Governance, with a human touch

SIX towns in the northeast, including Imphal, Dimapur, Itanagar and Aizawl will soon get a science museum each. The National Council of Science Museums is setting up these museums as part of its silver jubilee celebrations this year. At present there is only one science museum in the entire region—in Guwahati. NCSM Director General I K Mukherjee says these museums will help spread an understanding of science and technology and keep the people abreast of the latest developments.

Nagaland says no to animal killings

NAGALAND chief minister Neiphiu Rio has asked people not to kill animals in the forests. People must learn to exclude delicacies from the meat of wild animals from their menu, he said, pointing out that a large number of wild animals are killed every year in the state. About 32.9 percent of Nagaland’s forest area has been degraded in the past few decades. It is only in the past six years that serious efforts have been made to motivate people to save forests.

Manipur’s water plan dries up

A rainwater harvesting project funded by the Centre is still to take off in Manipur. People in the hill districts of the state travel several kilometers to fetch water. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 3 crore for this project, covering the two hill districts, Ukhrul and Senapati. As many as 288 villages of the state do not have a safe drinking water source in their neighbourhood. There is acute water shortage and collection of water from unsafe sources has led to many diseases in the region.

US marines in Mizo school

THE Iraq war has an interesting connection with Mizoram. It has a Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairangte run by the Indian Army. Several batches of the US marines attended courses on counter-insurgency operations here during the past year.