Page 3 - Mizoram

Two Mizoram teens held by Myanmar militants return with shaved head, burns

With their heads tonsured and cigarette burns on bodies, two teenage boys returned home in Mizoram after being held captive by militants in adjoining Myanmar's Chin state for nearly a week, an Assam Rifles officer said on Sunday. The two boys, aged 16 and 15, were allegedly abducted by the Hualngoram unit of Chin Defence Force (CDF), one of several militant organisations fighting the military junta in Myanmar, on September 1 from Rih Dil Lake, a tourist spot in the neighbouring country near the Indian border, the officer said. "A group of five boys from Zokhawthar village in Mizoram had gone to Rih Dil Lake on motorcycles on September 1. On reaching there, they were stopped by cadres of CDF, who thrashed them because of a previous scuffle they had with some other boys from Zokhawthar," she said. Three of the five boys managed to escape and return to India while the two were held hostage by the CDF, the Assam Rifles officer said. "The two boys were kept in Rih Dil area for two days

Mizoram govt asks people to take precautions in view of heavy rains

The Mizoram government on Monday asked people to take necessary precautions in view of the heavy rain that has been battering the state. In a public notice issued on Monday, the state Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department requested every household to check their surroundings to ensure there is proper drainage of rainwater. Due to incessant rainfall during monsoon, several untoward incidents have occurred in the state resulting in loss of lives and properties, the notice said. It said that landslides at various places disrupted transportation routes while heavy downpour often interrupted normal activities. "The government has reminded all to take necessary precautions as the ground has become more vulnerable due to prolonged heavy rainfall," the notice said. It said that the government is watchful of the situation and is actively working towards relief and mitigation of problems caused by inclement weather. The notice asked people to inform officials about any place th

African swine fever causes Rs 800 cr worth loss to Mizoram pig farmers

The pig farmers of Mizoram suffered a loss of nearly Rs 800 crore following the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the state since 2021, the assembly was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply to a question, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister C Lalsawivunga said that 57,217 pigs died of ASF and 43,159 others were culled to prevent the spread of the disease between March 2021 and 15 August 2024. Pig farmers of the northeastern state incurred financial loss to the tune of Rs 799.68 crore during that period, he said. The minister said that 9,866 pigs have died and 17,977 others culled causing a loss of Rs 239.45 crore due to ASF between January to 15 August this year. Lalsawivunga said that the state government received financial assistance of varied amounts from the Centre from time to time to tackl the situation. The state government declared ASF as state of disaster or calamity on January 1 this year, he said adding that the administration is making massive efforts to

Connectivity boost: Mizoram's Bhairabi-Sairang rly project nears completion

Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway, said that this project, once completed, will be a game-changer in terms of communication and commerce.

'Cannot push back Bangladeshi refugees', Mizoram CM Lalduhoma tells PM Modi

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Saturday urged the Centre to understand the position of Mizoram in giving shelter to refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh, an official statement said. An official of the state home department said that nearly 2,000 Zo ethnic people from Bangladesh have taken refuge in Mizoram since 2022. During a brief meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Lalduhoma informed him that his government could not push back or deport Zo ethnic people from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), the statement said. He informed the Prime Minister that many people belonging to the Bawm tribe, one of the ethnic Mizo tribes, from Bangladesh have been taking shelter in Mizoram since 2022, and many of them are still trying to enter the state. They started entering Mizoram in November 2022 following a military offensive by the Bangladeshi army against the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), an ethnic insurgent group fighting for a separate state. The two lead

Mizoram govt yet to initiate biometric enrollment for Myanmar refugees

The Mizoram government is waiting for instruction from the Centre to initiate biometric enrollment for over 33,000 Myanmar refugees in the northeastern state, a home department official said. The official said that a new biometric enrollment portal has already been prepared. "We are waiting for an instruction from the Centre. We will start the process of collecting biometric data of Myanmar nationals once we receive the instruction," the official told PTI. Earlier, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had said that biometric enrollment portal has been in place for collection of the data and it will be utilised in near future. In April last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had directed Mizoram and Manipur, which share borders with Myanmar, to capture the biometric and biographic details of "illegal immigrants" in their states. In June last year, it directed the states that the campaign be completed by the end of September and directed both to prepare a plan and initiate the ...

