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Citizen Journalist

<h4>By: Arup Deka</h4>In the 2014 General Election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 7 seats in Assam and marginally lost seats in Kaliabor, Diphu, and Silchar. In the ensuing months, migrations started from parties like the Congress and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and before long, many politicians from other parties had joined hands with the BJP.Before the 2016 state legislative election, many Congress leaders had joined the BJP ranks in a bid to thwart the re-election of then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.Commenting on these developments, Ram Prasad Sarmah, former Tezpur MP said: “I was strongly opposed to Himanta Biswa Sarma joining the BJP as he was leaving the Congress as his bad days had begun there. We won literally 7 seats out of 10 seats, so we did not wish for any migration in Assam BJP party. My motive was to focus on building the BJP brand in Assam, and focus on winning as many seats as possible so that we could assume power in the State."One year after the Congress was vanquished at the Centre, Himanta Biswa Sarma joined BJP with a huge band party rally. I was alarmed as I thought that Himanta could not be relied upon as he seemed like an opportunist to me", Sarmah opines.Sarmah also slammed the AGP party and called them 'untrustworthy'. “I do not trust AGP party also. AGP is a party formed on the dead bodies of 855 Assam martyrs. Also, around 5,000 to 6,000 common people lost their jobs, 20,000 people went to the jail and so many CRPF Jawans are injured on that time."R P Sarma also said that the BJP is facing a severe crisis due to migrating leaders which is changing the complexion of the party.Finally, he said that the voters will decide how long the BJP party will survive in Assam, and it will depend on Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, whether he can maintain the integrity of the party in the State or whether the party will be radically transformed due to the influx of leaders from rival political leaders.Inside Northeast’s Campaign #LetsSaveDeeporBeel is now supported by Oil India Limited (OIL). Join us as we continue the awareness campaign to preserve the only Ramsar site in Assam which is facing immense threats. We need your help to preserve this site of great ecological importance. Join the #LetsSaveDeeporBeel campaign and tweet about it, and do tag us on Twitter. Let’s make some noise!<div class="code-block code-block-1">Download:The Inside Northeast app <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.insidenortheast.app&amp;hl=en">HERE</a> for News, Views and Reviews from Northeast India.Do <a href="https://insidene.com/">keep following us</a> for news on-the-go. We deliver the Northeast.</div>

migrations

'Migrations from Congress Could Lead to BJP's Ruin in Assam': R P Sarmah

<h4>By: Ami Nathung</h4>In simple terms, reservation in India is about reserving access to seats in the government jobs, educational institutions, and even legislatures to certain sections of the population. Reservation in India is a government policy, backed by the Indian Constitution (by means of various amendments).The two main aims to provide reservation as per the Constitution of India are :Advancement of Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) OR any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens (Eg: OBC) OR economically weaker sections (EWS) – Article 15 (4), Article 15 (5), and Article 15 (6), and adequate representation of any backward class of citizens OR economically weaker sections (EWS) in the services under the State. – Article 16 (4) and Article 16 (6).Through the reservation granted to SC and ST, these people get various jobs that were not given to them earlier, and hence, they are now able to buy various goods and services through which they ensure better life for their children also, which, in turn, provides a boost to the country's economy.Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been, for centuries, the most neglected, marginalized and exploited people.The scourge of untouchability was a blot on the Indian civilization. Despite the constitutional declaration of its abolition under Article 17 of the Constitution, it persists in many subtle and not so subtle ways. It has been an unmitigated tale of prejudice, discrimination and exploitation.At stake, in the ultimate analysis, is the very integrity and survival of Indian society. Without transforming vertical inequality in society into horizontal equality, democracy will have no meaning.If the law is not in favour of disadvantaged, they will never achieve true equality of opportunity and freedom of choice. The nation’s unity will be at risk. In some form or the other, overt or covert, in many subtle ways, the prejudice against these weaker sections persists.This is perhaps because of the mindset of certain sections of the society. Indeed to refer to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes* as mere ‘sections of society’ is a grave misuse of words.They together constitute the vast and not merely a section. The recurring themes that, unfortunately, have been dominating the debate on reservation is – ‘Could the rights of individual be put at risk in the interest of a disadvantaged group? Does it amount to reverse discrimination? Is it acceptable to require an individual to make the sacrifice?These questions which dominate the debate are greatly misplaced. The injustices heaped on the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes for no reason other than the pure accident of birth have few parallels in the history of civilisation.Keep following <a href="https://insidene.com/">Inside Northeast</a> on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram. Do <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.insidene.app&amp;hl=en">download our app from the Google Playstore</a> for the latest news updates, views, and entertainment on the go. We deliver the Northeast.

