TIMES OF MIZORAM

ZODIN SANGA 

AIZAWL, Aug 30: More than a month after Supreme Court struck down the Assam Government Act that allowed appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries, the seven Parliamentary Secretaries of Mizoram today resigned from their posts. A source from Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee said the Parliamentary Secretaries – KS Thanga, Lt Col ZS Zuala (rtd), H Zothangliana, Joseph Lalhimpuia, T T Zothansanga, K Lalrinthanga and Hmingdailova Khiangte – tendered their resignation to Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. 

The source informed that the Parliamentary Secretaries resigned at the instruction of the Chief Minister himself. Even though the resignation of Parliamentary Secretaries is yet to be made official, an order issued by Chief Minister and president of State Pradesh Congress Lal Thanhawla has made it clear. The order issued by MPCC president Lal Thanhawla, has appointed the seven Parliamentary Secretaries, along with two other Congress MLAs, as general secretaries of the party. Their designations were stated as MLAs, and not Parliamentary Secretaries. 

It is learnt that Mizoram Parliamentary Secretaries are the first among the NE States’ Parliamentary Secretaries to resign after the Supreme Court’s order of July 26 that held unconstitutional The Assam Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004 enacted by Assam Government in 2004 that allowed appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries enjoying the rank of Minister of State. The SC ruling, however, does not have any bearing on the present BJP Government in Assam as it has not appointed any Parliamentary Secretary so far, but affects the other NE States that have Parliamentary Secretaries. Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya have appointed Parliamentary Secretaries as a matter of political convenience. 

While Nagaland has 26 Parliamentary Secretaries, Arunachal Pradesh has 24, Meghalaya has 17. Manipur had 12 Parliamentary Secretaries, six of whom quit their posts after being made members of various committees. The resignation of the Mizoram Parliamentary Secretaries comes even as the main opposition party Mizo National Front was gearing up to file a petition in the court, following the apex court order. PTI adds: Former Ministers Lalrinliana Sailo and Nihar Kanti Chakma, both legislators were also appointed as general secretaries, the statement added.

 AIZAWL, Aug 31: Mizoram University Students’ Council (MZUSC) has recently faxed a letter to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, requesting him to immediately appoint a regular Vice Chancellor for the Central University. The MZUSC said that the post of VC in Mizoram University has been lying vacant for almost two years. “A number of requests have been made to the authorities by the students as well as teachers’ association for immediate appointment of a regular Vice Chancellor. 

Till now, all the requests have been meaningless as a regular VC is not appointed though interaction/interview for short-listed candidates has been done more than three months ago,” it said. The MZUSC stated that the absence of a regular VC for such a long time has severely affected the employees and students, and the academic atmosphere has suffered the most. The students’ council has threatened to launch an agitation if their request for appointment of VC is not fulfilled by September 5.

AIZAWL, Aug 29: A survey conducted by the Mizoram Presbyterian Church, a leading body in the Christian-majority State, has found that alcohol-related deaths in Mizoram increased after the lifting of the 17-yearold Prohibition. The survey, released yesterday, collected data from four big hospitals in Aizawl , including Aizawl Civil Hospital, Presbyterian Synod Hospital, Aizawl Hospital and Newlife Hospital, reveals that 1,070 people died due to alcohol from 2003 to 2016. According to the survey, alcoholrelated deaths in the four hospitals increased since the lifting of Prohibition and opening of wine shops in 2015. Amidst stiff protest from the churches, the Lal Thanhawla Government lifted the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act, imposed since 1997, and introduced a new law that allowed opening of wine shops in 2015. 

The survey said that alcohol-related deaths in the four hospitals accounted for 16.32 per cent of the total deaths, which decreased to 9.86 per cent in 2014. Alcohol related- deaths came up in 2015 to 17.19 per cent and further to 23.38 per cent in 2016, the survey found. The survey also interviewed 873 people, including 348 rural dwellers and 524 urbanites, on the impact of alcohol on Mizo society. It said around 63 per cent of the respondents are for total prohibition of liquor, while 93.81 per cent believed that alcohol causes negative impact on the society. “The negative impact of liquor can be clearly seen from the increased of alcohol-related deaths in the four hospitals in Mizoram. If the survey had covered other hospitals, the figures would have been much higher,” said Mizoram Presbyterian Synod moderator Rev Lalzuithanga, who released the survey report. “It has also been found that liberalisation of liquor has increased promiscuity that further increases the risk of HIV infection,” he said. Another Presbyterian Church leader Robert Halliday, who heads the church’s social front, also maintained that the prohibition had been beneficial in ridding Mizo society of various social evils. 

