2
GST Bill to be
taken up in
Parliament ...
VOL. XXVI NO. 107 ! RNI REGD. NO. 40948/90
Citizens ‘willing’ to
defy militant diktat
9
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
SHILLONG, APR 22: Even as the bandh called by Hynniewtrep National Youth Council (HNLC) had paralysed normal life in the city today, it was not the call of the
bandh that kept everybody indoors.
This reporter while interacting with a few people, who
braved the bandh to come out of their house to earn
their daily bread, learnt that most of them remained
inside because there was no use of coming out.
“I started my work as usual, but there were no commuters for two-three hours until 11 am when people
started coming out. As a loyal citizen of my state I am
happy to see that the government is fighting hard not to
give in to illegal outfits that (Contd. on P-10)
on despite declared
end to Saudi strikes
SHILLONG ! THURSDAY ! APRIL 23, 2015
Online edition: http://mg.glpublications.in
SHILLONG, APR 22:
Bhartiya Janata Party
(BJP) national general
secretary Ram Madhav
today said his party is not
trying to impose ban on
cow slaughter in the North
East as he reassure safe
and security for all religious communities.
“We are not proposing
any such things (cow
slaughter) here,” Madhav
told newsmen on the sidelines of the meeting convened by the party’s national president Amit Shah
here in the city on
Wednesday.
According to him, in
some states, the ban on
cow slaughter has been
there for several decades.
“In a number of Indian
states it is there and in a
number of states it is not
there which includes all
the states in NE India and
we are not proposing any
such things here,” the
general secretary reiterated.
Maintaining that his party is not in power in any of
these states (NE), he
said, “Remember one
thing, the ban on cow
slaughter in one or two
states like Maharashtra
and other places was essentially based on socioeconomic reasons,” adding “Our government in
different states will review
this situation and based
on the situation they will
take decision.”
The BJP chief Amit Shah
maiden visit to Meghalaya
was greeted with a ‘beef
party’ and a twelve-hour
bandh called by the proscribed HNLC in protest
against the party’s promotion of ban on beef and its
alleged atrocities perpetrated by the “Sangh Parivar” on minorities.
Reacting to the protest,
the BJP national general
secretary said, “It is a
democratic country, people can protest.”
Defending his party,
Madhav however termed
the protest in the state as
‘misplaced’
“The reasons for their
protests are misplaced as
the BJP is committed to
(Contd. on P-3)
BJP president Amit Shah lights the ceremonial lamp during a meeting with party
workers as senior party leader Ram Madhav and state unit president KS Lyngdoh
look, in the city, on Wednesday. Guardian photo
Expose Cong’s corruption in state: Shah
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
SHILLONG, APR 22: BJP national president Amit Shah implored upon the party
workers in the state to compile list of
corruptions of the Congress-led MUA II
coalition government in Meghalaya in the
form of a ‘booklet’ and distribute it to the
people to expose the ruling party.
Mukul inaugurates DPS Khanapara
Chief Minister of Meghalaya Dr. Mukul Sangma lighting the lamp to mark the inauguration of Delhi Public
School, Khanapara at Ri-Bhoi in Meghalaya and (right) Editor-in-Chief of The Meghalaya Guardian G.L. Agarwalla being felicitated during the inaugural function on Wednesday. Guardian photos
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
cater to different extra-curricular,
ity of Shillong sometime soon.
SHILLONG, APR 22: Chief Minister
sports and games and vocational
Expressing his confidence that the
Dr Mukul Sangma today inauguratlinked activities.
school will set a benchmark for othed the first Delhi Public School
The classrooms being fully digital
er schools in the region, the Chief
(DPS) in Meghalaya at Khanapara,
and smart classes would also reMinister informed the gathering that
Ri-Bhoi District.
duce usage of paper thereby conthe State Government was looking
The school, which is set in a 30tributing to environment protection
at those sectors that could be best
acre sprawling campus, aims to
and conservation.
taken up in this part of the State.
impart value-based education to
In his inaugural address, Sangma
He urged upon the corporate housproduce well-rounded and wellsaid that the opening of this school
es to look at further investment in
groomed students ready to take on
will generate hope for parents who
social sectors like education and
the world.
have been waiting for such an ophealth revolving around Green
With CBSE curriculum, it also aims
portunity.