Reservation

The Importance of Reservation for Lower Caste People

<h4>BY: AMI NATHUNG</h4>the Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary is located in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. It stretches across 218 square kilometres of the foothills of Himalayan region of Northeast India.This wildlife sanctuary derives its name from the Red Eagle Division of the Indian Army which was stationed there in the 1950s. The Eaglenest  wildlife sanctuary has a subtropical climate and it receives plenty of rain in the month of april, due to the high altitude it even receives snow in the peak of the winter.Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary has about 34 species of amphibians, 32 species of snakes , 12 species of lizards , over 700 species of birds and 250 species of butterflies.Some of the  animals found in this sanctuary are: Asian elephant, capped langur ,Bengal tiger, red panda, Gaur,Asiatic black bear, Arunachal macaque, wild dogs etc.<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-32250" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Untitled-2-17.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />The Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary is mostly known for its population of variety of bird species. The dense forest area provides these species with abundance of shelter and food. Also, the scenic landscapes provide a scope for tourism. It is one of the top birdwatching hotspots in India and is called the 'Birdwatcher’s paradise'.This beautiful sanctuary is home to the newly discovered and rare species Bugun liocichla, an endangered bird species, which can be found in this wildlife sanctuary. It can be found nowhere on earth Except on the 1 square km patch of Bugun community land. Other rare bird species include Ward’s Trogon , Beatutiful Nuthatch,and Wedge-billed Babbler.Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary has helped the economy of Arunachal Pradesh with the community based Eco- tourism.<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-32249" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Untitled-4-7.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />The birds and wildlife based eco tourism in Eagle nest is run and owned  entirely by the community. It also act as a unique conservation initiative for the Eaglenest sanctuary and adjoining community foresrts region.It is one of the few successful community based Eco tourism programs in the entire country where the conservation of wildlife and economy of the community go hand-in-hand.Keep following <a href="https://insidene.com/">Inside Northeast</a> on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram. Do <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.insidene.app&amp;hl=en">download our app from the Google Playstore</a> for the latest news updates, views, and entertainment on the go. We deliver the Northeast.

EAGLENEST

How Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary Helps the Economy of Arunachal Pradesh

<h4>By: Amy Natung</h4><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ita_Fort">Ita Fort</a> in Itanagar town is one of the most important historical sites in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The name literally means "Fort of bricks” (brick being called "Ita" in the Assamese language). It also lends its name to the city Itanagar, the Capital of Arunachal Pradesh. The Ita Fort at Arunachal Pradesh was built as early as the 14th or the 15th century by kings of the chutia dynasty.Ita Fort just like many other historical sites have many stories and beliefs surrounding it, among them one of the stories is here.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30476" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/close-view-of-Ita-fort-660x365.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />One of the most romantic stories is based on Ita Fort, located at the heart of Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. This story is based on various writings by LN Chakravarty (Glimpses of Early History of Arunachal) and Sir Edward Gait.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30478" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Close-view-of-the-fort.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="309" />In ancient times there was a refugee king from Assam named Mayamatta, who built a fort on Hita. Mayamatta had a beautiful queen. On becoming pregnant, due to some reason, the queen went down to the plains to give birth. The queen gave birth to a son named Arimatta, on the banks of the Brahmaputra. The queen brought up the prince, and sometime during his childhood told the prince not to venture to the north as his ancestors lived there.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30479" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Ita-steps-640x365.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="365" />After many years, Prince Arimatta grew up to be a great king and ruled over the area. On hearing that there was some king living to the north, Arimatta decided to march to the north to defeat the king. He gathered his troops and marched upstream along the Dikrong river. From there, Arimatta marched upstream along Papupani to the junction of the Taja and Lepper streams. He saw many people on the Ita hill, but could not advance as the door of the fort was closed.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30481" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/View-of-Itanagar-from-Ita-fort-660x365.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />Arimatta returned to the plains, collected more troops and re-attacked Ita Fort. After a tough battle, his troops managed to break the fort’s door and captured the fort. Arimatta attacked the king and tried to kill him with arrows. At this stage, the refugee king told Arimatta: “Thou shalt not be able to kill me unless thou pierce my heart with thy fingers.”Arimatta pierced Mayamatta’s heart as advised, and his whole body was smeared with blood from the pierced heart. Before dying, the refugee king told Arimatta that he was his father!On hearing this, Arimatta was filled with grief and sorrow.Then he recalled his mother’s advice not to venture north. To repent for his act of patricide, Arimatta gave away many presents and hid many jewels and gold and silver articles in the Goruchuntia hills. The hidden articles are still supposed to be lying there and many people consider the place haunted.After returning to the plains, Arimatta tried to wash away his father’s blood from his body by bathing in the Brahmaputra, but the stains could not be removed fully. Therefore, on his mother’s advice, Arimatta covered his body with oil and burnt himself to ashes.Thus goes the legend of Ita Fort located in our capital city.People usually go there for a morning walk and evening walk. It is also the best place to hang out with friends and family if you are a lover of nature and greenery. Ita Fort is also famously known as Lovers Point as one can see many couples in the area, it’s one of the places were couple goes on a date besides Ganga lake.

