New Delhi: A group of officers from the 2016 batch of the Arunachal Pradesh Civil Service (APCS) undertook a crowdfunding initiative to rebuild a dilapidated boys hostel of a government higher secondary school at Sille in the East Siang district of the state.
The crowdfunding initiative, known as Project-37, was backed by the tehsil Sille-Oyan Banggo and the All Legong Banggo Students’ Union.
Abandoned for a while now, the hostel had been encroached upon by people living nearby. Along with electrification, the hostel was given barbed wire fencing all around the premises, water supply connections, a coat of paint on the walls and roof and ceiling replacement among other works.
The hostel complex was formally opened by Dr Kinny Singh, deputy commissioner, East Siang earlier this week in the presence of Ninong Ering, MLA, 37th Pasighat West, and others.
Circle officer of Sille-Oyan, Dr Heera Panggeng, was quoted as saying that the aim of Project-37 is to “protect the public asset and to make it functional with public support”.
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Assamese writer wins Sahitya Akademi for short stories
Noted Assamese writer Apurba Kumar Saikia has been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award 2020 for his short story collection called ‘Bengsata’. The award included a casket containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl, and Rs 1 lakh.
Nineteen other writers and poets in 20 Indian languages were also awarded. The books were selected on the basis of recommendations made by a jury of three members.
“According to the procedure, the executive board declared the awards on the basis of unanimous selections made by the jurors or selection made on the basis of majority vote. The awards relate to books first published during the five years immediately preceding the year of award (i.e. between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 31, 2018),” the Akademi said in a statement.
7-year-old Nagaland writer publishes book on fairy tales
Sofia Livimi Swu is just nine years old, but she is already a published writer. Earlier this week, Sofia’s first book, ‘My adventure in Fairyland‘, was published by PenThrill Publication.
Sofia was quoted as saying that the book recounts her experiences in a “fairyland” where she “met four fairies”.
The book is a retelling of fairy tales and has been illustrated by Sofia. In all, she has rewritten six stories.
Sofia’s mother, Shekali Swu, said the child has also rewritten the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ in her own words and with illustrations.
Rita Krocha, publisher, PenThrill Publication, said, “I am thinking of how she made history with her debut book. She is among the rare breed of child authors who not only discovered the innate gift of writing and drawing but also put them together in the form of a book for us to indulge in.”
Assam IAS officer’s project to construct toilets with plastic bottles
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Lakshmi Priya M.S of Assam’s Bongaigaon district has backed a project of constructing toilets made from discarded plastic bottles. Over 8,000 plastic bottles have been used to construct a toilet that is 17 by 9 feet and with two separate cubicles for men and women in Bongaigaon.
Plans are afoot to build a similar toilet in Assam’s Abhayapuri next, followed by one in every block headquarters.
“The need for clean public toilets coupled with a way to use the discarded plastic bottles was what led to the construction of the toilet,” the DC was quoted as saying.
She added, “Decreasing carbon footprint within the district has been one of the initiatives that we have undertaken. To achieve this, we installed more than 1,500 solar street lights across the town and now we use much less of the electric light.”
(Edited by Manasa Mohan)
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