Nagaland only behind Mizoram in tobacco consumption

From our Correspondent

KOHIMA, July 29: Nagaland State has earned the unenviable position of being ranked second among Indian states in terms of tobacco consumption, next to another small North-eastern State Mizoram.

According to latest survey conducted by Global Adult Tobacco, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), every second man and every third women in Nagaland is addicted to tobacco.

57 per cent of people in Nagaland use tobacco products (69 per cent men and 43 per cent women) including cigarette and bidi and 45 per cent of people are using smokeless tobacco.

These figures were disclosed by a high power delegation of Ministry of Health &Family Welfare, New Delhi, during a meeting on effective implementation of National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) with police, various government departments and NGOs in the state capital, Kohima on Saturday.

According to MoHFW officials, it is estimated that lakhs of Nagaland people would die prematurely if tobacco control is not taken as a priority. The state has also been identified as a place which has one of the highest incidences of lung cancer in the entire world, especially among women.

Expressing concern over high usage of Gutka and Pan Masala in Nagaland, Director NTCP Amal Pusp admitted that despite the Supreme Court judgment and the FSSAI regulation, the ministry is unable to ban tobacco products such as Gutka because it is registered as a food product and there is no law to ban it so far.

Pusp however said that under the act, the State can act and that the central team have come to sensitize and create awareness to the State government.

Additional director and State nodal officer (NTCP) Dr N Savino in his presentation said that in Nagaland, the State Government had issued an order on ban of smoking in public places as per directive of Government of India.

It was also informed that the Phokhungri Area Public Organization under Meluri sub-division in Phek district during 90’s announced an award of Rs 10,000 to any village under its jurisdiction that declared 100 per cent no smoking village.

The purpose of the visit of the high power delegation of MoHFW is to sensitize the policy makers and various stake holders in the Northeast region. It desires to share some of the effective strategies that have emerged as game changers in tobacco control movement in India. One such move is to ban Guktka and tobacco containing pan masala under FSSAI 2006. While six large States have done it in India, none of the Northeast States have done it.

According to a handout, Nagaland State is losing thousands of young and middle aged people due to the use of tobacco products and that the State Government have to understand the epidemic.

“Billions of rupees are being wasted on the health care of these largely preventable illnesses and that the healthcare cost of tobacco is estimated to be 10 times the revenue due to tobacco. The GDP of the State will increase by 10 per cent if they were to control tobacco comprehensively. This has to be done on a war footing with contributions from every ministry and department such as the MHA”  the handout stated .

Northeast's fourth mega food park in Tripura

Agartala, July 29: The Northeast’s fourth mega food park will be set up in Tripura at a cost of Rs 72 crore to accelerate the growth of food processing industry in the region, a minister said here on Sunday.

It will be used to preserve fruits and vegetables coming from the country and abroad.

According to Tripura Industries and Commerce Minister Jitendra Choudhury, Assam has two Green Field Mega Food Parks while another such park is being set up in Manipur.

“Tripura grows abundant varieties of fruits and vegetables. By their processing and value addition through the proposed food park, the state is waiting to earn huge returns from both domestic as well as international markets,” Choudhury told reporters.

“The food park will also help expand industries based on fruits and vegetable produces,” he added.

The Tripura government has allotted 50 acres of land for setting up of the food park, being created by a private developer at a cost of Rs 72 crore, in Tulakona, 15 km north of state capital, Agartala.

“Of the Rs 72 crore, union ministry of food processing industries (MFPI) would provide Rs.50 crore. A Kolkata based private company will develop the mega food park by next year end,” the minister added.

“Fruits and vegetable growers would gain enormously if value addition is ensured,” he said.

The food park will consist of necessary infrastructure such as cold storage, warehouse, workshops and weighbridge, and other common facilities like power and water supply would be made available.

“Various private and semi-government food processing companies would be allowed to set up their units in the food park,” Choudhury added.

The mega food parks scheme, a flagship programme of the MFPI, approved during the 11th Five Year Plan, aims at accelerating growth of food processing industry in the country through facilitating establishment of strong food processing infrastructure backed by an efficient supply chain.

The mega food parks have been envisaged to help in creation of enabling infrastructure for food processing and a comprehensive farm-to-plate supply chain system.

An official document said the food park would reduce wastage and ensure value addition, especially in perishables like fruits and vegetables.

