Page 46 - 1 to 18 August 2020

Imphal Times Supplementary issue Page No. 2
NEXT POSSIBLE LANGUAGE RIOTS IN
ASSAM:Manipuris vs Assamese?
Pardon us your By- Yambem Laba the Constitution of India since 1992 viz;Assamese,Bengali and Bodo. the insensitivity of the Assamese
Meanwhile observers have noted
and that since the year 2000 it has
Rajen also saoid that he has
Excellency: but as population residing in Assam are up been made an optional subject of approached Debabrata Saikia administration to such a touchy and
The odd six lakhs Manipuri
Opposition Leader of Assam and
sensitive issue like that of
the Combined Civil Service
R.K.Ranjan Member of Parliament
in arms against the Assam BJP
examinations conducted by the
language.Assam which had since
Governor of the state Government.This had followed a Union Public Service from Manipur personally to press the early 1950s had seen tension
and riots over the language issue
home the issue.
notification by the Assam Public
Commission.Tracing the historical
Also the Joint Action Committee
we do expect your Service Commission whereby it had route of the Manipuri language it for Safeguard of Indigenous following the States re-organization
Act whereby states were created
mandatory for all aspirants to qualify
was also pointed out that since 1924
based on the language of the people
the Calcutta University had
in either Bengali or Bodo languages
Manipuri People of Assam a
intervention should they hope to be selected foR introduced it as a vernicular conglomerate of 16 powerful and that Assam should have
language for the Matriculation
Manipuri organizations of Assam
Assamese as the sole language.It
any examinations being conducted
by it.Exemptions have been given
was in 1960 when Bimala Prasad
e x a m i n a t i o n . F o l l o w i n g
including the All Assam Manipuri
It would not be too far from the truth to remark that the for the Karbis and Dima Hajos tribal independence the Gauhati Students Union,Manipuri Youth Chaliya had piloted the Bill towards
common people of the state is still living in perpetual hope population of the State. University had in 1949 introduced Front ,Assam,Manipuri National making Assamese as the sole
Taking strong exception to it
and nothing much more, given the spontaneous euphoria of Hijam Rajen Singha a Manipuri Manipuri as a Modern Indian Council Assam and te All Assam language of the State.In 1961
protests against this provision
Language in intermediary and
Manipuri Women’s Meira Paibi Co-
the people when power changed hands in Manipur after a hailing from Cachar and founder of Bachelor of Arts examinations ordinating Committee signed by broke out out in the Bengali
decade-and half of increasing nepotism, heightened state- the Pan Meitei Convention(Meitei too.And today the Assam Nandababu Singha of the Assam dominated areas of Karimganj and
sponsored terrorism, bureaucratic red-tapism and a plethora being the indigenous name for the University ,Silchar offers Manipuri Civil Service,Professor Dhiren Cachar where many died.It should
of cases of misgovernance have now given way to fear of Manipuris) wrote a strong letter of as a subject for its Post Graduate,M Singha of the Assam University and do well for Sabhrawal to remember
expressing public opinions, stark mismatches between protest to Ramnath Kovind ,Hon’ble Phil and PhD programmes since Hijam Rajen had cited historical that it was the Shanti Parsishad
promises and performances; and outright dismissal of reports President of India.In his 1997..Besides the Assam documents including the Assam spearheaded by the Manipuris of
concerning misappropriation of public funds, to name just a memorandum he took exception to Government had as early as 1956 Accord to stress home their point Cachar alongwith other indigenous
few. Perhaps the unsavory recent developments in the three advertisements of the Assam had made Manipuri a medium of home to Sabrananda Shabrawal population comprising of the
political struggle reiterate the fact that politics of development administration.The first was instructions at the Primary s and up Chief Minister of Assam on the need Cacharis as well as the Muslims that
and politics of power are contradictory, and that power does No.AAP2/9/20/2018/10 Dated 5 to Class Ten in 1976. to safeguard the interests of the had stood by the provisions of
not equate performance. August 2019 issued by the Rajen in his appeal to the Manipuri people now residing in Assamese being the sole official
The aspirations of the people for a transparent, empathic Department of Personnel Govt.of President had also pointed out that Assam in view of the threat to their language of the State.