Nearly 1,500 pigs died of African Swine Fever in Mizoram since January

The African Swine Fever (ASF) continued to wreak havoc in piggeries in Mizoram, killing nearly 1,500 pigs and piglets since January, an official of the state Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department said. The outbreak has currently affected 80 villages or localities across seven districts, she said. She said 64 pigs died, while 235 were culled on Thursday."At least 1,488 pigs have died due to ASF, and 3,002 culled to prevent the dreaded swine fever since January," the official said. The outbreak was first reported at Lungsen village in south Mizoram's Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border in March 2021. Officials believed the outbreak was caused by pigs illegally imported from the neighbouring country. Mizoram shares a 318-km-long international border with Bangladesh. The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department said that 33,417 pigs died due to ASF in 2021, 12,795 in 2022 and 1,039 in 2023. It said that 12,568 pigs have been culled in 2021 to prevent the spread of Afr

LS polls: Over 2,000 personnel deployed for counting of votes in Mizoram

More than 2,000 personnel would be deployed for counting of votes for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram, a senior official said on Monday. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Madhup Vyas said a three-tier security arrangement has been made in all the 13 counting centres across the state. There would be three counting centres in state capital Aizawl and one each in the other district headquarters, he said. Altogether, there would be 40 counting halls with 379 counting tables. Each table would be supervised and monitored by a counting supervisor, counting agent and micro observer, he said. The counting of votes would begin at 8 am on Tuesday, and postal ballots would be counted first, followed by votes cast in the EVMs, Vyas said. There were five assembly segments where five rounds of counting would be held, four rounds of counting would be held in 15 assembly segments, three rounds in 18 assembly segments, and two rounds of counting would take place in two assembly segments, he said. M

Mizoram: 29 dead, several missing as rain, landslides wreak havoc

At least 25 people, including 14 in a stone quarry collapse, were killed in Mizoram on Tuesday due to landslides and incessant rain in the aftermath of cyclone 'Remal', state disaster management authority said. Several other people went missing in landslides, mostly in the state capital region, which was cut off from the rest of the country for several hours during the day and bore the brunt of the natural calamities. In a massive landslide, at least 14 people, including two minors, were killed and around eight others were missing as a stone quarry collapsed in Aizawl district, the Mizoram State Disaster Management Authority (MSDMA) said. Four persons were also killed and 18 others injured in separate incidents in Assam on Tuesday as heavy rain accompanied by strong wind lashed the state in the aftermath of the cyclone. In Nagaland, four deaths and damage to more than 40 houses were reported while two persons died and over 500 others were injured as downpours wreaked havoc in ...

Stone quarry collapses in Mizoram amid Cyclone Remal: What is known so far

Seventeen people are dead and seven reported missing in a landslide triggered by Cyclone Remal at stone quarry in Mizoram

Cyclone Remal triggers rain, leading to quarry collapse in Mizoram; 22 Dead

Due to Cyclone Remal-induced rains, a red alert remains in place for the southern districts of Mizoram, while an orange alert has been issued for northern districts. Schools are also closed

Mizoram HSSLC 2024: MBSE class 12 result declared at mbse.edu.in

The Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) announces the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) result today, May 21, at noon on the official websites

MBSE HSLC Results 2024: Class 10 results declared with 73% pass percentage

MBSE has announced the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) exam results today, May 14, 2024, at 12 pm. The overall pass percentage of 2024 is 73.37 per cent

Mizoram records 52% growth in GST collection in April, says CM Lalduhoma

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said the northeastern state has registered a 52 per cent growth in Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April this year. Quoting the data released by the Union Finance Ministry, Lalduhoma on Friday said that Mizoram collected Rs 108 crore in GST in April this year against Rs 71 crore collected in the same period the previous year. He attributed the growth in GST collection to massive efforts made by the state finance, planning and taxation department in revenue collection. "The reason behind the growth in GST collection is due to the massive efforts made by the finance, planning and taxation departments. People and business communities in particular are also aware of the importance of giving taxes to augment our revenue," the chief minister said. He claimed that the state's financial condition is moving towards stability due to the austerity measures being implemented by legislators and officials. In the Union Finance Ministry's data, Mizoram collected

