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Imphal TimesRegd.No. MANENG /2013/51092 Volume 7, Issue 216, Saturday, March 7, 2020 Maliyapham Palcha kumsing 3418 Rs. 2/-

IT NewsThoubal,March.7

26 AR and 3 ADU (Army DogUnit) under the aegis of 9Sector Organised a VeterinaryCamp and Medical Checkuptoday at Tulihal VillageYairipok under OperationSadbhavana Project 2019 -20.The event started from 9 amtoday morning and concluded

AR organises veterinary campcum medical checkup

at 1 pm.3,300 x Domestic pets andanimals were treated whichincluding cow,buffalo, pig,goat, dog and poultry etc. Apart from the VeterinaryCamp a total No of around 200peoples from Tulihal andnearby v illageswere provided free medicalcheckup and medicines weredistributed.

IT NewsImphal March 7

The Chief Minister ofManipur N. Biren Singhapproved in princip le theconstruction of 20 beddedIsolation Ward in the RegionalInstitute of Medical Sciences,Imphal at the earliest. Thiswas stated by Prof. A. SantaSingh, the Director of RIMSduring the inauguration of 15bedded new SurgicalIntensive Care Unit (SICU). Aproposal to construct the 20bedded Isolation Ward will besubmitted to the Governmentof Manipur. The newlyconstructing Isolation Wardwill solve the shortage of beds.He also further stated that thenewly inaugurated 15 beddedSurgical Intensive Care Unit(SICU) will solve a problem of

C M N. Biren Singh approved construction ofa 20 bedded Isolation Ward in RIMS

shortage of beds in the ICU.These beds are one of the bestin India and could be managedby remote control. This isinnovative part of developmentproject in RIMS Hospital. Onother hand, the patients broughtyesterday in the Isolation Wardis not confirmed COVID-19patients and requested thepublic not to spread wrong

information to the social media.

Prof. Ch. Arunkumar Singh,Medical Superintendent, RIMSHospital, Imphal, other Head ofDepartments, Faculty members,Staff Nurses and Non-TeachingStaffs also attended theinaugural ceremony of the newSurgical Intensive Care Unit inthe RIMS Hospital, Imphal.

AgencyGuwahati , March 7

After a 76-year-old tourist inBhutan tested positive forCOVID-19, the second floorof Radisson Blu Hotel inGuwahati has beenevacua ted as a s afetymeasure.As per reports, the US touristbefore travelling to Bhutanhad stayed at Room Number224 of the hotel on March 1.Unwill ing to tak e any

Coronavirus scare: Second floor ofRadisson Blu evacuated

chance, the hotelmanagement as soon as cameto know about the latestdevelo pment in Bhutan ,decided to evacuate the floorimmediately.They a lso put 23 staffmembers of the hotel, whocame in contact with the UStouris t, under s pecialobservation.The US national had earliertravel led to Jor hat onFebruary 22 v ia an Indigoflight and had checked into

MV Mahabahu on a seven-day cruise.He had travelled to Majuli,Kaziranga and Guwahati aswell, before travelling toBhutan.He was tested positive forCOVID-19 during screeningat Paro in Bhutan.Even though no coronaviruscase has been reported inAssam yet, however, thehealth depar tmen t anddistrict administration aretaking no chances.

IT NewsImphal, March 7

Join body of rebel groupsCorCom while showingrespect to the roles being takenby the women of the regionin pro tecting our socio-cultur al and eco nomiccondition on occasion of theInternational Women’s Daywhich falls on March 8. Astatement of the joint bodygreets the women of theregion while celebrating theInternational Women’s Dayunder the theme – I amGener ation Equa lity:Realizing Women’s Rights.The s tatement alsoelaborated on the root of theInternational women’s day. It

CorCom wishes Women of the region onInternational Women’s Day

said that the day is beingremembered in solidarity tothe uprising of the womenfighting for their rights tomake in par with that of theirmale counterpart. The uprisingof the women community in1993 at United States againstthe deprivation of theeconomic rights and to fightagainst various form ofatrocities saw the seeds ofWomen’s movement.The mass protest of thewomen garment worker in 1908demanding improvement oftheir working condition hadbrought significant changes tothe condition of women bydemanding voting right andformation of “Women’s TradeUnion League”.