Ita Fort

Arunachal Pradesh | Story behind Ita fort

Nagaland

<h4>By: Vikiesa Yano</h4>What do the roads in Nagaland have in common with Northeastern states? They are all hilly filled with greens. But there lies one of the biggest problems in Nagaland and its inability to grow in any sector, especially the tourism department.Tourists coming from mainland India or foreigners visit Nagaland for its lush greens, its beautiful mountain ranges, and picturesque sceneries. What they are not expecting is the back-breaking journey it takes to reach those destinations.<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-29757" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Untitled-1-14.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />Hornbill Festival is one of the biggest and most popular festivals in Nagaland as it reached a peak of 2.43 lakh visitors in the year 2017, but it has gone down in 2018, and 2019 does not look so promising if the road conditions remain the same. The drop in visitors of the Hornbill festival can be credited to the under-construction road from Dimapur to Kohima.While it would take two hours to cover the stretch from Kohima to Dimapur under normal circumstances, it takes almost three hours because of the poor condition of the road. Because of the dust, the visibility to the drivers also goes down making the ride even more dangerous.To ask a person to risk his life for the protection of family or one's own country is a noble cause, but to ask them to enjoy a 10-day festival by undertaking such a perilous journey is absurd, to say the least. But absurdity somehow finds its way into the Hornbill festival as almost every year, many people lose their lives due to vehicular accidents. Most of these careless accidents are caused by drunk drivers driving on the narrow and unpaved roads.The bad reputation of Hornbill festival has accumulated over the years the change in location of the Hornbill rock contest from 14 stadium in Kohima to Dimapur and the bad road condition are all factors haunting the festival and the State Tourism department as a whole.

