northeast

A 10-year-old boy who had gone missing from his home was saved thanks to the alertness and humanitarian effort of a jawan on duty. The teenager was rescued by a jawan of the Assam Rifles while he was travelling alone in a passenger train. The boy, identified as Joseph Mao, had gone missing from his home in Neisatuo Colony, Dimapur, Nagaland, on August 22. The next day, on August 23, Rifleman Lawrence Hrangkhal of the Assam Rifles spotted the child sitting alone with a school bag on his back without any guardian in a Tripura-bound train. On questioning, when the boy could not give the exact address of his home or why he had boarded the train, the jawan became suspicious. The jawan immediately informed his superiors about the matter. After that, ensuring the safety of the child, he...

Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and minister in charge of Home, Y. Patton, has said the State government would not force anyone to sing Vande Mataram.He made the statement amid controversy over the Centre’s directive on singing the national song in schools and official programmes, which has drawn opposition from various Naga civil society organisations, including the Naga Students’ Federation and Nagaland Baptist Church Council.Patton said the State government could not say it would enforce the directive, maintaining that participation should be a matter of individual choice.“Nobody is forced to sing, and nobody will be asked to sing, and nobody can stop anyone from singing,” Patton said.He indicated that the issue could come up for discussion during the forthcoming Ninth session of the Na...

The Mizoram government has requested the Centre to refer the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, or FCRA Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for wider consultations with all stakeholders before it is finalised. The proposed amendment seeks to tighten monitoring of organisations receiving foreign donations and proposes setting up a special Designated Authority’ The authority is proposed to be empowered to take over, manage or sell the assets of any non-profit organisation if its FCRA licence expires, is not renewed, or is suspended or cancelled. Concern in Christian-majority Northeastern statesThis proposed provision has raised concerns in the Christian-majority states of the Northeast as churches and other voluntary organisations there are largely dep...

The Saitual District Drugs Disposal Committee on Friday destroyed narcotic substances worth more than Rs 60.57 crore in a major anti-drug disposal exercise conducted at the incinerator of Champhai District Hospital.The destruction of the seized drugs was carried out in accordance with legal procedures to ensure the safe disposal of confiscated narcotics while preventing any environmental hazards.Deputy Inspector General of Police C. Lalnunmawia attended the programme and commended the Saitual District Executive Force (DEF) for its dedicated efforts in detecting drug-related offences and seizing illegal narcotics. He said the police personnel had shown commitment in the fight against drug trafficking and stressed that close coordination among different government departments and districts ...

The grand finale of Apatani Fashion Week and Apatani's Next Top Model 2026 concluded on a spectacular note, at Hija village in Arunachal Pradesh's lower Subansiri district, celebrating the rich cultural heritage, indigenous fashion and emerging modelling talent of the Apatani community.The event commenced with a welcome address by the Vice Chairman of the Sillang Diting Dree Festival Celebration Committee (SDDFCC), followed by a series of impressive runway presentations by designers Hibu Ollo, Leegang Ozeen and Taru Monya, each presenting collections that beautifully blended Apatani traditions with contemporary fashion.The audience was further entertained by captivating cultural performances from the Dani Haj Puna Clan, SDDFC Daminda Dance Committee, and The Diirey Nyimung Dance Group, al...