"Punjab is one of those six states in the country which feels it is not necessary to enact legislation on control and development of groundwater resources,' said union water resources minister Saifuddin Soz. The other five states are Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Mnipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Incidentally, in neighbouring Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, initiatives are being taken for enactment of the Model Bill circulated by the Centre while Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh belong to the category that had already enacted and implemented the groundwater legislation.

Kohima, July 6: The Nagaland Agriculture Department has ruled out apprehensions of famine following invasion of grasshoppers in several areas of the State. A release issued by the Director of the Agriculture Department stated that the long-horned grasshopper of

UNITED NATIONS

A unique programme in Nagaland, which aimed at and achieved community participation in local governance, has been selected for a top UN award for public service. The award will be given to Union Steel Secretary RS Pandey tomorrow at New York, on the occasion of the UN Public Service Day. Pandey will be given the award for his pioneering efforts, during his stint as the Nagaland Chief Secretary in 2002-04, for better public utilities.

The States of north-eastern India demand their share of the development pie. PTI Union Minister for the Development of the North-Eastern Region Mani Shankar Aiyar (centre) with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar (third from left), his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga (right) and Manipur counterpart Okram Ibobi Singh (extreme right), along with other members of the NEC in Agartala on May 12, the day before the signing of the vision document.

JORHAT

A local detergent product, made by a women's self-help group, has evoked great response in Nagaland encouraging many other SHGs to' emulate their success story. The detergent powder, cheaper than some popular brands of consumer majors and largely popular, is made by a self-help group (SHG) in a village near Dimapur with caustic soda and other locally available materials. Initiated by a few Naga women activists, 'Women Ahead' is now transforming many homes and families in rural Nagaland.

KOHIMA:

The two-day North Eastern Council (NEC) plenary has approved the Vision 2020 to restore the NE region to a position of national economic eminence by the next eight to ten years. After hectic discussion among member States of the NEC in the two-day plenary that commenced here on Monday, DoNER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer, all Governors and Chief Ministers of the region states signed the Vision-2020 document on Tuesday.

KOHIMA