It is noteworthy to note that both
Assam;the second one was
well being on account of the recent
being a linguistic minority and an
and decisive leader is still proving elusive, as the expressed Adverisement No.06/2019/dated 19- economically backward community stand of the Government of Assam the Bodos as well as the Karbis
intents and promises of these leaders are gradually turning 11-2019 issued by the Assam Public of Assam the Manipuris of Assam over job recruitments and the came into prominence in Assam
into empty rhetoric and disappointment. What is more Service Commission advertising for had always encouraged their language factor at work. only after they took up guns.Said
surprising is that despite the popular public perception that the recruitment to the posts of children to study in Manipuri And also jumping into the fray is Rajen ,the Assam Government
the present state government is one approved and appointed Assistant Engineers and Junior medium with the view of the Union of Associations of should realize that it is not only
in line with the agenda of the Modi Government at the centre, Engineers and the third one was the safeguarding their language and Manipuri Rights consisting of 28 about securing jobs but also that of
there has been details of blatant violation of the Central Civil advertisement issued by the culture but now their future appears different pressure groups have showing res[ect to their mother
Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 which the Prime Minister Secretary of the Medical and Health to be doomed.It was demanded that written to the President of India,the tounge”Manipuri” that is irking the
himself pursued for reforms to check nepotism and corruption Recruitment Board of Assam vide the Assam Government be advised Prime Minister,Chief Minister Manipuri youths in Assam today
amid much cheers and fanfare, as reported in Imphal Times notification No.MHRB/21/D/2019/ to include Manipuri language as an Sabhrawal of Assam ,N.Bien Singh and that it would do well not to push
Chief Minister of Manipur and
307 calling for posts of Inspector of
the Manipuri youths against the
“associate “ language of Assam for
against the Chairperson of Manipur Commission for Drugs to be filled in it.All the the the purpose of appearing in it as an Governor Najma Heptullah of wall for they might fight back with
Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) on more than one three advertisements had warranted qualifying paper for the the Manipur.They have reiterated that guns.And sabhrawal who has just
count. The state government has still yet to react to the report that all candidates compulsorily examinations conducted by the the Sahitya Akademi of India had coped with the Bodos and the
despite the details presented in the report- yet another requires the clearing of either of the Assam Public Services Commission recognized this language as early karbi problems on one hand and
indication of the complicity of the high and mighty in such three language tests of alongwith Assamese,Bengali and as 1972 and that it is now being Paresh Barua’s
cases of misappropriations of huge public funds and abuse Assamese,Bengali or Bodo.This Bodo languages and further to taught both at the Assam and ULFA(Independent) on the other
of powers. Such uncharacteristic silences of an otherwise has left in lurch thousands of introduce Manipuri as an optional Manipur Universities both from the will have a bigger problem at hand
vocal leader of the government lend greater credence to the Manipuri aspirants.He reiterated paper for the Mains examination of undergraduate to post graduate should a group like ‘Manipuri
perceptions of a compromised integrity and acquired that the entire execise is against the the state Commission for levels as well as PhD Liberation Front of Assam” should
irresponsibility. The misleading and misinformed rejoinder understanding given by Prime recruitments to the Assam Civil and programmes.And that the Assam crop up.It would augur well for the
of the said chairperson to the report almost confirms the Minister Narendra Modi of “Sabka Police Services and other fields.And Government should actively and former AASU leader and now the
public perceptions. Sath,Sabka Vikhas ,Sabka Biswas”. that in all future recruitments of the urgently reconsider their language Chief Minister of the State to puyt
Citing that the Manipuri language
formula of recruitment to jobs in
Government of Assam ,the Manipuri
on his thinking cap and solve the
Another report by Imphal Times on August 8 regarding had been included as a Schedule language should be kept on par with Assam before things go out of problem before it becomes a
the lack of kits for extracting RNA for Covid-19 testing at Language under the 8 th Schedule of that of the three other languages hand. prairie fire.
RTPCR, and the subsequent outsourcing of the procurement
to contractors/suppliers these essential kits has caused
concern to a large number of readers, but surprisingly the Conventional vs Organic Farming
state government and the authority entrusted to handle such
issue have so far remained silent on the matter. Creation of By: Sanjenbam Jugeshwor Singh years, humans discovered how to increased from 0.7 million tonnes in plant nutrition i.e synthetic
contracts for works which could or should be handled by the artificially create fertilizers as well as 1983).Pesticides use in Australia has pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
various departments are increasingly coming to light, and Agriculture has been one of the build machines that could do the also grown rapidly with over 5,000 Organic farming relies on natural
for now, the state government is following the ‘Silence is biggest innovations in the human work of many humans. There was tonnes of herbicides. 5,000 tonnes principles like biodiversity and
the best policy’, which in matters pertaining to the public is history, with the first domestication revolutionary as it allowed for of insecticides and 3,000 tonnes of composting instead to produce
more than likely to backfire. of food crops occurring over 10,000 significant yield increases in labour. fungicides sprayed every year and healthy, abundant food. Importantly,
These emerging undesirable events have raised a very years ago. This domestication of Interestingly one could easily growing rapidly. This awareness and “Organic production “is not simply
important question- who should the public turn to if those food allowed for communities to correlated this change with the the toxicity of many of these inputs the avoidance of conventional
acceleration of human population,
has led to the (re)emergence of
inputs, nor is it the substitution of
base themselves in one area, growing
who are entrusted and elected to act for the welfare of the tending and harvesting foods to suddenly humans were able to organic agriculture combines natural inputs for synthetic ones.