Economy which according to him
to be a school with a difference
However, he felt that this school
would open up huge opportunities
where learning will be beyond the
would mostly benefit the residents
for students who are compelled to
classroom.
of Guwahati, being closer to Khago outside in pursuit of their career.
The school is equipped with four
napara, but not for Shillong or Tura,
“Meghalaya Government will suplaboratories from the primary level
so he expressed his hope to see
port and facilitate any investment in
and a swimming pool would also
another DPS coming up in the vicinhealth and (Contd. on P-3)
SHILLONG, APR 22: Opposition political parties
today raised the issues
pertaining to the problem
of militancy, boundary disputes, illegal immigration,
NGT ban on coal mining
political besides others
during a series of meetings with the BJP chief
Amit Shah here.
Shah, who was on his
first maiden visit to the
State, had convened separate meetings with the
political parties – the UDP,
HSPDP, KHNAM and NPP.
On the law and order
front, all of them have
sought for the immediate
intervention of the Centre.
“Misrule and corruption
have given rise to militancy and other forms of law
and order situations, with
the frustrated youths venting out their frustrations,
anger and reactions in
forms counterproductive
to the overall development
of the state,” UDP chief
Donkupar Roy said.
He also said that there
have been serious allegations of the politico-militant nexus with respect to
the ongoing problem in
(Contd. on P-10)
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
Financial literacy in Ri-Bhoi
‘worst’ in North-east
Ironically, the district is one of the best
among seven chosen districts in the
Northeast when it comes to “awareness”
about the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MGNREGS).
The fact was revealed during a survey
conducted by the Agency for Technical
Cooperation for Development (ACTED)
under a European Union-funded project
“Improving Access to Information and
Delivery of Public Schemes in Remote
and Backward District of North East India”.
The cash transaction prevails even as
all households, according to government
statistics, in 11 districts of Meghalaya
were covered under the PMJDY introduced by ruling NDA government.
(Contd. on P-10)
Concern over 'beef ban'
Church,
parties join
bandwagon
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
Cong failed to
govern: Opp
tells Shah
" 95% job card holders get MGNREGS wages in cash: Study
Bruised PSG
have a long way
to go in Europe
Total Pages: 12 Rs. 5.00
BJP not for beef ban in NE
‘School will set a benchmark for other schools’
By Ratul Baruah
SHILLONG, APR 22: The much-acclaimed Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has achieved 100 per cent
“success” in Meghalaya, but it failed to
fulfill the real objectives of the Narendra
Modi-led NDA government.
While all households were stated to be
covered by the PMJDY, which aims at providing financial literacy to every citizen,
the bank accounts opened by people in
most districts remain unused for direct
transfer of benefits of government
schemes.
Payments of MGNREGS wages are still
done in cash mode in most of the districts, one of the worst being Ri-Bhoi
where 95% of the payments to beneficiaries were given through cash transactions.
11
" Party not proposing cow slaughter ban in region: Ram Madhav
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
An areal view of the important Khyndailad junction
during the hours of the bandh called by the HNLC in
protest against BJP national president Amit Shah's
visit to the State's capital on Wednesday. Guardian
photo
10 Yemen foes fight
Net neutrality
debate trial
balloon floated ...
Addressing party workers in the state
on Wednesday afternoon in the state
convention hall, Shah, who is on a tour
of the North-east, encouraged party workers to work hard and expose the misdeeds of the Congress-led coalition government in Meghalaya and lay the foundation for (Contd. on P-3)
SHILLONG, APR 22:
Church as well as political leaders in Meghalaya
today appealed to the
Bhartiya Janata Party
(BJP) and the Centre to
uphold secular and pluralistic credentials of India
besides to refrain from
bringing a national law to
ban killing or export cattle.
The issues was raised
by the church and political
leaders during their separate meetings with the
BJP chief Amit Shah, who
was on his first maiden
visit to the state, here on
Wednesday. “We have
urged the BJP leadership
(Contd. on P-3)
TODAY’S EDITORIAL
Linking
development
with environment
CITY WEATHER
Yesterday’s Recording
Temperature Humidity
Max 22.3 C Morning 85%
Min 13.2 C
Evening 77%
Rainfall
12.4 MM