Hornbill Festival

'Hornbill Festival' tourism affected by poor condition of Dimapur-Kohima road

<h4>By: Sabreena Zeenat Hannan</h4>As we are about to wrap up 2019 with only A few hours left to go, the people are all geared up to embrace this New Year with merry-making and feasting.However, the on-going protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) have severely affected the sales as well as the footfall in the markets across Assam, where the protests initially began.<a href="https://insidene.com/2019/12/31/assam-tourism-loses-rs-1000-cr-amid-protests-against-caa/">ALSO READ: Assam Tourism Loses Rs 1000 Cr amid Protests against ‘CAA’</a>In comparison to last year, the fish and chicken stalls of the Ganeshguri market on New Year's eve bore a semi-deserted look. These stalls had varieties of seafood including prawns apart from that, ducks were also being sold, however, buyers were few.While speaking to us, one of the fishmongers lamented “The sales of fish has taken a tremendous hit. There are hardly any customers, which is bad for business...”Interacting with the chicken vendors revealed a similar tale. “We have got everything and are even selling our stuff at a lesser rate, but there are no customers”, a chicken vendor explains.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-49145" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Capture-9-660x365.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />Usually during the holiday season, the rates of seafood skyrockets to more than Rs 3,000, but the prices have been reduced due to a lack of customers. Our interactions with the = vendors revealed that they are selling some varieties of fish at less than half of the usual price -- at around Rs.600 -700.The customers are similarly uninterested in partaking in festive celebrations due to the mood of unrest that prevails across the region. An elderly customer at the fish market told us, "I have come out to buy fish, but I do not have any particular plans..."From this, it can be surmised that that the on-going C(A)A protests and the tensed situation prevailing across the country have severely affected the mood and dampened the overall festive-spirit.Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.<div class="google-auto-placed ap_container">Readers like you make Inside Northeast’s work possible.To support our brand of fearless and investigative journalism, support us <a href="https://insidene.com/subscription/">HERE</a>.Download:The Inside Northeast app <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.insidenortheast.app&amp;hl=en">HERE</a> for News, Views, and Reviews from Northeast India.Do <a href="https://insidene.com/">keep following us</a> for news on-the-go. We deliver the Northeast</div>

New Year 2020: Fish & Chicken Market Sees Massive Decline in Guwahati

<h4>By: <a href="https://hehysa.wordpress.com/author/deepkamalborah680/">DEEPKAMAL BORAH</a></h4>“Every one of us has our own problems and no matter what we have to face those. My friends could help me through but I still need to face those and sail across.”Mr. Rakesh MishraManager, Manohari Tea EstateManohari Gold, a speciality tea produced in the Manohari Tea Estate in Assam’s Dibrugarh district is currently the most expensive tea. It scored a record-breaking sum of Rs. 39,001 per kg at an auction in Guwahati Tea Auction Centre on 24th July 2018.The heat waves and the varying rainfall over the years have poised themselves as serious threats to the production capacity of the region while escalating the dependency on ‘Bought Leaves’ from the Small Tea Growers. The milestone thus achieved by this 24-carat gold look-alike strain has marked a new dawn in the tea industry of the region with a promising prospect for socio-economic development.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-31140" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/plantation-2-660x191.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="191" />Manohari Tea Estate – Plantation FieldHowever, it proves to be a tremendous epiphany with the burden of maternal mortality and infant mortality. Assam accounts for almost 182% more maternal deaths than that of the national average (130) and the data is staggering high in the tea plantation areas. The major contributing factors identified to morbidity resulting in high maternal and infant death include poor nutritional status among the tea tribe population, anaemia, hypertension, malnutrition, and diarrhoeal diseases. The lack of proper sanitation facilities, hygiene practices and access to safe drinking water are the critical gaps identified in the worker’s residential lines.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-31141" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/manohar-660x365.png" alt="" width="660" height="365" />Manohari Tea Estate- EntranceIn 2016, the takeover of the estate by the Kolkata based Suntok Tea Co.Llp brought an end to the five years of the predicament faced by the community in the form of food supplies, wage revisions and renovation of housing facilities. The effective decision making of the management was able to stabilize the need of that hour enabling them to plan and act towards a superior quality of their produce. Moreover, the role of the governmental policies and interventions in terms of the market, labor laws and human development has been pragmatic enough to support the vision of the management through structural functioning of the government at all different levels streamlined through District Administration and Public Health Engineering Departments (PHED).<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-31144" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mnh-660x365.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />Source: SBM(G) DibrugarhUnder the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin- SBM (G), a total number of 1239 sanitary toilets have been constructed in the tea estate by PHED (Dibrugarh) from 2014 to 2018. The role of the behavioural change campaigns has confirmed to be effective in delivering the intended messages regarding proper sanitation and hygienic living fueling the rate of acceptance to such behaviour change.A waste management project was also set up in the Tea Estate under the Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) component of SBM (G). The foundation stone of the Vermi Composting Unit was laid by Dr. Siddharth Singh (IAS), Mission Director, SBM (G). This initiative highlights the importance of sustainable cultivation which showcases the concerns regarding the hazardous effects of pesticide use on the soil, plants and human health. Moreover, the increasing demand for organically cultivated tea strains both in the local and the international market provides scope for economic prosperity among the community.Mr. Birju Urang, one of the few educated youths is the newly elected Ward Member of Manohari Tea Estate. He acknowledges the contributions of the new management towards the social and economic well being of the community at large. According to him, the infrastructural development of the toilet facilities successfully curbs the rate of open defecation in their community. It neutralizes the women’s safety concerns in the wild and the disease burden too. He firmly believes that the productivity and quality of a tea estate produce depend upon the health of the working group, which can only be achieved by a healthy way of living. The need for a full-time residential doctor in the estate has been long anticipated, he added.Mrs. Saindhya Nayak, President (Manohari Tea Estate Mothers Club) is an active member on the ground level. She along with the other members work on family planning, domestic violence, nutrition, hygienic and healthy living, and children’s health. According to her, the orientation they receive by means of ICTs and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) on children’s education and their health has enabled them to decide things for themselves, and act along for the well being of the whole community. When asked about the Maternal Benefit Act (2017), Mrs. Nayak was pretty optimistic regarding such a policy move. She added that the Adolescent Girls Club created in 2018 has been effective in generating awareness on menstrual hygiene, child sex abuse and teenage pregnancy among the adolescent girls.The hand-washing practice before food and after toilet use has been well adopted by the primary school students of Manohari. Mr. Rajib Kumar Buragohain (Headmaster) is vigilant in terms of hygiene practices among his students. According to him, the recognition of such a hygienic and healthy way of living at an early age would enable the children to carry a better quality of life in the future.&nbsp;The luxury of the Manohari Gold is not accidental. It was made with utmost dedication and humongous efforts with inherent quality and special clones of tea bushes, hand plucked in the mist of early dawns. This golden milestone rests on top of thriving management and a healthy workforce both adapting through transitions into a paradigm of quality life and quality products. The dependency thus countering on either side of the scale demands better education and healthcare facilities alongside timely interventions in order to achieve long term development goals.&nbsp;

