National
Mizoram's apex church body urges govt to take measures to encourage population growth of Mizos
Aizawl, June 6 (IANS) Mizoram’s apex church body has urged the state government to implement measures encouraging couples to have more children to address population concerns and to ensure an increase in the Mizo population, a church leader said on Thursday.
The call was made by the Synod Executive Committee (SEC), the second-highest decision-making body of the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram Synod, in its meeting here on Wednesday.
Mizoram Synod Moderator Rev R. Vanlalnghaka, who chaired the meeting, also stressed the importance of governance without bias, rooting out corruption, enforcing the rule of law, and protecting religious freedoms and the gospel.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma, Assembly Speaker Lalbiakzama, Mizo National Front leader Lalchhandama Ralte, lone Congress legislator C. Ngunlianchunga and all the other MLAs attended the meeting.
“The church leaders underlined the need for a collaborative effort between the government and the church to reform the education system and uphold the overall development of the state and its people. The leaders requested the government to ensure equitable land distribution, curb smuggling and other illegal trades between the state and Myanmar, wipe out drug and alcohol menace, and protect the environment, forests, and wildlife,” the church leader, who did not want to be named, told IANS.
The Synod Executive Committee occasionally holds meetings with newly elected leaders. This year’s meeting, initially scheduled for February, was postponed due to the Assembly session.
The Church leaders also stressed the improvement of healthcare facilities and infrastructure in the state, the inclusion of the Mizo language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, finding a long-lasting solution to the inter-state border disputes with Assam and protection of the international boundaries.
“All the Church leaders also advocated better connectivity with other states and urged the political parties not to make any promises that cannot be fulfilled,” the Church leader said.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that his government is committed to equal conduct with the people and running a genuine “people’s government”.
“My government is keen to work together in tandem with the Church to improve the education system. The state government has been mulling the introduction of a progressive tax system and equitable ownership of lands,” he said.
Earlier, MNF leader and former Minister Robert Romawia Royte announced a cash prize of Rs one lakh to the parents in his Assembly constituency with the most children to encourage the demographically small Mizos to reverse the declining population growth rate. However, he did not quantify the children a pair of parents should have to be eligible for the award.
Noting Mizoram’s population density of 52 persons per square km was much below the national average of 382, he said that the infertility rate and the declining growth rate of the Mizo population have been serious concerns for many years.
The influential Young Mizo Association (YMA) also earlier asked the tribal people to have more babies.
A few years ago, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council in Meghalaya rewarded Rs 16,000 to 48-year-old Amelia Sohtun, who belongs to the Khasi tribe, for giving birth to 17 children. It had started rewarding Khasi mothers with more than 15 children as part of its mission “to save Khasis from being outnumbered by outsiders”.
In Mizoram, the story of Ziona Chana, who had 38 wives, 89 children, and 36 grandchildren, has fascinated the world, drawing tourists and journalists to his four-storey home in the Baktawng Tlangnuam village. He died at the age of 76 in June 2021.
The Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod has 6,28,719 members, including 3,24,415 women, out of the state’s population of 1,091,014 (2011 census). Mizoram is one of three Indian states with a Christian majority (87.16 per cent), along with Nagaland (87.93 per cent) and Meghalaya (74.59 per cent).
(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
–IANS
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National
Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms
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.
National
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning
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.
National
Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs
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.
National
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.
National
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.
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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