Seven Sisters

Nagaland’s ambitious literacy targetNAGALAND government wants to achieve 100 per cent literacy by 2007. Chief minister Neiphiu Rio said...

Nagaland’s ambitious literacy target
NAGALAND government wants to achieve 100 per cent literacy by 2007. Chief minister Neiphiu Rio said the state has registered an encouraging 15 per cent increase in literacy rates during 1961-1991.

The Village Development Boards, unique to Nagaland, have been entrusted the task of achieving the target. The state government has allocated funds in addition to the ones given by the centre.

Student shows way out of waste
A GUWAHATI schoolgirl has devised a technique to recycle polythene and plastic waste. It has fetched

her the best science model award in the Eastern India Science Fair held at Siliguri last week.

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Sushmita Goyal, a class IX student of Maharishi Vidya Mandir, who will get a monthly sum of Rs 250 for two years, has now even applied for a patent.

Paper elephants of Tripura
HOME to over 1,000 elephants during the turn of the 19th century, Tripura is now left with only about 40 in its shrinking forests. This was pointed out during the release of a book called Haati, Haati.

This collection includes works of Rabindra Nath Tagore, Mahasweta Devi, Sunil Ganguli and others. It has 17 short stories, one novella and 13 poems—all with elephants as their central theme. There are about 20 domestic elephants in the state, taking the total number to 60.

Banning drama
BEREFT of Hindi movies, Imphal is turning to the stage. Rebels in Manipur may have imposed a ban on screening Hindi films, but that’s not stopping the residents of Imphal from having an evening of fun.

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The Rupmahal Theatre Group, established way back in 1943, has started a regular drama show in the city that runs to packed houses, providing alternative entertainment to people.

The Rupmahal group has created a record of sorts when it presented its 152 production last weekend. Over the decades, several of its productions have gone on for nearly 100 shows.

Meghalaya’s muddy waters
MEGHALAYA’S picturesque Umiam lake, located 15 kms away from capital Shillong, is increasingly becoming polluted. Because of inadequate sanitary facilities in Shillong, the two major streams—Umkhrah and Umshyrpi—that flow into Lake Umiam, bring in huge quantities of solid wastes, sewage water and other pollutants.

The authorities have now asked the Infrastructure Development Agency (IDA) for funds to launch a cleansing project.