AIZAWL : Mizoram University and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, ranked the 5th Best University in India by NIRF 2022 Rankings, have joined hands to launch science, technology and innovation (STI) hubs in the districts of Aizawl and Serchip in Mizoram.

Funded by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, these hubs would promote sustainable livelihoods through capacity building, skill development for tribal communities, and digital literacy. They would spread awareness against substance abuse and inform people about nutrition and preventive health to help improve the overall well-being of the people of Mizoram.

The initiative was announced at an event titled “Mizoram Conclave on C20: Education & Digital Transformation,” organized by the Civil 20 Working Group on Education and Digital Transformation (EDT) and hosted by the two varsities. The Conclave saw two panel discussions on “Education under C20/G20 & alignment to National Education Policy 2020” and “Digital Transformation under C20/G20.”

Hari Babu Kambhampati, Hon’ble Governor of Mizoram was the Chief Guest at the event. Dr. Renu Sharma, IAS, Chief Secretary, Mizoram, delivered the keynote address. Dr. Lalzirmawia Chhangte, Secretary,

School Education Department, Govt. of Mizoram, offered special remarks. Syed Musawwir Ali, IAS, Special Secretary, ICT, Govt. of Mizoram, was also present.

Hari Babu Kambhampati, Hon’ble Governor of Mizoram, said: “In Mizoram, we have a close-knit community and a vibrant civil society. Our NGOs address various issues ranging from societal problems to the environment. We maintain strong connection to our traditional values and ethos. We have a high literacy rate and a vast forest cover. However, we also face challenges with a high percentage of the population still dependent on shifting cultivation. Indigenous people often face challenges such as endemic poverty, poor health, and cultural erosion. Many times, these are linked to forest degradation. Education and digital transformation offer a pathway to come out of the reliance on subsistence agriculture in a world of unpredictable climate patterns. I am happy to learn that Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has worked closely with the tribal populations in mainland India with a vision to provide an integrated and sustainable approach for improving education, health and livelihood through digital inclusion.”

Said Dr. Raghu Raman, Dean, Amrita School of Business, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham: “The launch of the STI hubs in Mizoram under the C20 banner is a historic moment as we work towards improving tribal livelihoods, education, and sustainability in the state. The objectives are to create social enterprises, conserve indigenous knowledge systems connecting with Ayurveda, and create a mobile/web-based platform to support better delivery of interventions. These hubs will benefit over 3,000 individuals directly and around 40% of the ST/SC population indirectly in the two districts through Self Help Groups and knowledge dissemination. They will also help improve overall health status and increase awareness of health and nutritional imbalances, substance abuse and digital literacy.”

Said Dr. Lalnilawma, Professor & Head, Dept. of Extension Education & Rural Development, School of Earth Science & Natural Resources Management, Mizoram University: “Mizoram as a state faces several challenges such as high unemployment rates, low ease of doing business, and rising concerns of substance abuse among young people. Health indicators also highlight the high prevalence of anaemia in children, adolescent girls and women, and the growing incidence of non-communicable diseases, including various types of cancers. The STI hubs are being established by the two varsities to address these challenges. Overall, Aizawl and Serchip have all the necessary ingredients to become a hub for science and technology innovation. The region has a strategic location, a well-developed education infrastructure, a skilled workforce, government support, and potential for entrepreneurship. These factors make these two districts ideal for setting up STI hubs.”

Said Dr. Prema Nedungadi, C20 India EDT Coordinator, Director, Amrita CREATE, and Chariperson, Amrita School of Computing, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham: “The integrated Sustainable Livelihoods model which the two hubs will help implement in Mizoram is expected to improve social and financial capital through a combination of technology transfer, skills training, digital literacy, community empowerment, and capacity building, impacting the four districts: Aizawl, Kolasib, Mamit, and Serchhip. It will offer the Mizo people livelihood empowerment, skills and capacity building, documentation of indigenous knowledge systems and healing practices, and a knowledge resource and databank. It also aims to provide digital literacy to rural populations who have little access to digital aids and train peer ambassadors to provide preventive health awareness in schools and villages.”

