State News

IMPHAL : The Manipur Police on Wednesday said they found the mortal remains of six people, suspected to be of missing Naga men, who had been held hostages by armed groups in Kangpokpi district. The recovery took place a day after 14 Kuki individuals who were abducted by armed groups in Manipur’s Senapati district nearly a month ago were released. Welcoming this development, the chief ministers of Nagaland and Meghalaya had sought the safe release of the six Naga hostages. “After nearly 24 hours of sustained search operations involving around 450 personnel of the Manipur Police, CRPF, and Assam Rifles, assisted by sniffer dogs and forensic expert teams, the mortal remains of six persons were recovered this afternoon. The deceased are believed to be among those taken hostage from Leilon Vaiphei on May 13, 2026,” the police said in an X post. These 14 Kuki people and the six Nagas were among others who were abducted following the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi district on May 13. “Necessary legal formalities are being carried out by the police, and the investigation is underway,” the police said in the post. Officials said the mortal remains would be brought to the RIMS hospital in Imphal for postmortem examination and DNA analysis. (Source: PTI)    

ITANAGAR : The weather department on Wednesday forecast widespread rain and thunderstorms in Arunachal Pradesh over the next five days and issued an orange alert for parts of the state, warning people to be prepared for any calamity. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), thunderstorms accompanied by heavy to very heavy rain are likely in Kamle, Lower Subansiri, West Siang, Siang, Leparada, Lower Siang, East Siang and adjoining districts, on Thursday. It has forecast a further escalation of adverse weather conditions on Friday, with Upper Siang remaining under the orange alert, while Papum Pare, Lower Siang and Leparada are also expected to witness intense rainfall. Several adjoining districts, including West Siang, Siang, East Siang, Kamle, Lower Subansiri, Pakke Kessang, East Kameng, Lohit and Namsai, may witness heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning. On Saturday, the focus of the weather system is likely to shift towards the southwestern and eastern parts of the state. The weather department has indicated the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in West Kameng, East Kameng, Pakke Kessang, Papum Pare and Lohit. The forecast for Sunday suggests a gradual easing of the weather situation across much of Arunachal Pradesh, although isolated heavy rainfall and thunderstorm activity are likely to persist. By Monday, weather conditions are expected to improve further, with only isolated pockets of the state likely to receive moderate to heavy rainfall, the IMD said. (Source: PTI)    

  BOMDILA : A two-day Goods and Services Tax (GST) awareness programme concluded in Bomdila on Wednesday as part of an ongoing regional tax outreach initiative aimed at promoting tax compliance and improving taxpayer awareness. The programme, held on June 9 and 10, was jointly organised by the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Bhalukpong Range and the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) Bomdila Division. It followed a similar awareness campaign conducted in Seppa on June 4 and 5. The sessions focused on key aspects of tax compliance, including Tax Deducted at Source (TDS), Tax Collected at Source (TCS), Input Tax Credit (ITC) and GST registration procedures. The initiative sought to simplify tax-related processes for local businesses and deductors. Resource persons included CGST Bhalukpong Inspectors Chandan Kumar, Samir Shankar and Vishal Singh Rana, along with SGST Bomdila Assistant Commissioner Tsang Norbu Thongdok. Tezpur-based Chartered Accountant Ankit Setia served as the special faculty for the programme, delivering technical sessions and explaining important legal and procedural aspects of GST compliance. The programme concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, allowing traders, entrepreneurs and official deductors to seek clarifications directly from experts. Officials said such outreach programmes are aimed at fostering a transparent and tax-compliant ecosystem while strengthening engagement between taxpayers and the tax administration. (DIPR)

  NAMSAI : The third District Task Force for Immunization (DTFI) meeting was held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Conference Hall in Namsai on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Namsai Deputy Commissioner CR Khampa. The meeting reviewed the progress of the Universal Immunization Programme in the district and discussed measures to strengthen routine immunisation coverage, particularly in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Members stressed the need to ensure complete vaccination of all eligible beneficiaries and enhance public awareness about the importance of immunisation. The District Task Force also reviewed the implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act and assessed the performance of the 108 Ambulance Service in the district. Stakeholders deliberated on strategies for effective enforcement of the Act and improving emergency healthcare response services. Addressing the meeting, Khampa called for coordinated efforts among all concerned departments to achieve the district’s health and immunisation targets and ensure better healthcare services for the people. Among those present were Lower Lekang Zilla Parishad Member Hironya Deori, District Medical Officer Dr Sulanti Namchoom, District Reproductive and Child Health Officer Dr Tope Yomcha and heads of various departments. (DIPR)

