New Delhi: A family from east Sikkim’s Rumtek, that was denied entry to the state in June because it failed to produce voter’s identity cards or any certificate of identification (COI) to establish their domicile was finally given permission to return home this week.
Anil Subba, his wife Sangita, daughter Sushmita and son Ajay were refused entry into the state on 2 June on their return from a visit to Nepal. The family had then put up a video on social media asking for help, appealing to the High Court of Sikkim, and even filed several petitions with local authorities.
The Subba family had gone to Nepal in March for personal reasons but was unable to return before June due to the lockdown imposed in both countries. When they finally reached Rangpo on 2 June, which lies along the border with West Bengal, authorities in Sikkim denied them entry since none of them produced a COI.
The family spent two nights under a makeshift stall before a Sikkim police officer gave them shelter at an acquaintance’s house on the West Bengal side of the Rangpo border. Since then, the family had been living as guests at the house.
“I am extremely delighted to be back at home after such a long struggle. Never had I imagined that someone needs to make several appeals only to come back home. It was indeed a painful journey for us but also a lesson. My aim for now is to solely work on maintaining my documents as I have realised its importance,” Sushmita was quoted as saying.
Also read: Tripura holds open-air ‘neighbourhood classes’ for students who can’t go online
Northeast India’s first transgender doctor earns praise as Covid warrior
Beoncy Laishram from Manipur, who is Northeast India’s first transgender doctor, has been earning praises for her fight against the pandemic.
The 27-year-old resident medical officer at Shija Hospitals and Research Institute in Imphal earlier went by the name of Boboi Laishram. She is a former student of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal.
Laishram had officially changed her name to Beoncy in 2013 when she participated in the beauty pageant ‘Miss Trans Queen Northeast’. She now identifies as a post-operative transwoman after undergoing sex reassignment surgery in Puducherry.
“It was not easy for my family to accept me as who I am because they always think that I am a boy. But I was always a girl right from the very beginning,” she was quoted as saying.
Hailing from Kakwa Laiphrakpam Leikai village in Imphal West, Beoncy took on the duty of a Covid-19 warrior when the pandemic hit the state.
Mizoram IAS couple’s unique initiatives to fight malnutrition, improve education
Shashanka Ala and her husband Bhupesh Chaudhary, both IAS officers posted in Mizoram, have helped fight malnutrition among children and improve the quality of education using two unique initiatives.
Ala had introduced a programme called ‘Kan Sikul, Kan Huan’ (my school, my farm) when she took over as the district magistrate of Mizoram’s Lawngtlai. Under this initiative, nutrition gardens were set up in schools and anganwadis in order to make the institutes self-sufficient in fruits and vegetables.
“When I left the district in May this year, several schools had these gardens. The teachers and students were growing vegetables and fruits,” Ala, who is now the additional secretary of labour, employment, skill development and entrepreneurship, and director of the State Training Institute, was quoted as saying.
These nutrition gardens have helped bring down the level of malnourishment in Lawngtlai to 17.93 per cent from over 35 per cent earlier, according to state authorities, The Sentinel reported.
Chaudhary, additional secretary, information and communications technology in the state, works in Siaha, a disaster-prone district. To improve the quality of education here, he launched an initiative called ‘Kawng Kawhhmuthu’ (our children, our future).
Under this, libraries have been set up in 20 schools, sports materials procured and 12 smart classrooms introduced.
Arunachal’s Tagin tribe organise online contest to preserve folktales, proverbs
A first of its kind online contest of folktales and proverbs was organised by the Tagin community of Arunachal Pradesh in a bid to promote and preserve indigenous traditions.
Organised by the Bagang Abu Youth Welfare Society, names of the winners was announced recently by state Education Minister Taba Tedir.
“Such programmes will be instrumental in preserving the identity of one’s own culture, and it will make people aware about their folklores and folktales,” Tedir said.
Lardik Kare, secretary general of Tagin Cultural Society, was quoted saying: “People should not only depend upon apex organisations of any community for social activities, but they should come forward and exploit their creativity in promoting tradition and culture.”
A similar contest was organised by the Nyishi Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh too.
Also read: Indian football star from Mizoram hosts ‘Gulab Jamun Cup’ to save struggling sweet shop