Commemorating the day theUnited States of Americaobserved February 28 as theNational Women’s Day in2009.Since then various uprisingacross the European countriestook place. The UnitedNations later deeply felt theneed for recognizing a dayparticularly for women andsince 1975, the March 8 hasbeen observ ing as theInternational Day across theglobe.The CorCom after elaboratingthe root of observ ing theWorld Women’s Day said thateven as when it comes toManipur (Kangleipak) thewomen of the region eventhough were regarded with

high respect women todayfaced deprivation af ter itjoined the Indian union. Thenew face is that women aredeprived with maledominating them. The cultureof communal basedisintegration that spread tothe state of Manipur is theroot of all form of kinds that ishappening in the state.Before Manipur (Kangleipak)become a part of India womenwere highly regarded. But afterit become a part of India,introduction of draconian actand crime committed underthe shadow of AFSPA . TheCorCom said that restorationof the freedom is the onlymeans to lift the status of thewomen.

IT NewsImphal, March 7

Solo Motorist, Anish Baheti,a qualified Charter Account(CA), originally hailed fromRajesthan and lived inAustralia for years, whokicked start his solo motor ridefrom Ahemebad in Gujaratfrom 2nd February this yearafter rid ing till Myanmaryesterday return back toImphal and visited ImphalTimes office.“ I am qualified CA but I knowinspire people through mytalks and through my travel. Irecently completed 10000 kmssolo bike ride covering entireSouth India. Post that Icovered 9 South East Asiancountries in 29 days, againtravelling solo. This is my firsttrip cross border solo biketrip.”, the solo rider told to ateam of Imphal staffersyesterday evening. He left forSilchar early today morningthrough Imphal Jiribam Road.Talking to Imphal Times AnishBaheti sad, “I started off thejourney from Ahmedabad(Gujarat) and travelled to thestate of Rajasthan beforeentering the state of UttarPradesh. From there I crossedthe Sonauli border to enterNepal. In Nepal I coveredLumbini, Pokhara andKathmandu. From KathmanduI reached Bardibas beforecrossing the border to enter

Solo Rider Charter Accountant fromGujarat headed for Mizoram; visited

Imphal Times office

Siliguri (WestBengal). Fromthere I went to Kalimplong andthen entered Sikkim. FromSikkim I entered Bhutan andfrom there covering Assam Iwent up to Tawang inArunachal. Later I coveredMeghalaya and once againentered Assam at Majuliisland. From there I reachedNagaland and from therereached Imphal, Manipur”.About the reason of his travelAnish Baheti said that hismission is simply to inspireothers to travel and see theworld, lead a healthy lifestyleand exper ience dif ferentpersepective.“ I choose to travel solo as itgives me more freedom. As icross 6000 kms in 29 dayspromoting healthy lifestyleand solo travel, it’s worthreflecting the self-mastery thatone builds riding on all types

of road and experiencing allfour seasons”, he said.6 skills that one will sharpen(especially if one’s riding solo)are Trusting gut, Analyzingrisk, Building focus, Takingdecisions, Improving patienceand Accepting uncertainties,Anish Baheti said.“Every up is followed by adown and after every downcomes an up. Stay balancedunder both situations andenjoy the ride, is probably thegreatest lesson one gets,riding mountain roads whichcan be easily related to life”he said.He said that he planned tocover all the seven states ofNorth East India and enterMizoram and Tripura. He alsowished to cross Bangladeshand covering other easternstates of India reach back toAhmedabad (Gujarat).

Bomb blastIT NewsImphal, March 7

A bomb blasted at at theroad side of Saijang inImphal East under LamlaiPolice station at around9.30 am today. No personsinjured.

AMWJUSports

IT NewsImphal, March 7

The 10th Sports meet ofthe All Manipur WorkingJournalist Union(AMWJU) will star ttomorrow. IPR MinisterTh. Bishwajit andEducation Minister willopen the sports meet ofthe journalist fraternity.the sports will begin bylighting secrete light fromthe Kangla. Both theMinisters will joined thetorch rally to mark thebeginning of the sportsmeet.Main event will be held atKhuman Lampak SportsComplex.

PM Modihold reviewmeeting onCovid-19

with UnionHealth

MinisterAgencyNew Delhi, March 7

Prime Minister NarendraModi hold a rev iewmeeting on Covid-19 withUnion Health Minister Dr.Harsh Vardhan at 11:30this morning. Senior officials of HealthMinistry will alsoparticipate in the meet.Secretary, Informationand BroadcastingMinistry, will also bepresent to strategiesd issemination ofinformation regardingprecautionary measuresin regional languages tofurther contain the spreadof Novel Corona Virus inthe country.

