With decline in insurgency, infrastructural development is taking place once again in Nagaland, especially in its rural areas. The change can be witnessed, particularly in villages where government-sponsored schemes are being implemented. Nagaland's Seithekema village is one such example. Located 20 kilometres from Dimapur on the National Highway-39, it exists as a hamlet. Established in 1979, it is located along the Valley of Parkai Mountain Range and inhabited by Angami tribals. The people here...

Although a favourable monsoon this year brought cheers to farmers after last year's drought-like situation, rodents have taken away their sleep invading one paddy field after another across the half of Nagaland. Official reports said standing crops in Mokokchung and Wokha districts, where summer crops have been the mainstay, were destroyed by rats. The situation is alarming as swarms of rat invading fields and devouring crops in the nights have been reported...

Burning a hole in the government's oft used argument that Right to Information Act needed to be amended to prevent its misuse and discourage frivolous and vexatious applications, government-appointed information commissioners have said the legislation was not being misused. A survey by NGO Parivartan found that only 22% of information commissioners (ICs) felt that there was misuse of the law while only 11% felt that applications filed by people were...

Mayavati had better do something quick about the state of schools in Uttar Pradesh if she wants children to spell her name right. An NGO assessing the District Primary Education Programme and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, a national programme for universalisation of elementary education, asked 16 students of Classes III and IV of a government school in Joar village near Lucknow to write the name of their chief minister in Hindi. Mavit and...

Three tribal villages in Manipur's Ukhrul district are facing starvation due to their being cut off from other parts of the State since the July 29 landslip between Chingai and Quingai. The situation worsened after another landslip on August 15. In addition, the washing away by a flash flood of the wooden bridge over the Rondei river connecting these villages with the rest of the district has greatly impeded transportation. Tribals told The...