In 2018, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, declared Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham as a Center of Excellence in Tribal Empowerment through Digital Inclusion in recognition of the institution’s pioneering work in tribal development with outstanding application and research-oriented foundation.

Aizawl: Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the President of India on her visit to Mizoram inaugurated the permanent North-East Campus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication North East at Aizawl today. The Campus shall be running the postgraduate diploma courses in English Journalism and Digital Media besides short duration media & communication courses.

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, is a premiere Institute Journalism in the country. With the main Campus in New Delhi, IIMC has five regional campuses at Dhenkanal in Odisha, Aizawl in Mizoram, Jammu in J&K, Kottayam in Kerala and Amravati in Maharashtra. The Regional Campuses have been set up with the aim of catering to different regions and meeting the need of media education across the country.

The IIMC North East Campus began functioning in 2011 from a temporary building made available by Mizoram University. The construction work for the campus began in 2015 and was completed in 2019. The total cost is Rs 25 crores. The IIMC permanent campus on the 8 acres of land given by Mizoram University has separate Administrative and Academic buildings along with hostels and staff quarters.

Since its inception, the campus is offering PG Diploma course in English Journalism for which most of the students come from other parts of India and some from the Nort East States. This year, the Institute takes pride in having a topper in English Journalism for the second time across all IIMC Campuses.

The Campus also enables its students to secure employments in reputed media organisations across the country through campus placements and their own efforts. Year after year, students are establishing their own niche in well-known media organizations like Doordarshan, All India Radio, PTI and other leading private media organisations.

Since its inauguration in 2011, the Institute is headed by Shri LR Sailo, Regional Director, who has decades of experience in the field of public relations and also served as the Director, Information and Public Relation, Govt. of Mizoram, for over twenty years

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi was inaugurated in 1965 to cater to the training needs of media professionals in the country and other developing countries. It has ever since functioned as a training institute for the Indian Information Service also.

Gurugram : RITES Ltd., a leading transport infrastructure consultancy and engineering company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Planning & Programme Implementation Department, Government of Mizoram, to leverage the opportunities provided by the National Infrastructural Pipeline (NIP) and boost infrastructural development initiatives of the North-Eastern state.

As per the agreement, signed in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of State for Railways & Textiles Smt. Darshana Jardosh and Hon’ble Chief Minister of Mizoram Shri Zoramthanga, among other dignitaries, the state government, and RITES Ltd. will jointly identify projects in the areas of transport infrastructure as well as highways, buildings, airports, urban engineering, and ropeways, etc.

Executive Director (Privatisation & Concession), RITES Ltd., Mr. Manobendra Ghoshal, said, “The MoU with the Government of Mizoram heralds a new chapter in RITES’ journey and paves the way for infrastructural development in the North-Eastern state, where the potential for sustainable and resilient development is immense.”

RITES will lend its technical expertise and explore collaborations with the Government of Mizoram in developing industrial and logistic parks, including integrated check posts, signalling & workshops, metro railway systems, urban engineering & sustainability, water, sanitation, infrastructure, and renewable energy, etc., to attract public-private-partnerships and investments in the state.

NEW DELHI : Ms Rupinder Brar, Addl. Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India yesterday said, “It is a priority of the Ministry of Tourism to take up development of tourism in the North Eastern States and particularly for Mizoram. There is much that can be done. Tourism is a huge employment generator, and it will also help to conserve and protect the region.”

Addressing the webinar on ‘Unlocking Travel & Tourism of Mizoram; Challenges and Preparedness’ organized by FICCI, jointly with the Department of Tourism, Government of Mizoram, Ms Brar added, “The Tourism Minister has proposed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to add more routes to priority destinations under viability gap funding and Mizoram is going to be a significant part of that strategy. Under the Swadesh Darshan program, many projects are being implemented to improve the tourism infrastructure. Under PRASAD, the Minister has approved many projects that have been identified from the pilgrimage point of view.”