public turned a deaf ear despite presenting detailed reports sustain larger populations. Simple produce more with less ,allowing modern agriculture method with Organic farmers apply techniques
and overwhelming evidences of wrongdoing by the manual agriculture dominated for the massive growth in population ( from natural inputs and pests first used thousands of years ago,
government officials working in the public domain? In a state first 8,000 years- focusing on the 1.5 Billion in 1900 to more than 7 management. There has been a focus such as crop rotations and use of
where the public is more suspicious and wary of resorting to sowing and harvesting of grain crops, Billion today). The 1940s brought in the past twenty years plus on the composed animal manures and green
legal resources, frustrations and mistrust is bound to build husbandry of animals and planting what has been called “The Green food we eat and how it is grown. manures crops, in ways that are
up over time. orchards of nut and fruit trees. The Revolution”, which is the loose Many people are asking questions economically sustainable in today’s
While the constitutional powers of the Governor might next 2,000 years brought massive description given to the discovery about the inputs that are applied to world. In organic production, overall
not cover such issues or is beyond the jurisdiction of duty, technology changes that moved of more artificial fertilisers and their their foods and the impact that it system health is emphasized and the
being the nominal head of state, it is given that the primary from mostly manual labour (both distribution; creation of chemical could be having on the earth as well interaction of primary concern.
function of the governor is to preserve, protect and defend human and animal labour) to the herbicides and pesticides and as their bodies. 1987 saw the Organic producers implement a wide
the constitution and the law as incorporated in his/her oath manufacture of farming implements genetic modification of plants and emergence of Biological farmers of range of strategies to develop and
maintain biological diversity and
that allowed larger areas to be farmed
animals. This shifted food
Australia, a group of farmers who
of office under Article 159 of the Indian constitution in the with less labour. Coupled with the production into mass production advocated and championed the replenish soil. Conventional and
administration of the State affairs. All his/her actions, sharing of foods crops around the that continues today. Driven by the natural farming approach that work organic farming methods have
recommendations and supervisory powers (Article 167c, world, this again boosted the ability artificial boosting of soil nutrients with nature rather than against. They different consequences on
Article 200, Article 213, Article 355, etc.) over the executive of humans to farm and feed larger and application of poisons that championed and adopted farming environment and people.
and legislative entities of a State shall be used to implement populations with agriculture. What reduced the impact of pests, genetic technique that now form organic Conventional agriculture causes
the provisions of the Constitution. The emerging worrisome started as the simple understanding modification of plants has led to certification, a process that is increased greenhouse gas emission,
trend may be considered a threat to the constitution of the of plant biology (that is the planting plants producing more yield than incredibly stringent and bound by soil erosion, water pollution and
country and what it was envisaged for, and the Governor of seeds to grow a replica) grew into they would naturally produce and consumer Law. threatens human health. Organic
should look into ways in which these issues can be directed the most important and largest insertion of other animal and plant Organic agriculture is a farming has a smaller carbon
to the authorities for rectification. industry in the world as well as the genomes to modify the properties of production system that regenerates footprint, conserves and builds soil
Changing the world starts with changing ourselves. If fuel for massive population growth. the plant. Again the boom of food the health of soils, ecosystem and health, replenishes natural
Food were grown with what was
ecosystem for cleaner water and air
production in this time could be
people. Organic farmers rely on
we cannot make right these petty issues despite the mounting naturally available and if modern linked with the increase in human natural processes, biodiversity and without toxic pesticide residues;
proofs and pressures, change is inevitable and could mean standard were applied to ancient population. cycles adopted to local conditions more profitable,yeilds equal or
the only way out of this recurring political nightmare. agriculture, it would most definitely “The Green Revolution “brought rather than the use of synthetic surpass & crops are more resilient
be ORGANIC. The 1900s brought more food to the World and with it inputs like chemical fertilisers, than conventional one and create
massive change that not only brought huge volumes of artificial pesticides and herbicides. GMOs are more jobs.So Organic farming is the
Letters, Feedback and Suggestions to ‘Imphal Times’ modified how humans produced inputs to agriculture. In Australia not allowed in organic. On the other sole alternative for our clean and
can be sent to our e-mail : imphaltimes@gmail.com. For advertisement food but also much food humans alone, there is approximately 1.7 hand conventional farming is that sustainable future.
kindy contact: - 0385-3590330 (O). For time being readers can reach the could produce. million tonnes of artificial fertilisers relies on chemical intervention to The writer can be reached
office at Cell Phone No. 9862860745 for any purpose. In the space of less than 150 applied to farming (which has fight pests and weeds and provide to:sjugeshwor7@gmail.com