Sources said both the parties are keen on ensuring that Congress is out of the reckoning. In this scenario, the prospect of a non-Congress ministry is not ruled out. It is expected that besides NCP and UDP, smaller non-Congress groups like BJP, KHNAM, HSPDP, etc. will be approached for joining a multi-party coalition.

However, much would depend on the number of seats UDP and NCP garner.

According to reports available here, prospects for Congress in Garo Hills seem to be far from bright. There are indications that some of the stalwarts, including at least four Cabinet ministers, are unsure of retaining their seats this time round. The reports further indicate that NCP has relatively improved its prospects - but only marginally.

UDP, on the other hand, is upbeat. Party sources believe that it would emerge as the single largest party in the hung Assembly. UDP general secretary RA Lyngdoh claimed on Wednesday that his party would sweep Ri-Bhoi winning all four seats, including that of Nongpoh where DD Lapang is locked in a stiff straight contest.

UDP spokesman Bindo M Lanong, meanwhile, has asserted that the State would see a coalition government run by his party and likeminded parties even as he said UDP was awaiting the poll outcome before deciding to work with any parties.

"We cannot escape another coalition government as it is clear that no party will be able to get absolute majority to form the next government on its own. We already have the party in mind - the party we will work with, but that will depend on the poll outcome," Mr Lanong said.

Mr Lanong claimed that UDP would win most of the 36 seats in Khasi and Jaintia Hills and at least four in Garo Hills.

Congress camp on Wednesday was not exactly a bee-hive; as its candidates are yet to arrive from the battle field.

MPCC president OL Nongtdu, however, put up a brave front saying that his party would clinch absolute majority. Congress is hoping to emerge as the single largest party in the new Assembly, and as in the past suck the regional parties into its fold to form government.

The crucial question is will the regional parties go the familiar way or will they think anew.

Observers say that much would depend on the strength of each of the political group in the new Assembly. If the Congress strength depletes as is being anticipated, the game plan of the NCP and UDP would surely work.

Meanwhile, the newly elected MLAs of UDP will meet at the official residence of its President Dr Donkupar Roy on March 8 at 8 AM for taking stock of the political situation.

NCP sources said that party MLAs would be expected to leave for Shillong after results are declared on March 7 for attending a meeting at Mr PA Sangma's residence on March 8.

All the 13 Congress members had surrendered before the police on Tuesday night.

Besides assaulting UDP workers, the had also damaged two vehicles used by the rival party at Umran Diary, Ri-Bhoi district on Sunday last. This incident took place while the UDP supporters were returning after distributing copies of electoral rolls to people of people Umtasor village.

"The Additional Chief Secretary has made an optimistic assurance on the matter, and a meeting of Meghalaya State Electricity Board Board meeting is being summoned today," KSU general secretary Hamlet Dohling said.

In a complaint lodged with Chief Electoral Officer P Naik on Wednesday, a member of Shillong City UDP's Women's Wing R Mawroh alleged that Mr Kharkrang had misbehaved with UDP candidate for Malki-Nongthymmai constituency Bindo M Lanong at Nepali School polling station while the latter was proceeding towards Ferrando School on the polling day on March 3.

"The officer (Mr Kharkrang) abused Mr Lanong and threatened to seize the UDP leader's vehicle for putting a party flag on it," Ms Mawroh said.

She said Mr Lanong's explanation that he had obtained permission from the East Khasi Hills Returning Officer to put up party flag in his vehicle was rejected by the Zonal Officer who said he was performing his duty "as per instructions."

"The officer allowed Mr Lanong to put up the party flag in his vehicle only after the UDP leader had contacted the Returning Officer," she said.

At about 8.30 am on the same day, Mr Kharkrang pulled down a UDP banner and flag at the party booth near Holy Child School polling station in anger in the presence of many people there and flung them inside his vehicle, adding the Zonal Officer even "abused and warned party workers in a strange manner."

"Again at about 9 am, the officer took away the party flag put on the wall behind our election booth at Ferrando School polling station. He also took away the UDP flag from the party booth at English Montessori School," Ms Mawroh added.