“This is further aimed at reviving the agricultural sector by increasing the returns for farmers besides making processing more economically viable and help creating large employment opportunities particularly in the rural areas,” the document added. (IANS)

Mithun centre celebrates Institute Industry Day

From our Correspondent

DIMAPUR, July 29: National Research Centre on Mithun (NRC on Mithun), Jharnapani, celebrated Institute Industry Day on July 27 last with the aim to promote entrepreneurs to take up Mithun (bos frontalis) farming on commercial scale as the animal has the potential to provide gainful employment opportunity.

NRC on Mithun Jharnapani Programme Coordinator, KVK Phek, RK Singh in a press release said that a brainstorming session was organized on Scope of Entrepreneurship in Mithun Farming as part of the celebration.

B Thawang, Secretary, Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Government of Nagaland, who was the chief guest on the occasion was of the opinion that unemployed youths should take up entrepreneurship in this sector (Mithun farming). Thawang said that the technologies developed through research and development activities of the institutes like NRC on Mithun and other ICAR institutes would help the entrepreneurs to take up some meaningful and remunerative ventures.

Emphasizing the need for commercialization of Mithun farming, the V&AH secretary said that the State Government can also give logistic support.

Director, NRCM Jharnapani, Dr Chandan Rajkhowa, welcomed the guests and explained the rationale for celebrating Institute Industry Day. He highlighted the socio-economic importance of Mithun and emphasized that Mithun breeders should not concentrate on rearing the Mithun only for meat but should also explore other avenues like milk and leather products to have better income generation.

Joint Director, ICAR (RC) for NEH Nagaland center, Dr BC Deka, explained the scope, importance, constraints and remedies in agri and allied sectors. He emphasized mainly on industrialization to uplift the socio-economic lives of rural people of Nagaland. He also highlighted about the opportunities available in seed production sector as state imports about 40 per cent of its cereals seeds and almost entire vegetable seed is also imported from other states.

Joseph Angami CEO, KOMUL, said that looking into the composition of Mithun’s milk, it has great opportunity in processing sector.

Director of Industries & Commerce, Government of Nagaland, Er Thekruneituo Kire, pointed out that good numbers of animals are slaughtered everyday in the State and there is opportunity in leather sector, but due to absence of modern abattoir and food behaviour of the Naga people, there is scarcity of hide for leather industry.

Apart from tanning industry the NE region has great scope for utilizing slaughterhouse products for producing blood meal, bone meal and other related products. Kire also said that to attract unemployed youths and individuals to start entrepreneurship in these sectors, the government is giving 30 per cent capital subsidy and 3 per cent subsidy on working capital.

Participants from School of Agricultural Sciences & Rural Development (SASRD) Medziphema, Nagaland University and scientists from NRC on Mithun presented different technologies available and how they can be commercially exploited.

BJP Nagaland visits Bokajan Town Committee election

DIMAPUR, July 29: The State BJP Nagaland unit led by its president Dr M Chuba Ao accompanied by senior party officials visited  Bokajan Town to assess its party preparations and the latest developments in the event of forthcoming Town committee election to be held on July 31.

The Town Committee comprises of 7 wards with a total number of 13000 (thirteen thousand) voters approximately, with an average of 1800 voters in each ward. BJP Bokajan will be contesting in six (6) wards, they are ward numbers  1,3,4,5,6 and 7, whereas  in  one of the ward, they will be contesting  in adjustment with AGP candidate as alliance.

While interacting  with the BJP intending candidates, it was learnt that the party if voted to power, its priorities and main focus will be on, Development of Water supply system with pipe connection facilities to all houses, widening of Roads with proper drainage system, rectifying and improving the ill-PDS (Public distribution system and judiciously implementing the IAY ( Indira Aawas Yojana ) reaching out to  the Aam Admi-common man and deserving people and to construct better public utilities such as Dustbins,Toilet and Urinal sheds.

The Assembly Constituency Mandal president Somaswar Mech and Town Mandal president Babul Das jointly stated that Urban voters are fed up with the present elected members for failing in all fronts of development aspects and its insensitive attitude towards the welfare of the people.  

Meanwhile, the BJP Bokajan Unit expressed its deep appreciations and sincere gratitude  to the neighbouring State Nagaland unit for its  kind gesture and for providing all logistic support in various forms and its visit to Bokajan is not only a moral boost,  but has created a large positive impact to the party in particular. This was stated in a press release.