Ms Brar further said that home stays and capacity building are segments that must be worked on as it adds many socio-economic dimensions in terms of retaining skilled manpower to work in their hometowns. “For a tourist, the kind of experiential learning that one gets by staying with a local family is immense. Outreach and promotion are significant part of the strategy for the north eastern region to showcase the unique identities of the eight north eastern states and how to seamlessly integrate the travel experience of the tourist across states,” she added.

“Ministry of Tourism is fully committed to work towards the promotion of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality in the region. The Ministry has created working groups with the industry and we request FICCI to work with Ministry to create dedicated and effective working groups for the North Eastern region so that we can make a difference in the next few months. The Ministry and Mizoram Tourism needs to work dedicatedly on developing the destinations and with a common strategy a lot can be achieved,” she noted.

Ms K. Lalrinzuali, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Mizoram said, “The pandemic has brought about a paradigm shift in the tourism market and a new trend is emerging which emphasizes on safety, health consciousness and sustainability. Our immediate challenge is to take a practical and progressive approach towards reopening and gaining people’s confidence to gradually resume travel. We must ensure that the health and safety of our travellers remain our top priority. But we must remember that we cannot afford to shut ourselves off indefinitely for fear of the corona virus. We must actively try to manage the situation and work with like-minded industry partners and stakeholders to strengthen our position.”

Mizoram Tourism is planning to capture these opportunities and we have been focussing on the facets of safety and sustainability. “We have recently unveiled the Mizoram Responsible Tourism Policy 2020 to drive our reinvention and recovery process. Our vision is to position Mizoram as a top safe and sustainable tourist destination in the entire country. We plan to be in the bucket list of every traveller who are environmentally conscious and are looking for safe and sustainable travel options,” added Ms Lalrinzuali.

Mr Saitluanga, Joint Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Mizoram said that the government of Mizoram has formulated the following policies, rules and guidelines so that tourism sector in the State may develop on healthy lines:

The Mizoram Responsible Tourism Policy 2020
The Mizoram Registration of Tourist Trade Rules 2020
The Mizoram (Aero-sports) Rules 2020
The Mizoram (River Rafting) Rules 2020
Guidelines for Dormitories/Hostels in Mizoram
Guidelines for Homestays in Mizoram
Guidelines for Tour Operators in Mizoram
Guidelines for Ticketing Sales Agent/Travel Agent in Mizoram
Guidelines for Tour Guides in Mizoram
Guidelines for Caravan Tourism in Mizoram
Guidelines for recognition of Tourism Service Providers Association in Mizoram.

Mr Ashish Kumar, Co-Chairman, FICCI Travel, Technology & Digital Committee and Managing Partner, Agnitio Consultinng moderated the webinar and panel discussion on ‘Tourism opportunities in Mizoram and safety protocols adopted by stakeholders.’

Mr V Lalengmawia, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Mizoram, said “Aizawl is a modern city and is well connected. Mizoram has an abundant of green landscapes, lush forests, large areas of bamboo, teeming with wildlife, waterfalls and culture. There has been an absence of information on the tourism potential of Mizoram, but the state is untouched, unexplored and hidden from mass tourism with unlimited adventure. The state is paradise unexplored and hence the tagline ‘Mystical Mizoram; A paradise for everyone’. Information is vital for promoting tourism in the state and social media has been very useful in reaching out to wider audiences. Digital technology will continue to play a very important role in tourism promotion.”

Mizoram’s tourism infrastructure has been constrained due to a small tourism budget which is around eight to ten crore rupees. With funding from Ministry of Tourism, DoNER and NEC, Mizoram has been able to make strides in development and promotion. With the help of Ministry of Tourism, under the Swadesh Darshan scheme many state-of-the-art projects have been implemented like the Golf Tourism and Wellness Tourism at Thenzawl, Adventure Tourism at Reiek, Muthi,Hmuifang, aero-sports at Tuirial and Serchhip. The Ministry’s sanction for the development of the Aizawl convention centre will take the state to the next level for MICE tourism. As part of the responsible tourism initiative, Mizoram tourism has started pilot projects in two villages which is eco-friendly and sustainable.