Manohari Gold

The Manohari Gold: An Endoscopic View.

Breaking News

By: Rahul Deka<h6>The current situation of floods in the State has damaged around 50,000 bighas of agricultural fields.</h6>This has left the farmers and consumers helpless as the prices of the vegetable have skyrocketed.The vegetable prices have hiked with each and every item being sold at Rs 40-60 per kg at the wholesale markets more than its usual price until a few weeks back.Though, the prices of onion and potato have not seen many hikes. While there is none to control from the government for the rest of the vegetable items.During the period of floods, the agriculture market is essentially a haven for the middlemen where they can make more money than usual. Vegetables like carrot, gourd, ridge gourd, brinjal, lady’s finger, tomato, etc have been left to rot in the fields.Also Read : <a href="https://insidene.com/2019/07/24/manipur-cm-flags-off-first-batch-of-hajj-pilgrims-at-imphal-airport/">Manipur CM Flags off First Batch of Hajj Pilgrims at Imphal Airport</a>Vegetable growers are the worst affected ones in the lower and middle part of Assam including Nagaon, Dhing, Morigaon, Barpeta road, Sorbhog, etc. where vegetables are mostly grown in the State. The prices of items like cabbage, tomato, radish, etc that come from Meghalaya rises as soon as it arrives in Assam.In Guwahati- ridge gourd (Zika) is sold at Rs 60 per kg against its usual price of Rs 30 per kg, lady’s finger at Rs 60/70 per kg against its usual Rs 40 per kg, carrot at Rs 100 per kg against Rs 60 per kg, brinjal at Rs 60/70 per kg against Rs 40 per kg, tomato at Rs 100 per kg against Rs 60/70 per kg.The sellers left helpless with the impact of flood said that they can't do anything because they just bring it from a market to sell there and if they did not get the invested money than they might go in the loss as usual during last week.Another seller said, “Sometimes they call for a higher price because this is the only way to get the invested money back. As the price of the vegetables has been increased, the customers have stopped buying those items as a result of which we are bound to throw away the left vegetable.”On the other hand, the customer said that Agricultural Marketing Board doesn’t have any hold over prices in the market that solely depends on demand and supply of the products, and due to floods, all the markets are totally devasted. Another customer said that they have no other option but to buy them because they need to eat and the hike in price won't serve their hunger.On last Wednesday, through a video conferencing, A<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himanta_Biswa_Sarma">ssam Financial Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma</a> had ordered to all the DC's of 33 districts to take strict action against price hike in their respective districts.It is not certain as to when a farmer will get compensation for his loss of vegetable as it is a long-drawn-out process.