The UDP leader expressed surprise over the Zonal Officer's conduct, saying "he did not touch the flags and banners of other parties that were seen in all these places."

'No Entry' zones have been imposed from all entry points leading towards St Anthony's College — Dhankheti point, AIR junction, Shillong Commerce College, Don Bosco Square, Horse-shoe Building, Gurudwara junction. Entry of vehicles have also been restricted from Barik to Horse-shoe Building.

For parking, all vehicles would be allowed to park along both sides of the roads from — Youth hostels to Centenary junction, AIR junction to YMCA, Shillong Commerce College to BK Bajoria School, Don Bosco to Lower Lachumiere, Don Bosco to Shillong College, at Dhankheti Parking Lot, Barik to Step by Step School, Hydari Park to Seven Set School, Assam Petrol Pump to Peak Petrol Pump and the State Central Library.

Meanwhle, parking of candidates' vehicles of different constituencies has been alloted in some specific areas.

For candidates from Jaiaw, Mawkhar, Mawprem and Laban constituencies, parking space has been arranged opposite the BJP office in Lower Lachumiere.

For candidates from Sohryngkham, Dienglieng, Lyngkyrdem and Nongshken consituencies, their vehicles will be parked opposite DHS Office, Lower Lachumiere while candidates from Nongspung, Sohiong, Mylliem, Mawlai and Mawsynram they will park their vehicles opposite Mizo Church near St Anthony's College.

Further, candidates from Maliki-Nongthymmai, Laitumkhrah, Pynthorumkhrah and Nongkrem constituencies, parking will be opposite the Home Guard's Office, near Shillong Commerce College.

NEW DELHI: Meghalaya remained in news for having seven doctors as well as nineteen dropouts fighting the just concluded elections.

But polls apart, the same paradox is a reality in ground situation. The hill state has high enrolment in all levels and so also high dropouts.

Latest official figures showed that the State has as high as 147.62 gross enrolment ratio in primary levels in 2004-05. But the dropout rate was 49.47 during the same period - both very high compared to other states of the country.

But the alarming part is that while enrolment level is decreasing by about fifty percent in middle and higher classes, drop out rate is increasing by about 15 percent at same levels. This ultimately means less and less students are enrolling themselves in schools while more and more of them are dropping out, the official figures showed.

Considering Shillong a place of learning, the high drop out and less enrolment rate is quite alarming.

Dropout rates in higher levels in Meghalaya in all levels is highest in the entire North East, the official data showed. But even if literacy is comparatively high in North Eastern states, all most all of them are suffering from this malaise, the data showed.

To arrest the dangerous trend, the Centre has adopted a multi-pronged approach under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). One set of interventions are towards strengthening of schools and improving the quality of education through improvement in schools.

In addition, several interventions under SSA also aim at community support, flexible schooling for children who are drop-outs, older children or children in difficult circumstances, and special provisions to promote education of girls, children from disadvantaged sections of society or children with special needs, the data showed, the data released by the Ministry of Human Resources Development said.

He assessed the progress of work, especially security arrangement at three counting centres in the city - U Tirot Sing Indoor Stadium, St Anthony's College and Sericulture Building. He was accompanied by police official and media persons.

While conveying its condolences to the bereaved family, the MPCC demanded a judicial inquiry into the case and immediate arrest of the culprits.

President Pervez Musharraf has been isolated following three big political parties, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Nawaz Sharif) and ANP, moving towards forming a new government, ending all hope of an alliance with Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Qaid-e-Azam), the party floated by Musharraf. Although the crucial meeting between Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif failed to resolve their differences over the restoration of the sacked judges and the fate of Musharraf, the two leaders for now would focus on staying together and forming a government. A proposal has been mooted to have a broad-based coalition government including smaller parties like the Awami National Party and the Sindh-based Mohajir Quami Movement.