Mr Prashant Pitti, Co-Founder & Executive Director, EaseMyTrip; Ms Vineeta Dixit, Head-Public Policy & Government Relations – India & South Asia, Airbnb; Mr Joe RZ Thanga, General Secretary, Association of Tour Operators of Mizoram; Mr Vanlalzarzova, General Secretary, Travel Agents Association of Mizoram, Mr Himangshu Baruah, CEO, Finderbridge Tourism, Guwahati and Mr Jayanta Das, Cluster General Manager North-East, Darjeeling and General Manager, Vivanta Guwahati also shared their views during the webinar.

Washington: The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a $32 million Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project to improve management capacity and quality of health services in Mizoram, situated in the North East region of India, particularly for the benefit of underserved areas and vulnerable groups.

The project will strengthen the governance and the management structure of the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW) and its subsidiaries, improve the quality and coverage of services delivered by the state government health systems, and invest in a comprehensive Quality Assurance program which would enable quality certification of health facilities.

A key focus will be to strengthen the effectiveness of the state health insurance program; build synergies with the Government of India’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY); and thereby reduce financial barriers in accessing hospital services, prevent catastrophic out of pocket expenditure for health by poor families and expand coverage.

The Mizoram Health Systems Strengthening Project will benefit the people across all eight districts of the state. It will also benefit health sector staff, specifically at the secondary and primary levels, by strengthening their planning and management capacity along with building their clinical skills and competencies.

Mizoram’s performance on key health outcomes is mixed when compared to national averages, with significant urban-rural disparities and an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In 2019-20, under-five mortality in Mizoram was 24 per 1,000 live births; and the prevalence of stunting among under-five children was 28.9 percent which increased marginally from the previous survey (2014-15). Non-Communicable Diseases in adults account for more than 50 percent of the disease burden in the state.

The Government of Mizoram has been steadily increasing its commitment to the health sector. Health expenditure as a share of total state government expenditure in 2015-16 was 8.3 percent, the highest among the North-Eastern states.

“While Mizoram performs better than the national average on many key health indicators, access to quality health services is a challenge, particularly in rural areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has also adversely impacted the delivery of essential health services,” said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India. “This project will support the state government’s efforts to deliver quality healthcare for the poor and vulnerable and those located in remote areas.”

As a key strategy, the project will move towards a performance-based financing system where Internal Performance Agreements (IPAs) between the DoHFW and its subsidiaries would foster more accountability at all levels. This is expected to go a long way in improving the management of the system to deliver quality health services. The project will also focus on promoting synergy between various schemes and augment the capacity of the state insurance agency.

Like other states in India, the COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on the delivery and utilization of essential health services in the state. The project will invest in infection prevention and control for a more resilient response to future outbreaks, pandemics, and health emergencies.

Improved health services may also lead to an incremental increase in bio-medical waste. Any improper management of wastes including bio-medical waste and other hazardous wastes such as plastic waste and e-waste poses environmental risks. The project will invest in improving the overall ecosystem for bio-medical waste management (both solid and liquid waste). It will include segregation, disinfection, and collection while safeguarding the environment and improving the quality of health service and patient safety.

“Lack of investments in improving organizational structures and financing patterns coupled with weak management and accountability is severely affecting the quality of health services in Mizoram,” said Amith Nagaraj Bathula, Senior Operations Officer, and World Bank’s Task Team Leader for the project. “This project will help the state to improve quality certification at health facilities, enhance human resources, improve health insurance and other innovations.”

The $32 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a maturity of 14.5 years, including a grace period of 5 years.

Aizwal: A three-day national workshop cum orientation programme from 17-19 Feb 2021, at DRDO-MZU North East Science and Technology Center (NESTC), Mizoram University, Aizwal was inaugurated today by Secretary DD R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr. G Satheesh Reddy in virtual mode. NESTC has been jointly established by DRDO and Mizoram University in Feb, 2019 to facilitate basic and applied research by utilizing the knowledge base of faculty and researchers at Mizoram University besides engaging other research institutions of Northeast region.