Mizoram sees alarming surge in TB deaths, 108 succumb to disease in 2023

A total of 108 people died of tuberculosis in Mizoram last year, officials said on Wednesday. Blood samples of 17,432 people were tested last year, and of them, 2,272 were found suffering from TB, they said. Of the 2,272 patients, 164 were diagnosed with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), they said, adding that 86 per cent of the patients were successfully treated, while 108 people died. Between January and March this year, a total of 595 people have been diagnosed with TB, out of the 3,761 samples tested. Of them, 38 were diagnosed with MDR-TB and 57 people were found suffering from both TB and HIV-AIDS, officials said. Of the patients, 6 per cent are diabetic, 33 per cent use tobacco and 16 per cent are alcoholic, they said. So far this year, the Aizawl district reported the highest number of TB cases at 433, followed by Kolasib district (46) and Lunglei district (34). West Mizoram's Mamit district recorded the least TB cases at five. Only 187 people in the state h

Over 196K people including foreigners visited Mizoram in 2023: Tourism Dept

Over 1,96,000 tourists including foreigners visited Mizoram in the year 2023, the state Tourism department said. A total of 1,96,880 tourists visited the northeastern state in 2023 of which 1,93,445 were domestic and 3,435 were foreigners, the state tourism department. With 1,162 tourists, Americans topped the list of foreigners visiting the northeastern state, it said, adding that tourists from other foreign countries including Japan, Australia, Israel, Canada and the United Kingdom, also visited Mizoram last year. The tourist footfall in 2022-23 was over 2.22 lakh of which 2.18 lakh were domestic tourists and 3,551 were foreigners. The tourist footfall in the state was minimal during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was 20,564 in 2020-21 and 1.32 lakh in 2021-22. Mizoram tourism is making headway with a 'responsible' tourism policy that came into force in August 2020. The 'responsible' tourism policy envisages a sustainable development strategy, coordination, strengthening institutio

2,000 ghost customers: How a Rs 150 cr loan fraud unfolded in Mizoram

Mizoram DGP Anil Shukla said the scam, involving five local car dealers, operated over four years

LS polls: Polling underway for Mizoram's lone seat under tight security

Polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram is underway across the state under tight security arrangements, officials said. Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm, At least 6,500 polling personnel, over 3,500 policemen and 12 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed for the Lok Sabha polls in the state. All international borders and inter-state borders have been sealed to ensure peaceful elections, a senior police officer said. Over 8.56 lakh voters, including 4.4 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise. Although there are six contenders, it is believed that the fight will be mainly among ZPM, MNF and Congress. The ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) nominated debutant Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, while the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) fielded sitting Rajya Sabha member K Vanlalvena. The Congress has fielded former state home secretary Lalbiakzama, who is also a newbie in politics.

Preparation for Lok Sabha elections in Mizoram's Aizawl in full swing

Preparations for election to Mizoram's lone Lok Sabha seat are in full swing, an official said on Monday. Aizawl Deputy Commissioner Nazuk Kumar, who also serves as the returning officer, told reporters that training for various official teams assigned to manage the upcoming polls in 12 assembly constituencies within Aizawl district has been largely completed. The initial phase of training for polling parties is scheduled for March 26 and March 27, she said. Randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) has been finalised, and they are currently secured in strong rooms designated for each assembly constituency, she added. A total of 514 ballot units, 523 control units, and 541 VVPATs have been allocated for Aizawl district for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Kumar said. Voting is scheduled for April 19, with counting is on June 4. The deadline for filing nominations is March 27, while candidates have until March 30 to withdra

More than 1,000 arrested in Mizoram for not possessing Inner Line Permit

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in Mizoram for entering the state illegally without possessing the Inner Line Permit (ILP), police said. The arrests were made during a special drive conducted jointly by the police and volunteers of influential civil society organisation Young Mizo Association on Tuesday night. According to the provisions of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, people from other states need to possess ILP to enter and stay in Mizoram for a specified period. A total of 1,187 people, including six minors, from other states were found not possessing ILP, a police officer said. The highest number of arrests at 1,065 was made in Aizawl, while 122 people were arrested in other districts, including Lunglei, Champhai, Saitual and Serchhip, he said. The violators were handed over to respective police stations for further action, the officer said.