As the internal pressure mounts on President Musharraf to call it a day following the electoral defeat of his party, his patrons in Washington don’t want him to be thrown out of power. At one stage Zardari was asked to dump Nawaz Sharif and join hands with Musharraf to form a government with the support of the smaller parties. President Musharraf has reopened an old corruption case against Zardari, and government lawyers urged a court in Geneva to prosecute him on charges of stashing $55 million in kickbacks in a Swiss bank account in 1998. There is also an overt and covert threat to scrap the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

PPP and PML(N) together have 153 seats with votes counted in 258 out of 272 constituencies. Asfandyar Wali Khan’s ANP has 10 and Altaf Husain’s MQM 19 seats in the new parliament.

Pakistan may move closer to democracy when the new government takes office in the coming days, but the lawyers are not looking forward to that. They have already decided to launch a nation-wide movement that will turn into a march on March 9 to Islamabad if the sacked Supreme Court judges are not reinstated by then.

With the United States’ Pakistan policy virtually in a shambles, the anger among ordinary Pakistanis against America is growing. Nearly every Pakistani is accusing the US of "blatant interference in the affairs of their country". The world’s most powerful country has been under attack from political groups for backing the government of President Pervez Musharraf for quite some time now, but the immediate provocation for angry reaction is PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s meeting with US ambassador Anne W. Patterson on February 20. While political commentators have criticized Zardari for driving down to the American embassy to meet Patterson even before he met certain key political players like PML(N)’s Nawaz Sharif and ANP’s Asfayander Wali Khan, the common people sympathize with him, seeing him as a victim of US arm-twisting.

Ironically, the uneasiness in the Pakistani-US relations was reflected on February 19, when Zardari remarked that the "war on terror" needs to be redefined. Although what transpired between Patterson and Zardari hasn’t been made public, people here suspect that the Americans probably pressured the PPP leader to form an alliance with PML(Q), also known as the King’s party, and drop the idea of a deal with Sharif. Then, American delegations criss-crossing the country during the election week too have upset many people. Americans hate Nawaz Sharif because he gave Pakistan its nuclear bomb. They don’t want him back in power at any cost.

But, more than Sharif’s nuclear credentials, what worries many ordinary Pakistanis is their role in "war on terror".

Musharraf is dispensable both for Pakistan army and the US. Therefore, the focus should be on the army and the US and not Musharraf. The result of this election clearly shows that the resurgence of the religious parties in 2002 was the direct handiwork of Musharraf. He hoodwinked the Americans by encouraging the religious parties and the jehadi groups from 2002 till now.

The present Pakistan army chief, General Kayani, was the chief of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) from 2004 to 2007 and was the hatchet man of Musharraf in running the elaborate deception. The present predicament of a revived Taliban in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, a turbulent tribal belt and a rejuvenated Al-Qaida leadership is thanks to the double-crossing of Musharraf and the ISI. During this period, cronyism between the diplomatic, intelligence and military establishments of the US and their Pakistani counterparts led to Washington looking away from the war on terrorism being sabotaged by the ISI and placing all its bets on Musharraf. Given this background, the following interests will play crucial roles in the emerging political configuration in Pakistan: first, the army’s corporate interests; second, the Punjabi interests; third, Washington’s perceptions of their interest as differentiated from US national interests; and finally, the individual interests of leaders like Zardari and Sharif. In 1970-71, Bhutto’s ambition to become the ruler of a split Pakistan played a crucial role in shaping future developments.

Since demography would not allow him to become the ruler of a united Pakistan, he chose partition of Pakistan (as Jinnah did before him) than to promote the interests and welfare of a united Pakistan. At that time the Pakistan army and Bhutto depended on the US and Chinese support for their unleashing of the genocide and the ethnic cleansing of 10 million Bangladeshis. Now also, the army and the political grouping that is allowed assuming power in Pakistan will depend on US support to chart their further course.

The exit of Musharraf, which seems to be inevitable, does not necessarily mean that Pakistan will be launching on a new democratic path. It might not even result in the restoration of judges. What would really demonstrate Pakistan starting its journey on a democratic path is for the civil government to take charge of the ISI and thoroughly purge it. The government must also exercise adequate control over the defence forces’ corporate interests to ensure that the army does not continue to be a super state within the state.