DIPRImphal, March 7

Water Resources MinisterLetpao Haokip attended theConference of ChiefMinisters/Ministers of Water

Water Resources Minister LetpaoSuggests inclusion of Manipur

River Basin in Newma Draft Bill

Resources of North-EasternRegion on the Draft Bill inrespect of proposed NorthEast Water ManagementAuthority (NEWMA) at NewDelhi yesterday afternoon.The Conference was presided

over by the Union Minister ofJal Shakti Shri Gajendra SinghSekhawat.In the conference, LetpaoHaokip drew the attention ofthe gather ing to includeManipur river basin in thedraft bill of NEWMA. He alsosaid that the formulation of themaster plan for Manipur basinshould be done at the earliest.The Minister of State for JalShakti and Social Justice &Empowerment, Shri Rattan LalKataria, Chief Ministers ofArunachal Pradesh, Sikkimand Tripura, Deputy CM ofMeghalaya and WRMinisters of all the NE statesparticipated in the Conference.

AgencyImphal, March 7

With 31 individuals diagnosedwith the deadly novelcoronavirus (COVID-19) inIndia, everyone seems to begoing into a state of panic.And as a fallout, people arebelieving just about anythingand everyth ing they arecoming across on the internet.Among several p ieces ofinformation, there is one thatasks people to ‘drink alcoholto stay safe and kill the deadlyvirus’, which, according to theWorld Health Organisation(WHO) is not true.Busting myths,misconceptions and

Drinking alcohol will not protectyou from COVID-19: WHO

misinformation about thedeadly coronavirus, the WHOsaid: “No. Spraying alcohol orchlorine all over your body willnot k ill viruses that havealready entered your body.”According to the globalhealth agency, spraying suchsubstances can be harmful toclothes or eyes and mouth.According to the globalhealth agency, spraying suchsubstances can be harmful toclothes or eyes and mouth.“Be aware that both alcoholand chlorine can be useful todisinfect surfaces, but theyneed to be used undera p p r o p r i a t erecommendations,” the WHOsaid.

The most effective way toprotect yourself against thenew coronavirus is byfrequently cleaning yourhands with alcohol-basedhand rub or washing them withsoap and water, according tothe organisation.The WHO also revealed thattaking a hot bath does notprevent the new coronavirusdisease and cannot betransmitted through goodsmanufactured in China or anycountry reporting COVID-19cases. So far, the deadly novelcoronavirus has now infectedmore than 100,000 peoplearound the world and takenmore than 3,000 lives globally.As of Saturday, the to talnumber of coronavirus casesaround the world was 101,492,with 3,485 deaths.

MEEYAMGEEKHOLLAO

IT NewsImphal, March 7Third edit ion of theMEEYAMGEE KHALAO,an initiative of the ImphalTimes will be held at 10 amat the office of the ImphalTimes at KeishamthongElangbam leikai. Topic : Fateof Salai Investers Part III

Imphal Times Supplementary issue

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Page No. 2

Edited by Rinku Khumukcham, Owned and Published by Iboyaima Khuman at Keishamthong Elangbam Leikai, Imphal and Printed by him at M/s Imphal Times Printers, Elangbam Leikai Imphal West, Contact No. 2452159, Resident Editor- Jeet Akoijam

Saturday, March 7, 2020Editorial

By Raju Vernekar

As we are set to celebrate the“International Women’s Day” onSunday, with a theme#EachforEqual, drawing attention tothe difference individuals can make,a gender equality is still a distantdream in our country.The “Women’s Reservation Bill”which proposes to reserve 33%seats for women in the Lok Sabhaand in all State LegislativeAssemblies, is yet be passed. It waspassed in Rajya Sabha on 9 March2010 and subsequently got lapsed.It is yet to come in Lok Sabha.Far from gender parity, the countryhas been witnessing is a growingcrime against women. The “Pre-Natal Diagnostic TechnologiesAct” seeks to prevent femaleinfanticide. The schemes like“Janani Suraksha Yojana”, the “BetiBachao Beti Padhav” campaign..allare aimed women empowerment.But the sex ratio continues to beskewed. At present it is 950 womenper 1000 men. As per the National Crime RecordsBureau, the crime rate per lakhwomen population was 58.8 in 2018in comparison to 57.9 in 2017. Thisincludes, the “cruelty by husbandor his relatives” - 31.9 per cent,‘’assault on women with intent to

