Manipur Madness; Indo-US Imprints; Mango Misery
Opinion Watch
Manipur Madness
In the worst violent clash since the eruption of ethnic clashes on May 3 in Manipur, nine people lost their lives in the Kangpokpi district of the state, said The Pioneer in its Editorial, adding that skirmish took place between villagers and armed groups. The daily gives an overview of the extent of ethnic diversity of Manipur, and traces the simmering tension between Meitei, dominant tribe, and Kuki and Naga to the eviction drive of the forest dwellers from districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal launched in February this year.
The Noida-based daily sensitizes readers about demographic profile of Manipur, stating that Meitei constitutes 53 per cent of the 3.5 million population, while residing in the Imphal Valley, which is 10 per cent of the landmass. Kukis and Nagas reside in the remaining 90 per cent of the landmass, mostly forest areas.
Manipur and Nagaland are marred by legacy issues of ethnic conflicts among the irreconcilable tribal groups, with China allegedly stoking the fire by supplying arms and ammunitions through the porous Myanmar border. Also, divisive politics has sought to gain from ethnic divide in Manipur.
Indo-US Imprints
The Asian Age has splashed adjectives to hail upcoming US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it a historic highpoint, a new scaling, an acme, and a watermark. The daily noted that the bilateral relations have gained from the unified focus of all political parties and the prime ministers, from P. V. Narsimha Rao to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.
The daily recalled that the honour of the state visit was last bestowed upon Singh to stress that Modi may stress on civilizational bond between the two nations. The daily hoped that the two nations will bond well to bring solutions to a host of global issues.
The economy is at the core of the bilateral relations, and the positive impact of the India Inc in the job market in the US is now a talking point, besides 3.5 million diaspora making several visible impacts in the socio-economic and political space of the largest economy of the world.
Mango Misery
The visible impact of the Climate Change can be seen on the output of mango this year, and The Economic Times has lamented in its Editorial that average crop-damage this year could be in the range of 30-40 per cent against 10 per cent in the past. The daily also noted that mango prices have shot up, Alphonso spiking by almost 100 per cent due to production dip.
The business daily stated that the government is in the midst of climate-proofing agriculture, including 177 varieties, against the vagaries of the climate change. The daily also argued for accelerated focus on investment in agriculture to avoid future farm shocks.
India has a rich basket of GI tag mango varieties, which command strong international markets as well. But mango farming lacks investments and value addition, which need to be addressed.
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