The present election has opened a window of opportunity for Pakistan’s transition to democracy. It is just possible that a good section of the army will recognise the writing on the wall and retreat in favour of Pakistan’s civil society. Despite the alloyed nature of democracy in Pakistan, a substantial section of the middle class has flowered to provide leadership to civil society. The politicians, lawyers and journalists of Pakistan possess both competence and integrity. This civil society, through the courts and media, has been battling the army by opposing President Musharraf who still represents the face of the army. Will General Kayani change that perception? There are the fundamentalists who believe in Islamic orthodoxy and provide a rich recruiting ground to Al Qaida for spreading terrorism. These fundamentalists study in madrasas and sympathize with the calls for jihad made by terrorist leaders and by the clerics patronised by them. The fundamentalists are against any kind of democracy. They identify America as the source of pollution in their culture and religion. The lifestyle and current aspirations of the fundamentalists, concentrated mostly in NWFP, are markedly different from those of civil society in Punjab and Sindh. This can create a serious kind of separatism that could lead eventually to balkanization.

The terrorists comprise followers of Al Qaida, Lashkar-e-Toiba and other groups that are united in service of a common cause. To widen their base among the fundamentalists they play on anti-US sentiments by capitalizing on each blunder by the Bush administration and by the Pakistan government. The terrorists are spread across Pakistan’s tribal belt and in Afghanistan. They comprise Pashtuns recruited by the Taliban, and foreign mercenaries commanded by Al Qaida. It was within these complex conditions that Musharraf, directed by western powers, was expected to eliminate terrorism and turn Pakistan into a full-fledged democracy.

The US threats to cut aid compelled Musharraf to announce elections, which was postponed to February following the assassination of Ms. Benazir Bhutto. She was contemplating overtures to Nawaz Sharif as well as participation by other parties in a national-consensus government. Apparently this emerged during her dialogue with Musharraf to revive the collapsed agreement. If these sentiments do survive Pakistan could conceivably surmount the threat of terrorism, and emerge from this crisis with its unity intact.

It is difficult to conceive of any arrangement ensuring durable peace without providing self-rule and non-interference in the daily lives of the Pashtun community spread across Pakistan and Afghanistan. And one can conceive of only one arrangement that does not alter present international borders: an arrangement that involves formation in South Asia of an EU-style union.

India can take the initiative to facilitate such a formation. India for its own security has a huge stake in a stable and democratic Pakistan. The problem of ethnic communities divided by international borders bequeathed by imperialism applies as much to Kashmir as to the Federally Administered Territorial Area (FATA) in Pakistan. An Indian gesture on Kashmir and an initiative to broker agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan would perhaps be more acceptable than intervention by the US or UK. The threat of terrorism affects India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The enemy against all three nations is united. Cannot the governments of these nations unite to fight the enemy?

Can Musharraf do a Gorbachev? The former Soviet leader who was a creature and beneficiary of the old communist apparatus rose to the very top only to initiate the process of ideological erasure and collective redemption. Musharraf and the Pakistani army have to begin the catharsis that will help Pakistan in its transition and this election may be their last opportunity. Myopic well-wishers in the US and elsewhere should not queer the pitch. The yearning of the Pakistani people to be politically emancipated from the oppression of the jackboot is more palpable now than ever before and February 18 elections bear testimony to their fortitude. INAV

India is passing through a phase of dependency politics, or we can call it GenNext. Every politician is grooming his progeny to take over the reins of power after the exit of the dilapidated present generation. This is a typical Indian phenomenon, which in the long run will harm the national polity.

Having developed no useful marketable skills in life nor done anything worthwhile or creative, they have tended to arbitrage the political positions of their parents (whether departed or living) into gaining access and advantage in Delhi or the state capitals. Nobody had heard of a Putin, Merkel or Sarkozy before they won their way into political power.

The victories of Mayawati and Modi were also defeats of the expectations raised by Rahul Gandhi’s Congress. There is a continuity of years between someone like Sonia Gandhi and her children which implies there can be no discontinuous jump from Sonia to Rahul in the leadership of the Congress. In between, as it were, are people like Kamal Nath among "Friends of Sanjay" or Mani Shankar Aiyar (a solitary Rajivist), both of whom have won seats in the Lok Sabha unlike Sonia’s current elderly PM.