“Gender equality... still a distant dream”outrage her modesty”-27.6 per cent,‘kidnapping and abduction ofwomen “- 22.5 per cent and the rapecases-10.3 per cent.The Criminal Law (Amendment)Act, 2018. Stipulates death penalty,to those convicted of rap ingchildren below 12 years. Besides italso has provisions to punish thoseindulging in such crimes, who usesto escape punishment claiming as“minors”. Section 376E of the IPCstipulates death penalty to theaccused involved in rape. Despitesuch deterrent legislation, criminalsdo not seem to be deterred. As sucha change in mindset of men is needof the hour.Besides sometimes even “higherups” also contribute to crime. In arecent case in Mumbai an MLA wasbooked for harassing and assaultingher daughter-in- law, af ter shedelivered a second premature girlchild ( who died later). The accusedMLA wanted a male child.While the male literacy rate is82.14% per cent, the female literacyrate is at 65.46% per cent. Besidesby and large, women’sparticipation in the work force islow at 27 per cent compared toother BRICS (an association ofBrazil, Russia, India, China andSouth Africa) countries.As of now there are a host of laws

to protect women. Provisions suchas: Right to equality under Article14 of the Indian Constitutionguarantees women equality beforelaw, Article 39(d), guards theeconomic r ights of women byguaranteeing equal pay for equalwork; and Maternity Relief underArticle 42, secures just and humanecondition of work and maternityrelief for women. Acts like the DowryProhibition Act, 1961, prohibitsacceptance of a dowry and theguilty can be punished withimprisonment as well as fine.Protection of Women from DomesticViolence Act, 2005, providespro tection to women againstdomestic violence and recommendspunishment of fine andimprisonment. As per the 73rd and74th Constitutional Amendment Act(Panchayati Raj Institutions) alllocal elected bodies have to reserveone-third of their seats for women.The Central government has severalschemes for women upliftment bothat State and Central level. Theyinclude “Swadhar” (1995), “SwayamSiddha” (2001) , “Support toTraining and EmploymentProgramme for Women” (STEP-2003), “Sabla Scheme” (2010),“National Mission forEmpowerment of Women” (2010)etc. Thus, there is no dearth of laws

and schemes for the womenempowerment.The condition of widows is theworst, since the society still treatsthem in a despicable manner,especially among Hindus. Theyare either abandoned by familiesor sent to “Shelter Homes”, to livea life of penury. A small pensionof Rs 350 per month (which wasRs 200 earlier) is granted to themunder the Indira Gandhi NationalPension Scheme. In most States,they are considered as a bad omenand ar e excluded being“inauspicious”.After many years, the number ofwomen MPs has increased up to78 (nearly 14%) compared to 62women MPs in earlier Lok Sabha.Besides a little solace comes towomen serving in army, since thePermanent commission will beopen for women officers from April2020 onwards. They can choosethe specialised stream for th isduring the second year of theirservice.However deep-rooted patriarchatesociety, continues to affectwomen’s empowerment. Of late thewomen are holding important jobswith 42 percent of them earningequal to their husbands, but theystill remain subservient to theirhusbands.

By Raju Vernekar

The Enforcement Directorate (ED)on Friday conducted searches at“Samudra Mahal”, the Worli(South Central Mumbai) residenceof founder and former managingdirector of “Yes Bank”, which hasbeen placed under moratorium byReserve Bank of India (RBI) forfinancial mismanagement.“In exercise of the powersconferred under 36ACA of theBanking Regulation Act 1949, theReserve Bank has, in consultationwith Central Government,superseded the Board of Directorsof “Yes Bank Ltd”. for a period of30 days owing to seriousdeter ioration in the f inancialposition of the Bank. This has beendone to quickly restore depositors’confidence in the bank, includingby putting in place a scheme forreconstruction or amalgamation.Prashant Kumar, ex-DMD and CFOof State Bank of India has beenappointed as the administratorunder Section 36ACA (2) of theAct”, the official communicationstated.Friday’s ED’s search was based onevidence reflecting a Rs 600-crore

RBI puts “Yes Bank” under moratorium ED raids “YesBank” founder Rana Kapoor’s house in Mumbai

loan sanctioned by DHFL to DoitUrban Ventures, controlled by thefamily of Rana Kapoor.