The objective of the workshop is to orient the Researchers and Faculty members of the North East Region to understand the futuristic research and technology requirements of defence & security, to nurture the local talent for providing scientific solutions to local problems and to generate interest in areas relevant to Armed Forces with a vision to promote Atmanirbhar Bharat policy of GOI.

In his address, Chairman DRDO emphasized the requirement of research by utilising the local talents of various universities/institutes of northeast states. He encouraged the faculty/researchers to formulate and submit innovative ideas and join hands with DRDO in making the country self-reliant in defence and security. Emphasising the importance of long-term partnership between Academic Institutes & DRDO, he highlighted the need of collaboration of universities, researchers and industries with DRDO labs for contributing in main stream research for the country. He also stressed the possibility of exploring research opportunities in the areas of development of products and technologies for high altitude, extreme environmental conditions, cyber security and the like.

Spread over three days, this national workshop has three thrust areas namely, Management of Agro-Bio Resources, Environment and Waste Management, Engineering Technology and Material Science. In this workshop, 35 concept notes from 13 universities of eight north east states (Mizoram, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim) will be presented and evaluated by a team of DRDO scientists and NESTC faculty. The workshop will be attended by more than 100 faculty members. During this orientation programme, discussion of faculty/researchers with DRDO scientists will enable in understanding key defence concepts in which research projects can be undertaken. The technological developments proposed through these concepts and research ideas will help in articulating newer technological products of defence interest.

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ today announced the dates of commencement of CBSE Board examinations. Shri Pokhriyal said that Class 10^th and 12^th Board Examinations will be held from 4^th May 2021 to 10^th June, 2021 and results of Class 10^th and 12^th Board Examinations will be declared by 15^th July, 2021. He further informed that Practical exams of Class 12^th  will start from 1^st March, 2021.

Pokhriyal said that students, teachers and schools are facing an unprecedented and uncertain situation due to the Covid-19 epidemic but teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure that students do not face any difficulty in their studies. He appreciated the teachers for working hard and for adopting new techniques and methods of teaching. He highlighted that Government has also taken various steps to provide a platform and content for learning through digital medium.

Shri Pokhriyal said that the decision on the dates have been taken after considering the suggestions given by students, teachers and parents.

The Minister extended his greetings on New Year’s Eve and wished students great success in board exams as well as in life ahead.

Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today released a book titled “Ahsasan Hunde Sheeshe Khane” (the glass houses of sensibilities) – a Poetry collection by Dr. Darakhshan Andrabi, Member, Central Waqf Council, and Chairperson, Waqf Development Committee, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India.
The Lt Governor appreciated Dr. Andrabi for carrying the reflection of the tradition of spirituality, intellectual richness of the land and raising important social issues through her poetry.
Folk literature reflects the cultural aesthetics of any region which needs to be preserved and promoted, the Lt Governor observed. He also suggested Dr. Andrabi to translate the book in other languages as well so that it can reach to the wider population
It was informed that the book is the third Kashmiri poetry collection and overall the tenth published book of Dr. Darakhshan Andrabi which has been dedicated to the iconic spiritual saint-poetess of Kashmiri, Lalleshwari popularly known as Lal-Ded. This book is foreworded by famous literary critic and iconic literary historian of Kashmir, Sh. Avatar Krishen Rehbar. It is a collection of ghazals, nazams, dohas, four-line and three line new genres of poetic expression introduced by Dr.Andrabi in Kashmiri. Being linked to the rich past of the land of Rishis, her poetry also carries the essence of the Kashmir of Lalleshwari & Nunda Rishi. Dr. Andrabi’s selected poetry has been translated into many Indian languages.
Sh. Vibod Gupta, former MLC, besides Intellectuals & Eminent Scholars- Dr. Ghulam Nabi Haleem, Sh. Parvez Manoos, Sh. Ghulam Nabi Kumar, Sh. Mohammad Aqeel and Sh. Satish Vimal were present on the occasion.

Mizoram Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai felicitated Ms Vanlalvenhimi Lalfakliana. The girl, daughter of a daily wage earner in #Aizawl has secured 8th rank in the recently held HSSLC examination. She scored 437 out of 500 marks with letter marks in all five subjects.