If Sonia Gandhi devolves political power to her son who then leads the Congress into another defeat, of which UP and Gujarat have been examples, there will be a revolt among senior middle-aged politicians in the Congress, and the Congress may splinter into a right faction and left faction leaving Rajiv Gandhi’s family to look after the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation which is what they should have been doing in the first place rather than playing at Indian politics.

A Congress disintegration may or may not finally cause a useful bipolarisation in Indian politics because Indian politics has not only an economic dimension, it has a social or communal dimension too. Besides being (ostensibly) pro-poor or anti-poor, you can be either "Islamophilic" or "Islamophobic"—i.e. either pro-Muslim "secularist"/"pseudo-secularist"/minorityist, or anti-Muslim "communalist"/ "fascist"/ majority communitarian.

Narasimha Rao cleverly manipulated the median parliamentary vote along these two dimensions so as to maintain a weak government in power for five years by seeming to ally with the BJP on economic issues and seeming to ally with Leftists on social issues. If the Congress splits after another major defeat caused by Sonia-Rahul incompetence, with the right faction joining hands with whatever the BJP morphs into, and the left faction joining hands with whatever the CPI-M and CPI question will become which side of the split along the economic dimension holds the median voter along the pro-Muslim/anti-Muslim social dimension.

The BJP remains as dreadful and unscientific a gathering as it has been always without displaying the slightest creative trace of being able to evolve into a serious conservative party that India remains in desperate need of. A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani led it into electoral defeat but that was not enough for their patriarchy to be disturbed by competent new younger people. In any case, the BJPs more articulate better-educated members in their 50s and 60s are unable to command nation-wide respect nor, with the exception of Modi, are they able to win an election on their own steam.

The idea that e.g. Pramode Mahajan’s son could "succeed" him on the 10 Jan Path pattern fortunately self-exploded. The best the BJP could do was to choose an inarticulate member as its nominal head while the patriarchy continued unchanged in its backward communalised thinking. Its RSS parent occasionally shows a little savant-like intelligence but generally remains in mental and physical regression.

As for the so-called Left, its multi-dimensional hypocrisy and incompetence has been permanently exposed in the heartland of what passes for Indian communism, West Bengal. After the demise of the USSR and transition of Communist China towards capitalism/ fascism, there has been no real reason why the CPI and CPI-M cannot merge into one and then renounce together their retrograde ideology in favour of becoming a genuine social democratic and labour party representing working people and the poor.

But that, like any corporate merger, would mean administrative redundancies, retrenchment and new management, and the last thing Stalinist politburo members like is the idea of losing their Rajya Sabha sinecures (in Russia and China they lost their heads but Indian conditions are kinder, gentler, more non-violent).

Besides the Congress, BJP and "Left", most other parties in India resolve around the whims, personality and IQ of some single local political warlord/warlady. The Naxals and other extremists, including Hindu and Muslim religious terrorists, at least make some pretence at representing political interests of some sections of the people; there is thus at least a slight authenticity about them, no matter how disengaged their thought processes may be from realities around them.

The 2008 Budget or the 2009 General Election seem likely to remain in the grip of all such dramatis personae permanently on the Indian stage, and no new real creative constructive force seems likely to appear. Every political misdemeanour will be paid for by endless deficit finance and money-printing, the accounts and auditing of all public institutions shall remain in a shambles while private pockets of the heads of public institutions come to be lined with gold, the armed forces shall be ready to fight their Pakistani counterparts while deferring to any more formidable adversary, rich business, people will continue with their grotesque conspicuous consumption, young people graduating from India’s pampered institutions of tertiary education will continue to line up outside foreign embassies to seek hope and escape.