While the Yes Bank went into red,the State Bank of India offered toacquire 49 per cent stakes in theYes Bank. The SBI will bring in Rs2500 crore for a crisis ridden ‘YesBank” and will ensure repaymentof all deposits, dilution of equityand write off of Rs.10,800 crore ofadditional tier I (AT 1 )bondsRBI has put “Yes Bank” undermoratorium and suspended the itsboard for 30 days. The RBI alsocapped withdrawal limit atRs.50,000 for the one-month

period. The moratorium came afterRana Kapoor-promoted bank failedto raise capital to address potential

loan losses and in the wake ofdeteriorating financials of the bank.“The ED is currently conductingsearches in connection with loansgranted to DHFL (Dewan HousingFinance Ltd),” said an ED official.The Union government on Fridaysaid that it has asked RBI to submita detailed assessment report of anyalleged f inancial ir regular itieswhich contributed to the bank’sdeteriorated condition.The Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMA) case by ED

against Kapoor is a continuationof its investigations against DHFLwhere it has found fund diversionto the tune of Rs.12,733 crore to 80alleged shell entities using one lakhfake borrowers. These transactionsdate back to 2015.“In some instances we found thatthe funds that were diverted byDHFL originated from Yes Bank.The searches are to ascertain thenature of these loans and whetherthere was any ir regular ity ingranting them,” said the ED official.ED is also expected to issue a lookout notice against Kapoor. Thenotice prevents individuals beingprobed by an investigative agencyto leave the country.The ED has accused the Kapil andDheeraj Wadhawan of DHFL ofpurchasing shares of five firms—Faith Realtors, Marvel Township,Abe Realty, Poseidon Realty andRandom Realtors—after whichthey were amalgamated withSunblink. The outstanding loans ofthese five firms, totalling aroundRs.2, 186 crore till July 2019, wereallegedly appropriated onto thebooks of Sunblink in order to coverthe diversion of loans acquiredfrom DHFL.

IGAR (South)Imphal March 7

Chassad Battalion of 10 SectorAssam Rifles under the aegis of HQIGAR (South) dedicated a newlyconstructed ground to the studentsof St Peter’s School, Kamjong onyesterday. The school is a cradle fullof raw talent in the field of gamesand sports. Despite being located ina far flung remote border area StPeter’s School authorities under theable mentorship of Reverend Fatherhas been able to provide aconducive environment to thechildren for acquiring knowledge aswell as excelling in various co-curricular as well as extra-curricularactivities.Realizing the immense talent andpassion of the children, the Chassadbattalion provided full assistance inconstruction of the sports groundwithin the school premises. Thebattalion with the help of it’s own

Inauguration of dedicatedground to st. Peter’s school,

kamjong by Assam Riflesresources moved tons of soil to clearthe area first and further carried outleveling the ground to prepare theplayground.To express their heartfelt gratitudeto the Assam Rifles for extendingtheir valuable assistance in preparingthe sports ground, the schoolchildren alongwith their parents andschool faculty organised aninauguration ceremony for which theCommandant Chassad battalion wasthe chief guest. The occasion wasalso graced by the presence of manyimportant Reverend Fathers fromImphal who delivered the reveredprayers and the exhortationspeeches. Members of Civil SocietyOrganizations were also presentduring the function.The event was followed bydistribution of sports items and giftsto the school by the Chassadbattalion . Refreshments wereorganised for all present at theculmination of the event.

IT NewsImphal, March 7

Education Minister Dr. ThokchomRadheshyam said that stringentaction will be taken against thoseteachers and officials involved inthe alleged leakage of questionpapers. He poin ted out that acriminal case has also already beenregistered . The Minister wasspeaking at the media briefing onthe conduct of the examination byBSEM and COHSEM yesterday, atthe conference hall o f SSA,Babupara.He also expressed his concernedon the alleged incident ofvandalising an exam centre on 5th

March, 2020. I t is a veryunfortunate incident that suchviolence occurred at the examcenter. Out of 38664 students whohad appeared in this year HSLCExamination, 2020; 23 studentswere expelled for copying and 77students for impersonation from140 examination centres, he

Stringent action will betaken: Education Minister

asserted.On the action taken up by theDepartment of Education (S), as aprecautionary measure against theCORONA virus, he informed that acircular of DO’s and DON’Ts werecirculated to all the schools in thestate.While briefing the Media, Director,Education (S), ThokchomKirankumar also added that theanswer keys for the HSLCExamination, 2020 will be uploadedfrom 11th March 2020 on the websiteof BSEM www.bsem.in and 3 (three)days will be given for the public tomake claims and objections, if any,subject to legitimate reasons withproofs. The last date and time ofreceipt of claims and objections willbe till 04:00pm of the 14th March,2020, he further informed.The press meet was attended by theCommissioner Education (S) T.Ranjit Singh; Chairman COHSEM,L. Mahendra Singh, SecretaryCOHSEM, officials concerned andstaffs of BSEM and COHSEM.