vegetable

Vegetable Price Skyrockets in Guwahati Markets Due to Assam Floods

By: Ami NatungPermanent Residential certificate (PRC) is a government issued certificate mainly used for the purpose of admission to educational institutions.The certificate proves the residence of an applicant which enables him or her to obtain certain quota during admission the certificate may also be required for application to certain job opportunities.To begin with, no organization such as all Arunachal student union and any other tribe-based student union took an active role in the PRC issue mainly because those student leaders are mainly bootlickers of the BJP or of any other party which is in power.These student union leaders only perform the work that particular MLAs assign to them in exchange for money or funding, etc.During these harsh and fragile times, these so-called student leaders were nowhere to be found. Infact, one of the student leaders even stated that they have no problem in granting PRC to Non-APSTs.This issue would not have caused such violence and deaths if there were any leaders to guide the youths of Arunachal Pradesh in the right direction.The public and the youth took the matters into their own hands because a majority of the youth population was against passage of the PRC bill.As there was no one to guide them, the peaceful protest took an ugly turn. It all started when they were silently or peacefully protesting outside the Arunachal public Office (APO), and all of a sudden, they heard a gun-shot being fired at them. Many people were injured and several succumbed to their wounds.The main bone of contention lies in the fact that although many of these communities have been living in Arunachal Pradesh since many years, they don’t have the official land rights either and for which they are regarded as non-tribal in Arunachal while their counterparts in Assam enjoy PRC and land rights.The main concern of the Tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh is that giving PRCs to the non- tribal communities (not one but six communities) will lead to them obtaining Inner Line Permit before entering Arunachal Pradesh.The APSTs believe that giving PRC will lead to easy-flow of non-tribals into the tribal land and will affect the culture of the state in the long-run.Granting PRC to the non-APSTs will enable them to buy land in Arunachal which is again a sign of danger for the Indigenous people of Arunachal because they are in smaller numbers compared to the non-APSTs and would suffer the same fate as Tripura.It is to be added that before the PRC issue, the supreme court had already granted the Chakma-Hajong community the PRC and now they are the second largest community.Arunachal Pradesh is a protected land with a purpose to safeguard the indigenous tribe and culture, but if the PRC is granted to non-APSTs, how will be they able to protect the indigenous people from disappearing?I firmly believe that granting PRC to non–APSTs means that indigenous people will lose their rights and identities.

