Aizawl, April 6 (PTI): Though there is no woman among the four candidates contesting the Lok Sabha election to the lone Mizoram seat, women’s issues have come to the fore probably because women outnumbered men in the states voters lists. The opposition Mizo National Front-Mizoram Peoples Conference combine is using women’s issues against the Congress, saying that the present government refused to formalise the Mizoram Divorce Ordinance, 2008 promulgated by the state Governor during the MNF rule.
The MNF allege that the Ordinance lapsed after the Congress government led by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla refused to regularise it during the budget session of the Assembly held during March last. “All the women groups, including the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or Mizo womens federation, hailed the promulgation of the ordinance to improve the lot of the weaker sex in the strict patriarchal society in regards to separation and divorce, but the Congress stiffled the law,” a woman leader of the MNF said.
A judicial magistrate, who did not want to be named, told PTI that the Mizoram Divorce Ordinance was now null and void as the Ordinance was not legislated by the legislature as per the provisions of the Article 213 of the Constitution. According to the Mizo Customary Law, a divorced woman does not have any claim over the family properties even if it is community properties, earned by the wife. The new Divorce Ordinance sought to change all that.
B Sangkhumi, former president of the MHIP, one of the biggest NGOs in Mizoram, and chairperson of the state Public Service Commission, said that women’s organisations have submitted memoranda to the government to formalise the ordinance in the Assembly. She said, “The state law minister Lalsawta has promised that a new bill, better and more effective than the ordinance, will be drafted for legislation.”
Women voters outnumbered their male counterparts by more than 9,000 votes in the 6,29,155-strong electorate in Mizoram, but not a single woman candidate, including those fielded by major political parties, were elected in the last state Assembly polls held on December two last.
Altogether, three women have been elected to the Mizoram Assembly and only one woman Lalhlimpuii was inducted in the council of ministers so far, while Thanmawii was the only woman to be elected for two times - in 1987 and 1989. (Source: Morung Express)
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Tobacco catches ‘them young in Mizoram
Mizoram has earned the infamous distinction of being the state with the highest tobacco consumption even as the Tobacco Cessation Clinic (TCC) has recorded a 10% quitting rate.
“According to the National Family Health.
Survey-II conducted in 1998-99, 60% of Mizoram’s population used tobacco. This has increased to 78% in the NFHS-III conducted during 2005-2006,’’ Dr Jane Ralte, officer-on-special duty and head of the TCC in the Aizawl Civil Hospital, told UNI today, adding, “The percentage would surely have increased during the past two years.’’ Since its inception in June 2005, the TCC has attended to as many as 2,460 clients and the tobacco quit rate at present is 10%, which according to Dr Ralte, is the highest among the TCCs in India.
At the initial stage, the TCC had even witnessed 25% quit rate, Dr Ralte informed. When questioned how the number of tobacco users kept increasing despite the high quit rate, Dr Ralte answered, “This is because the rate of new tobacco users is much higher compared to the quit rate, meaning the tobacco industries are catching them young.’’ Dr Ralte blamed “eye-catching advertisements’’ of tobacco companies and media to be the major factors for young boys and girls getting into tobacco habit in Mizoram, besides the Mizo society’s liberal attitude towards tobacco.
“Mizo youngsters are making a great fuss about Korean films, also Bollywood and Hollywood, where the characters smoke on screens. This leaves negative impact on them,’’ she said.
In the old Mizo society, young boys and girls were introduced to smoking by their parents, as they had to work in the jhums infested by mosquitoes. Though discontinued since the past few decades, the tradition still haunts the older people, she pointed out. According to a recent survey, about 54% of the students in Mizoram were found to be habitual smokers. (Source: Nagaland Post)
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The MNF allege that the Ordinance lapsed after the Congress government led by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla refused to regularise it during the budget session of the Assembly held during March last. “All the women groups, including the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or Mizo womens federation, hailed the promulgation of the ordinance to improve the lot of the weaker sex in the strict patriarchal society in regards to separation and divorce, but the Congress stiffled the law,” a woman leader of the MNF said.
A judicial magistrate, who did not want to be named, told PTI that the Mizoram Divorce Ordinance was now null and void as the Ordinance was not legislated by the legislature as per the provisions of the Article 213 of the Constitution. According to the Mizo Customary Law, a divorced woman does not have any claim over the family properties even if it is community properties, earned by the wife. The new Divorce Ordinance sought to change all that.
B Sangkhumi, former president of the MHIP, one of the biggest NGOs in Mizoram, and chairperson of the state Public Service Commission, said that women’s organisations have submitted memoranda to the government to formalise the ordinance in the Assembly. She said, “The state law minister Lalsawta has promised that a new bill, better and more effective than the ordinance, will be drafted for legislation.”
Women voters outnumbered their male counterparts by more than 9,000 votes in the 6,29,155-strong electorate in Mizoram, but not a single woman candidate, including those fielded by major political parties, were elected in the last state Assembly polls held on December two last.
Altogether, three women have been elected to the Mizoram Assembly and only one woman Lalhlimpuii was inducted in the council of ministers so far, while Thanmawii was the only woman to be elected for two times - in 1987 and 1989. (Source: Morung Express)
============
Tobacco catches ‘them young in Mizoram
Mizoram has earned the infamous distinction of being the state with the highest tobacco consumption even as the Tobacco Cessation Clinic (TCC) has recorded a 10% quitting rate.
“According to the National Family Health.
Survey-II conducted in 1998-99, 60% of Mizoram’s population used tobacco. This has increased to 78% in the NFHS-III conducted during 2005-2006,’’ Dr Jane Ralte, officer-on-special duty and head of the TCC in the Aizawl Civil Hospital, told UNI today, adding, “The percentage would surely have increased during the past two years.’’ Since its inception in June 2005, the TCC has attended to as many as 2,460 clients and the tobacco quit rate at present is 10%, which according to Dr Ralte, is the highest among the TCCs in India.
At the initial stage, the TCC had even witnessed 25% quit rate, Dr Ralte informed. When questioned how the number of tobacco users kept increasing despite the high quit rate, Dr Ralte answered, “This is because the rate of new tobacco users is much higher compared to the quit rate, meaning the tobacco industries are catching them young.’’ Dr Ralte blamed “eye-catching advertisements’’ of tobacco companies and media to be the major factors for young boys and girls getting into tobacco habit in Mizoram, besides the Mizo society’s liberal attitude towards tobacco.
“Mizo youngsters are making a great fuss about Korean films, also Bollywood and Hollywood, where the characters smoke on screens. This leaves negative impact on them,’’ she said.
In the old Mizo society, young boys and girls were introduced to smoking by their parents, as they had to work in the jhums infested by mosquitoes. Though discontinued since the past few decades, the tradition still haunts the older people, she pointed out. According to a recent survey, about 54% of the students in Mizoram were found to be habitual smokers. (Source: Nagaland Post)
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