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Biren Singh lauds Assam govt's decision to recognise Manipuri associate official language

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Biren Singh lauds Assam govt's decision to recognise Manipuri associate official language

Guwahati, Feb 24 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Saturday lauded the decision of Assam government to recognise Manipuri as an associate official language in four districts by amending the Assam Official Language Act, 1960.

“Many many thanks Himanta ji for including Manipuri as an associate official language in four districts of Assam. Your recognition and trust on the Manipuris is highly appreciated,” Biren Singh wrote on ‘X’.

The Assam government took this decision in a Cabinet meeting on Friday night.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed it a historic decision.

He said that the Cabinet has approved the Assam Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to recognise Manipuri language as an Associate Official Language in four districts including Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Hojai.

The Cabinet decision mentioned: “The Bill seeks to amend the Assam Official Language Act, 1960 by inserting a new Section 5B, which will provide for the recognition of Manipuri language as an Associate Official Language in the four districts.

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“The decision has been taken in the interest of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Manipuri people living in Assam,” it added. According to Kamalakanta Singha, chief advisor of the All Assam Manipuri Students’ Union (AAMSU), they have been voicing this demand since 1991, and the Assam government has now acknowledged it after thirty years.

“In Hailakandi, in 1991, we first brought forward this demand. We persisted in our campaign, receiving backing from numerous other organisations. We finally have a cause to rejoice,” he remarked. Singh further said that the number of people who speak Manipuri has surpassed 2 lakh as of the 2011 census, and it is currently over 3 lakh.

“Manipuris are living in 13 districts in Assam but Cachar, Hailakandi and Hojai have the largest population,” he said.

The bulk of people in the Barak Valley region of Assam speak Bengali, and three of the four districts where Manipuri will be the official associate language are located there.

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Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan, the largest language organisation in the Barak Valley, has expressed gratitude to the state government for this.

They have, meanwhile, also called for Bengali to be acknowledged as an associate official language of the state.

Gautam Prasad Dutta, the organisation’s general secretary, said: “We believe in respectful co-existence and we welcome this step.” As per the 2011 census, 28 per cent people in Assam speak Bengali as their mother tongue, making it the second most spoken language in the state.

“Looking at the large chunk of population speaking Bengali in the state, we appealed to the state government to recognise Bengali as the official associate language of the state. We hope that the government will take a decision in this regard as well,” he added.

–IANS

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National

Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms

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rajnath singh with armed forces chief

On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.

These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.

The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.

“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).

The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.

The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.

Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.

Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.

Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.

Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.

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Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs

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Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.

Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.

The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.

Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.

Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.

Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.

“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.

The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.

Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.

Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.

Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.

“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.

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Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”

Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.

On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.

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