Arunachal

A Nyishi youth's perspective on the Arunachal PRC issue

<h4>By: Ami Nathung</h4>About 90 km from Shillong in the East Khasi hills of Meghalaya, lies a small village. This village in Northeast India has barely 600 inhabitants with approximately 90 families. Even though <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawlynnong">Mawlynnong</a> is small, it has made a big impact on the world.On my trip to Mawlynnong, I was lucky to be able to interact with the locals residing there, and one of the residents had a good deal of knowledge about the history the village. He shared an important episode in the village's history and revealed how the village came to be so clean.&nbsp;[caption id="attachment_30796" align="alignnone" width="606"]<img class="size-full wp-image-30796" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Capture-12.jpg" alt="Meghalaya" width="606" height="363" /> The famous 'living root bridge'[/caption]He said that back when the British were still ruling our country, India, in 1887, Mawlynnong was severely affected by a plague. The tribals thought it was the wrath of evil spirits and were unsure of what to do. That’s when some missionaries arrived and while taking care of the villagers, they informed them that the plague was not due to any evil spirits but because of a lack of cleanliness in their village.Slowly, they cleaned up the village and started educating people. With education came greater awareness.On asking could he recall exactly from when did they started to keep the village clean, he firmly replies: "from ever since I can remember." He further adds that cleanliness is a measure taken to prevent disease and illness as the hospitals are very far away. The resident of the the village also informed that from their childhood itself, they are taught to maintain cleanliness, and thus, it has become their ethic.Upon being asked about the political system in the village, he said that the people of the village nominate one candidate as a headman who forms a community to maintain cleanliness in the village. Also, on every Saturday, the entire village people gather together to do some social work.Besides these, the village has proper drainpipes, concrete road and is filled with trees, shrubs and flowers which all adds to the beauty of Mawlynnong village.Mawlynnong has appointed three street cleaners who clean the village every day and one can see Dustbins made of bamboo in front of every house and corner of the road.Sadly, most of the time, it is the tourists who dirty the places they visit. But Mawlynnong has a strict policy. No tourist is allowed to smoke in the village or litter the area. A person can be fined and jailed if the local committee finds him/her guilty. Also, no vehicles are allowed inside the village. Tourists have to stop at the entry point to the village and pay a parking fee. This parking fee is then used for paying the village cleaners, the people employed to take care of the parking lot and also for other community purposes like maintaining the village lights and streets.&nbsp;A hired vehicle can be used to travel to Mawlynnong once a tourist reaches the capital Shillong. There are many homestays. These are small but have neat rooms maintained by the villagers who will host you.[caption id="attachment_30799" align="alignnone" width="624"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-30799" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Capture-14-624x365.jpg" alt="" width="624" height="365" /> Local vendors selling their wares in Mawlynnong[/caption]Besides enjoying the beauty of the village and its beautiful flowers, you can head to the single root living bridge at the Rewai which is a bridge made out of the roots of very old trees. Yes, one can even walk on it! One can also climb up a treetop to get a fantastic view of our neighbouring country Bangladesh. I personally enjoyed the experience of walking up a skywalk made entirely of bamboo.Mawlynnong has been awarded twice for being the cleanest village in India and in all of Asia! And this is the reason tourists have been flocking here for the last five years. When one reaches this place, one would be amazed to see how clean the village was. The residents recycle water, have banned smoking and the use of plastics, and are maintaining clean toilets inside every home.I realised that in Mawlynnong, every villager, including every child, is responsible for cleanliness. Hygiene and cleanliness is a value they are being taught since birth.Keep following <a href="https://insidene.com/">Inside Northeast</a> on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram. Do download our app from the Google Playstore for the latest news updates, views, and entertainment on the go. We deliver the Northeast.

Mawlynnong

Asia's cleanest village Mawlynnong's secrets revealed

<h4>By: Vikiesa Yano</h4>India is a diverse nation with numerous ethnicities and religions all brought together under a politically drawn country.Race, ethnicity and religions play a huge role in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_India">Indian politics</a>. Because of this, the national political parties have a rather hard time winning against regional political parties in certain states, especially states with a minority population.This is because the national parties have an identity that relates it to a religion or race or ideology that the minorities do not necessarily identify with.Therefore, during the state elections, the <a href="https://insidene.com/2019/03/15/agp-has-joined-hands-with-bjp-to-defeat-congress-atul-bora/">regional parties</a> usually win over the national parties. The citizens of a minority state have a feeling of belonging to a regional party more than they do to a mainstream national party like Congress or BJP, which have to appeal to a vast majority which in India are the Hindu-Aryan population. Their narrative has to appeal to the majority and thus cannot appeal to the minorities.The popularity and allegiance of one group of people is all a regional party needs to win a state election, but in order to run and manage a state a huge sum of cash is required and the money comes from the capital in mainland India where the national parties rule.Thus, poor backward states with no industries to generate revenue rely on the help of the central government.In this case if a regional party does not maintain a good relationship with the ruling party in the center and takes up the role of an opposition: that party would have a hard time running a government.Ultimately, it all boils down to the economics of staying in power and managing a state. If a regional party can stay in power manage a state government and have enough resources to win a campaign for the next election without the help of the national party, they would not form alliances.

regional

Why do Northeastern Regional Parties need the help of National Parties?

