NSA panel examines US history, illegal mining and substance abuse

Dimapur, May 18 (EMN): The Naga Scholars Association (NSA) organized a panel discussion on May 17 at the School of International Studies, JNU, at New Delhi.
The organisation issued a press release to the media on Saturday informing about the proceedings of the panel discussions.
Dr. Zuchamo Yanthan, president of the NSA, introduced the speakers for the event, and its chairperson Dr. Susmita Dasgupta, a chief economist at the Joint Plan Commission of the Centre’s ministry of Steel. Dasgupta is an author of several books, an economist and a sociologist.

The first speaker for the event was Dr. Mirinchonme Mahongnao who presented a paper on the topic of environmental injustice’ specific to the Ukhrul district, in Manipur.

Mahongnao started with the argument that ‘everyone’ was ‘equally entitled’ to accesses to the benefits of natural resources but ‘not at the cost of injustice.’ The speaker tried to elaborate on the concept of distributive and procedural justice taking the case study of mineral mining (Chromite) in Ukhrul district, the updates stated.

According to him, the actual risk of mining is borne by the native, indigenous peoples because most of the Chromite mines are located adjacent to rivers and their tributaries, which are the main water source of the native people’s livelihood.

“Hence, one of the immediate consequences of Chromite mining is the possible contamination of the river itself. So, it not only violates distributive justice by denying the tribal communities of the benefits from the extraction of such resources, but also imposes injustice in the form of health hazard and environmental destruction.”

With regard to the “procedural justice,” Mahongnao argued that the companies undertaking the contracts of exploiting the mineral resources do not follow the necessary environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures. This results in legal loopholes in the process, he said.

“Consequently, the impact of Chromite mining and its larger ramifications on environment is negated.” Therefore, he emphasized on the importance of an EIA in any projects that involves environmental consequences, the press release stated.

The second speaker was R Eknee C Khongrei who presented a paper on the topic ‘Understanding America: Contesting the liberal projection of America’s image.’ He contested what the updates called “the distorted image of

America by the liberals,” whom he argued comprises the minority community that has influenced the image projection of America.

Khongrei traced America’s history in the context of the three waves of immigrations that followed which in the process change the narrative of American identity, the updates stated. He said that the third wave was the most significant wave because this was the beginning of the negative construction of American culture.

“More importantly the proliferation of this third wave immigrants resulted in impacting the political dispensation, who became an important vote bank. Their influence in the political process gave them opportunity to legitimize their popular culture, which later on dominated the popular American identity,” he said. This according to him is a one-sided projection of America’s image.

Subsequently, the third wave of immigrants engineered a split within the Protestant Christian community resulting in the emergence of the Democrats (Liberals) and the Republicans (Conservatives), two of the most influential political parties in America.

Consequently, he said, emerging issues like that of homosexuality and gender identity, and the hippie movement etc., were a way of rebelling against the existing American culture. He argued that the American identity projected from the lenses of the liberalist should not be validated as the only image of the Americans.

The third speaker of the event was Dr. Kaisolo Pazhiini who presented a paper on the topic “Substance abuse prevention among adolescents: what works and what doesn’t?” The speaker started with a statement that substance abuse had gained rampancy and the consequences of which was affecting not only the individual but having a chain effect on the family and society at large.

“Tobacco, alcohol and drugs (cannabis/marijuana) are the main substance abuse indulged by the adolescents,” Pazhiini said. She said to found that initiation into substance abuse, tobacco and alcohol in this case, were not necessarily limited to older adolescents but even children as young as six years of age were being influenced.

The NSA stated that her research found that more than peer groups even siblings are the main source of influence on the adolescents for using the substances.

“It is also found that most adolescents indulged in substances due to peer pressure, curiosity and fun sake.”
Pazhiini was stated to have emphasized that it was easier for attitudinal change in substance users rather than behavioural change because behavioural change according to her is a gradual process that takes times in withdrawal.

This is based on her field survey, the updates stated.
Dr. Susmita Dasgupta gave remarks on all the papers and gave suggestions for further improvement to their research.

The programme was followed by a question-and-answer session and discussions, the updates stated.