LostI have lost my Wallet containing Aadhar Card, PAN Card, ATM and a receiptfor Gold along with my Mobile phone bearing number 8787699959 on theway from Thoubal bazar to Ningombam on 1st March 2020. Finders arerequested to hand over the same to the undersigned.

Mutum Debadash SinghThoubal NingombamContact 7005981877

Celebrating Women’s dayMarch 8 is the International Women’s day. This years’ theme is

‘EachForEqual’, with vision to uphold the rights of the women fromgeneration to generation. The day is being celebrated across the worldto show respect to the women community and also to uplift them fromthe crunch of the male dominated society. It is also celebrated toacknowledge the social, economic, cultural and political achievementsof women across the globe.

Well the observation of the day has its root at New York. The massprotest of the women garment worker in 1908 demanding improvementof their working condition had brought significant changes to thecondition of women. Commemorating the day the United States ofAmerica observed February 28 as the National Women’s Day in 2009.

Since then various uprising across the European countries tookplace. The United Nations later deeply felt the need for recognizing aday particularly for women and since 1975, the March 8 has beenobserving as the International Day across the globe.

Like every nations across the globe, the erstwhile kingdom ofManipur had witnessed various historic events. The first Nupi Lal of1904 and the 2nd Nupi Lal of 1939, are some of the events whereManipuri women contribution towards bringing a change in the societyis worth remembering.

Unlike the western countries which celebrate International Women’sDay, the kind of observation being taken place in a place like Manipuris different – Women’s day being observed by various organizationsin the state is rather to find a solution to the problems being faced bythe women of today’s Manipuri society. And unlike in the mainlandIndian states and other developed and developing countries, the issuesare of the women here in Manipur are very different.

There are certain issues like domestic violence, rape and crime againstwomen, issues of widows, orphan girl child may be somewhat similarin almost all human society. But the kind of subjugation being facedby the women of Manipur under the draconian laws and the womenbecoming most venerable object during conflict between non stateactors and state actors is serious.

The practice of polygamy in the society and peoples’ acceptance toit, either willingly or unwillingly is somewhat suppressing the rightsof women.

The issue about polygamy in Manipur have its root in the feudalcharacter of the society.

If we look back in the history, it was the King and his subjects thatwere privileged to have wives more than one. The end of monarchdoes not end this feudal attitude.

Manipur has witnessed various dark phases which give tremendousimpact to the society.

During 1980s the society was severely hit by drugs and insurgencyrelated violence. Because of drugs many become victims of HIV andAIDS, and because of insurgency related violence many wereexterminated. Thus the number of widows was on the rise.

Understanding the possible impact, government introduced variouswelfare schemes for improvement of the widows. For example widowsof the victim killed in insurgency related violence were providedmonetary assistance provided that the victim does not belong tomember of any none state actor.

If the victim is proved to be member of any none state actors thenthe widow are left to live on their own.

On the other hand Manipur’s societal structure is always seen asmale dominating society even after knowing that women have beenalways in the forefront – whether it may be fighting against immoralactivities, drugs or wrongs of the government besides taking activerole in supporting their respective family economically.

Culturally women are still forbidden to take the lead role. For examplewomen are not allowed to do Keiyna dan during the marriage of herdaughter when she is the only parents left. A widow with onlydaughters still has to wait some male relative to perform the last rite ofher husband or near and dear one. In both Sanamahi and ManipuriVeishnavite culture women are always told to follow the male. Theyare not allowed to sit at ‘Phambal’- a place where head of the familyoften sit. This means that women are never considered as the head offamily.

On the other hand women are deprived of their rights in gettingtheir share from their parental family. The law of this land says thatdaughters or son should have equal rights when it comes to inheritproperties. In Manipur society daughters once married are consideredseparated entirely from their parental family.

Out of the 60 assembly seat women can occupy only 2 in the stateassembly. The people had witnessed the assembly house withmaximum 3 women MLAs. There is hardly any representation of womenin Parliament and it is unfortunate for a developing country to notinclude its women in the process. The observance of InternationalWomen’s Day under the theme PressForProgress seems to have lostits significance as long as the women are not empowered to representin the decision making body of the country as well as in the state.

Issues of the women are understood by women and without theirpresence it is useless to whatever welfare programme taken up for thewomen. Beti Bachoa, Beti Padhao , Ujjawala Yojna, maternity leaveschemes advertised today in some leading newspapers are valuelessunless they are not empowered to sit among the male in the decisionmaking body.