<h4>By: Ami Natung</h4>The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is a bill aimed at helping Hindu and other minorities communities from neighboring Muslim majority countries to get citizenship in India.By looking at the very implication of the CAB itself, we can sense a threat to the culture and linguistics of the indigenous people of North-East India.Personally, I strongly oppose the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, because it is in so many ways harmful and a threat to the tribal people living in the areas.If the supreme court grants the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the indigenous people will lose their identity which is a very big deal as nobody will ever want to lose one’s identity, one’s culture and share their homeland with illegal immigrants of people from some overpopulated countries. This Bill leads one to ask: Is India or mainly North-East some kind of dumping ground?There are many tribal people still struggling to get jobs, education and finding it hard to make ends meet but instead of focusing on them, the government wants to accept those illegal immigrants.If the CAB is passed it will become even more difficult for the tribal or indigenous people to survive on their own land. Due to overpopulation and more competitors, they will suffer from unemployment and lack of jobs.The present BJP government only wants to give those illegal immigrants the advantage of CAB for their political benefits, so that those people will vote for them in the future elections and it can be assumed that the politicians agreeing to grant CAB are considering those illegal immigrants as a vote bank.Granting CAB will heavily affect the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam especially. The Indigenous people fear to lose their identity since there is already an existing example in Tripura, where the indigenous Kokborok people are slowly being deprived of their rights due to an influx of alleged migrants.Instead of welcoming more and more people to India, the government should instead focus on how to develop and educate the people who are already living here.

Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is a danger to the Northeast

<h4>Dimapur, May 19, 2019:</h4>Meet Imliyanger Sajung Lemtur, a self taught wedding photographer. From making a bit of pocket-money selling hard photo copies to his friends in college to becoming a wedding photographer, his journey began in the hills of Kohima, Nagaland, where he was born.He has always loved and admired nature, the scenic beauty of the hills and the colour of the flowers in his mother’s garden.The sweet bond made him see things in a new light. Photography for him started out as a hobby as he began the journey by shooting nature photos. Journalist Miriam Rengma caught up with him to ask him a few questions about his photography passion and how he came to be wedding photographer.[caption id="attachment_30743" align="alignnone" width="660"]<img class="wp-image-30743 size-medium" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Photo-1-of-1-3-660x365.jpeg" alt="" width="660" height="365" /> Yanger[/caption]Miriam : Tell us a little about yourself.Yanger : Hi, Thank you so much for the opportunity. I am a self- taught photographer (still miles to go) living in Dimapur, Nagaland, and I have been pursuing photography for about 5 years.Miriam : Are you into photography full time?Yanger : Part time.Miriam : What is your work philosophy and where do you get inspiration from?Yanger : My philosophy towards work is to do the best, learn from mistakes, be patient and be a visionary. You will also notice that most of my portraits are colourful just as we can find it in nature. I also recollect making a bit of pocket-money selling hard photo copies to my friends in the college. So in other words, it is that nature which inspired me and of course, my friends and families who have always encouraged me.Miriam : What gets you particularly excited about wedding photography?Yanger : The thing that gets me excited about wedding photography is to see two people along with their families being so happy. So you can’t deny the fact that I’m more excited and eager to encounter their wedding.<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-30742" src="https://insidene.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/949e7480-f4ac-43e5-a24f-ee454bc5af70-660x365.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="365" />Miriam : What are the obstacles that you go through on your work?Yanger : Working on a wedding day is quite hectic. Moreover, it starts before the ceremonybegins as you have to shoot the wedding preparations and stay there till the end. Being a reserved person, there are few challenges that really gets me nervous when it comes to the stress faced by the couple and families. There’s a lot to do with talking and sometimes, you have to crack a joke to brighten up their faces so that you get to model the behavior you want. But looking back at my experiences, I believe I’ve improved a lot now.And last but not the least, it really grates on the nerves when a guest interrupts a special moment with his/her camera phone.Miriam : How do you handle stressful situations?Yanger : When there are such situations, I just close my eyes, take a deep breath and motivate myself with the quote "today’s struggle is tomorrow’s success". Try it for yourself!Miriam : What sets you apart from other professionals in your field?Yanger : I don’t know if there is one. There are a lot of photographers better than me in my state which I can’t deny. I’m just being me and true to myself and giving the best of my ability.Miriam : Do you have any special word of warning or encouragement as a result of yourexperience?Yanger : We are living in a competitive world. Start now! Doesn’t matter where that start begins from. Big things happen by doing small things.To explore more of his work, follow him on his facebook page @I.Yanger PhotographyKeep following <a href="https://insidene.com/">Inside Northeast</a> on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and Instagram. For the latest news updates, views, and entertainment on the go. We deliver the Northeast.&nbsp;

wedding photographer

Meet Nagaland's buzziest wedding photographer

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