“The Church has played a pivotal role in creating awareness against alcoholism and has organised many special drives against it. It has also been involved in rehabilitation programmes,” he said.

AIZAWL, Aug 29: Junior Engineer Service Association of Mizoram (JESAM) launched a three-day agitation today by wearing black badges to protest against ‘stagnation’ and demanded the State Government to introduce non-functional grade pay. Leaders of JESAM said that junior engineers (JE) constituted the largest among Government servants who could not get promotion due to ‘stagnation’. They said that 249 JEs who have been working for more than 20 years without getting promotion, they pointed out. 

The JESAM leaders also said that they are greatly disappointed because they have no future prospect. The leaders also said that despite repeated pleas, the State Government is yet to take any positive step in this regard. The JESAM added that the Government had granted non-functional ‘senior grade pay’ to SDO/ EE in order to solve their problems. – Newmai News

Praise On hnua a music video pangngai hmasa ber hi Cindy Lalthanpuii hian a mawipui zel dawn a nih hi. Hontrade Ṭhazual Fakna chart-ah Cindy chu 'A mawi ber' hla hmangin pakhatna a luah leh.

'A mawi ber' tih hla, Cindy hlawhtlinpui mek, pakhatna vawi hnihna atana a luahpui hla hi C. Vanlalvuana lehlin leh, a sak lar hmasak kha a ni. Tlangnuam nula hian he hla, hla lar tawh ngei mai a rawn thlang sak a, chutah a la hlawhtlinpui zui. Hla lar tawh hlawhtlinpui leh tur chuan thil a hautak a, a hmaa awm tawh nen khaikhin a awl fo. Chutiang boruak chu paltlangin, a thiamzia a rawn lantir a ni.

MPL kick Off-a chawimawina an pek, TBC Zaithanpuia chuan pakhatna a rawn hnaih leh tawh hle a, pangana aṭangin pahnihnaah a rawn chuang chhuak. Mizo Idol 2013 Grace Lalchhanhimi pawh 'Rawngbawl tura chhandam' hmangin pasarihna aṭangin pathumna a rawn thleng der tawh.

Top 10 aṭangin Adonai's Choir hla 'Ka van in' tih chu a tawlh chhuak a, One in Christ hla 'Chhum zin lohna' pawh kan hmu tawh lo bawk. Vohbiki hla 'Fakna sang ber' chu pariatnaah a rawn lang thar a, David Vanlalpeka hla 'Lalpa'n a sawm a che' tih chu 10-naah a rawn lang thar bawk.

Hontrade Ṭhazual Fakna

1 Cindy Lalthanpuii - A mawi ber

2 TBC Zaithanpuia - Min ngaidam rawh

3 Grace Lalchhanhimi - Rawngbawl tura chhandam

4 Temii Sailo - I thiam an hril

5 Amtea - Ka hming a hria

6 Judith - Ka lungawi e

7 Parema Hla - Hmangaihtu Isua

8 Vohbiki - Fakna sang ber

9 Miriam Lalnundiki - Kan Lalpa

10 David Vanlalpeka - Lalpa'n a sawm a che

Mamit nula zaithiam, JH Lalmuanpuii, kum 26 chu ril na avangin Thawhṭanni zing dar 3 khan New Life Hospital, Aizawlah a thi. JH Mamuani hi Lalroluaha leh F. Lalthianghlimi te fanu niin, Mamit Lungsir Venga khawsa an ni a, vawiin chawhma dar 11 hian an chenna inah vui a ni ang.

JH Mamuani hi LPS chart lamah pawh a thleng sang berte zinga mi a ni a, music video pawh a siam nual. Music video a tihchhuah tawh zingah ‘Thihna lui (Ka zai zel dawn)’, ‘Min ko e’, ‘Kawtthler mawiah’ tihte chu a lar hle a, thlan hlawh pawl tak an ni. July thla chawhnu lam aṭang khan a pum lam nuam lo a sawi ṭan a, damdawi inah inentirin, a ril lam fel loh vang a ni tih hmuhchhuah a ni. He a natna avang hian ‘Min ko e’ a tihna hmunah chuan a kalta a ni.