1920 hrs of

24th January 2023.

THE HEADLINES:-

• State Chief Electoral Officer V Shashank Shekhar warns political

parties and candidates against misusing of government cars for
election related activities
• Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly declares 28 Koridang
Assembly Constituency seat vacant
• Nagaland government to penalise overloaded heavy vehicles
• And, Third edition of Orange festival gets underway at Rusoma
village

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State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), V Shashank Shekhar has warned

political parties and candidates against misusing of government cars for
election related travels. CEO said official vehicles belonging to Central and
State government or any other public sector undertaking in which public
funds are invested and vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Defence and
the Central Police Organizations should not to be misused for campaign,
electioneering or election related travel during election as per the
guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI). CEO also stated that
Ministers are entitled to use their official vehicles only for commuting from
their official residence for officials works provided that such commuting is
not combined with any electioneering or any political activities. He also said
that as per the ECI guidelines, vehicles are not allowed to move in convoys
of more than ten vehicles, excluding the security vehicles. CEO further
directed all the District Administration to keep a close watch and find out if
any official vehicle is being misused for electioneering purpose. CEO said if
any official car is found to be misused, the vehicle will be requisitioned and
will not be released until the completion of the process of elections.

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The Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) has declared the

seat of 28 Koridang Assembly Constituency under Mokokchung district as
vacant. The seat was declared vacant after accepting the resignation of
Imkong L Imchen, NDPP from the membership of the 13th NLA with effect
from 20th of January.

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Nagaland government will be penalising overloaded heavy vehicles as per

the Motor Vehicle Act 1988. The Motor vehicles department under the
Transport Commissioner in a press release stated that overloaded vehicles
threaten road safety and are contributing to many fatal accidents on the
roads. As such, overloading on highways and roads are becoming a
complex issue of concern in the state. It said the problem of overloading of
heavy vehicles is causing damage to our road infrastructure, and rapid
deterioration of roads resulting in increased maintenance and
transportation costs and also increasing the possibility of unnecessary loss
of life. The Department said if any vehicle is found to be overloaded, the
driver will be asked to off-load the excess weight at his own risk and not to
remove the vehicle or trailer from that place until the laden weight has been
reduced. The Department further said, defaulters will be liable to pay a fine
of minimum 20,000 rupees and 2,000 rupees per excess tonne of
load

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The third edition of the annual Orange festival got underway at Rusoma
village, under Kohima district. The two day festival is being organised in
collaboration with the department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural
Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City.Speaking at the
festival, Additional Director of Rural Development, K Neibou Sekhose
emphasised on the importance of building a robust economy for
sustainability and self-reliant. He appreciated the efforts of Rusoma village
for pursuing the endeavour of self reliant with their plantation of Oranges
and celebrating the festival. Sekhose also viewed that this initiative is not
only benefitting the village alone but also the neighbouring and the society
at large. District Horticulture Officer, S. Senka said, there has been a
paradigm shift in horticulture, and stressed the need for smart farming
which will increase yields through enhanced productivity, improve resilience
and reduce side effects. He maintained that there is a huge potential of
Horticulture in Nagaland, adding that it has become a promising source of
income acceleration, employment generation, poverty alleviation and
export promotion. Convenor of the organising committee, Khrielie Chase,
said the festival is being organised to celebrate the farmers for their hard
work while enabling the farmers to sell their produce at one hub. He
informed that about 35,000 trees of orange plantation are available and is
generating an income more than 40 Lakh rupees. A total of 31 stalls with
oranges, vegetables, coffee, handicrafts and others were put on
display.
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Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said the government is

committed to strengthening disaster management capabilities by focusing
more on health needs during a disaster situation. Addressing the inaugural
session of the National Emergency Medical Team initiative in New Delhi,
Mandaviya said the initiative will help in making communities and the
country disaster resilient. He added that the Emergency Medical Team will
help immensely in capacity building, standardization, and rostering of
National and State Emergency Medical Teams that can be rapidly deployed
for response to all hazard events. He said being a vast country with diverse
terrains and geographies, India can have its own Model for Disaster and
Emergency response which other countries can emulate. Mandaviya
further stressed that the India model can go beyond the prescribed SOPs
and be more flexible and agile to response to exigencies on the ground

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National Girl Child Day is being observed today. The Women and Child
Development Ministry is celebrating the day, with a special focus on valuing
the girl child. This year, the Ministry with various social media platforms has
decided to make National Girl Child Day a public participation. Kohima
joined the rest of the country in observing National Girl Child Day at
Kohima Orphanage and Destitute Home. Social Welfare Commissioner and
Secretary and Administrator Nagaland State Social Welfare Board Martha
R. Ritse addressed on POCSO Act 2012, She said the Act protects
children from offenses of sexual assault and harassment and offenders
would suffer serious punishment. Ritse informed the children that if they
find themselves in such cases they should call child helpline 1098 or 181.
Director, Social Welfare Tosheli Zhimomi said the celebration of National
Girl Child Day is a significant step towards addressing gender imbalance
and discrimination against the girl child.

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Deputy Commissioner Shanavas C has cautioned against encroachment of

public footpath and railings. The Deputy Commissioner said many road-
adjacent shops in Kohima dealing with Construction materials, tyres,
vehicle repair workshops, Timber and Bamboo, Iron fabrication, Clothing,
and accessories have encroached upon public footpaths by placing and
stocking their products and goods over public footpaths and railings. He
said that continued encroachment over public footpaths has caused
immense public inconvenience and poses a grave danger to public safety.
Shanavas further added that stockpiling, stacking, and placing of materials
or goods by Shops and business establishments over public footpaths
whether permanent or temporary is strictly prohibited and necessary action
will be initiated against defaulters under relevant sections of the
law

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Movement of Heavy vehicles along Puglwa to Thekrejuma Road has been

restricted till 2nd of February to facilitate road construction. Deputy
Commissioner Chumoukedima, Abhinav Shivam therefore requested the
public to bear with the inconvenience and avoid the route during the period
and plan their routes accordingly .