziranga national park and were trying to decamp while the accident took place. Centre examining report on former Arunachal CM’s suicide: HM Rajnath New Delhi, March 18 (PTI): The Centre is examining a report pertaining to suicide of former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul sent by the state government, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. Pul was the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh from February 19, 2016 to July 13, 2016. His body was found hanging in the Chief Minister’s official bungalow on August 8, 2016. Pul, who had dramatically captured power in the state by replacing Congress’ Nabam Tuki, had to vacate the post after Supreme’s Court directive. “We have received a report from the Arunchal Pradesh government and we are examining the matter,” Singh said, while while replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on Demand for Grants of the Home Ministry. Pul’s wife Dangwimsai has demanded an SIT probe into allegations levelled by him against some former and serving persons holding constitutional posts. Hydrocarbon deposit discovered in Mizoram AIZAWL, March 18 (PTI): Mizoram Geology and Mineral Resources Minister H Rohluna today told the State Assembly that ONGC has discovered hydrocarbon (gas) deposit at Meidum village in Kolasib district. Replying to a question from Lalruatkima of Mizo National Front (MNF), Rohluna said that the report of ONGC estimated that the gas field would be able to produce 5,52,674 standard cubic feet of gas in a day. He, however, said that Indian Oil Limited (OIL) which undertook exploration at Maubuang and Keifang areas in Aizawl district were yet to discover any hydrocarbon deposits while th e agreement with NATFOGAZ company was terminated during 2011-12 after it failed to commence any work. The 3 oil giants have paid Rs 23.23 crore as taxes to Mizoram Government for conducting exploratory works, he added. Medical clinic held at Guwahati Press Club Guwahati, March 18 (MExN): A total of 30 people were examined by Senior Cardiologist of Apollo Hospitals Chennai, Dr KN Srinivasan during an ‘Evening with a Doctor’ programme conducted at Guwahati Press Club (GPC), Guwahati on March 18. SN Farid, proprietor of Apollo Hospitals Information Centre, Guwahati along with Daizy Begum, nurse, Bijaya Laxmi Deka, Sibananda Borah, Raju Dutta and Gautam Barman extended support in conducting the camp, a press note informed. Next Saturday, an OPD clinic at the press club will be conducted by Medanta-The Medicity Hospital, it added. Dr Prasun Ghosh (Urology) and Dr Nabajit Talukdar (Cardiology) from the Gurgaon based healthcare institution will be available for free urology & cardiology related consultation. Indigenous people would be provided land patta: Sonowal Guwahati, March 18 (PTI): The indigenous people of Assam who have not got land patta (deeds) even after staying on the same plot for decades would be provided patta in the first phase, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said today. "The rest of the indigenous people would get land patta in the subsequent phases," said the Chief Minister presiding over a meeting here with the Chairman of the Committee on Protection of Land Rights of Indigenous People Hari Sankar Brahma and its other members. Without protecting the land rights of indigenous people their language, culture and literature cannot be protected, Sonowal said the State Government is committed to safeguard the interest of the people of the land and hence steps like initiating reforms in Land laws have been taken in earnest. The government will act on the recommendations of the Committee that has been formed for the first time to ensure land rights of the indigenous population, he added. He also directed the Revenue Department to streamline the classification process of land removing all discrepancies. Two suspected ISIS agents held in Manipur Imphal, March 18 (PTI): Two suspected ISIS agents have been nabbed by the Assam Rifles jawans from Imphal-Moreh highway near the Indo-Myanmar border in Tengnoupal district, the police said today. The Assam Rifles troops apprehended the duo from the Khudengtabi post on March 14 while they were on their way to Moreh town and seized four mobile phones, besides 14 SIM cards including some international ones and some foreign currency from them, they said. The duo, identified as Naina Mohammed, 56 and I Abubacker, 46, were handed over to the Moreh police by the Assam Rifles. The investigation revealed the arrested duo came from Chennai by train and reached the border town of Moreh on March 11. They had visited Moreh in January too. Mobile phones seized from their possession also revealed that they have contacts in UAE, Sri Lanka and Qatar. The two suspected ISIS agents were produced before a court which has remanded them in police custody till March 22.