Staff Reporter ITANAGAR : The All Arunachal Pradesh Government Department Working Contingency Staff Association (AAPGDWCSA) has appealed to the state government to regularise contingency workers through direct recruitment on the basis of seniority under their respective Heads of Departments (HoDs). Addressing a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club here on Tuesday, AAPGDWCSA president Karba Kayi Tamin said many contingency workers have been serving in various government departments for 15 to 20 years and would face difficulties competing in examinations conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) for regular appointments. The association urged Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu to direct all departments to convene Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings regularly, alleging that delays in holding such meetings have stalled the regularisation of thousands of contingency workers across the state. Raising concerns over the implementation of reservation policies, the association claimed that eligible contingency workers under the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category are not receiving the benefits guaranteed under government Recruitment Rules, which provide for a four per cent reservation during the regularisation process. Seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention, the association called for strict enforcement of the reservation policy and urged all HoDs to ensure compliance while processing regularisation cases involving PwD employees. The association also expressed concern over the alleged regularisation of unskilled contingency workers as Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) in certain departments. It maintained that skilled contingency workers should be accorded priority for MTS posts, citing their experience and ability to perform a wide range of departmental responsibilities. The AAPGDWCSA appealed to the state government to address the long-pending grievances of contingency workers and ensure a fair, transparent and merit-based regularisation process.      

ITANAGAR : The scrutiny of nomination papers for the biennial election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Arunachal Pradesh was conducted on Tuesday at Nokmey Namati Hall of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat here. The scrutiny was carried out by Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretary-cum-Returning Officer Tadar Meena and Assistant Returning Officer Longman Ronrang in the presence of the candidate and his representatives. The process was supervised by Arunachal Pradesh Biennial Election Chief Electoral Officer-cum-Observer Pawan Kumar Sain and Joint Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu. During the scrutiny, the two nomination papers submitted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tai Tagak were examined and found to be valid. Following the scrutiny, Tagak was declared a validly nominated candidate for election to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).      

ITANAGAR : The U.S. Department of State’s London International Media Hub hosted an online interaction on Tuesday for journalists from India, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and several other countries, focusing on Freedom 250 and the recent diplomatic engagements of United States Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Sarah B. Rogers. The discussion centred on commercial diplomacy, cultural heritage preservation, digital freedom and innovation. Among the participants was Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) General Secretary and The Arunachal Pioneer Sub-Editor Sonam Jelly. Sharing insights from her recent two-week visit across South and Central Asia, Rogers said the United States’ engagement in the region was guided by three key priorities—commercial diplomacy, preservation of cultural heritage and strengthening connectivity through digital freedom and innovation. The issue of media censorship and regulation of social media platforms featured prominently during the interaction when Jelly sought Rogers’ views on whether censorship was necessary and the challenges governments face in regulating online spaces. Responding to the query, Rogers said the United States approaches the issue through the lens of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech. She described censorship as the suppression or punishment of speech by a central authority, particularly governments, based on the viewpoints being expressed. “I don’t think that any country needs censorship. In fact, I think we’re all much better without it,” Rogers said, adding that free speech and free enterprise have historically driven innovation and technological advancement in the United States. At the same time, she acknowledged that governments face legitimate concerns over harmful conduct in digital spaces. Distinguishing regulation from censorship, Rogers said there could be appropriate “rules of the road” online without suppressing ideas or restricting free expression. Citing the recently enacted Take It Down Act in the United States, she highlighted legal protections available to victims of deepfakes and non-consensual intimate imagery as an example of targeted measures designed to address online harms while safeguarding freedom of speech. Throughout the interaction, Rogers emphasised that open information ecosystems and free expression are not only democratic principles but also important drivers of economic growth, entrepreneurship and innovation. Jelly’s intervention reflected growing global concerns over how societies can combat misinformation, deepfakes and other emerging digital challenges without undermining the fundamental freedoms that underpin democratic discourse.