Can India survive as an independent democratic republic for 100-years after 1947, let alone be a country where all citizens are reasonably free and comfortable? A worst-case scenario may see North India in endless conflict with a chaotic Pakistan, Eastern India hived off under Beijing’s influence, and peninsular India from Surat to Vizag being Western-dominated with "SEZs" on the pattern of pre-communist Coastal China. The failure of our elite classes to provide healthy creative governance over generations must inevitably result in the putrefaction of our body politic. INAV

Sir,

Since the Traffic Department's decision to rotate all the taxis to go through Sohra stand, then Mawlong Hat and pass through Sweepers' colony to reach Police Bazar in order to take different routes to different localities of Shillong like P.B, Malki, Dhanketi, Laitumkhrah, etc has come into force, I have gone through a peculiar experience while driving my car. When I drive down from Police Bazar on my way to Motphran, on reaching Sunibari Mandir, I suddenly have to drive towards the right hand side of the road instead of the left, which is practiced side of driving in the country. On reaching Bimola point I then have to switch back towards the left. The vehicles that come from Motphran on reaching Bimola have to switch over to the right hand side of the road and then at Sunabari Mandir they switch over again to the left hand side. It is not only hilarious but also funny. It is not only me who find this rule complicated, but also the taxi drivers who find this rule different and confusing. Recently, I almost bumped into another vehicle while switching back to the left then to the right hand side of the road. I am afraid that this may some day cause accidents and loss of precious lives.

Secondly, it also wonders me as to while the Mothphran Mawkhar road has been left free with very less commercial vehicles plying on this road while on the other hand there is heavy and snail's pace movements at Motphran to Sohra Stand, Sweeper's colony upto Bimola point. During school hours, I am certain that this particular route becomes a standstill zone due to heavy traffic congestion.

This unique diversion of traffic route has occurred because those people who framed this diversion are perhaps not putting their own theory into practice. They are not the same people who had to experience this same menace of traffic jam day in and day out on this particular route. This is not the domain of the general public but when the roads are being used by the common man perhaps a consultation with selected public representatives regarding any change of traffic route would have resulted in somewhat relieving the heavy congestion in our urban road. Mere direction from the upper echelons, who are unaware of general public's inconvenience, often results in more chaos and inconvenience to the people as a whole. I sincerely hope that this matter would not fall into deaf ears of the authority concerned and immediate action would be taken to rectify it by an immediate inspection of the current state of affairs on this particular route.

Lastly, I do ponder and come to the conclusion that traffic congestion will not be contained because roads will not be broadened and flyovers are a distant dream. Perhaps in the next century!

Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar
Shillong - 4.
Via e-mail

"The poll percentage is in the vicinity of 85-plus," Deputy Election Commissioner J P Prakash told reporters in New Delhi.

The poll percentage was, however, a decline from the 87.65 per cent turnout in the Assembly elections in 2003.

"There have been sporadic instances of disruption in the election in a few polling stations," Prakash said adding nine cases of EVM snatching or damaging have been reported.

Ten complaints of intimidation or threat to voters have also been received, he said.

Ten political parties, including Congress, BJP, NPF, RJD and NCP and 33 Independents were in the fray with most constituencies witnessing direct fights between Congress and the Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF).

A total of 33 observers and 59 micro-observers were deployed for the elections and as many as 9,000 polling personnel were on the job.

A large number of central paramilitary forces and state police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order during the elections

The fate of many political stalwarts, including two former chief ministers Neiphiu Rio (NPF) and K L Chishi (Congress) and CLP leader I Imkong, were sealed in the electronic voting machines. Nagaland has an estimated 12 lakh voters.

Over 16,000 paramilitary personnel were deployed in 1,780 polling stations with latest EVMs being used in the entire state.

Complaints were received from Mon, Mokokchung and Tuensang districts that in some villages, members of village councils voted for the entire electorate and prevented others from entering booths. Returning officers were verifying such complaints and if needed re-polling might be ordered.(PTI)

Replying to questions on the NREGA implementation, State Panchayat and Rural Development Department Minister Chandan Brahma said the scheme was being implemented in true spirit, benefiting the poor rural masses.

The Opposition legislators, however, claimed that massive corruption was going on in name of allocation of job cards under NREGA, with middlemen and contractors being involved in the scheme. (UNI)

Agartala: Election Commission of India (ECI) has made all arrangements for the smooth counting of votes for the 10th Tripura Assembly elections on March 7.

Apart from about 700 observers and 2,500 counting personnel, ECI has made a three-tier security arrangement around each counting hall at 19 stations of the State, while imposing several restrictions on the political parties during the counting.

Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) Dr GSG Ayyangar here on Wednesday said the counting would be conducted on 707 tables and the first layer of security would be manned by central scrutiny forces, while two others will be guarded by TSR jawans.

The CEO held meetings with all the district-level election officials in view of the counting and asked the concerned officials, including District Magistrates, Returning Officers and counting personnel to make the counting trouble free and uphold the record of model election in the country what was during election.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders have already been imposed in and around the counting stations and the State police have taken due precautions in sensitive localities of the State to contain possible post-poll violence.

Police sources said that both the CPI(M) and the Congress-INPT had raised allegations of threat and intimidations against each other, following the polls on February 23 last, which compelled the police to hold road-shows and special operations.

Police had taken additional measures for counting for the March 7 polls to maintain peace in the State and adequate paramilitary forces have reportedly been deployed in certain locations, considering the sensitivity of these areas.

Tripura has set a record voters' turnout in electoral history of in post-Independent era in the country at 91.86 per cent in this year's State Assembly elections. (UNI)

NEW DELHI: Meghalaya remained in news for having seven doctors as well as nineteen dropouts fighting the just concluded elections.

But polls apart, the same paradox is a reality in ground situation. The hill state has high enrolment in all levels and so also high dropouts.

Latest official figures showed that the State has as high as 147.62 gross enrolment ratio in primary levels in 2004-05. But the dropout rate was 49.47 during the same period - both very high compared to other states of the country.

But the alarming part is that while enrolment level is decreasing by about fifty percent in middle and higher classes, drop out rate is increasing by about 15 percent at same levels. This ultimately means less and less students are enrolling themselves in schools while more and more of them are dropping out, the official figures showed.

Considering Shillong a place of learning, the high drop out and less enrolment rate is quite alarming.

Dropout rates in higher levels in Meghalaya in all levels is highest in the entire North East, the official data showed. But even if literacy is comparatively high in North Eastern states, all most all of them are suffering from this malaise, the data showed.

To arrest the dangerous trend, the Centre has adopted a multi-pronged approach under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). One set of interventions are towards strengthening of schools and improving the quality of education through improvement in schools.

In addition, several interventions under SSA also aim at community support, flexible schooling for children who are drop-outs, older children or children in difficult circumstances, and special provisions to promote education of girls, children from disadvantaged sections of society or children with special needs, the data showed, the data released by the Ministry of Human Resources Development said.

It was announced by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama.

Last year, about 33 young artistes, including two, namely Manipuri Dance exponent Shijagurumayum Nimita Devi and Thokchom Imomacha Singh of Manipuri martial arts (Thang-Ta) from Manipur, were selected from all over the country for the awards.

This year, eight young artistes for Hindustani, Carnatic and other major traditions of music were selected in the field of music while eight young artistes were selected in the field of dance for Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Music for Dance-Bharatnatyam Mridangam. In the field of Theatre, eight young artistes were selected for acting, direction and lighting. Six artists from various parts of the country have been selected for their excellence in different forms of traditional/folk/tribal dance, music, theatre and puppetry. (UNI)

Kokrajhar: The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Hagrama Mohillary on Wednesday urged the National Democratic Force of Bodoland(NDFB) militants to shun violence and sit at the negotiation table.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said he would be only too happy to help further the peace process with the Centre.

The NDFB is under a ceasefire agreement with the Centre but it is not happy with the alleged non-progress of the peace process.

The outfit last week called a bandh and during a road blockade they had damaged several public vehicles which forced Mr Mohillary to call for peace.

Mr Mohillary himself was the former head of the dreaded and now disbanded Bodoland Liberation Tiger(BLT) and had tormented the Assam Government for more than a decade with similar tactics till they had agreed for an autonomous council.

The NDFB has been, however, demanding secession but has not come clear on its demand after the creation of the BTC.

Meanwhile, Mr Mohillary informed that Mr Biswajit Daimary would be their Rajya Sabha candidate.

He said the Assam Government had decided to convert the Kokrajhar campus of the Guwahati university into a separate university as well as an open Engineering college and a planetarium in the BTC areas. (UNI)