Editor,
Now that election time is nearing there will be many who will want to make themselves heard and even followed. The shenanigans by a religious man who wants to defy the Aadhar enrolment makes me laugh. This same man has indulged in similar shenanigans in the troubled years of Shillong. As usual people here have short memories and some voted for him in the last Lok Sabha election. Now he is asking people to defy the Aadhar enrolment as if he has the last word on it. People now get their subsidies on LPG cylinders directly in their bank accounts. What happens if the Government decides to stop paying those subsidies to those without Aadhar Cards? And by the way what is that privacy claims that so many are making a big deal of? Those who need to fear what is alleged to be intrusion into individual privacy are people who have something to hide. And most people don’t want anyone to know how much they have in their bank accounts. More so, those having to pay income tax and others whose sources of income are questionable. Other ordinary citizens who don’t have much money in their accounts and about 98% of this country’s population fall in that group, have no fear if anyone takes a look at their accounts anyway for there is not much to steal.
These church types are the very same people who travel in and out of the country and will not mind living in a foreign country if they are accepted there. And then they will not mind complying with all the laws including giving out the complete biometrics of themselves and their family members. So why the double standards when it comes to giving the same information to their own government? And to drag the Bible in on the Aadhar enrolment is a bogus move. Its time people learnt to question these seasonal leaders who emerge out of the woodwork on the eve of elections.
Yours etc.,
Banisha Lyngdoh,
Shillong- 2
Nuclear war in the offing?
Editor,
Are we on the brink of destruction? Are our precious lives worthless in the hands of a few eccentrics? Can Mother Earth withstand another holocaust — this time a full-scale destruction? Will sanity prevail in some crazy world leaders?
Answers to these dreadful questions lie in Washington and Pyongyang. We, like the rest of the inhabitants of planet earth can only be the dumb spectators. If the dreaded catastrophe befalls, it will be beyond our means to prevent, and beyond our means to survive. Yes, a series of the dreadful missile is being blasted off from the soil of North Korea too frequently. And it is duly matched with the more alarming thunders by the US President Donald Trump. It is frightful to imagine when these two capricious men will be losing their sensible judgment and start acting against the norms of humanity.
The US President Donald Trump and North Korea Dictator Kim Jong-un must introspect with all seriousness. They must exercise strategic restraint. They must avoid a potential flashpoint. They must think of a world outside their egomania. They must introspect on the devastating consequences of their protracted antagonism. They must understand military provocations, militant statements, and crossing swords will not solve problems of this magnitude. So, they must listen to reason and display the right statesmanship which the world’s citizens expect. They must display their compassion and exercise their prudence. They have never been mandated to hurt humankind and to injure the earth’s crust.
Yours truly,
Salil Gewali
Via email
Global Hunder Index
Editor,
According to Global Hunger Index – 2017, among Asian countries, India’s position is only better than Afghanistan and Pakistan. While India ranks 100th among 119 countries, China in spite of its vast population is at the 29th position. Even Bangladesh has fared much better than us and ranks 88th. It is a matter of concern that only 9.6 per cent of our children between 6 and 23 months of age, receive adequate diet and as many as 97 million children in India are underweight! How can India be strong if our children are weak?
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Showcasing Assam to the world
Editor,
The promotion campaign of Awesome Assam Tourism is surely a laudable step. The land of one-horned rhino, world-famous tea and the mighty Brahmaputra has enormous potential to make it a must visit location. The department claims its tall presence by releasing an advertisement on social media but the need of the hour is to connect the road towards its industry. “Aththi devo bhava” is truly reflected in every Sikkimese and we need to learn from them. The roadmap of Assam tourism is to be designed with technology so that outsiders can easily Google us from a distance. Wi-Fi, high speed internet and internal security will boost it to make it happen for safari visitors. The infrastructure needs to be developed to capture the traveller’s imaginations. The potential sites are to be interlinked for hassle free moving.
Beyond Assam, North East always finds a mention on a tourism bucket list. Neighbouring Meghalaya attracts huge tourist inflow due to publicity on social networks. Nagaland and Manipur could project themselves despite insurgencies and ethnic conflicts. Frontier Arunachal has now followed them. Tripura and Mizoram have a unique identity. Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh have done huge campaigns and mega publicity to attract domestic tourists. Assam too offers a wonderful panorama of wild destinations to project its three sixty degree happiness. What we need is to explore those destinations that are famous for their rich culture of indigenous tribes, age old Sattriya, lush greenery, breathtaking hills and fascinating spice. The ongoing efforts are an excellent start for adding momentum to showcase Assam around the world. Would the ‘Act East Policy’ give that much needed push to increase tourist footfalls from South Asian countries? Aggressive publicity is a must to focus Assam as a favourite tourist destination.
Yours etc.,
Kamal Baruah
Guwahati